8 Bizarrely Easy Ways To Lose Weight

Whether they are true or not, nobody questions them. Whether they happen or not, nobody wants to know. They just believe in them. No, I am not talking about superstitions. I am talking about weight loss tips. The weirder they are, the more we believe them. For instance, if someone says, “There is an herb in Sudan. You just need to smell it, and you will start losing weight,” the first thing people will do is book flights to Sudan and while in the flight, they might ponder over the plausible scientific basis to this theory. Well, we’ve believed and sincerely followed a bunch of fads anyway. So, here are some more bizarre weight loss methods that have worked for people. Give them a try!

1. Eat With Your Left Hand

Are you a right-hander? Then, obviously, you must be eating with your right hand. Assuming so, let me tell you, try eating with your left hand. Since this is your non-preferred hand, you will find it slightly difficult to eat at a fast pace. This way, you will spend more time eating, you will control your portion size, and in the process, you will be more conscious of what you are eating. No chance of binge eating. Well, if you are a left-handed person, switch! Just don’t forget to clean your hands thoroughly before you eat. You know, just in case – the left hand…

2. Eat In Front Of The Mirror

Are you stuck in this rut? You realize you have put on weight, you cringe at the way your body looks like, and you binge even more just to inflict more harm on yourself. Do you think there is a way out? Of course, yes. Overeating is a form of self-harm and many of us do it to garner temporary emotional pleasure. Look at yourself in the mirror. Make peace with what you are and how you look. This way, you will stop harming yourself. In a research, participants were asked to look at themselves in the mirror to enhance their body image, which was one of the steps to change their eating behavior (1). This is exactly why you should eat in front of the mirror. Accept the way you look – this is not being defeatist and accepting fatness. Rather, this is going to help you build a better relationship with your body.

3. In The Mood For Binging? Eat With A Guy Friend

Eating alone makes you eat more without you even being aware of it. When you eat while strangers are watching, you tend to eat slowly and try to confine your meal portion to lesser than what you’d otherwise eat. Also, eating with a companion or while a stranger is looking would make you eat less anyway, but what’s more effective is to eat when you are with a guy friend of yours. Particularly that one who you aren’t completely yourself with. You are busy trying to be coy and dainty for him. So, there isn’t time to stuff those fries in the mouth. Although you can’t do this every day, do it at least when you are in the mood to binge or when you are sure that you would overeat.

4. Paint Your Food Blue

Can you think of eating food that is blue? Doesn’t sound very palatable, right? Why? Because we don’t usually associate the color blue with something tasty. We associate different smells, textures, and, more importantly, color with the pleasantness of consuming that food. Red and green usually make you eat more, and that’s exactly why you should paint your food blue, just so that you don’t overeat. Did you ever enter a hotel that has blue cutlery or blue walls? Red cutlery is most commonly used in eateries because obviously, they want you to eat more. Also, eating the same food every day decreases your perceived pleasantness (2). So, eat the same blue food every day – looks like a sure shot method!

5. Hydrate Your Body With Fluids

Our bodies have an interesting way of confusing thirst with hunger. You are convinced that they are hunger pangs, but in reality, they are actually thirst pangs. Dehydration often makes you feel hungry, weak, and dizzy – all of which are symptoms of starvation. So, the next time you feel way too hungry, try slowly sipping on some water before gorging on food. When you allow yourself to get very hungry or dehydrated, your mind will search for foods that are high in sugars or fats as those foods satiate your hunger immediately. Instead, making sure you are sufficiently hydrated will stop those wrong signals that your brain is giving you.

6. Sip Some Oil

Consuming oil is a good idea if you want to lose weight. Does this seem paradoxical or just gross? Both, right? But let me tell you, it is neither. Having a tablespoon or two of coconut oil or olive oil is a great way of consuming healthy fats. The general belief is that fats make you fat. However, the truth is that healthy fats have a different metabolic effect on your body and, in fact, help you in managing your weight. Also, research says that consumption of MCT (Medium-Chain Triacylglycerol) oil as a part of a weight loss plan improves weight loss compared to olive oil and can thus be successfully included in a weight loss diet (3). So, for better results, you might even want to switch all other oils with MCT oil.

7. Brush Your Teeth

Brushing your teeth with a nice minty toothpaste makes you feel fresh instantly. It not only freshens your mouth but also helps in curbing your cravings and pangs. This will ensure you consume lesser calories than you would otherwise do. Apart from that, when you brush your teeth, you temporarily postpone an eating session because you don’t want to spoil that freshness in your mouth. I thought this was too lame until I realized I refrained from eating biscuits or sticky foods only because I didn’t want my mouth to feel gooey and sticky after I had brushed my teeth.

8. Inhale The Aroma Of Mint Or Vanilla

We eat for that sense of satiety apart from the survival reason. If life doesn’t give it, we search for it elsewhere. Quite often than not, we find it in food. When you sniff food, the brain thinks it is eating it. Especially when you inhale the scent that comes from fresh peppermint leaves, your satiety center in the brain is turned on without you even consuming any real calories. Similarly, if your sweet tooth is creating a hurdle between you and your weight loss goals, try sniffing vanilla. Perfumes, sanitizers, and essential oils with vanilla smell so sweet that you can’t crave for anything sweet after that. The sensual pleasure you get by sniffing is a perfect replacement for having to eat it.

Yes, they were bizarre. But at least they tell you what can make you consume fewer calories without having to struggle. So, which one was the most bizarre according to you? For me, it was the left hand thing. Comment below to let me know what made you instantly go “eww!”

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Rachana C

Twenty seventeen says Rachana Chandrasekhar is a content writer at IncNut Digital. Of course, twenty twelve thought she'd be a vegetable vendor in an Italian countryside. Don't be too overwhelmed if twenty twenty finds her basking in the raptures of driving the fastest car on some obscure racing course.

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