From multi-coloured plates to never standing up to scoff – 12 diet hacks to help you lose weight the LAZY way
STRUGGLING to lose weight? Well, it should be a breeze.
We told this week that listening to crooners such as Michael Buble will slow down your tendency to scoff crisps.
Scientists have revealed people who snack with easy-listening tunes on in the background eat up to 54 per cent less of them.
But if you cannot stand the sound of Susan Boyle, Katie Melua or Barry Manilow, there are other options to help cut the calories.
From slurping soup to using optical illusions, Katy Docherty shares ways to help you lose weight without even trying.
Watch what you eat
HANG a mirror next to your dining table and you will be able to make healthier choices when it comes to eating.
A study by the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research found that people were more likely to find a fruit salad tastier than chocolate cake when eating in mirrored rooms.
And being able to see themselves meant they ate a third less.
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Soup for starters
CHOOSING a tasty soup to start off a meal will reduce calorie intake by 20 per cent, according to Penn State University in the US.
Scientists believe that soup fills you up, meaning you will eat less of your main course.
The study found that a low-calorie vegetable broth was best for weight loss – as opposed to heavier creamy soups.
Have a Werther’s Original
IF you are going to give into temptation and indulge in some naughty treats, then stick to wrapped sweets.
A Swiss study in Appetite journal found that those with a sweet tooth ate a third less when the goodies were wrapped in cellophane.
Participants on average ate five unwrapped sweets compared with three-and-a-half wrapped chocolates.
Fill the home with vanilla
THE smell of vanilla can help to suppress your appetite.
This means you eat fewer sweet things, such as chocolate and biscuits.
One study found that people who wore vanilla-scented patches lost, on average, just under half a stone over the space of a month.
Unfortunately, this will not work with vanilla ice cream!
Buy multicoloured plates
MAKING sure the colour of your food does not match the plate it is served on will help you eat less.
Research discovered that people serve themselves 30 per cent more when eating pasta in tomato sauce when it is on a red plate.
So for mac ’n’ cheese, steer clear of white plates.
But if you want to eat more veggies, opt for green plates.
Create an optical illusion
USE smaller plates and bowls to trick your mind into thinking that you are eating more.
The Delboeuf optical illusion (when two identical discs appear to be different sizes) makes dishes on a small surface seem larger than the same portion on a large surface.
One study found that people pour 9.9 per cent more soup into larger bowls.
Scrap TV dinners
SCOFFING in front of the TV or while looking at social media can lead to eating a third more.
When distracted, our brains do not register what we are munching on – meaning we eat more, according to a Birmingham University study.
Also, a study in the US found that people who never eat in front of the TV are 40 per cent less likely to be obese.
Have eggs for breakfast
HAVING eggs instead of grains and bread to start the morning means you will eat less throughout the day.
One US study discovered that women who opted for eggs over bagels while on a diet lost 65 per cent more weight after six weeks.
Scientists believe that the effects were caused by the eggs keeping people fuller for longer.
Enjoy a lie-in
SLEEPING for two more hours means that you will eat around 270 fewer calories a day.
A study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that volunteers who slept for six and a half hours a night ate less by lying in for an extra two hours daily over a two-week period.
Those taking part had been told not to change their diet or try to lose weight.
Sit down to eat
EATING while you are upright leads to greater food consumption, according to experts.
Standing at parties or serving yourself at a buffet causes overeating, the study by America’s Cornell University found.
Sitting down at a table makes you more aware of how much you are putting on your plate.
Ditch diet drinks
PEOPLE who drink fizzy diet drinks tend to have a larger waistline than those who do not.
Researchers at the University of Texas followed participants over a decade and found that those who regularly drank diet drinks had a 70 per cent larger waistline.
When people had two cans a day, this led to a 500 per cent increase.
Turn off the heating
TURNING down the thermostat on the central heating at night will not only save pounds in your purse – it will also keep them from creeping on around your waist.
Sleeping in a colder room at 18C speeds up your metabolism and helps you to burn more fat.
But if you increase the temperature by 9C, you could put on weight.