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If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to keep in mind that your diet is what determines your success. You know what they say: you can’t out exercise a bad diet!
With that in mind, you can eat your way to a flat stomach with the right, fat-burning foods in your diet. “As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise,” says Shawn M. Talbott, PhD, a nutritional biochemist.
As you get older, it may seem like losing weight is an endless battle, but it’s not too difficult if you know what foods you should be eating.
Try these four healthy dieting foods to shed stubborn fat:
1. Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese can be a great base for a healthy snack while you’re on a diet. Add blueberries, nuts, or seeds to it for a delicious treat. Cottage cheese is important for gut health and digestion, as well as a great source of casein, which keeps you full for longer periods of time.
"Cheese can be a great source of calcium, protein, and surprisingly, a good source of vitamin A," say Dietitians Kelly Clifford and Meghan Daw at Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market.
2. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt, if it’s the full-fat kind, can help reduce your appetite and burn fat. It also is a great source of protein and can help you grow muscle while exercising. It’s loaded with probiotics and promotes healthy gut health, too.
Regina Fazzini, a New York-based nutritionist, always recommends having a serving of plain Greek yogurt and blueberries to her patients that are constantly snacking.
3. Eggs
There’s a reason almost every weight loss diet recommends that you eat eggs for breakfast. Eggs are nutrient-dense and low in calories and fat. They are a great source of protein. Not only do they boost the fat-burning process in your body, but they also keep you feeling full and reduce hunger.
4. Fatty Fish
It may seem contradictory to consume fatty fish if you’re trying to burn fat, that’s not the case. Fatty fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids which promote fat loss. Fish also contains protein which aids digestion by boosting your metabolic rate.
"Healthy omega-3 fats should not be viewed in the same way as saturated fats," Harp says. "So while you should limit intake of saturated fats, high-calorie intake from omega-3 fats will not be metabolized in the same way as high calorie intake from saturated fats found in meat and dairy," says Celina Harp a nutritionist at SmartFood Nutrition.
