9 Ways to Lose Weight That Have Nothing to Do With Diet or Exercise

When it comes to losing weight, we always imagine women who have to eat pounds of fruit and parsley in breaks between exhausting workouts. Well, it is true — it’s difficult to reach the desired result without eating healthy food and doing physical exercise. But as it turns out, there are ways of losing weight that don’t necessarily require you to go to the gym or change your diet, like eating from a red plate.

Bright Side found out which tricks you can use to lose weight without limiting the food you like or doing exercise.

1. Eat from red plates.

This may seem a little strange but research shows that people eat less food from red plates that from white or blue ones. The thing is, this color is associated with prohibitions and is a signal to stop, so people instinctively eat less. There was an experiment where the participants were given cookies on red, white, and blue plates. The ones who got a red plate ate a lot less than the other participants. And yes, they weren’t eating healthy food. So, this piece of advice only works for situations when you eat unhealthy foods.

2. Drink from a narrow and long glass.

Here’s a fun and scientifically proven fact: if you drink beverages from tall glasses, you will drink about 25-30% less. American scientist Brian Wansink explains it as an optical illusion that tricks the brain. Tests have shown that even professional bartenders pour more into low and wide glasses.

3. Remove unhealthy food from your sight.

Research has shown that if people keep high-caloric foods in their sight, they will most likely weigh more than those who hide unhealthy foods from themselves and keep fruit out instead. The thing is, the sight of tasty (but unhealthy) foods increases the sense of hunger and temptation which makes you eat more. So, make sure you can only see healthy foods at home.

4. Eat more protein.

When you eat foods rich in protein, you kill your hunger faster. Research has shown that a 15% increase of protein in the daily diet helped the participants eat 440 fewer calories. Because of this, they managed to lose 10 pounds of extra weight on average in 12 weeks without actually limiting any foods.

The foods that have the most protein are: meat (chicken and red meat), fish, eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, and beans.

5. Chew mint gum when you are slightly hungry.

When you are just slightly hungry and you might risk having an unhealthy snack, chew some sugar-free mint-flavored bubble gum. The mint flavor dulls the function of taste buds and the urge to eat something immediately disappears.

6. Add ice to your drinks.

All the foods we eat and drink are heated by the body to the body temperature. This thermoregulation process burns calories and the more heating the body needs to do, the more calories it burns. Add some ice to your drinks (coffee, tea, juice, cocktails) and drink them through a straw. Cold food also makes the body burn more calories.

7. Sleep more.

Research published in 2013 by Nature Communications magazine showed that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night eat high-caloric foods more often and gain more weight than people who get enough sleep. So, try sleeping for at least 7-8 hours a night.

8. Buy a smaller size dress.

Buy a new dress or a new pair of jeans that are a few sizes smaller and hang them somewhere in your house where you can see this piece of clothing. This way you will always have a reminder in front of you of the goal you want to achieve.

9. Lose weight together with someone.

Unite with your friends or join a group of people who are trying to lose weight too. This will make the process more rewarding. A study shows that people who teamed up with other people who were trying to lose weight reached their target 20% more often.

Bonus: Using ice packs to get rid of fat

According to researchers at the University of Maastricht, cold temperatures help to burn fat. The cold will transform white fat into brown fat that is more easily metabolized by the body.

• Wrap an ice pack in a thin cloth and place it on the area where you have fat.
• Leave the pack on for around 30 minutes.
• Do it once a day for 12 days.

In order to avoid a frostbite, remove the bag from time to time. If you notice symptoms like skin redness, tingling, or skin numbness, stop the procedure immediately.

Do you know any other nonobvious ways of losing weight? Tell us in the comment section below.