Weight loss can be a frustrating process and it may often feel like you’re taking two steps forward, one step back. The typical weight loss tips, such as eating a healthy diet, getting more exercise and drinking plenty of water may help you lose some weight, only to find the next month, you’ve gained a few pounds back.

What if we told you there were some weight loss hacks you could try to help you lose more weight and get closer to your goal weight? While every human body responds differently to various weight loss methods, here are 10 surprising weight loss tips anyone can do.

1. Eat within a small window each day. Perhaps you have heard of a popular weight loss trend called intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting means you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. While some people will alternate one day of eating with a day of fasting, or do a 24 (or more) hour fast once a week, one of the least restrictive methods of intermittent fasting is the 16:8 rule. Keep your eating within an eight-hour window each day, and fast the remaining 16 hours. If you are used to waking up early and staying up late, and eating all throughout the day, shrinking your window for eating can be an effective way to help you shed those unwanted pounds.
2. Incorporate weight lifting into your exercise routine. If you consistently workout, but aren’t seeing the results you’d like to see, it may be time to change things up. Strength training, particularly weight lifting, can be an effective way to help you burn more calories and lose weight. Studies have shown that people who lift weights drop more fat and gain more muscle than those who stick to aerobic workouts without strength training, or who don’t workout at all. Aim to get in at least two strength training sessions each week, combined with 150 minutes of moderately intense cardio exercise.
3. Drink coffee in the morning. Starting your day with a cup (or two) of coffee can give you energy to get through the day, but it can also give your metabolism a boost to help you burn more calories during your day. Everything in moderation, though. Stick to the recommended 400mg of caffeine per day, as too much caffeine can have a negative impact on your health.
4. Make breakfast your biggest meal. Most Americans eat their biggest meal of the day in the evening, with a small breakfast in the morning and a mid-sized meal at lunchtime. If you want to lose weight, try doing the opposite. One study found that breakfast eaters experienced more weight loss compared to those who didn’t eat breakfast, and those who made breakfast their biggest meal of the day experienced a significant drop in BMI.
5. Make quality, not quantity your priority. Yes, to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. But being fixated on the number of calories you consume, rather than the quality of the food you eat may be doing you more harm than good. By shifting your focus to eating more whole foods, and nixing added sugar and processed foods from your diet, you may experience even more weight loss.
6. Make simple swaps when you cook. Perhaps one of the easiest weight loss hacks is to make simple changes in your cooking and diet to cut calories. Here are a few simple swaps you can make:

• Greek yogurt for sour cream in recipes
• coat your cooking pan with spray olive oil, rather than spreading a drizzle of olive oil
• use avocado spread on sandwiches instead of Mayo
• enjoy your tacos with corn tortillas instead of flour
• try spiraled noodles with your favorite Italian recipe, instead of pasta noodles

7. Exercise in the morning. By starting your day with 30-45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, you may find that you have decreased appetite and fewer cravings during the day. Additionally, if you make a habit of doing your workout first thing in the morning, that’s one thing off your to-do list for the day, and you won’t have to fight the excuses that can creep in during the day and steal your motivation to workout in the evening.
8. Take a vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and gives your immune system a boost, but it may also help you lose weight. One study found that adding vitamin D to a reduced-calorie diet resulted in more weight loss.
9. Exercise on an empty stomach. Getting your exercise in on an empty stomach can help burn more of those excess fat cells, according to this study from the American Journal of Physiology. If you plan to exercise in the morning and eat a big meal for breakfast, get your workout in before you eat.
10. Skip the commercials. Subliminal advertising may actually play more of a role in weight gain or weight loss than you think. Watching commercials and ads about high-calorie foods and snacks activate the part of your brain that causes cravings for sweet or fatty foods. The signals you receive from subliminal messages might be making you more likely to load your plate with less-than-healthy food options.

These simple weight loss hacks may help you shed some unwanted pounds, but if you are significantly overweight or obese and your weight is impacting your health, it’s time to consider making a more significant change. Contact your First Baptist Medical Center weight loss clinic today to learn more about weight loss options that can help you lose as much as 80 percent of your excess body weight, and keep it off.