If you’ve ever attempted to lose weight, then you know exactly what we mean. At first, you can just cut back on some junk, while still enjoying some cheat meals, and you’ll see the number on the scale drop. Then, 10 to 15 pounds later, your progress will slow and you’ll need to cut out the junk and booze altogether. Still, that’s not that bad, right? It’s the final 10 pounds of a cut that is the hardest.
That’s because when you’re trying to lose weight the Adipose tissue, aka body fat, is the energy that our body stores for if we run out of food. It’s a survival tool. So your body starts to fight back and resist as you slowly chip away at your energy reserves—but your body still wants some of that fat.
If you’re nearing that final phase of a cut, then you’re in luck. We curated nine science-backed fat-loss hacks to help you speed up the rest of the process. Assuming the rest of your diet and training are airtight, then adding these tips to your routine will only push you across the finish line.
German researchers have shown that drinking about two cups of cold water can temporarily boost metabolic rate by roughly 30 percent. The effect appears to be mainly due to an increase in norepinephrine.
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Try Energy Drinks
Certain energy drinks have been shown to boost fat loss. University of Oklahoma (Norman) researchers reported in a 2008 study that when 60 male and female subjects consumed a diet energy drink containing 200mg of caffeine and 250mg of EGCG from green tea extract for 28 days, they lost more than one pound of body fat without changing their diets or exercise habits.
Just be wary of any drinks with excessive added sugars.
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Put Whey In Your Shake
Drinking whey protein as a between-meals snack is a smart way to enhance not only muscle growth but also fat loss. UK researchers found that when subjects consumed a whey protein shake 90 minutes before eating a buffet-style meal, they ate significantly less food than when they consumed a casein shake beforehand. The scientists reported that this was due to whey’s ability to boost levels of the hunger-blunting hormones cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1.
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Don’t Do Diet
Even though artificially sweetened drinks are calorie-free, drinking too many can actually hinder your fat-loss progress. It seems that beverages like diet soda mess with your brain’s ability to regulate calorie intake, causing you to feel hungrier than normal so you eat more total calories. Other research suggests that the sweet taste of these drinks can increase the release of insulin, which can blunt fat-burning and enhance fat storage.
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Eat More Soy
Soy protein is a proven fat-burner. One study concluded that soy protein can aid fat loss, possibly by decreasing appetite and calorie intake. Researchers have also found that subjects drinking 20 grams of soy daily for three months lost a significant amount of abdominal fat.
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Make Your Shakes Thicker
When you whip up a protein shake, consider making it thicker by using less water. It could help you feel less hungry while dieting. In a study from Purdue University, subjects drank two shakes that were identical in nutritional content, and reported significantly greater and more prolonged reductions in hunger after drinking the thicker shake.
