Diet plan: Eat THIS food to lose almost a STONE in 16 weeks, experts find

The best weight loss diet involves lots of protein, so a study has found.

Scientists discovered a specific diet that helped test subjects lose almost 12lbs in 16 weeks - nearly a stone.

The scientists from the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA and the Oregon Health and Science University, Portland made the interesting findings.

They put 19 test subjects on the following diet, and recorded the impressive weight loss.

The diet was 16 weeks in total, split into two shorter stints and one long stint.

The first stint was two weeks and the test subjects ate a weight-maintaining diet of 15 per cent protein, 35 per cent fat, and 50 per cent carbohydrate.

In the next two weeks they ate a an isocaloric diet, which is calorie restricted, with 30 per cent protein, 20 per cent fat, and 50 per cent carbohydrate.

Finally, the test subjects were put on an ad-libitum or free-feeding diet where with 30 per cent protein, 20 per cent fat, and 50 per cent carbohydrate. They ate this diet for 12 weeks.

The scientists concluded that increasing the amount of protein your eat while keep your intake of carbohydrates constant would result in weight loss.

They said: “This effect of protein may contribute to the weight loss produced by low-carbohydrate diets.”

Good protein sources you can add to your diet include seafood and white-meat poultry, website WebMD states.

Milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, beans, soy and lean beef.

Adding a specific sort of protein to your breakfast can also help you lose a stone in 12 weeks, scientists found.

Eating whey specifically helps you to shed pounds when you consume it at breakfast. 

Whey protein comes specifically of dairy foods like yoghurt and cheese.

But weight loss is about more than what you eat, when you eat is also important.