Weight loss is a common pursuit across the world. Some want to do it to become healthier. Some others feel the need to reduce weight to deal with lifestyle diseases. A popular survey showed that weight loss was one of the top three resolutions among people the world over for this year with numbers showing that almost 54% of people wanted to lose weight.
There are two elements for losing weight – diet, and exercise. Exercise is the most common path followed and rightfully so. Exercising has a host of health benefits and reduces the risk of many lifestyle diseases. It plays a significant role in helping you lose weight.
However, after a while, you notice that you have hit a plateau. Your weight doesn’t reduce irrespective of how much you exercise.
Over 60% of Americans are obese. Weight loss is also the most common new year resolution in America.
As the exercise becomes a habit, your body adapts to it. It gets easier to do. At the same time, it also stops being as efficient as before.
[Also Read: Lose Weight Naturally]
Do you stop exercising altogether? Of course not! You need to supplement the exercise with changes in your diet. You need to add items in your diet that can boost your metabolism or make you feel satiated. The easiest way to do this is to switch your drinks.
Some drinks help you burn more energy while some others can replace meals and keep you fuller for longer.
Drinks can be easily incorporated into your daily regimen and have shown significant results. Here are the ten best drinks to include in your diet to lose weight fast.
Smoothie is a thick and creamy beverage that has become very popular recently. A smoothie for weight loss can contain fruits, vegetables, protein sources, seeds, and nuts. You can customize them as per your wish.
Smoothies, unlike juices, contain a lot of fiber. The fiber keeps you feeling full. Being satiated for longer prevents you from feeling the need to snack in between meals. It helps in reducing your overall calorie intake. The fiber also stabilizes blood sugar levels. The nutrients present in the ingredients improve your overall health.
Smoothies are very easy to make. Add the ingredients to a powerful blender and blend till you get a smooth mixture. The ingredient choice is entirely personal. However, keep an eye on the calories and try to incorporate some greens into the smoothie.
For optimum results, replace one of your meals with a smoothie. It is dense in nutrients and fibers as well as calories. Having a smoothie as a snack, in addition to your main meals can have the reverse effect.
[Also Read: Fiber for Weight Loss]
The combination of lemon juice and water has been considered the secret to weight loss for many years. Is this claim true? Does it work? If so, then how?
Studies show that the polyphenols in lemon stimulate the liver and make it burn fat faster. Lemon water also keeps you hydrated. An increase in hydration is the key to weight loss. It also aids in the breakdown of fats.
The brain signals for thirst and hunger are similar. You may be mistaking thirst for hunger and consuming more calories. You can get around this issue by keeping your body well hydrated.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a jar of water and mix it well. You can drink this concoction throughout the day. Many people find it beneficial to kickstart their day and their metabolism with a glass of lemon water.
If you tend to drink sugary fruit juices during the day, consider replacing those with lemon water. The reduced calorie intake will also aid your weight loss pursuit.
People who lose weight at a modest but steady pace are more likely to keep it off.
Did you know that your morning pick-me-up can help you lose weight? You may already be having coffee every day. All you need to do is follow the right way to drink coffee for weight loss(1).
Coffee makes you lose weight using a two-pronged approach. Coffee increases your metabolism and aids in the processing and distribution of fat cells throughout the body. It does so by stimulating the brown fat in the body.
Brown fat is responsible for generating heat and absorbing the macronutrients. It also burns calories in this process. Coffee also suppresses your appetite. The less hungry you feel, the less you eat and the fewer calories you consume!
Before you get your cappuccino, there is a small detail you should know. Even though coffee is beneficial for weight loss, the benefits can get diminished when you add sugar and cream into it. Black coffee is most helpful in losing weight. You also need to limit yourself to three cups of coffee a day.
[Also Read: Fruits For Weight Loss]
Red wine is the perfect way to wind down after a long day. Its goodness increases ten-fold when you consider that it can help you lose weight as well.
Red wine contains a polyphenol called resveratrol that converts white fat into beige fat. White fat stores energy, whereas the body burns beige fat for energy. White fat is responsible for the fat deposits in the body. The body uses the energy stored in the beige fat for its day to day activities.
In addition to this, a small amount of alcohol in the blood improves the blood flow. It helps in transporting more nutrients and oxygen. Both of them help with fat burning. Red wine also impacts hormone levels. It increases fat burning hormones adiponectin and testosterone while decreasing the fat-retaining hormone estrogen.
Regular consumption of red wine also decreases your chances of gaining weight.
Moderate consumption of red wine gives you optimum results. Two glasses a day should suffice.
Protein is an essential macronutrient for the body. Protein shakes(2) are an easy way to add more protein to your daily diet.
Protein can help you reduce weight by affecting hunger and appetite. Certain hormones can reduce your appetite. Protein increases the level of these hormones. Another hormone, ghrelin, is responsible for making you feel hungry. Protein reduces the level of ghrelin.
The change in hormone levels results in reduced food consumption and increased satiety. Protein requires more calories for digestion and metabolization. It also helps in developing muscles which, in turn, help burn more calories.
[Read: Best Protein Shakes To Reduce Weight ]
You can make a protein shake by mixing protein powder, water, and other ingredients of your choice. It is better to replace one of your main meals with a protein shake.
While there are many different types of protein powders available in the market, whey protein is the most popular. Whey protein is a dairy-based protein that is quickly absorbed by the body. It even contains all the essential amino acids.
Whey protein is set to become a USD 12.4 billion industry by 2021.
This ancient Chinese tea has gained a massive following worldwide for its numerous health benefits. Weight loss and increased metabolism are among them.
The leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant make green tea upon steaming. Other tea varieties go through a fermentation process which is not necessary for green tea. Therefore, the leaves retain more nutrients and antioxidants. Green tea is also rich in caffeine and catechin.
Catechin reduces the excess fat while both caffeine and catechin increase the metabolic rate. The heightened metabolic rate leads to more calorie utilization. You lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. Green tea helps with the first part.
Drinking about two to three cups of green tea throughout the should get you the desired results. Make sure you get the least processed variety of green tea to maximize the nutrients present in it.
[Also Read: Keto Diet for Weight Loss]
Vegetables are a treasure trove of nutrients. Consuming vegetable juices can help you lose weight in addition to improving your health.
Vegetables are an excellent source of antioxidants. They are also rich in fibers. The fibers help you stay full for longer. They also improve nutrient absorption in the body.
Fruits also contain antioxidants and fibers. However, they also contain high levels of sugar. The sugar can wreak havoc on your weight loss journey. In contrast, vegetables are a low-sugar nutrient source. Vegetables also contain fewer calories.
You can select the vegetable of your choice and blend it in a juicer. It is better to use a blender and not a juicer. A juicer will extract out the precious fibers from the vegetables. If you hate drinking plain water, then make vegetable juices your source of hydration.
Yeast and bacteria work on crushed apples to produce this healthy drink. The sugars in the apple breakdown and the fermentation process resulted in the generation of acetic acid. Apple cider vinegar or ACV has been proven to aid weight loss.
[Also Read: Apple Cider Vinegar Health Benefits]
The acetic acid in ACV is responsible for its effects on weight loss. Acetic acid increased the AMPK enzymes in the liver. These enzymes enhanced the fat burning ability of the liver while simultaneously reducing the production of fat and sugar.
ACV also suppresses appetite and boosts metabolism. It also lowers your cholesterol and blood pressure. ACV reduces the rate at which your stomach empties.
Since ACV has a strong taste, it is better to dilute it with water. You can mix one tablespoon of ACV in a glass of water and drink this mixture. Once you get comfortable with this amount, you can increase the quantity of ACV to two tablespoons.
Aloe vera is much more than a natural beauty product. Consuming aloe vera juice helps you lose weight and keep it off.
Aloe vera juice impacts your digestive system. It regulates your bowel movements and solves issues such as ulcers and acid refluxes. By doing so, it facilitates the calorie burning process.
Aloe vera is also rich in Vitamin B. Vitamin B reduces appetite, enhances metabolism, and curbs the accumulation of fat. Aloe vera can also lower the blood glucose level and prevents overeating.
The first step for making aloe vera juice is extracting the gel from the leaves. Start by cutting the edges of the leaves. You should be able to remove one side of the leaf to scoop out the gel.
Blend this clear gel. What you have now is a concentrated juice. You need to dilute it with water before consumption. One teaspoon of aloe juice in a glass of water can deliver the required results.
Ginger does more than just flavor your food. Ginger tea is a natural remedy for cold, cough, and some digestive disorders. The culinary root can be your friend in your weight loss journey.
Ginger tea makes the body burn more energy to produce heat. It also curbs hunger. You end up eating fewer calories while burning more. Since the reason more people gain weight the inability to check their eating habits, hunger control is vital for losing weight.
Ginger also stabilizes your blood sugar levels. In addition to these properties, ginger reduces inflammation. It is also an antioxidant. The anti-inflammatory property of ginger tea helps you improve your cardiovascular health.
If you have access to fresh ginger, then add freshly grated ginger to a cup of boiling water and let it steep. You can filter and drink this tea. If you do not have fresh ginger, then you can use dried ginger as well. You can consume this tea in between your meals to suppress the urge to snack.
Losing weight is not an easy task. It requires dedication and patience. The drinks mentioned above can be your friends. They can help you through this tough challenge. But do keep in mind that these are just one aspect of weight loss. You need to exercise and regulate your food habits to truly see results. It is unfair to continue to eat unhealthily and expect the drinks to work their magic.
No, drinks alone cannot do much. You need to supplement it with exercise and diet.
All the drinks mentioned above are entirely natural and therefore, safe.
Each drink works differently. Some drinks need to be taken on an empty stomach while some others replace main meals. You can consult the above article for details regarding each drink.