If you want to lose and keep off extra weight, then you might need to do more than eat well and exercise often. In fact, the surprising key to losing body fat may have more to do with your mental health and awareness.

According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology, researchers discovered that emotional support and mindfulness have a significant impact on reducing instances of overeating.

While working with 42 adults who were primarily women with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more (six of whom had undergone obesity surgery), researchers made it a priority to ensure that participants felt safe, supported, and free to express themselves over the course of a 10-week period of trying to lose weight.

“We wanted to teach and make the patients aware of the connection between weight and mental health,” Trine Tetlie Eik-Nes, an associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, who led the study, explained in a statement. “The goal was for them to become more aware of the challenges they faced in everyday life and what strategies could help.”

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As a result, “participants were able to identify what it was about their mindsets and lifestyles that were triggering overeating,” Eik-Nes said. “Patients experienced a nearly 30 percent reduction in the number of overeating episodes and a significant improvement in their emotional issues, like inner turmoil, anxiety, depression, and irritability. In addition, the patients reported that they felt far less restricted in their social activities.”

Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FAND, Associate Clinical Professor Emeritus, Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tells Eat This, Not That! of the findings: “Emotional support can be incredibly helpful for losing weight but especially for keeping it off.”

For those who would like to become more mindful of their own situations when it comes to eating and weight loss, Dr. Ayoob says, “Assess your own eating environment. Not just at home, but exactly how you engage in eating during the day and week. You can’t know where to go or how to change until you know what your eating style is right now. Then look at what you would be willing to change.”

Dr. Ayoob also suggests “keeping a ‘food-emotion’ log to get a sense of what may be triggering overeating episodes or eating past the point of reasonable fullness.”

However, Morgyn Clair, MS, RDN, registered dietitian and author at Fit Healthy Momma, notes that while “the first step is to identify where the [psychological barriers to weight loss] might be occurring,” not everyone will be able to identify these barriers on their own.” In that case, they “may require the assistance of a professional like a mental health therapist or dietitian.”

To find out more about how your eating habits and mental health are connected, be sure to read Popular Foods That Are Supporting Your Mental Health, Says Expert.

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When it comes to hunger signals, there’s one hormone called ghrelin that dominates the rest, and being able to regulate it more efficiently is key to reducing belly fat. How can you send it spiking the right way? By losing weight, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Researchers looked at nearly 300 participants who were in the obese classification of body mass index. All had lower fasting ghrelin levels compared to those in the normal weight classification, which is common among those carrying excess weight. Lower ghrelin is associated with high blood pressure and a larger amount of belly fat, as well as a higher body fat percentage overall.

RELATED: Intermittent Fasting Can Lead to Significant Weight Loss, New Research Says

Participants were split into three groups that had different diet approaches, but all combined that with regular physical activity. All three groups resulted in weight loss, no matter which diet was used, and participants saw a significant increase in their ghrelin levels. This led to lower abdominal fat and, subsequently, improved insulin sensitivity. Those who followed a Mediterranean diet that included leafy green vegetables and green tea—and avoided red meat—saw the biggest ghrelin surge.

“These results suggest that weight loss in itself can change ghrelin levels in a positive way and that decreases health risks like developing diabetes or other metabolic diseases,” the study’s senior author, Iris Shai, Ph.D., adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told Eat This, Not That! She adds that they also noted benefits in terms of gut health and reduced liver fat, which are also crucial for lowering chronic disease risk.

If you’ve lost weight, how do you know if your ghrelin is on track without getting a hormone test? Better awareness of hunger and fullness.

Sometimes called the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin tells you when to eat and it’s produced by the cells in the stomach as a signal to the brain. Throughout the day, the hormone rises and falls, sometimes dramatically, and usually is at its lowest level after eating.

Its compatriot hormone, leptin, is the one that produces feelings of satiety and sends signals to stop eating and to start burning calories. Perhaps counterintuitively, when you have obesity, leptin tends to be high and ghrelin is low, which seems like it would be a beneficial arrangement—except that it impairs appetite regulation.

When both are on track after weight loss, you tend to have better control of these processes, and that improves metabolism overall, says Shai.

For more, don’t miss The #1 Fall Food for Weight Loss, Dietitian Says. Then, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter!

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For many people trying to lose weight, counting—and cutting—calories is a tried-and-true method of shedding pounds without having to adhere to a specialized diet. However, new research suggests that it’s not just your weight that may change when you stick to a calorie-restricted eating plan.

According to a June 2021 study published in the journal Nature, calorie restriction can have a significant effect on a person’s gut microbiome, as well. To conduct their study, a group led by researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) monitored a group of 80 overweight and obese women over a 16-week period. During this time, half of the study population went on a liquid diet consisting of 800 calories a day, while the other half of the study subjects maintained their weight.

RELATED: 20 Foods That Relieve Your Gut Problems, Say Dietitians

Among the group adhering to the 800-calorie diet, researchers found that “this very-low-calorie diet profoundly altered the gut microbiome, including an overall decrease in gut bacteria,” explained Peter Turnbaugh, Ph.D., an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at UCSF and a senior author on the study, in a statement.

Fecal samples from study subjects were then transplanted into mice raised in sterile conditions. What researchers discovered was that the mice whose transplants included samples of dieter’s post-calorie-restriction fecal bacteria lost weight. The main difference between the gut bacteria of those on the diet and those who weren’t? The amount of C. difficile, a bacterium that is associated with diarrhea and inflammation of the digestive tract.

“Ordinarily we would predict increased inflammation or even colitis following an increase in C. difficile,” explained Turnbaugh. In this case, however, the mice with increased C. difficile counts showed only a mild increase in inflammation.

While Turnbaugh explained that the study’s findings in no way suggest that the voluntary introduction of C. difficile should become a go-to strategy for weight loss, he noted that the surprising findings certainly merit further study.

“We want to better understand how common weight loss diets might impact and the microbiome and what the downstream consequences are for health and disease,” said Turnbaugh of the study’s results.

If you want to improve your wellbeing, check out The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now, and for more health and weight loss news delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter!

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When people try to lose weight, it’s not just trimming off a few pounds they’re usually after—achieving a flat belly is often part of the finished product they’re aiming for. While exercising and eating a healthy, portion-controlled meal plan are essential for achieving both weight loss and a leaner midsection, many people also turn to flat belly supplements in the hope they’ll help them shed weight and slim their waistline faster. However, it’s not just a whittled waistline you may experience when you take flat belly supplements. Before you pop a pill to trim down your midsection, read on to discover the side effects of taking flat belly supplements, according to science. And for some supplements that are definitely worth taking, check out The One Vitamin Doctors Are Urging Everyone to Take Right Now.

Green tea, an ingredient found in numerous flat belly supplements, may promote greater mental wellbeing as well as weight loss, according to recent research. According to a 2020 study published in Plant Foods in Human Nutrition, L-theanine (L-THE), an amino acid found in green tea, has been found to reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, while a 2014 review published in the Canadian Pharmacists Journal found that individuals who took green tea over a 12-week period lost more weight than a control group.

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If you’re taking krill oil to flatten your belly, you may find yourself enjoying some unexpected benefits for your cardiovascular health, as well. According to a 2014 study published in the journal Nutrition Research, 12-week supplementation with krill oil among a group of 300 people who typically ate little fish resulted in lower levels of serum triglycerides—a type of fat in the bloodstream that can influence a person’s risk of cardiovascular events—but didn’t increase their levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

Psyllium husk-based flat belly supplements may do more than just regulate your digestion—there’s evidence that they may support your gut health, as well. A small 2019 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found that psyllium husk supplementation had particularly pronounced benefits on the gut microbiome of constipated participants.

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension or just want to get your blood pressure into a healthier range, flat belly supplements containing hibiscus may be able to help. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research found that, among a group of 46 study subjects with hypertension, those given hibiscus sabdariffa supplementation reduced both their average systolic and diastolic blood pressure by “significantly higher” percentages than those in the control group. For more simple ways to get your blood pressure into healthier territory, check out the 20 Healthiest Foods That Lower Blood Pressure.

Ginger has long been touted as potentially beneficial for individuals trying to shed a few pounds, and it may even have benefits that extend beyond your weight. According to a small 2011 study published in Cancer Prevention Research, among a study population of just 33 participants, those who took daily ginger supplements over a 28-day period reduced their levels of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a marker of inflammation associated with colorectal cancer, by an average of 28%.

Similarly, a 2016 study published in Oncotarget found that dandelion root, another common ingredient in flat belly supplements, was found to prompt cell death in colorectal cancer cells, as well. And for some more additions to your diet that may have a protective effect, This One Food May Lower Your Colorectal Cancer Risk, New Study Says.

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Intermittent fasting has recently become the talk of the weight loss world, gaining countless devotees and being heralded as a simple weight loss plan that can help even those who’ve struggled to shed weight in the past. However, a new study suggests that it may be more than just pounds you lose when you adopt an intermittent fasting plan.

According to a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on June 16, 2021, researchers who participated in intermittent fasting during a control trial actually lost fewer pounds than those who followed a diet that didn’t incorporate time-restricted eating. Perhaps even more surprisingly, this was true even though adherents to both diets consumed the same number of total calories.

To reach their conclusion, researchers from the University of Bath’s Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism had study participants break into three groups: group one fasted on alternate days and ate 50% more than usual on the day after a fast, group two reduced the number of total calories they consumed by 25% across meals with no fasting, and group three fasted every other day, but ate 100% more than usual on the day following their fast day. All groups consumed between 2,000 and 2,500 calories at the beginning of the three-week study period, with groups one and two reducing their overall calorie intake to between 1,500 and 2,000 calories a day, and group three fasting but not reducing their total caloric intake.

RELATED: 20 Best Foods to Eat While Intermittent Fasting

Researchers found that individuals in group two shed just over four pounds, on average, over a three-week period, virtually all of which was fat loss. Group one, which consumed the same number of calories as group two, but incorporated fasting, lost slightly less weight—3.5 pounds on average—but the pounds lost were approximately half fat, half muscle mass. Among the third group, the total weight loss was not significant.

“Intermittent fasting is no magic bullet and the findings of our experiment suggest that there is nothing special about fasting when compared with more traditional, standard diets people might follow,” said James Betts, PhD, the study’s lead author and director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism, said in a statement.

What’s more, Betts explained that the loss of muscle mass might make it more difficult for individuals to stay physically active or maintain their muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest than fat mass. So, while sticking to an intermittent fasting plan may help you shed a few pounds, that weight loss may come at a cost to your other health and fitness goals.

For some simple ways to shed those extra pounds, check out how Making This One Change to Your Diet Could “Reprogram” Your Metabolism, New Study Says, and for more health and weight loss news delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter!

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When you combine the words “exercise” and “losing weight” in your mind, it may conjure images of people miserably slogging through rounds of burpees in pools of sweat like you’d see on TV shows like The Biggest Loser. And while hardcore exercises such as running, doing deadlifts, and performing HIIT exercises are all really great ways to burn fat and lose weight, you don’t have to be going to the extreme with your regimen to lose a few pounds. In fact, there are plenty of great types of exercise that secretly masquerade as “fun” but are in reality excellent ways to lose weight. To know what they are, read on, because here are just a handful of them. And for more great workouts you should try now, don’t miss The Secret Exercise Trick for Flatter Abs After 40.

Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, a Harvard-educated physician and obesity specialist, is a major proponent of jumping on a trampoline—in fitness terms, also known as “rebounding”—for helping lose weight, especially among obese people. “The trampoline is low impact on joints,” she says. “Using a fitness trampoline can help for those that may have excess weight or may have joint issues associated with the excess weight. Also, it is quite a fun activity to engage in!”

According to NASA, jumping on a trampoline is more effective at building muscle mass—which helps you lose weight—than running. Further studies have found that rebounding is terrific for balance, helping with back pain, controlling your blood sugar, and helping you lose weight. And for more great workout advice, see why Science Says This Is the Single Best Abs Exercise You Can Do.

You probably know that rock climbing looks hard. You definitely know that it looks super cool. But until now you probably didn’t associate this heavily upper-body activity with the words “weight loss.” But it’s true: You can climb your way to less pounds.

Though there’s far more to it than this, rock climbing is at heart a strength-training exercise: You’re constantly using your body’s major muscle groups in the ways you would lift weights. More muscle growth means more calorie burn, and you’ll burn a ton of calories while fighting your way up a rock face. You’ll work your core, your arms, your glutes, and your back. “Rock climbing is an excellent way to drop a few pounds,” says WebMD.

Also, have you noticed that all avid rock climbers are … super skinny? Some of that is genetics, but some of that is because they climb rocks for fun. “Rock climbing is one of the most strenuous sporting activities you can do,” writes Rock Climbing Central. “It requires you to use your hands and legs to pull and push your body up as you scale the heights.”

If you’re one of those people who still thinks yoga is just “stretching,” you have so much to learn. In addition to all of the things great exercises do—chiefly, burning calories and strengthening your muscles—yoga will sync your mind and your body in ways that will ultimately help you shed pounds.

“Yoga creates a deeper awareness of your physical and mental state, linking the breath to the movement of the poses (asanas),” yoga teacher Alexandra Baldi explained to Women’s Health UK. “This deeper awareness creates mindfulness and a greater intuition with your body, two key factors essential for weight loss; whether it’s making healthier eating choices or knowing when to pull back to prevent too much cortisol in the body, a serious detriment to weight loss.”

Say what you will about the culture or the clothes, but if you walk and carry your bag, golf can be a tremendous workout that can help you lose weight. Recently, the folks at the UK-based website Skilled Golf took historical research data from Harvard University and combined it with other datasets they analyzed to reveal which of these more “leisure” sports are especially great at burning calories in a more real-world setting. By their calculation, if you were to walk a full 18 holes while carrying your own clubs, which usually takes roughly four hours, Skilled Golf estimates that an “average, healthy, and able-bodied person weighing approximately 155 lbs” would burn upwards of 1,640 calories.

If you’re not sold, see how one woman lost 20 pounds playing golf.

Despite what you may have heard from any hardcore distance runners or weightlifters you happen to know, walking—when paired with a healthy diet—is an effective way to lose weight. According to a study published in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition & Biochemistry, researchers who studied the effects of walking on obese women found that it was especially effective at reducing belly fat, while also improving the body’s insulin response. Another study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found that sedentary men and women between the ages of 40 and 65 managed to lose weight when they walked for 12 miles every week without meaningfully changing their diets. And for more life-changing exercise advice, see here for the Secret Exercise Tricks for Keeping Your Weight Down for Good.

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