7 Strange and Unusual Ways That Can Help You Lose Weight

We all know that the solution to weight loss is diet and exercise. By eating healthy and cutting calories, you get your body in a fat-burning state. Adding exercise into the mix will boost your metabolism and increase the number of calories you burn every day, making it easier to get rid of the calories stored as fat.

But, beyond these two "pillars" of weight loss, there are other options for shedding pounds. Here are a few of the more strange and unusual ways to lose weight:

1. Smell an apple -- Studies have shown that sniffing a green apple can suppress your appetite between meals. You don't even have to bite into the apple, but the smell alone does the trick! It works with bananas, too. If your stomach is growling but you know you shouldn't eat, get a whiff of a banana or apple to shut down your hunger.
2. Wear a ribbon -- French women have a simple trick for controlling their food intake: they tie a ribbon around their tummies, underneath their clothing. When the ribbon starts to feel tight, they know they've had enough to eat. This helps them to stay conscious of the amount of food they eat, making it easier to avoid overeating!
3. Take a picture -- Before you dig into your meal, take a picture of it and really look at the picture. As you study it, you'll notice things you didn't when you first prepared the meal. Perhaps you added too much dressing or your serving of potatoes is far larger than it looked. This is a simple trick that will help you be conscious of what you're eating.
4. Write it down -- This works similar to the last tip and makes you more aware of what you're putting in your body. Get a food journal and write down EVERYTHING you consume in a day: every cup of water, every bite of food, every snack no one sees you munching on. Every day, go over what you wrote down, and see if there is any way to improve your eating habits the next day.
5. Sit in front of a mirror -- Eating in front of a mirror can seriously help to reduce your food intake. You will be more aware of what you're eating, as well as how you look as you eat. One study found that people who eat in front of a mirror eat as much as 33% less.
6. Start big -- Always start the day with your largest meal! Make your breakfast a big one (at least 700 calories), and it will keep you going for hours. Make lunch the next largest meal, and make your dinner a small one. You'll burn a lot more calories that way.
7. Decorate with blue --Have you ever wondered why you've never seen the color blue in a restaurant? That's because blue is a color that suppresses your appetite. You will eat up to 33% less in a room decorated in blue. To cut back on your foot intake, eat on blue plates, with blue napkins and a blue tablecloth. Avoid bright, hunger-promoting colors like red, orange, and yellow.
8. Use vanilla -- Vanilla-scented candles can help to suppress your appetite, specifically your cravings for a dessert. Those with a sweet tooth should light up a vanilla-scented candle immediately after finishing the main course, and they'll be far less likely to want a post-meal treat.

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