Weight Loss Weapons

By Justine van der Leun

In every great battle, great weapons can help you achieve victory, and that goes for the battle of the bulge, too. Here, we offer you some newly-discovered weight-loss weapons to help you defeat those extra pounds.

Drink Your Morning Milk
A new study reports that milk really does do a body good -- as long as the milk is fat-free and you drink it in the morning. Thirty-four men and women were given 250 calories worth of skim milk one morning, and given the same amount of juice on another. When the participants drank milk, they said they felt fuller before their midday meal and then consumed fewer calories. Researchers theorize that milk's high nutrient and protein content -- or perhaps merely its thick texture -- contributes to the sensation of satiety and the subsequent calorie cutting. Note: This tip only works if you don't pair it with cookies.

Drizzle Vinegar
You can use it to pickle a cucumber, clean the floor and now there's hope that vinegar fights weight gain, too. Japanese researchers fed two groups of mice a fatty diet, though one group received a side of acetic acid -- a main component of vinegar -- and the other received water. After six weeks, the mice in both groups were a bit curvier, but those that had consumed acetic acid gained 10 percent less than their counterparts. Researchers discovered that acetic acid increased the expression of genes that produce certain fat-blasting proteins. The jury is still out on whether humans will get the same fat-fighting benefit, but it's one of our favorite low-cal dressings so sprinkle it over greens with olive oil (also a superfood) or a cold summer grain salad.

Take Your Daily "D"
You can run five miles a day and eat only grilled salmon and steamed kale, but if your Vitamin D levels are low, you may still have trouble losing weight. A study out of the University of Minnesota measured the Vitamin D levels of 38 obese subjects before they embarked on a low-calorie diet. Those with higher initial levels of Vitamin D tended to lose more weight -- in fact, the amount that they lost was proportionate to the amount of Vitamin D in their bodies. More research is necessary to determine the exact link between Vitamin D and obesity, but while you're waiting, you might want to sip some cod liver oil, which has the highest concentration of the vitamin available. No? Supplements work, too.

Try the "Eco-Atkins" Diet
In a recent Canadian study, 44 overweight men and women were put on a month-long diet. Some followed a low-fat, low-carb diet, high in plant-based proteins, including gluten, soy, nuts, fruits, vegetables and cereals. The others followed a high-carb, vegetarian diet that allowed for eggs and dairy products. All participants lost an average of 8.8 pounds, but those who consumed plant-based proteins significantly lowered their LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels as well. Researchers also saw drops in total cholesterol and blood pressure on this modified Atkins plan, or so-called "Eco-Atkins" diet. So watch your carbs and trade in that steak for a bit of protein-packed tofu. If you stir-fry it with loads of fresh veggies, it's delicious -- we promise!

Get Your Beauty Sleep
Is ravenously watching a Real Housewives of New Jersey marathon until 2 a.m. really worth it? A new study suggests that sleep deprivation can contribute to excess pounds. Researchers put 92 healthy people through an 11-day sleep-restriction experiment. Though all participants were given three meals a day and access to snacks, those whose sleep was curbed gained an average of 2.9 pounds during the study. Researchers suspect that the weight gain may in part be due to an extended period during which one can eat. So, if you must stay up past your bedtime for a good reason (a deadline, the night shift) make sure you have healthy noshing options on hand. Otherwise, slowly back away from the remote control: There will be plenty of daylight hours during which to watch the ladies overturn tables.

Get Support
It turns out that having to answer to someone might make all the difference in taking and keeping the weight off. A New Zealand research group studied 200 women over the span of two years. Some of the women were provided with pricey dieticians and exercise programs led by specialists. The other women were provided with inexpensive five-minute biweekly weigh-ins and phone calls with a supportive nurse. The result? Both groups of women experienced the same rate of success. Experts noted that any organized form of support and weight checks may see similar achievements, since the nurses used in the study were not specially trained in nutrition or exercise. If you can't join a formal weight loss program, like Weight Watchers, get creative and start your own group or enlist the help of a buddy. The prospect of weighing yourself with a witness may help a junk-food junkie say no.

Eat Smart Pre-Exercise
If you trade in your cornflakes for oatmeal before your morning workout, you may shed pounds faster. Food and diet researchers as well as diabetes specialists have long been looking at the glycemic index, a ranking of carbohydrates according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels. Foods with a high GI index are digested quickly and absorbed into the blood stream, spiking blood sugar levels and raising insulin levels. Foods with a low GI index are digested slowly, so they allow gradual absorption into the bloodstream and with it, a gradual rise in blood sugar. Recently, researchers have found that women who eat a high-carb, low-glycemic-index breakfast burned nearly 50 percent more fat in their hour-long morning workouts than women who ate a calorically-identical high-glycemic-index meal. The researchers believe that low-glycemic index carbohydrates, like whole-grain bread and muesli allow the body to use body fat for burning, not blood sugar.

Go Slow
Ever looked at an orange-coated chip and wondered how your body could possibly handle it? Maybe it can't. Some scientists are suggesting that the consumption of processed food may change your body's hormonal balance, as well as your own ability to feel satiated. In other words, the more junk food you eat, the less able you are to sense whether you are full or hungry. Enter the Slow Food Movement, which was created in reaction to the global proliferation of fast food joints. Members of Slow Food buy fresh, local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. This movement encourages healthy eating -- the cornerstone of all-over health and weight loss. Plus, you get to support your area farmers.