You don’t need an advanced degree to understand the simple formula that determines whether you lose weight. Simply put, to shed pounds, you need to burn more calories than you eat. Still, there is a wide range of hacks that give you an edge or extra boost on your weight loss journey. Read on to find eight weird and wacky tricks to help you on your quest to becoming more fit.
Avoid Yellow Foods
The color and size of your plate or bowl impacts your appetite. Researchers say certain colors such as blue and green decrease appetite. Steer clear of red and yellow dinnerware because both colors make you feel hungry.
Additionally, choose smaller plates and bowls for your meals. Even if you’re downsizing your portions to help you eat fewer calories, your brain perceives there’s a pile of food in front of you when it covers an entire plate or fills a bowl. While you know you’re tricking yourself, you’ll be amazed at how this tactic helps you with portion control.
Plastic Wrap Isn’t Just for Food
It’s true that wrapping your thighs or tummy in the kind of plastic wrap you’d normally use to keep food fresh will cause you to sweat. The sweat removes excess water from your body. As a result, you’ll lose a bit of weight through this wacky trick. However, it’s important to watch for signs of dehydration. To reduce your chances of losing too much water, limit the amount of your body you wrap and keep it on for under an hour.
Don’t Take a Guilt Trip
If you do veer off course with your healthy eating plan, unpack your bags and stay home instead of going on a guilt trip. Feeling guilty and berating yourself for falling off the wagon creates stress. Stress, for many people, is a trigger for overeating. It’s a vicious cycle. Give yourself a break and resolve to do better next time. Otherwise, your waist will continue to grow, prompting more doctor visits and higher billing statements for all those appointments. That’s way worse than a guilt trip.
What a Tease
Feel like your exercise routine looks like a bad VHS copy of a jazzercise routine? Ditch the leg warmers and step class for cardio stripteasing. Many of these stripper-inspired routines incorporate a pole and lots of swishing and shaking. The idea is to inject a big dose of fun into your workout. Women who take these exercise classes say it increases upper body muscles, balance, and leg muscles. It’s a fun way to keep from a sedentary lifestyle, which is one of the top five causes of high cholesterol.
Eau de Vanilla
Think back to your early school days when your teacher rewarded you with scratch-and-sniff stickers. Who knew the vanilla scented stickers help suppress your appetite? A study showed that the scent of vanilla reduced cravings for sweet food and beverages. So, consider smuggling a vanilla candle into the restaurant when you go out for your office’s monthly birthday lunch. Because that’s not weird. (It’s totally weird, but it works.)
Cash and Carry
Researchers say using cash instead of credit cards reduces the chances you’ll buy food on impulse. With a limited supply of cash on hand, you’re more likely to stick to your plan to buy a healthy entrée and side dish, and won’t splurge on a sugary drink or dessert.
Join the Circus
Even if you don’t change career paths, you can incorporate some circus acts into your exercise plan. Try using a low trapeze bar at home or the gym to augment exercises you’d normally do free-standing. Adding this extra piece of equipment brings a new level of intensity to your workout and keeps it interesting. Women who take these exercise classes say it increases upper body muscles, balance, and leg muscle strength. It’s also a fun way to keep from a sedentary lifestyle, which is one of the top five causes of high cholesterol.
Plan a Snack Attack
Having a good plan of attack for snacking reduces the chances you’ll feel eat unhealthy food and feel guilty. Trick out your office with pouches of 100 calorie nuts, sliced fresh fruit, and energy bars. By planning to snack on healthy foods (as opposed to giving up snacking), you stay on track for weight loss and away from the amber glow of vending machines.
These tips are all a little weird, but they say that when you want to achieve something you’ve never achieved, you have to do things you’ve never done. Find your groove by choosing the tricks that work for you, your body, and your lifestyle. What’s the weirdest weight loss trick you’ve tried?
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