When you’re trying very hard to be able to drop the pounds, extra help with weight loss can go a long way. You know that the center of any healthy diet plan that will allow you to keep the pounds off when they’re gone is eating right and exercising. There is no way around it. Any diet plan that does not include those two elements will not let you get the most out of your dieting time and will, more often than not, fail before the goal has been reached. Therefore, it is good to know what can help with weight loss.
We Can All Use Extra Help with Weight Loss
However, this doesn’t mean that diet and exercise are the only things that you can do to help with weight loss. There are lots of tips and tricks that turn up every day that can help to give you just a little bit more of an advantage to shed that last pound just a little bit quicker, or to motivate yourself just that much more.
Use These Tips to Boost Your Strategy and Help with Weight Loss
The following seven tips have each been shown to be quite helpful in the effort to lose weight, despite the fact that you wouldn’t expect them to be.
1. The smell of peppermint
When you use real peppermint oil and smell it all day long, studies have shown that you could help yourself to decrease your hunger levels and, therefore, your daily caloric intake. There are many ways to incorporate more peppermint scent into your life. Use products with that scent such as hand soap or shampoo. Simply brush your teeth when you’re done eating and don’t want to eat any more. Get a room diffuser and use peppermint oil to scent the room. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it works!
2. The color of your plates
A study that was published in December 2013 showed that using certain colors of plates causes a person to eat more or less. Red plates were shown to be the most beneficial for decreasing the amount that you eat to help with weight loss. It may be time to head to the dollar store and pick up a new dinner plate for yourself to see if a red dish will shrink your need for seconds.
3. Paying for food with cash
Put the plastic away and haul out the old fashioned cash and you will be more likely to select healthier foods, said a study that was published last fall. For one thing, you’ll be more likely to eat the foods you buy and prepare yourself from the grocery store. For another, you’ll visually see how much your junk food and fast food habits eat their way through your cash supply throughout the week. You’ll naturally feel inclined to keep that cash in your pocket by cutting back on your unhealthy eating habits.
4. Chocolate (yup, it can help with weight loss!)
Eating a reasonable amount of dark chocolate (not white or milk chocolate) can help to decrease abdominal fat levels. This was according to a study that was published in November 2013. If you feel the need to eat something rich and delicious, grab a square or two of your favorite dark chocolate and savor them. The key is not to eat too much or you’ll negate all the benefits you could have enjoyed.
5. Bedroom temperature
If you can stand to turn down the thermostat in the winter to 66 degrees and use only a light blanket and light jammies, then you’ll burn more calories while you sleep than someone whose room is 75 degrees. By keeping the body cold, it has to work harder to warm up, which can help with weight loss substantially. Remember that this only works if you’re cold, though. If you keep your home cold but pile on the blankets and fuzzy night clothes, you’ll still feel toasty and your body won’t need to burn calories to keep you warm. This will only help with weight loss if you can tough it out!
6. Images of low calorie foods
By putting up pictures of low cal foods on your fridge, you may be encouraged to eat less throughout the length of a weight loss diet. It will help you to visualize nutritious eating while exposing yourself to the idea of colorful, appealing foods that taste great while giving your body what it needs to help with weight loss and overall wellness.
7. Work in a tidy space
A study published last summer showed that people who keep a tidy workspace are more likely to choose a healthy snack than those who work in clutter. A neater environment makes you feel less overwhelmed and will help to control your cortisol levels. This will help with weight loss by lowering stress and letting you calmly make smart food choices.
