If you’re here reading this, then you’ve probably tried a lot of the conventional thinking on dieting. You’ve likely spent a lot of money on meal replacement bars, purchased all sorts of drink mixes, or perhaps even tried a meal delivery plan. That stuff is expensive, and the results are often mixed. Meal replacement bars end up being extra meals during the day, and the mixes usually don’t taste that great. 

Losing weight is hard but simple at the same time. In reality, dieting and losing weight are about changes in habit. You have to change a big part of who you are to see results on the scale. That means creating new routines and training your body to temper its desires for food. 

Changing behaviors isn’t easy. Usually, people have a good couple of weeks when they first start a diet and then crash and burn when their body starts to resist. It makes sense if you think about it. You’ve given your body foods high in sugar, fat, and other treats along the way, and now all of the sudden you pull them away. It’s a shock to the system. 

Getting through those first few weeks of dieting is hard, but that’s what it takes to set a new course and start seeing the results you expect. Thankfully, there are things that you can do to build those habits without too much pain. Here are six ways to lose weight you should try.

Go to Bed!

If you’re like most adults, you’re running around stressed out all day dealing with kids or putting out fires at work. When you get home, it’s time to relax. That’s fine, but for people who want to lose weight, downtime at home at night after a stressful day is dangerous territory. It’s when it’s easy to sit on the couch and grab a pack of cookies or a bag of chips. Before you know it, the entire package is gone and you’ve consumed hundreds, if not thousands, of extra calories. What’s worse is that you’ve eaten calories you’re not going to burn off because you’re probably headed to bed. 

Late-night snacking is one of the worst things you can do if you want to lose weight. A fantastic way to combat this is to go to bed earlier! You cut your eating window short, and there are all sorts of hormonal and other health benefits to getting more sleep. You’ll feel more well-rested the next day, which will make it easier for you to make healthy meal choices going forward. Go to bed earlier to prevent bad habits late at night. 

Drink More Water

This is an often-overlooked weight loss tip. The vast majority of people in the world walk around dehydrated. It’s common for people to confuse feelings of thirst with hunger. You keep eating more and more food when all you needed was a nice, big glass of water. Drinking a lot of water speeds up your metabolism, makes you feel full faster, and has other health benefits. It’s great for your skin, for example. Try to work your way up to drinking a gallon of water a day. Skip the sodas and juices as well. Water has no calories, and drinking calories is one of the major contributors to unwanted weight gain. 

Stand Up and Move

Do you work at an office or at home where you’re sitting a lot all day? Many overweight people are desk-bound professionals these days. It’s no surprise why. We’re sitting all day and only moving our fingers. While it’s nice to not have to swing a hammer or lift boxes all day, think of all of the calories we’d burn if we were doing something more physical! You need to prioritize your physical health even while you’re pursuing your career. Slot an hour for walking each day to break up the day. Buy a standing desk. Just standing while you work will burn a few hundred extra calories a day. If you are sitting at a desk all day, you need to make a conscious effort to move. 

Peptides & Weight Loss

One peptide, in particular, named hGH Fragment 176-191 has shown in research done on mice that it has substantial fat burning and weight loss properties. Researchers believe that it accomplishes this by increasing the body’s production of beta-3 adrenergic receptors. In fact, obese mice given the peptide over three weeks saw a nearly 50% decrease in weight gain. Fragment 171-191 is a small piece (fragment) of human growth hormone. It’s sometimes called the lipolytic fragment. In research done in rodents, the peptide showed a lot of the fat-burning effects of hGH without some of the side effects of hGH like increased insulin sensitivity. 

Book Something at Lunchtime

We’ve all heard that reducing food intake is the key to weight loss for many people. That can be hard, though, when you’re in a routine and mealtime is a way to break up your day. Lunchtime with coworkers, for example, becomes a ritual. It’s a fun social gathering, but you’re probably going out to a restaurant and eating a thousand calories. It’s hard being that person who breaks out the home lunch while everyone is ordering a burrito. 

One thing that you can do to lose weight is book an activity or meeting during your lunch hour. Avoid the feeling that you HAVE to go out to get something to eat. Staying busy will keep your mind off of eating and reduce the number of calories you eat during the day. 

Get a Physical

An important part of losing weight is making sure you’re healthy. It’s hard to ask your body to get up and jog or go without food for longer when you’ve got lingering health issues. When you have some time, book an annual physical with a doctor who can take blood and check out hormone levels. Science has come a long way, and an experienced physician can talk to you about ways to bring your body back in line if anything is out of sync.