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Foods That Accelerate Weight Loss

The overall goal of weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. While plenty of exercise will certainly help you achieve this goal, there are foods that will speed up the rate at which you burn calories and help to keep you full so you won't reach for snacks as often, and these foods may accelerate your weight loss.

  1. Qualities of a Weight Loss Food

    • There are many foods that will help you lose weight faster, but most of them have a few things in common. Foods that are high in fiber may accelerate your weight loss the most, especially when you use them to replace foods that are high in fat. This is because like fat, fiber fills you up, but it also digests more slowly, keeping you full longer than a fatty food would, which may help curb your appetite.

      Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is important for weight loss because of the nutrients in these foods, but also because they tend to be high in water content and low in fat. Eating these foods will help keep you hydrated and they are a healthy snack alternative to foods like potato chips.

    Breakfast

    • Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially if you're trying to lose weight. However, not just any breakfast will do. According to Dr. David Grotto (see Reference 1), eating foods with plenty of protein in the morning, like egg whites, will help to keep you full until lunch.

      Another breakfast option is oatmeal. Oats are a slow digesting, high-fiber carbohydrate, which means they're very filling and have a low impact on your blood sugar. The steel cut and rolled varieties have the most fiber, so they will keep you full the longest (see Reference 1).

    Other Weight Loss Foods

    • According to Weight Loss for All (see Reference 3), the foods that will accelerate your weight loss the most are fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fish. All of these foods are low in fat, most are high in fiber, and they are readily available at your grocery store. Just replacing some of the foods you normally eat with some of these foods may help you lose weight faster.

      Leafy greens like spinach and kale are very high in fiber and in nutrients like folic acid, which may help keep you energized through your workouts (see Reference 1).

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