Everyone who starts their weight loss journey will tell you just how difficult sticking with the routine can get. With the insane amount of money food companies spend on advertising, we get bombarded with messages about food everywhere. Of course, these ads make everything look so delicious and are shown through so many mediums that ignoring them becomes next to impossible.
Even if you’re able to muster the willpower to say no to these unhealthy foods and stick to a healthy diet, working out is a whole other animal. Sticking to a grueling routine is no easy feat, and many people give up only a few months after they start. Many people find it hard to keep up a workout regimen, whether it’s due to financial, time, or energy restraints.
Even though the odds might be stacked against you, we have some weight loss tricks up our sleeves that might help you lose weight without having to exercise heavily or stick to a strict diet.
Here are 15 weight loss tricks that help curb your appetite:
“Don’t you want to see what happens if you don’t give up?”
1. Eat more spicy foods.
While spicy foods won’t literally melt the fat away, they can help increase your metabolism and decrease your appetite. Things like mustard, black pepper, ginger, horseradish, chilies, cumin, and turmeric will do just the trick when it comes to helping you reach your weight loss goals. The main ingredient in spicy foods, capsaicin, suppresses the appetite and boosts the metabolism.
Don’t worry; if you aren’t a spicy food fan, we have many more tips for you below!
2. Add chia seeds to your diet.
Chia seeds have a lot of fiber, which will help keep you full and, therefore, eat fewer calories throughout the day. These seeds swell in your stomach to suppress your appetite and help with digestion. If you don’t eat chia seeds regularly, try them out in smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, or even on top of salads as an easy way to add them to your diet.
3. Eat more apples.
Yet another food with a lot of fiber, apples also contain high water content, which can help to keep you fuller longer. Apples also involve a lot of chewing, which means your digestive system will take longer to break it down. You can take an apple with you wherever you go, making them a great mid-day snack to power you through the work or school day.
Apples make a wonderful addition to your weight loss plan, and plus, they taste delicious!
4. Drink plenty of water.
As you already know, water is essential to our well-being. As for how much you need to drink, it really depends on the individual, but some studies have found that drinking water before meals can help curb your appetite. Drinking water also increases the calories you burn, which will help with weight loss. In fact, one study found that overweight women who increased water intake to over one liter per day lost an extra 4.4 pounds over a 12-month period.
Since the women didn’t make any changes other than drinking more water, this is promising for people who have tried everything else and didn’t lose weight.
5. Keep a food journal.
Most people have no idea how many calories they consume daily. Keeping track of how much you eat can help you lose weight by seeing where you might need to make some changes. Of course, you’ll have to take into account how many calories you burn as well, but having a food diary is a great start to your weight loss journey. This tip may not suppress your appetite, but it will help you cut back on unnecessary calories.
If you want to increase accuracy, make sure to buy a food scale to measure your foods.
6. Drink more green tea.
After water, green tea is probably the best thing you can drink for weight loss. Not only does it contain a lot of antioxidants, but the caffeine content can help boost your metabolism and aid in fat burning. One compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is believed to be a key factor in boosting metabolism and decreasing appetite.
Green tea also affects two important peptide hormones – norepinephrine and dopamine – which activate the sympathetic nervous system and promote fat breakdown.
7. Sniff peppermint.
This might seem like a strange way to help with weight loss, but hear us out. Peppermint contains certain compounds that help control cravings and increase metabolism. In fact, a 2008 study conducted by the Wheeling Jesuit University analyzed participants’ appetites after having them inhale peppermint every two hours for five days. Participants who inhaled the peppermint oil had decreased hunger and fewer cravings than those who didn’t inhale the oil.
To do this, you can either get pure peppermint oil and inhale it or put it in a diffuser.
8. Use grapefruit essential oils for weight loss.
Grapefruit contains a powerful compound called nootkatone that has been shown to turn on AMPK, an enzyme that controls metabolism and appetite. Grapefruit oil serves as a natural way to lose weight and control cravings. To use it, add a few drops to your water or tea, diffuse it, or apply it directly on your body.
9. Breathe deeply.
Too many of us breathe shallowly and quickly, which can amp up the production of cortisol. As a result, we grow more anxious and restless. Not only that, but increased cortisol levels have been linked to higher percentages of abdominal fat as well as BMI. Additionally, higher production of cortisol causes the body to become resistant to leptin, a hormone that sends the signal to your brain that you’re full.
So, the more cortisol you produce, the more you become resistant to leptin. This means you’ll have a harder time knowing when you’ve had enough to eat. When you’re stressed, you also tend to reach for high-fat, high-sugar, and high-carb foods because they produce serotonin and increase calm feelings. However, in the long run, these types of foods will only hinder your weight loss goals and possibly produce other health problems.
To prevent this whole cycle, it’s very important to control stress levels. While breathing deeply alone may not eliminate your stress, it can certainly help you manage it better.
You can do deep breathing exercises anywhere, such as in your car on your way home from work or at the grocery store waiting to check out. However, it’s best to carve out some time after you’ve done all your errands and chores for the day and find a quiet place where you can relax. Breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth, close your eyes, and try your best to clear your mind.
10. Drink apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar can help with weight loss because it contains acetic acid, a short-chain fatty acid. This helps lower blood sugar, decrease insulin levels, increase metabolism, reduce fat storage, burn fat, and suppress appetite. You should dilute it in water and have about a tablespoon three times a day for the best results.
11. Practice mindful eating.
So many people today are distracted when they eat, which can lead to eating more. For example, you bring a whole bag of chips or cookies into your room while watching TV. Most of the bag will be gone by the time you’ve finished your show because you were paying more attention to the TV than your food. To have better eating habits, focusing solely on your food while you eat is important.
Enjoy your meal by eliminating distractions such as your phone, TV, and computer. Focus on your food’s flavors, textures, sounds, and smells as you eat it. Bringing mindfulness into your meals will not only make your food taste better, it can also increase your awareness of your body’s hunger cues, which will help you eat less.
12. Exercise before dinner.
Some people say exercising before your day begins is best, but if you want to lose weight, try working out just before eating dinner. Some studies have shown that doing this helps decrease hunger hormones while increasing hormones that act as appetite suppressants.
13. Eat more veggies.
Veggies such as broccoli, Swiss chard, and spinach are packed with nutrients and fiber. These will help keep you fuller longer. Try eating a big salad for dinner consisting of mostly greens; the volume will keep you full, which will suppress your appetite.
14. Brush your teeth after every meal.
This signals to your brain that mealtime is over. This will help you avoid the kitchen (and a lot of extra calories).
15. Drink more coffee.
While coffee can increase anxiety in some people, it also helps boost metabolism and suppress your appetite. This occurs due to a compound called chlorogenic acid, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates and breaks down fat. However, make sure to drink it black with only a little cream and no added sugar for the best results.
Final Thoughts on Weight Loss Tricks to Help You Stick With Your Plan
As you can see, plenty of weight loss tricks can make you less hungry and more satisfied with your meals. It might be hard to stick to a routine, but hopefully these tricks can add some variety to your day and aid you in your weight loss journey.
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