That said, not all scientific weight loss studies are actually helpful for the average person.  Will the majority of us really benefit from something that is understood only through the point of a microscope?  Probably not.  Will very tiny studies conducted on rats using methods that don’t prevent biases from skewing the results help us out?  Not really.

Yes, there are tons of scientific weight loss studies out there.  That said, some are far more useful than others to us as regular people. It’s all well and good to understand certain chemical processes or functions of the body, but when it comes to the research that is truly helpful, it’s the studies that give us specific guidance that are the most appealing to the majority of us. 

Scientific Weight Loss Studies to Motivate You

The first research that may not sound like good news to start but that may actually provide you with positive motivation overall. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) conducted an analysis of 31 long-term studies.  They published their results in the American Psychologist journal. 

What they found among the scientific weight loss studies they examined was that the vast majority of people who lose weight will regain it.  In fact, they determined that the majority of people who successfully drop the pounds will not only return to their original weight but will gain a few more pounds as well. Sustaining lost weight was achieved by only a few study participants. (1)

While this may sound like bad news, the analysis of these scientific weight loss studies could be used to encourage you. Now that you know this trend, you can take additional precautions to make sure you stay on the winning side of it. Be among those who reach your goal and maintain it.

Scientific Weight Loss Studies to Guide You

A number of studies have indicated that it is important to track your progress if you want to boost your chances of weight loss success.  Two larger research papers printed in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal (2) as well as the European Journal of Sport Science (3) indicated that using a mobile app for calorie counting or at least using a pedometer on a regular basis will create a significant improvement in the chances of achieving a weight loss goal.

Those results were only underscored by other scientific weight loss studies published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (4) It showed that regularly weighing yourself can be very helpful in boosting dieting success.

Scientific Weight Loss Studies to Inspire You

Sometimes the right techniques aren’t as much a matter of choosing the right foods or using the right tools as they are keeping the right mindset.  To that end, research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (5) showed that the types of weight losers that are most effective are those who remain mindful throughout the entire time they’re eating. 

They pay attention when they eat.  They remain aware of each bite.  They register the way their food makes them feel.  When they are chewing a bite of food, they set down their forks.  Forks are meant for taking more food.  Until you’re done with one bite, you don’t need your fork.  This only helped to reinforce the results of other scientific weight loss studies published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (6) that showed that when you slow down the speed with which you eat, you will consume a smaller number of calories.  At the same time, you’ll feel greater satisfaction from the foods consumed.

Scientific Weight Loss Studies to Change Your Lifestyle

When it comes to fad diets, there are lots of recommendations that would suggest you should eat only one type of food or that you should try to do the same kind of exercise every single day.  There are some that would suggest that you try to eliminate carbs while others say you should cut out fats.  None of those have reputable research to support their claims for long term body mass management. 

Instead, the best scientific weight loss studies will recommend healthy lifestyle changes that are added gradually and maintained over time.  They suggest the type of changes that should be made aren’t those that will be temporary.  They are changes that need to be kept up over time, not with the intention of causing fat loss but to keep a healthy control over body weight over the years.

Among those research results, many recommend portion control.  This isn’t just a tactic that involves eating smaller amounts of food, but also shrinking plate size.  The size of a person’s plate helps to decide how much he or she will consume during a meal and, therefore, how many calories, carbohydrates, fats and so on. 

Among those scientific weight loss studies includes one major one published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. (7)  That research indicated that when diners were served on plates holding 53 percent more food, they consumed an average of 45 percent more food when compared to diners who were served on smaller plates.

Additionally, one of the meals they consume on those smaller sized plates is breakfast.  In fact, people who make a priority of eating a healthy breakfast high in protein will feel less hungry throughout the rest of the day, says a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (8).  Those scientific weight loss studies show that keeping those hunger levels down also reduces the risk of overeating throughout the rest of the day.  Among those studies includes one published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders (9) and involved giving participants a shake for their breakfasts.  Those whose shakes were high in protein expressed considerably lower hunger levels than those whose shakes contained less protein. This made it easier for those with the protein shakes to lose weight and reduce their risks related with excess weight.

Scientific Weight Loss Studies to Stop You from Depriving Yourself

A study published in the Nutrition Reviews journal (10) suggested that deprivation is one of the worst things a dieter can do for him or herself in order to lose weight and keep it off.  In fact, it makes it almost certain that someone trying to lose weight will end up cracking and not only having the food they are craving, but also having far too much of it. 

The research suggested that instead of banning a food from his or her life, successful weight loss involves knowing when to have unhealthy foods and how much of it is appropriate.  It found that people who take on that strategy will be better equipped to place their focus on eating more healthy choices the rest of the time.  That allows them to fill up on nutrient dense, hunger satisfying foods.

(1) http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/Dieting-Does-Not-Work-UCLA-Researchers-7832

(2) Spring B, et al. Integrating technology into standard weight loss treatment: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 Jan 28;173(2):105-11. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1221.

(3) Cayir Y, et al. The effect of pedometer use on physical activity and body weight in obese women. Eur J Sport Sci. 2015 Jun;15(4):351-6. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2014.940558. Epub 2014 Jul 28.

(4) Steinberg DM, et al. Weighing every day matters: daily weighing improves weight loss and adoption of weight control behaviors. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Apr;115(4):511-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2014.12.011.

(5) Li J, et al. Improvement in chewing activity reduces energy intake in one meal and modulates plasma gut hormone concentrations in obese and lean young Chinese men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep;94(3):709-16. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.015164. Epub 2011 Jul 20

(6) Andrade AM, et al. Eating slowly led to decreases in energy intake within meals in healthy women. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Jul;108(7):1186-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.04.026.

(7) Wansink B, van Ittersum K. Portion size me: plate-size induced consumption norms and win-win solutions for reducing food intake and waste. J Exp Psychol Appl. 2013 Dec;19(4):320-32. doi: 10.1037/a0035053.

(8) Blom WA, et al. Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):211-20.

(9) Heymsfield SB, et al. Weight management using a meal replacement strategy: meta and pooling analysis from six studies. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 May;27(5):537-49.

(10) Howard NC, et al. Dietary fiber and weight regulation. Nutr Rev. 2001 May;59(5):129-39.