Eat. Sleep. Lose Weight

There are few human activities more popular than eating and sleeping. Turns out, they also can help you lose pounds and keep them off.

Eating more food may sound crazy to anyone trying to lose weight, especially to the dieters severely restricting their daily caloric intake. But the problem with this old school of thought, explains Michigan dietician Julie Beyer, is that it actually slows metabolism. “Every cell of the body is like a flashlight bulb,” she explains. “When our bodies don’t get enough food, or fuel, every cell burns less brightly.” Recent studies show that eating smaller meals every three to four hours aids metabolism and weight loss.

As for sleep, research shows that people who don’t log seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain. Additionally, we now know that lean muscle is regenerated in the final couple of hours of sleep each night.

—Susan Woodward