Find out how to lose weight with tips and tricks that may seem unusual, but proven to work!
25 Unorthodox Ways to Lose Weight
From eating soup before meals to chewing on gum, give these weight loss tips a try:
1. Eat Breakfast
Breakfast really might be the most important of the day, as a high-energy breakfast promotes weight loss. It also improves blood sugar tied to diabetes.
The high-energy diet included a big breakfast, average lunch, and small dinner. The traditional diet included six small meals evenly distributed throughout the day.
The high-energy group lost an average of 11 pounds at three months! What's more, those eating six meals actually gained about 3 pounds.
2. Coffee Up
Coffee can supply energy to hit the gym, suppress appetite, and initiate thermogenesis. This is a process in which the body converts energy into heat, subsequently speeding up metabolic rate. And even beyond weight control, coffee shows to reduce the risk of diabetes.
But for the true weight loss method: Enjoy a fresh cup of black coffee without all the sugary decorations. Otherwise, you can pack on hundreds of calories each day!
3. Eat Soup Before Meals
Losing weight has never felt so warm and cozy. Because according to research from Penn State University, consuming soup before a meal can cut caloric intake by 20 percent.
It is important to choose a low-calorie, broth-based soup with about 100 to 150 calories per serving. Higher calorie and cream-based soups could increase the total calories and deter such benefit.
4. Dismiss Calorie Counting
Though calories do play a role in weight loss, they should not be the primary fixation. Focus on the nutritional value of foods rather than the amount of calories they contain.
Food for thought: A 100-calorie pack may seem like an ideal healthy food to eat on a diet. However, they may offer nothing more than sugars and other unwanted ingredients.
Include more whole grains, colorful produce, lean proteins, dairy products, and healthy fats. This tactic keeps calories naturally in check while supplying rich nutrients most "diet foods" lack.
5. Sprinkle Edible Crystals Over Food
It may seem like a weird way to lose weight, but sprinkling scented and edible crystals over food may help change the way people eat. In fact, overweight patients who used crystals for six months lost an average of 34 pounds!
Dr. Alan Hirsh explains in ABC News, "It fools your brain into thinking you've eaten more and thus you eat less. You can eat whatever you want to eat. You eat whatever you normally would eat. You'll feel full faster, you'll eat less."
6. Go for Unlimited Veggies
Though diets flaunt moderation, veggies might just be an exception to the rule. Noshing on an unlimited supply of veggies packs fiber, vitamins, minerals, and volume without packing on numerous calories.
And while all veggies are nutritious, it is important to moderate starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Choose more non-starchy varieties, including asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, peppers, spinach, and kale.
7. Move the Candy Dish
You take a piece here and another piece there… And that was within the first hour of work! While the candy dish is welcoming, it might be too inviting and asking for simple weight gain.
But moving the candy dish can lower the temptation and risk of going for candy. And perhaps swapping the candy dish for a fruit basket in the office might be a better tactic.
8. Unfear the Fat
Unlike popular belief, dietary fat is imperative for body functions and eating it will not lead to instant weight gain.
Marketed "low-fat" products are often loaded with sugar, which is linked to weight gain, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.
Choose more healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. Health experts commonly agree fat should comprise no more than 35 percent of total daily calories.
9. Snack Sensibly
The poor reputation snacking mostly stems from the foods, including that bag of chips or candy bar. This often leads to empty calories tacked onto daily totals.
But if done with intent and moderation, snacking can actually assist in weight loss goals. Snacks balanced with protein, fiber, and healthy fats can control hunger and prevent overeating during the next meal.
10. Ditch Diet Soda
During the hunt for losing weight, tips in the past would encourage switching from regular to diet soda.
Fast forward to today, research tells us those who drink diet soda can still suffer from weight gain and obesity. They also increase their risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
So really, drink plenty of water and make it your primary hydration source. Water is virtually free of calories and grants the body with endless benefits.
11. Mirror, Mirror On the Dining Room Wall
Research shows the presence of a mirror in an eating setting can reduce the perceived tastiness of unhealthy food. This can reduce its intake.
In a taste test study, students chose between a chocolate cake and a fruit salad. They then judged its taste in a room with or without a mirror.
Those who selected the chocolate cake assessed it less tasty in the room with a mirror compared to those without mirrors. Interestingly, too, the presence of a mirror did not change the taste of the fruit salad.
12. Take a Multivitamin
While there may not be a magic pill to weight loss, taking a multivitamin may be beneficial to efforts.
A study in the International Journal of Obesity suggests a multivitamin and mineral supplement could reduce body weight and improve lipids.
The outcome may be related to increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation, processes that may be compromised if nutrients are deficient.
13. Abide by the "No Foods Off-Limits" Rule
Yes, you can still lose weight while enjoying your favorite scoop of ice cream or slices of pizza! Feeling restricted from foods can actually impede on health goals, mostly be heightening their temptation and curating a binge.
Allow yourself to indulge on a warm chocolate chip cookie or other favorite treat while implementing the practice of moderation.
14. Eat Off Small Plates
Plate and portion sizes have dramatically enlarged overtime, making it that much easier to overeat.
To help reduce such risk, use smaller plates. Diners who serve themselves with small plates tend to serve small amounts and, therefore, have a smaller food intake.
15. Eat Off Multi-Colored Plates
Apparently it is not only the color of your food that matters…
Research discovered contrast between the plate and food served can influence the serving. Participants who had low contrast between their food and plates served themselves 30 percent more than participants with high contrast.
16. Tone Down the Music and Dim the Lights
Whereas reducing noise and dimming light is encouraged to nurture sleep cycles, doing so can also naturally cut calories.
Reported by Today, toning down music and dimming lights can help diners enjoy their meals more and eat less.
17. Pic Your Meal
Taking pictures of your meals may seem like added work and maybe even unusual. But doing so can be extremely beneficial for weight loss.
Checking in with meals and snacks every now and then is the perfect way to keep tabs on your intake!
18. Eat Before a Party
Saving up on calories before a party seems logical, but holding out may lead to ravening on high-calorie foods.
Instead of skipping meals to save calories, satisfy hunger with balanced meals and snacks to keep hunger levels at bay.
19. Scroll Through Health-Related Social Media Accounts
#MotivationMonday, anyone?
Whether finding a new recipe or admiring a #TransformationTuesday, scrolling through health-related social media accounts can keep you inspired!
20. Chew Gum
Chew on this weight loss trick: Gum can assist in weight loss when dealing with a craving and foreseeable binge.
So if feeling tempted to binge on junk food, distract the mind and satisfy the taste buds by chewing on gum.
21. Just Breathe
Breathing is a mindless, yet vital process that keeps the body alive. But it can also redirect food cravings by limiting stress and the risk of emotional eating.
And time after time, deep breathing is touted as one of the best stress management techniques.
22. Sleep
Obtaining the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night can play a large role in your weight loss goals.
Adequate sleep helps curb cravings, regulate hunger hormones, and boost energy to keep active throughout the day.
23. Lights Off
A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology shines light on the impact of light exposure at night on weight gain.
Turn off all lights and electronics, using blinds and heavy curtains, and trying a sleep mask as needed.
24. Keep A Food Diary
Get out a pen and paper…
Featuring nearly 1,700 participants, research shows keeping a food diary doubles weight loss.
25. Let Someone Else Do It
Though someone cannot personally lose weight for you, they certainly can assist in your efforts. So, let someone else do the planning, prepping, cooking, and cleaning and look to a weight loss meal delivery service!
Nutritious and delicious meals delivered right to doorsteps provide the body with what it needs to jump start healthy weight loss.
