No Diet Weight Loss Tips

Weight loss doesn't just have to be about dieting. There are other ways to drop the pounds without counting every calorie or being a slave to a treadmill.

Tip 1- Dish Downsize
When you switch to using a smaller plate, it tricks your brain into thinking you have more food. Researchers at Cornell University did a study using ice cream. They found that the subjects that had the larger bowl ate 30% more, yet didn't think their portion was any larger than that of subjects with a smaller bowl.

Tip 2-Don't clean your plate
"Clean your plate." is an often heard command of parents to their children. However, this advice can be detrimental to your weight loss efforts. By focusing on how much food is left on your plate, rather than whether you feel full yet, you run the risk of eating more food than your body actually needs or wants. So the next time you're tempted to clean your plate, take a minute to stop and think about whether you're truly hungry.

Tip 3-Look for unexpected exercise
If you're busy, you may not have time to do a full workout. So look for little ways to sneak in a little exercise in your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Instead of parking close to the door, park farther out in the parking lot. While these seem like little things that won't have much impact, you may be surprised. Depending on your weight, you could burn 6-12 lbs a year with these two little changes.

Tip 4-Build some muscle
When you build muscle, you increase your calorie burn. At rest, 1 lb of muscle burns approximately 6 calories a day. It doesn't seem like much, but it adds up. Also, because muscle is more compact than fat, increasing muscle has the added effect of making your appear slimmer.

Tip 5-Drink more water
If you drink a lot of caffeine-rich beverages, you probably have some retained water. Drinking water will help flush this excess fluid. Also, if you replace just one 8 oz soft drink a day with water, you can drop around 10 lbs a year.