{"id":6268,"date":"2011-05-17T20:01:07","date_gmt":"2011-05-18T04:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=6268"},"modified":"2013-09-09T14:57:11","modified_gmt":"2013-09-09T22:57:11","slug":"6-sneaky-weight-loss-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-sneaky-weight-loss-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Sneaky Weight-Loss Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Do you want to lose a few pounds \u2013 or a few dozen?<\/p>\n

Many of us do: in fact, over 60{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of Americans are overweight (and other developed nations are catching up fast). You\u2019d think that all the diet pills, diet foods, diet books and diet plans would help. Unfortunately, they don\u2019t seem to be doing much good.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got a long history with dieting: I was overweight as a teen, and I still have to pay close attention to my weight to stop it creeping back up. (I blame a combination of genetics, a mild medical condition, and a fondness for chocolate…)<\/p>\n

Over the years, though, I\u2019ve learnt about a few tricks that really help. If you give these a go, you\u2019ll find that you can lose weight without having to eat a restrictive diet and without spending hours trying to resist the siren call of that ice-cream tub in your freezer\u2026<\/p>\n

#1: Keep Junk Food Out of the House<\/h2>\n

However strong your willpower might be at 8am, there\u2019s a good chance that at 8pm, you\u2019re going to be delving into the cookie jar.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got high-calorie snacks and treats in the house, it\u2019s all too easy to weaken and eat them. <\/strong>But if you don\u2019t buy them in the first place, you\u2019ll find it much easier to resist your inner Cookie Monster \u2013 you\u2019re probably not going to be craving junk so badly that you make an extra trip to the store.<\/p>\n

#2: Record What You Eat<\/h2>\n

Studies have shown that keeping a food diary doubles<\/em> participants\u2019 weight loss \u2013 and it even helps people lose weight without them even trying to diet.<\/p>\n

Why are food diaries so powerful? Well, they let you see your eating habits in black and white (and they can give you a few nasty surprises). Plus, the act of recording everything you eat makes you more conscious about it<\/strong> \u2013 you\u2019ll pause for a moment, rather than scoffing that candy bar without a second thought.<\/p>\n

#3: Weigh Yourself Weekly<\/h2>\n

I always know that I\u2019m getting into bad habits when I start avoiding weighing myself…<\/p>\n

By stepping on the scales every week, you\u2019ll be able to see when you\u2019re making progress<\/strong> (which is really encouraging). Or, if things haven\u2019t gone so well, you\u2019ll find it harder to remain in denial. If you know that you\u2019ll be weighing in each week, it\u2019s easier to stay on track day-by-day \u2013 especially if you\u2019re going to a group like Weight Watchers, or posting your weekly weight on Facebook.<\/p>\n

#4: Find Exercise That You Enjoy<\/h2>\n

Maybe you think you hate exercise \u2013 but that\u2019s almost certainly not true. What most people hate is some particular type of activity, perhaps because it brings back unpleasant memories of sports at school.<\/p>\n

There are so many different ways to move your body and get active, and you can<\/em> find something which you look forward to doing.<\/strong> How about walking, cycling, rowing or swimming? Or, if you\u2019re more adventurous, fencing, martial arts, trampolining …<\/p>\n

#5: Use a Smaller Plate<\/h2>\n

This sounds like such a silly trick that it won\u2019t work \u2013 but it really does. If you use a smaller plate (or bowl, etc) for every meal, you\u2019ll eat less.<\/p>\n

Most of us tend to fill our plates \u2013 and then we eat what\u2019s in front of us.<\/strong> Researchers have found that this happens even when the food isn\u2019t particularly enjoyable: in a study run by Cornell University, students supplied with large tubs of free (but stale) popcorn ate more than those given smaller tubs.<\/p>\n

#6: Incorporate Walking Into Your Day<\/h2>\n

Whatever your fitness level and circumstances, you can probably walk for at least a block or two. Walking is a great way to sneak in some extra exercise \u2013 you don\u2019t need any special gear, you won\u2019t get sweaty, and you can use your walk to accomplish something useful (like going to the grocery store).<\/p>\n

If you work at a computer, try taking a five minute break every hour to walk around. <\/strong>(Over an eight hour day, that adds up to forty minutes of walking.) This won\u2019t just help you lose weight \u2013 it\u2019ll also help to prevent health problems associated with sitting in one position staring at a screen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, six clever little tricks to help you lose weight without putting in much effort at all. Give one \u2013 or more \u2013 of them a try, today.<\/p>\n

Do you have any sneaky tricks to add? Share them with us in the comments.<\/em>
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How To Motivate Yourself<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many of us do: in fact, over 60{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of Americans are overweight (and other developed nations are catching up fast). You\u2019d think that all the diet pills, diet foods, diet books and diet plans would help. Unfortunately, they don\u2019t seem to be doing much good. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":6269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[40,6],"tags":[1392,4648,85,1297,66,4629,1299,1391,399],"yoast_head":"\n6 Sneaky Weight-Loss Tricks - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve got a long history with dieting: I was overweight as a teen, and I still have to pay close attention to my weight to stop it creeping back up. 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