Drop Pounds: Real World Tips That Work

From the Editors of Prevention

Losing weight doesn’t necessarily require big modifications in your lifestyle. Research tells us it’s the small decisions that add up to change. Here are some of the latest findings about what makes us tick and how to overcome common diet obstacles.

Eat More Healthy Fats
Yes, healthy fats are good for your heart and overall health. But they're critical to weight loss, too. New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that dietary fat triggers gene activity in the liver, which spurs metabolism. Body fat stores alone (like the jiggly stuff hanging around your thighs and belly) failed to set these activities in motion.

Yummy ways to bolster healthy fats in your diet include drizzling (not pouring) a little extra virgin olive oil on pasta or bread; adding half a chopped avocado or a small fistful of nuts to a tossed salad; and eating olives as snacks.

Vitamin C: Discover This New Waist Whittler
Make weight loss easier with another simple tweak: Eat more C-rich produce to help prevent excess pounds from settling around your midsection, where they raise heart disease risk. In a recent British study, adults with the highest blood levels of vitamin C had lower – and healthier – waist-to-hip ratios, regardless of total weight. Some high-C fruits include papayas (95 mg per fruit), grapefruit (88 mg per cup), oranges (87 mg per fruit), kiwifruit (57 mg per fruit), and strawberries (50 mg per 1/2 cup).

Load Up on the Fat-Fighting Foods
You can actually munch away excess pounds with these naturally slimming choices, as each contains at least one nutrient that can shrink your waistline.

Berries. You probably know that fiber is the magic bullet of weight loss. It keeps you satisfied throughout the day--and away from the fridge. But you may not know that berries are an excellent source of the nutrient. Raspberries are the fiber queens with 8 g per cup. Blackberries come in a close second with 7.4 g, and blueberries have 3.5 g.

Enova oil. Enova--made from soy and canola oils – contains diglycerides, a type of fat that's metabolized differently than triglycerides (found in other oils – even olive) and so not stored as fat as easily. In a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, dieters who used Enova lost more weight than those who used other oils.

Peanuts. Ironically, this elephant favorite fights weight gain, slows rises in blood sugar, and curbs hunger. One study from Purdue University found that individuals who added 500 calories of peanuts to their diets for 3 weeks experienced almost no change in body weight and a 24% drop in triglycerides--blood fats associated with heart disease. Researcher Rick Mattes, PhD, says peanuts' satiating power helps people eat less overall.

Breakfast cereal. By boosting fiber and providing fewer calories from fat than other popular breakfasts (bacon or pancakes, anyone?), ready-to-eat cereal can help you fill up--and slim down. A study from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that women who ate cereal were 30% less likely to be overweight than those who ate other breakfast foods. To get the most bang for your breakfast buck, choose fiber-rich (aim for 5 g per serving), low-fat cereals like Kashi Heart to Heart.

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