Weight Loss and Maintaining a Low Body Fat Percentage: 7 Scientific Methods

Whether it’s people who have built up to become bodybuilders, people who have shrunk down from bodybuilders to someone who looks almost like a teenager again, or even someone who is slightly obese but manages to reduce weight and eventually maintains that low body fat percentage.

From an outsider’s perspective, witnessing the behaviors that these people had over the years taught me a handful of things regarding losing weight and maintaining that weight reduction.

It’s also why I’ve come to establish a few basic lifestyle practices to maintain a relatively ody Fat Percentage: 7 Scientific Methods

low body fat. And I very much can maintain a lean physique year-round.

These habits have been proven in a scientific fashion time and time again, and, as long as you stick to these routines for a long time, you’ll undoubtedly lose weight and keep a low body fat percentage.

But coming back to the basics, losing weight simply comes down to being in a calorie deficit, and that is based on 2 things:

Increase calories out—burn calories.

Decrease calories in—consume fewer calories

The latter is the more crucial factor, while the former is the cherry on top because it’s generally easier to do less than to burn more calories.

With those 2 points in mind, here are the 7 scientific techniques to lose weight and maintain a low body fat percentage.

1. Glass of water

Drinking a 500ml glass of water before meals will help you to lose weight over the long run.

Studies have proven in an experiment that:

The group that drank 500 ml of water before meals had a 44% larger weight loss over 12 weeks compared to those who did not drink water before meals.

It’s a simple modification in one’s lifestyle, but it managed to reshape their bodies over the course of 12 weeks. The rationale is that drinking water helps to suppress appetite, makes us feel fuller throughout our meals, and we end up consuming fewer calories.

By drinking a glass of water versus drinking other liquids like soda and fruit juice, you also wind up eating considerably fewer calories.

But I know drinking water isn’t for everyone, but you can always start small and work your way up to 500 ml of water per day. A number of tips you might keep in mind are:

Add seasoning. Plain water could be dull to some people when they get started. Perhaps adding some fruity taste, like slicing some lemons or berries, can assist with that, or even putting in some sugar-free water flavoring drops or even 0-calorie choices.

Carbonated water. Some people prefer carbonated water compared to plain water. Somehow it tastes a lot better, and if it works for you, why not? You’re still drinking water with 0 calories, and you receive all the same benefits that you get from drinking plain water too.

The aim is to make it pleasant and easy enough for you to continuously do it for a long time; that’s how you can come closer to your goals.

2. Protein

If you’ve spent so much time at the gym, you should already know how crucial protein is.

Without it, you’re effectively wasting your time in the gym. Protein serves as the connecting factor to assist in rebuilding your muscles into bigger muscular fibers after your work in the gym has broken them down.

Even if you aren’t working out, ingesting protein helps to keep you more full, meaning you will be less likely to consume other calorie-dense foods.

Ideally, studies found that you should be consuming:

“0.7–1 gram per pound (1.6–2.2 grams per kg) of lean mass is sufficient.”

This is especially important if you are working out. But it would assist if you also analyzed how you’re feeling as you tried to boost your protein consumption. It isn’t a hard and fast rule that the more protein you take, the more muscle you will gain or the more weight you will lose.

In fact, I would prefer to ingest roughly 0.7g of protein per pound of body weight since it’s where my body can find the balance between getting enough protein without feeling too bloated.

If you have no idea where to start getting your protein sources, then this might assist.

3. Remove liquid calories

Liquid calories are one of the easiest things you can consume to increase calories fairly quickly.

These liquid calories include things like soda, frappuccino, fruit juice, and alcohol. They may appear good from the get-go, but the truth is those calories don’t fill you in the same way. Therefore, when it comes to your solid foods, you continue to consume the same number of foods, if not only slightly less, which implies that you’re already ingesting a ton of fluid calories.

For example, a regular cup of cappuccino will include about 150 calories, while a cup of 250 ml orange juice will contain about 120 calories.

So without thinking twice, you’re already eating more than 300 calories simply from the drink alternatives you choose every day. Instead, if you were to choose low-calorie or 0-calorie drink options, you’d have consumed at least 200 calories less than the amount you’re ingesting currently.

But you may flip this to your favor if you find it problematic to consume your solid proteins sometimes; it can be worth making a protein shake out of some whole meals so you obtain the nutrients you need while keeping full.

4. Food Swaps

You probably already know about the necessity of picking the correct foods depending on the macronutrients each food contains.

So the next stage is to be more intentional with the things you consume. Apart from picking 0-calorie or low-calorie beverages, you should also do the same for solid foods as well. A simple example may be a seemingly healthy dessert, which can have varied quantities of calories depending on the one you choose.

According to Healthline, choosing the proper yogurt can mean that you are consuming a little more carbs, more sugar, less protein, and a pretty equal amount of calories for the same serving. So the preferable choice to make in this scenario would be the Greek yogurt.

Of course, some selections can even go as far as having 2x more calories and 4x less protein than the other, so you’ll need to pick your foods wisely.

By choosing the proper one, you’ll be able to consume it a little more while continuing to enjoy the things you love.

5. NEAT

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise.

It may practically be anything as long as you are making some type of movement throughout the day. It might be as simple as fidgeting, executing an agricultural chore, or something very small, like preferring the walk instead of taking public transport to the train station near your office.

You would imagine that activities like this wouldn’t amount to much.

But in recent months, you’ve definitely heard of the 10,000 steps challenge whereby many individuals are taking up this task daily to lose weight. And it’s effective because you’ll likely burn roughly 300–500 calories by doing that.

Even in my recent overseas trip in Europe, I walked an average of 13,000 steps a day for 3 weeks which meant that I effortlessly shed ~300–500 calories a day without actively exercising. And it’s partly because seeing the city on foot is one of the best methods to do so. Even if you were to visit sites, go shopping, etc, you’d likely be walking most locations apart from getting vehicles to different destinations that are further away.

So I don’t see why folks cannot add more movement into their regular routine to burn more calories.

6. Walking Routine

Whenever people state that they want to have a lean body or just lose weight, one of the things that fitness instructors will encourage them to do is to do some cardio.

Even if the main bulk of losing weight comes from your food as it’s easier to consume less, practicing any type of exercise will further aid to burn more calories over time. But of course, exercising cardio in the form of jogging, cycling or swimming could be too challenging for most people.

So the next best thing someone can do is to create a walking regimen.

Extending the principle of improving NEAT in your life, some people prioritize getting more steps in throughout the day wherever they go. Even if they were to be working from home, they might even acquire a desk treadmill so that they can get some steps in while performing their actual work. This encourages them to get their work done and reach their daily step goals each day.

Others go as far as to perform a walking treadmill program such as the ‘12–3–30’ treadmill routine to burn calories since it’s significantly lower in impact compared to other forms of cardio.

Some even claimed that you can anticipate to be ~300–400 calories too which saves you a ton of time compared to walking that 10,000 steps every day.

7. Prioritize fun

Y’know how we used to run around the playground and play different sports when we were little, those were the carefree days.

But as we grow older, we cease doing all that.

Our priorities alter and we cease having fun. We stop going out as much, we stop exercising and we stop doing sports entirely. We become easily overwhelmed owing to the worries of a young adult and we just have no convenient release.

But often the quickest way to disengage, rejuvenate, and even burn some calories while you’re doing it is to emphasize pleasure by doing what you’ve done before when you were young.

Some suggestions include:

Playing that sport you always enjoy with your mates

Going for an outdoor walk to keep your mind off problems

Signing up for classes with friends and family to try something new

Little things like these will go a long way, as you already know about it from the idea of NEAT.

Wrapping It Up

The idea of trying to lose weight has been around for a long time.

The methods aren’t any different. Perhaps, the focus placed on specific ways has switched from performing more cardio to ingesting fewer calories. Yet, the obesity count in America has been climbing gradually over the past couple of years according to statistics.

For someone who actually wants to lose weight, they will have to develop a lifestyle around these 7 scientific behaviors that have been proven to help them lose weight and maintain a low body fat percentage.

If you manage to develop that lifestyle, you’ll undoubtedly reach your goal someday.