The best weight loss tips of all time

Losing weight is hard. Losing weight and then keeping it off is even harder. Case in point: 74% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, and weight loss is a $20 billion industry. All that said, if you’re trying to slim down, there’s no reason to lose hope. Plenty of studies show that lasting weight loss is not a myth. Work some of the 57 research-backed food, exercise, and lifestyle tips that follow into your routine, and watch the pounds start to come off.

Eat a big breakfast

Yeah, yeah—you’ve heard a million times that you must start your day with a balanced breakfast. This advice bears repeating, however. An Imperial College London study found that when people skipped breakfast, the reward centers in their brains lit up when they were shown pictures of high-calorie foods. That means if you skip breakfast, you’ll be more tempted by bad-for-you snacks later in the day. What’s more, a 2013 study found that women who enjoyed a large morning meal had a larger drop in ghrelin, the hunger hormone, than those who ate a small breakfast.

Finish breakfast with something sweet

Wrap up your morning meal with dessert—yes, really. In a Tel Aviv University Medical Center study, one group had a 304-calorie breakfast with 10 grams of carbs, while the other group ate a 600-calorie breakfast with 60 grams of carbs, which included a small sweet, such as chocolate, a doughnut, a cookie, or cake. Halfway through the 8-month study, both groups had lost an average of 33 pounds per person. At the end, however, the low-carb group regained 22 pounds, while the dessert group dropped an additional 15. Researchers say the dessert-eaters reported dealing with fewer cravings, and had a better chance of sticking to their calorie requirements for the rest of the day.

Best cooling sheets

Suffer from night sweats? Whether you’re going through menopause, are suffering from an illness, or simply just run hot, then night sweats can wreck havoc on your sleep cycle. Thankfully, the simple task of switching out your sheets can help improve your rest by keeping you cool and dry throughout the night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends steering clear of synthetics, like polyester, and instead choosing natural fibers like cotton and bamboo. And although you’ve undoubtedly heard that luxurious high-thread-count sheets will keep you dancing through dreamland, it turns out their tighter weave makes them less breathable. The National Sleep Foundation recommends a thread count of 200 to 400.

Sleep better tonight with these 14 editor-approved cooling sheet sets.