10 Easy Tricks to Lose Weight

Losing weight is a real hassle. And although we all know that eating less, exercising more is the key, sometimes it just doesn't seem to work. Or it takes forever.

Here are ten easy tricks you can incorporate in your daily schedule that will speed up your dieting, so you can see the results in no time.

• Split your meals

Instead of eating three big meals a day, try to take several smaller meals spread out through the day. This way, you'll find yourself craving a lot fewer snacks in between, and these cravings to be less intense.

• Help yourself to smaller servings

Behavioral research shows that we are conditioned to eat everything that's on our plate. Knowing that, simply shoveling a little less on there might greatly reduce the amounts you eat, one little step at a time.

• Wait before you refill

It takes your brain roughly 20 minutes to realize that you had enough. That means, if you were hungry beforehand, it doesn't matter how much you eat, you will still feel hungry until this time has passed. Once you've finished your plate, wait a few minutes, then reconsider a refill. You'll be surprised how often you will pass on that, although you felt like you were starving just a moment ago!

• Eat slowly

Having read the previous tip, this one should be obvious. The slower you eat, the more time your brain will have to check if it's had enough. Plus, eating slowly means you produce more saliva, aiding in breaking down the carbohydrates, speeding up the whole digestion process.

Speaking of which...

• Don't mix carbohydrates with fat

This can't be done entirely, of course. But leaving out the french fries and having a second steak instead, or doubling your portion of veggies instead of pouring that delicious gravy over mashed potatoes helps a lot when it comes to fat storage. Because your body is programmed to work efficiently and waste nothing, it always digests the easy-to-use carbohydrates first. By then, all the energy it needs at the moment will probably be refilled, thus storing all the fat for later use – on your hips. And stored fat is harder to lose than fat that's still in the digestive system. Cancel out the carbs and your body will immediately turn to the fat instead.

• Eat more protein

Bodybuilders aren't the only ones who need proteins. We all do. But they have a great quality that carbs and fat are lacking: They will fill you up quicker and longer. Eating more (lean) meat and less pasta will automatically make you eat less – and farer in between.

Speaking of proteines...

• Put on more muscle

Don't worry, you don't have to join those bodybuilders up there. But not only exercising cardio, but also including weight lifting will help you a great deal in losing fat – and even help you to keep it that way. Unlike fat tissue, muscle tissue is very energy-consuming. It takes power to build and maintain powerful muscles. Increasing the share of muscle tissue overall will greatly increase the amount of calories you burn, even when you sleep! But beware: Muscle tissue is also a lot heavier that fat tissue, so the difference in pounds is not as great as the difference in figure. You might want to watch your scale less and your mirror more.

• Eat spicy

Spicy food will speed up your metabolism and help your digestion. Making a habit out of eating red peppers after your meals can greatly increase the rate at which your body is processing your food, and it will even slightly increase the amount of calories you burn. But everything spicy is just fine, you don't have to down a bottle of Tabasco every day. A little tip: Your sensitivity to hot food can be trained. It all comes down to getting used to it. You can increase the hotness in little steps, day by day.

• Avoid alcohol

This one is important. Not only does alcohol itself have many calories per gram, but most alcoholic beverages are crammed with sugar and other carbs. (This is, by the way, the reason you should avoid fruit juices, too) Alcohol changes your metabolism, with the handling of the alcohol getting a priority treatment in the liver – the same place fat is burned! So basically, as long as there is still alcohol in your system, you won't lose any fat at all – no matter how many (or few) calories you take in. Larger amounts also constrict your body's ability to build new muscle tissue.

And, last but not least

• Eat aware

Always be aware of what you eat. Don't just stuff those potato chips in because the movie your watching is boring. Make conscious decisions. Read the info about nutritional values on the food packaging you buy, opt for tuna in water instead of oil. Always have some healthy snacks at home and don't buy the unhealthy ones by the dozens. In fact, don't buy them in advance at all: If you really crave that chocolate, chances are you'll get up and leave the house to get it. If your not willing to do that, you're probably just bored and want to eat to pass some time.

Good luck!