5 Bizarre Weight Loss Tricks That Work

Don’t take a whiff

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A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism found that, at least in mice, the sense of smell may play a significant role in how the body controls hunger and metabolism. Mice that no longer had a sense of smell burned more calories, lost weight and showed improved sensitivity to insulin compared to mice who still had an intact sense of smell and ate the exact same amount of food. To further prove that smell impacts obesity, the researchers created “super-smeller” mice that had a stronger sense of smell. These mice gained weight and became obese. More research is needed to understand how humans can use their sense of smell to control weight. Diet or exercise: Which is better for weight loss?

Eat a bigger breakfast than dinner

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In a study in the journal Obesity, one group of obese women consumed 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 at dinner. Another group ate the same foods but had 200 calories in the a.m. and 700 at night (lunch stayed the same). After 13 months, the big-breakfast eaters shed 18 pounds, while the big-dinner eaters lost only about seven.

Jog for junk mail

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Turn clutter into a challenge: For every piece of junk mail, you pull from the mailbox each day, do one lap around your house or building, or up and down a flight of stairs. You’ll burn between 35 and 140 calories per session. Also, check out these weight loss tricks that nutritionists swear by.

Hang a mirror opposite your seat at the table

One study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research found that eating in front of mirrors slashed the amount people ate by nearly one-third. It seems having to look yourself in the eye reflects back some of your own inner standards and goals and reminds you of why you’re trying to lose weight in the first place. Make these 30 tiny diet changes that can help you lose a lot of weight.