7 Diet Breakthroughs That Really Work

There’s the age-old route to dropping kilos: Exercise a lot more and eat a lot less. But recent research has pummelled that formula and found all-new (and easier!) ways to live slim.

- Kiera Aaron

The approach to dieting is changing radically, and considering that it makes dropping kilos much more manageable and long-lasting than previous sweat-and-starve methods, that’s exciting news. “The way we’ve been told to lose weight has set us up for failure,” says Dr David Ludwig, a professor of nutrition at Harvard University and author of Always Hungry? “If it hasn’t worked for you, know that you’re not the only one struggling.” In fact, the more researchers learn about weight loss, the more they realise certain supposed truths don’t always hold up in real life.

So what does deliver? You’ll be happy to hear that easy habit changes are the ones that have profound, long-term effects. These are the smart, new strategies that actually pay off.

1 Delete the calorie counting apps

Your body reacts to calories differently depending on the foods they’re from. So instead of obsessively calculating and cutting calories, focus on eating the right foods, Dr Ludwig says. Consuming processed carbs makes your insulin level spike, which causes your fat cells to store excess calories. Protein, on the other hand, triggers a hormone that pulls calories out of storage,” he says.

Even worse, carb-heavy diets slow your metabolism. When Dr Ludwig looked at the number of calories that people burned at rest on various diets, he found that those who cut carbs burned 325 additional calories a day compared with those who cut fat – without additional exercise. So get plenty of protein and swop processed carbs for foods high in healthy fat, and for natural carbs like fruits, veggies and beans. The kilos will drop off easily – no fancy maths required!

2 Scale back your HIIT workouts