But for anyone struggling to lose a dress size, experts claim there are a plethora of quirky hacks that could help. Two of the slightly more unusual ways to lose weight include eating off red plates and sleeping in the dark. NHS GP Zak Waqar-Uddin, based in Lancashire, said there is no “quick fix” when it comes to weight loss – but agrees some of the more unusual techniques could help. He told MailOnline: “While some techniques may be considered quirky, their benefit is well established and proven.” Here, MailOnline guides you through some of the weirdest weight hacks.
HOW SHOULD A BALANCED DIET BE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count
• Main meals of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole grain crackers, 2 thick slices of whole grain bread and a large baked potato with the skin on
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) by choosing lower-fat, lower-sugar options
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish each week, one of which should be fatty)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men per day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
Cold showers
Swapping a hot shower for a freezing cold one might not sound like the most pleasant thing – but it could help if you’re struggling to beat the bulge.
Exposure to freezing temperatures has the potential to boost metabolism by activating so-called “brown fat” in your body.
According to Kim Pearson, a Harley Street nutritionist who specializes in weight loss, the brown type is actually “good” for you — unlike its white counterpart, which appears in abundance around the midsection, bottom, and abdomen. chin.
When exposed to temperatures below 16 C (61 F), brown fat – which is found around the shoulder blades, spine and kidneys – tries to keep the body warm.
It does this by burning excess calories stored in the body, usually in the form of white fat.
Scientists believe that the so-called cold therapy may therefore offer a way to tackle rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Miss Pearson added: “Reducing your body temperature can increase your metabolism because your body uses more energy trying to get back to a good temperature.”
A Czech study published in 1996 in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology found that “athletic young men” immersed in cold water at 14 C (57 F) for one hour three times a week for six weeks experienced a boost in metabolic their pace. — the number of calories the body burns when resting.
However, if showering in cold water for an entire hour sounds like too much, you may be happy to hear that just a few minutes could also make a difference.
A more recent article, in a 2009 edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that submerging yourself in cold water for less than five minutes has similarly powerful effects.
David Wiener, training and nutrition expert at fitness app Freeletics, even said the same logic applies to drinking cold water instead of room temperature water.
However, the science is still not so clear, with some estimating that the body will burn just four extra calories per glass of cold water.
Sitting at the table to eat
Experts say that having no distractions while you eat, such as when you’re sitting at the table, can help you recognize when you’re full
Deliberately sitting down to eat could help you lose weight, as long as it’s at a table and not your desk.
Experts say that having no distractions while you eat, such as when you’re sitting at the table, can help you recognize when you’re full.
This, they claim, is because you stay more focused on your food, as opposed to watching TV or a book.
Miss Pearson said: “Taking time to eat more slowly and mindfully, rather than when we’re on the go or distracted by devices, helps us recognize when we’re full and prevent overeating.”
Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition broadly categorized eating patterns as ‘mindful’, such as sitting quietly and recording what one ate during a meal, or the exact opposite – ‘distracted’.
People who eat while distracted don’t pay close attention to food and aren’t aware of how much they’ve eaten, consuming 10 percent more than those who are alert at mealtime, the study found.
The results showed that those who ate distracted ate 25% more at their next meal.
Miss Pearson added: “Reduce your food intake by getting into the habit of chewing your food well.”
In theory, 30 chews per bite will ensure that your food is completely soft before you swallow it.
He said: “Eventually it will become natural to chew until your food is a soft pulp rather than full of solid chunks.”
Manually tracking what you eat could be the best way to kick bad habits, experts say
I keep a diary
Manually tracking what you eat could be the best way to kick bad habits, experts say.
North London personal trainer and fitness instructor Chelsea Labadini recommends using food tracking apps to count calories.
He said: “Use food trackers to see how many calories you’re actually drinking and eating.
“You’ll be surprised how your calories can add up throughout the day and you’ll realize where your calories are coming from.
“What they add in one day is 500 calories less per day for the next week. Then you will lose 1 kg in a week.”
Miss Pearson also suggests writing down everything you eat.
She said: “Keeping a food diary for a week can help keep an eye on these silly habits and make people aware of the things they are doing that are not helping them.”
But experts and charities warn that calorie tracking can lead people to an eating disorder.
While they can help with individual goals and motivation, their addition can “cause, maintain, or worsen disordered eating symptoms,” they said.
As such, calorie counting can cause “more harm than good”, with food tracking apps in particular intensifying “the rigidity associated with calorie counting”, doctors warn.
Sleep with a mask
It’s not only important to get plenty of sleep, it’s also important to make sure your bedroom is dark, experts say
Your beauty sleep matters when it comes to losing weight.
Snoozing for the recommended seven to nine hours at night can keep you from reaching for the day’s snacks.
In addition to keeping your energy levels high to stay active the next day, it also helps curb cravings and regulate leptin and ghrelin—hormones that control hunger and appetite.
Miss Pearson said: “You can’t underestimate the number of people who end up eating because they’re tired.”
Nutritionist Mr. Wiener advises people to stick to a sleep pattern, especially as daylight hours fade in the fall and winter months.
He said: “Your body clock will naturally have to adjust to the shorter days of autumn, but try to keep it in check by eating meals at the same time every day and going to bed and waking up at the same time.
“When you inevitably have a late night, try to get back under control the next day by sticking to regular meal times, instead of snacking, keep the body hydrated and return to a normal sleep pattern.”
Not only is it important to get plenty of sleep, but also to make sure your bedroom is dark.
Scientists say we should turn off our phone, TV and lights before going to bed and even sleep with a mask on.
A team at Northwestern University in Illinois found that those exposed to excessive light at night had a greater than 50% risk of becoming obese.
The study, published in the journal Sleep, tracked the light exposure of 550 volunteers in their sixties to eighties for one week.
About 41 percent of participants who got fewer than five consecutive hours in the dark during the night were obese, and one in five had diabetes.
Meanwhile, the obesity rate was just 27 percent among those who slept in the dark, while only one in 10 was diabetic.
The study, purely observational, did not prove that bright flashes while your eyes are closed make you fat. But the evidence that light at night fuels weight gain is piling up fast.
Experts believe that sleeping with the light on can confuse the body clock. This could disrupt hormone levels, which can cause people to seek more food.
Eating food on a red plate has been found to prevent overeating
Change the color of your dishes
In addition to where you eat your meals, the size and color of the plate you use could also affect the amount of food you eat.
Eating food on a red plate has been found to prevent overeating.
Professor Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford, said in his 2018 book Gastrophysics: The New Science of Nutrition that the color of the plate tricks the brain into eating smaller meals.
He said: “Snacks – unhealthy things on a red plate – you end up eating a bit less because it’s that red color on a plate where it seems to trigger some sort of danger or avoidance signal.
“Red is a primitive danger signal, but it also gives the food less contrast, which makes it less desirable, so you’ll eat less of it.”
Meanwhile, Belgian philosopher Franz Delboeuf found that smaller plates could help you eat less, according to his studies dating back to the 1860s.
The Delboeuf illusion is a type of optical trick where a dot with a large circle around…
