8 Ways to Lose Weight and Burn Calories

For years, companies have advertised items that claim to help you burn more calories. Is there, however, anything you can do to enhance the amount of calories your body burns on a daily basis?

Yes and no, according to experts. The truth appears to be that the most effective approach to burn more calories is to move around more.

“Essentially, we know of no method to burn more calories or increase our metabolism than to move more,” says Barry M. Popkin, PhD, head of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s Interdisciplinary Obesity Program.

However, research reveals that there are a few more ways to boost calorie burn. Here are eight techniques to increase your calorie burn and combat fat:

1. Burn Calories Through Exercise

“The longer time spent exercising and the more strenuous the exercise, the more calories will be expended,” said Christopher Wharton, PhD, a certified personal trainer and researcher at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Indeed, according to obesity expert George Bray, MD, of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., taking a brisk walk every day is the single most crucial piece of advise for anyone looking to burn more calories.

Obviously, your body consumes calories to fuel your activity when you exercise. Exercise, on the other hand, is a gift that keeps on giving. That’s because your body continues to burn calories long after you’ve finished doing out.

While it’s difficult to estimate how long this impact lasts (it varies depending on body composition and training level), Wharton writes that “metabolic rate can be raised by aerobic activity for at least 24 hours.”

Wharton recommends exercising for extended lengths of time if you want to extend the calorie-burning effect.

“Studies have indicated that increasing exercise time prolongs the rise in resting metabolic rate,” he explains.

2. Strengthen your muscles by doing strength training.

Muscle is used when you workout. This helps you gain muscle mass, and muscle tissue burns more calories than body fat, even when you’re at rest. According to Wharton, a day spent at rest burns 50 calories for 10 pounds of muscle and 20 calories for 10 pounds of fat.

Aerobic activity and strength training are the most effective ways to boost metabolism and burn more calories. Megan A. McCrory, PhD, a researcher at Bastyr University’s School of Nutrition and Exercise Science, argues in an email interview that both are crucial.

As we get older, our metabolisms tend to slow down, thus strength training becomes even more vital. Adding weight training to your workout at least a couple of times a week is one method to avoid this. The thighs, belly, chest, and arms have the most muscles (and thus the most calorie burners).

3. Indulge in a cup of caffeinated green or black tea

Caffeine is a stimulant, and stimulants tend to make you burn more calories. One possible reason is that they give you the sense of having more energy in the short term, which may lead to you moving more. Caffeine may also promote metabolic changes in the body, resulting in increased calorie expenditure.

“Older studies have showed that consuming 250 mg of caffeine with a meal can boost the number of calories spent metabolizing the meal by 10%,” says Jamie Pope, MS, RD, LDN, a nutrition lecturer at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. In an email interview, Pope notes that this may add up to a lot of calories over time: “About 75 calories every day corresponds to approximately 2,100 calories in a month.”

Some studies have suggested that green or black tea may have benefits beyond the caffeine they carry in recent years.

A reduction in food intake was observed in rats fed a polyphenol present in green tea in one research. Another human investigation found that green tea had heat-producing and calorie-burning effects that go beyond what caffeine can explain. According to research from Lausanne University in Switzerland, when 31 healthy young men and women were given three doses of a beverage containing green tea catechins, caffeine, and calcium for three days, their 24-hour energy expenditure increased by 4.6 percent.

Tea with meals may have a fat-burning impact as well. According to a research published in the September 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, tea extract may interfere with the body’s absorption of carbohydrate when ingested at the same time as a meal.

While all of these impacts are minor, there is one more advantage to drinking tea. Choosing a zero-calorie cup of tea over a calorie-dense beverage (such as a soda) will significantly lower your calorie intake.

4. Eat more frequently and in smaller portions.

Your gastrointestinal system “turns on” every time you consume a meal or snack, and begins digesting food and absorbing nutrients. Because it takes calories to turn on the human digestive system, it stands to reason that the more tiny meals or snacks you consume throughout the day, the more calories you’ll burn.

In an email interview, McCrory points out that there isn’t much good proof for this effect. However, many experts say that, when compared to having one or two substantial meals, this is a healthier way to eat. And if it helps you burn a few more calories, that’s even better!

5. Don’t Forget to Eat Breakfast

According to a recent editorial in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, evidence indicating a link between skipping breakfast and increasing body weight is growing.

According to several studies, skipping breakfast causes people to consume more calories towards the end of the day. Other research has suggested that skipping breakfast is linked to a higher BMI in teenagers.

While more research is needed in this area, having a healthy breakfast as a lifestyle practise makes sense.

6. Consume Low-Fat Dairy Products

Calcium from low-fat dairy doesn’t directly help you burn more calories, but it may help you lose weight in a couple of ways. According to the findings of a new Danish study, when we take calcium from low-fat dairy, we may absorb fewer fat calories from a meal.

Another recent study found that eating more calcium-rich foods, such as low-fat dairy products, was connected to less belly fat, especially in young adult white males.

7. Drink 8 Cups of Water Per Day

“Almost everything your body does burns calories, including absorbing and utilising water while maintaining fluid balance (sometimes by excreting excess),” explains Pope.

According to the findings of a tiny study from Germany, drinking approximately eight cups of water (2 litres) will help burn nearly 100 additional calories per day.

That may not seem like a lot, but it adds up to 700 calories per week or 2,800 calories per month. And it’s by doing what we should be doing anyhow to keep our intestines and kidneys happy and avoid confusing thirst with hunger.

8. Make a fidget

Any form of movement necessitates the expenditure of energy, and fidgeting is certainly one of them.

“Older research imply that fidgeting can help you burn more calories each day,” Pope explains.

Fidgeting, for example, may be more essential than regular workouts in predicting who is lean and who is obese, according to one study.

Discussing diet and exercise with your doctor is a smart idea. It’s a good idea to see your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine or boosting your diet. There may be activities or dietary supplements that you should avoid if you have certain medical issues or are on certain medications.

Thank you !