15 Home Remedies Backed by Science to Lose Weight

Having excess amounts of fat, especially around the abdomen can be a risk for your health.

And while the main factors for losing that extra weight is a healthy diet and exercise, there are some home remedies which can make it easier sticking to your healthier lifestyle.

In this article, we will talk about 15 super easy home remedies that are proven by science to work and will help you achieve a long-term weight loss.

1. Set cues in your home to drink more water

One of the first home remedies you can implement to aid your weight loss is to set reminders and cues in order to drink more water.

You can do these by using alarms and keeping water bottles at easily accessible and obvious places such as your desk or dinner table.

Many studies have proven that drinking more water can greatly aid slimming down.

For example, one of the studies involved almost 200 young and overweight females, which had very low daily water consumption (1).

Upon increasing that intake, the participants achieved significant fat loss over a period of 12 months.

That effect is mainly due to the volume that water creates in the abdomen, which can reduce hunger and help you achieve satiety faster.

It is basically a way to reduce your caloric intake without having to think about it.

Especially useful is the idea to drink water prior to a meal, as shown by multiple studies, comparing people with a 500ml preload to a control group.

All of the studies showed a significant reduction in the subsequent meal – 30% to 44% fewer calories consumed (2, 3, 4).

Take-Away:

Home remedies such as drinking more water, especially before having a meal is a great habit that will lead to reduced caloric intake and weight loss in the long term.

2. Cook more high-protein meals as part of your home remedies arsenal

Protein is probably the most important nutrient when it comes to weight loss.

While most fast-foods and junk do not contain much of it, you can easily use products higher in protein when you cook at home.

Generally, eating more home-cooked meals is shown by science to lower the risk of obesity(5). Of course, it still comes down to total calorie intake.

Protein aids weight loss in three different ways. It helps you preserve muscle mass, it is harder to digest so it leads to prolonged satiation, and it has a higher thermogenic index (6).

Helping you keep your muscles is important while losing weight, as it will aid you in maintaining fast metabolism (7).

If we lose our muscle tissue, it can lead to lower basal metabolic rate and yo-yo dieting. Regaining the fat tissue you lost increases the risk of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes (8).

Increased satiation due to increased protein consumption has the largest impact on weight-loss.

For example, a study compared low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets while matching the amount of calories and protein, and found out that fat loss amongst both groups is similar (9).

It also has a higher thermogenic index. This is extra calories burned by the body in order to digest, absorb and store the nutrients from food (10).

The general recommendations for daily protein intake– 0.8 – 1.2g per kg of body weight are shown by studies to be enough in aiding people to lose weight and prevent weight cycling (11).

One of the best meals to implement more protein in is breakfast.

Multiple studies have found out the high-protein breakfasts increase the level of satiety throughout the rest of the day and lead to better hunger control and weight management (12, 13, 14).

Take-Away:

Protein is the most important nutrient when it comes to weight loss since it provides the highest satiety, preserves metabolism and boosts energy expenditure.

3. Prepare more salads and meals with vegetables

One of the easiest home remedies to implement is eating more vegetables.

Although it sounds like a very simple intervention, a systematic review of multiple studies show that eating more vegetables aids greatly weight loss (15).

For example, you can make yourself salads prior to your lunch and dinner.

As it is confirmed by scientific evidence, eating a salad prior to a meal leads to improved satiety and reduced subsequent energy intake with 7-12%(counting the salad in) (16).

It is important to keep the salad low in calories, by reducing the amount of fat or cheese added to it.

The first reason why eating salad helps with weight loss, is because vegetables create significant volume in the stomach, without having many calories.

Secondly, vegetables are rich in fiber – a macronutrient that is not digested in our gastrointestinal tract.

Dietary fiber on its own is associated with better weight control by studies (17, 18).

Adding a salad will also increase the variety and nutrient density in your diet. Most fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals.

The general recommendation is to eat at least 400g of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

Take-Away:

Eating vegetables prior to or during every meal will greatly contribute to increases satiety and aid significantly weight loss.

4. Create a relaxing environment in your home in order to manage stress better

Stress has a negative effect when it comes to weight loss. Too much stress can lead to emotional eating for example.

A lot of people try to deal with negative emotions by overeating.

Also, the increased level of cortisol can negatively impact your overall metabolism.

The stress hormone raises blood sugar and might even lead to loss of muscle tissue when chronically elevated.

Studies show that stress management programs are effective in facilitating weight loss (19).

There are multiple ways to create a more relaxing environment at home. For example, bring more nature insight such as green plants or flowers.

Furthermore, try eliminating unpleasant noises or colors from your home. Getting a pet is also part of home remedies for a stress relieve.

Stress management techniques help as well, such as listing down your problems, meditation, muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, etc.

Getting enough sleep and exercising also help with managing stress.

Take-Away:

Dealing with stress correctly can reduce the incidence of emotional eating and binging which will help slimming down in the long term.

5. Getting regular good night sleep is one of the best home remedies for weight-loss as well

People rarely connect their poor sleeping schedules to their body weight.

However, science published in the span of over 40 years has revealed a massive link between sleep and obesity. (20).

For example, some clinical trials have found a relationship between sleep deprivation and subsequently increased hunger(21).

Some of the largest studies and meta-analysis, proving the link, involve 80-600 thousands of participants (22, 23).

One of the main reasons for these effects, such as increased hunger and weight gain might be due to elevation in the stress hormones, such as cortisol (24).

Also, the hormones that control hunger react to sleep deprivation. Those are ghrelin and leptin.

A study with over 1000 subjects revealed that sleep deprivation leads to increased levels of ghrelin – hunger-stimulating hormone and suppressed levels of leptin which has the opposite function (25).

In order to improve your sleep habits, it is a good idea to have a regular schedule, create a nice cool environment in your bedroom, avoid TV and PC prior to bed and get thicker curtains.

Take-Away:

Good quality and sufficient quantity of sleep can help the body regulate hunger and satiety properly and be part of your home remedies.

6. Make yourself a coffee or green tea

Although most people are already applying some home remedies, it is important to mention the beneficial effects of those two beverages.

They both contain caffeine, which is proven to increase thermogenesis and thus calorie expenditure.

There is scientific evidence for its effect (26).

Caffeine is shown by studies to influence thermogenesis and increase the total energy burned by the body (27).

Another study shows that caffeine improves fat oxidation in particular (28).

Caffeine can also improve physical performance and contribute to even more calories burned.

A little known fact is that coffee is also the biggest source of antioxidants in western diets (29).

However, our bodies develop tolerance to the effects of caffeine rather quickly, and respectively the weight-loss and performance boosts diminish with regular consumption.

On the other hand, green tea has less caffeine, but it still full of antioxidants.

There are multiple studies linking the consumption of green tea or its extracts to increased metabolic rate and fat oxidation (30, 31, 32, 33, 34).

Take-Away:

Home remedies such as coffee and green tea contain caffeine and antioxidants which are proven by scientific evidence to aid weight loss.

7. Optimize your home environment with healthier foods

It is a very helpful tip to make healthy and satiating foods more easily accessible than unhealthy options, such as processed foods and junk.

Multiple studies have shown that the food you keep at home will severely influence your food choices (35, 36, 37).

If you have healthy food in an arm’s reach you are much more likely to snack on that, instead of going for an unhealthy meal to the supermarket.

For example, you can put a bowl full of fruits in a central place in your kitchen or living room and you will notice you are eating more.

Instead, you should put the junk food away, somewhere out of sight. It can be a locked cupboard, or even not in your house at all.

Having to go to the supermarket every time will be much harder than just snacking on something healthy that is close by.

Healthy can also include whole foods. They provide much better satiation than junk food and lead to better weight control.

Take-Away:

Optimizing your environment can help you create more healthy habits and avoid unhealthy ones.

8. Supplements can also help in weight loss only if used correctly

When it comes down to supplements it is important to understand how they work.

There is not a single supplement that will help you burn more fat and calories, and lead to a weight loss by itself.

The only thing that some supplements can achieve is hunger suppression, however, at the cost of multiple side effects.

This is why supplements can be rather used to improve the nutritional value and quality of your diet.

For example, a protein supplement can help you preserve your metabolism by preserving muscle tissue and aid you with satiation.

Protein powder does not have to be used just for protein shakes.

It can be a great addition to many meals as well, as it is proven by science to improve satiation and weight control (38).

The best and most widely used protein supplement is whey protein.

It is shown by evidence to provide much better satiation compared to other types of protein or carbohydrates (39).

This can help make a snack that you consider an unhealthy treat, much more satiating and nutritious, like a dessert for example.

There are many home-made recipes for high-protein meals, cakes, and treats.

Remember, however, that adding protein to your diet does not mean you can get away with eating unhealthy.

Take-Away:

Although supplements do not boost fat burning and weight loss, some might help you achieve satiety easier and eat fewer calories overall.

 9. Stock up on probiotic foods

Probiotics are friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus – the microorganisms that live in our gastrointestinal system.

Those microorganisms are critical for normal gut development and health.

The gut microbiota acts similarly to an organ, that is responsible for multiple metabolic functions.

These functions include synthesis of amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, vitamin K, vitamin B12, biotransformation of bile acids and fermentation of non-digestible saccharides.

Science has revealed that there is a link between gut bacteria and obesity (40).

A study performed on 210 people with obesity who were taking a probiotic daily for 12 weeks led to a significant weight loss of up to 8.5% of fat (41).

One of the foods that are highest in probiotics is yogurt.

For example, Greek yogurt has less than 60 kcals per 100 grams of the product as well as over 10 grams of quality protein.

The probiotics provide multiple health benefits – normal digestion, improved immune function, healthier skin and reduced risk of some diseases (42).

Studies have also shown that high-protein yogurt is a much better snack when compared to foods high in carbohydrates and fats such as crackers or chocolate when it comes to losing weight (43).

Take-Away:

Scientific evidence has revealed that probiotic foods are helpful in terms of weight management, as well they can be great protein sources.

10. Eat spicy to stay thin

As it turns out, you can use spicy foods not just for your appetite, but also as home remedies for weight loss.

For example, chili pepper contains an alkaloid called capsaicin, which is a contributor to their spiciness.

However, it is also shown by evidence to help improve satiety in some people (44).

Other studies also show that capsaicin might improve thermogenesis which ultimately results in more heat produced by the body and more calories burned (45).

Garlic is also a spicy food with amazing properties. It has so many bioactive components that are related to health benefits (46).

One of those components is allicin, however, it is present only in fresh garlic (47).

Although it is not as strongly related to weight loss, it can fight some of the risk factors of obesity.

There are studies showing a relationship between garlic and reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol (48, 49).

Also, supplementation with garlic extract might improve the symptoms of flu and common cold (50).

Take-Away:

Certain spicy foods like chili peppers contain alkaloids that can improve fat burning processes and suppress hunger.

11. Adding flavor to your meal can have weight-loss benefits

Studies with mice have shown that supplementation with piperine – the active compound in black pepper can lead to a reduction in body weight and blood cholesterol (51).

Black pepper also potentiates the absorption of another spice – turmeric. Curcumin is the primary active substance in turmeric.

Studies show that it might have powerful anti-inflammatory effects (52).

Those anti-inflammatory effects might also aid in managing obesity since it is a condition that promotes inflammation.

There is data that consumption benefits multiple other conditions related to inflammation, like malignant diseases, arthritis, allergies, and Alzheimer’s disease (53).

Compelling evidence has been found that curcumin also improves insulin sensitivity, thus it might aid the treatment of type 2 diabetes (54).

Ginger has also been revealed as a helpful ingredient that can aid fat loss (55).

It enhances thermogenesis and suppresses hunger, which is great for people on a diet.

Take-Away:

Many different spices can have synergetic effects and aid the body in fighting inflammation while suppressing hunger and helping you stick with your diet.

12. Improve your daily habits related to food

A lot of people have the wrong habits when they sit at the dinner table in their homes.

In fact, some of you might not even use the table and instead are eating on your desk, in front of the PC, or snacking while doing something else around the house.

This is, however, affecting negatively the quality and the quantity of the food that we eat.

Instead, we should be more mindful of our eating habits and focus on the food.

This way we can much more easily stop when we have achieved satiety, for example.

As the data of some controlled trials previously has suggested, increased mindfulness ultimately results in a reduction of caloric intake and increased success in long term weight loss (56).

In order to be mindful while eating you should:

• avoid eating in front of the TV or PC
• always sit down in order to eat
• always use a plate
• focus on the feeling of satiation
• savor the taste

Also, it is helpful you eat slower in order to reach satiety faster.

According to studies, eating slower, helps with satiation and pleasure from food, by giving your brain enough time to process the feeling of satiety (57).

Further, studies reveal that these effects might be due to an increased synthesis of hunger-suppressing hormones, such as leptin (58).

Take-Away:

Being more mindful while eating can help you consume less food and maintain a caloric deficit.

13. Plan and prepare your food in advance

You can start planning in the morning or even the previous day.

A great tip to make it easier is to keep an easily accessible meal planning list on the fridge.

You should also try cooking in advance, for a few days ahead.

This way you will never run out of food and look for a last-minute solution, which is often some fast-food.

The healthy meals and snacks that you have prepared, such as veggies or fruits should be kept at the front of the fridge, to be easily accessible.

Studies performed with over 40 thousand people have revealed that meal planning is indeed associated with better food choices and decreased obesity (59).

Take-Away:

Planning your meals in advance and having a healthy meal always ready is a great way to avoid accidental snacking with unhealthy alternatives.

14. Use smaller plates in the kitchen and control your portion sizes

A great way to reduce your caloric intake is to control your portion sizes. A tip to do that without doing any measurements is to just use smaller plates.

As shown by studies, we tend to eat whatever we see in front of us, so if we use bigger plates we are much more likely to overeat(60).

An advanced technique is to use ratios in your plate. For example, half of your plate should be vegetables, and a quarter should be protein.

You can also overeat during snacking due to eating directly from the package.

Usually, containers with snacks contain more than one portion size, so you should use bowls and plates to control better the portions that you eat (61).

Take-Away:

Controlling the size of your portions is one of the best ways to control the total amount of food consumed.

15. Keep a food diary and regularly check out your caloric intake to lose your belly fat

Many people think they know how much they eat until they actually start measuring their food.

Studies show that people, especially if overweight or obese are not well aware of their daily energy needs and tend to underestimate the total amount of calories they consume (62, 63).

This is why it very useful to have a kitchen scale on your counter as a home tool.

By measuring everything you eat just for a few days, you can get a realistic idea of your actual caloric intake.

About your daily calories, you can find out from the many calorie calculators all over the internet.

Keeping a food diary will not only help you calculate your energy intake but you can also identify bad eating habits, which might be holding you back from losing that stubborn belly fat.

Food diaries have been proven by studies to be very effective (64).

Even food tracking apps on your mobile phone can be helpful for tracking your calories and macros effectively (65).

Take-Away:

It is advisable to count your calories once in a while to find out your actual energy intake and balance. Also keeping a food diary will help you identify any unhealthy eating habits.

The bottom line on home remedies for women to lose weight

There are multiple home remedies such as home-prepared foods and tricks that can aid you in your weight loss journey.

The goal of all of them is to help you achieve a caloric deficit as well as make the diet easier to stick with.

Being consistent with your diet and in a caloric deficit are the two main factors that will lead to a successful weight loss.