Little Known Weight Loss Strategies

With all those holiday celebrations, did you gain a little weight that now needs to come off? But you have tried all those well-known weight loss techniques, such as eating more vegetables, limiting portions, and exercising more without much success.

You might consider trying some of these 6 "Oh wow!" lesser-known weight loss tips. You may find some fresh ideas in this list. Some involve increasing certain types of foods in your diet and others make easy to implement behavioral changes that help you stay on track.

Weight Loss Tip #1: Have Barley for Breakfast
Swedish researches found that eating barley for breakfast kept a more constant blood sugar level and helped fight hunger. This is because the carbohydrates in barley and rye kernels have a "low glycemic index," meaning they raise blood sugar more evenly over time than some other carbohydrate foods. This helps you avoid a spike, and then a drop, in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling famished.

Hulled barley, not pearl barley, is becoming the new oatmeal. This new trend is based on Swedish researchers studies of minimally processed hulled barley and is not applicable to the more processed forms, such as pearl barley. So, the next time you visit the grocery store, pick up hulled barely for breakfast.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Proteinize Your Lunch Salad
Eating a vegetable salad for lunch without dressing is a common mistake dieters make. A salad is a great lunch choice if you add some protein and a little fat, which will keep you from felling starved by 3 pm.

Topping your green salad with a few tablespoons of light salad dressing and 3 ounce piece of chicken breast will help keep the two tablespoons of light salad dressing. The addition of three oz of chicken plus light salad dressing could add 25 grams of protein and less than 200 additional calories, which is much less than what you will get with the afternoon ritual to the vending machine.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Make Yourself a Vegetable Platter
The last time you went to a party, someone brought a big vegetable tray with some light dip on the side. The first party appetizer to be finished is the vegetable platter since everyone grabs one or two each time they walk by.

But this vegetable party tray is just for you and your family members. Food that is within reach and prepared is snacked on twice as often as food that requires preparation. Keep it in the fridge at eye level, encouraging you to snack healthy and avoid the higher-calorie contents of your refrigerator.

Weight Loss Tip #4: Switch the Dinnerware
Researches say they've seen it again and again: The bigger the plate, the more you're likely to put on it. Use this to your advantage and switch the dinner and salad plates so the salad plate is large and the dinner plate small.

Weight Loss Tip #5: Road Trip for Treats
If you are one of the types who over does it on sweets and snacks, then make it a challenge to get your favorite sweet. Instead of keeping the treats in the house, give yourself permission to take a road trip when you really need one. Want a fudge ice cream brownie, then take a trip to the nearest restaurant for a dessert.

The more effort it takes to get a treat, the less likely you will eat them. The freedom to take a sweets road trip will help reduce the treat consumption while not inducing the panic of deprivation.

Weight Loss Tip #6: Skinny Jeans Friday
Find a close fitting pair of jeans that are hard, but not impossible, to zip and put them on every Friday morning. Do this every Friday morning because weekends are typically a tougher time to keep on your diet.

A loose pair of pants make you feel like your positively progressing and more apt to stay motivated over the weekend. Conversely, if they are tight then you'll have a new reason to keep to your diet so they'll fit better next week.

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