We've all done it before -- listened as the friend who always seems to have everything together doles out advice on the simplest thing she's doing to lose weight, only to find it doesn't quite work in practice for ourselves.
Whether it's a fad diet or a ban on colours ("I don't eat any white food"), people are always looking for the shortcut that will magically make their skinny jeans fit once again.
And while we're well aware that the key to any real weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight is not a diet, but instead eating in a nutritious way that can be kept up forever, it's hard to resist the promises of calories cut with a simple dab of the napkin or glass of ice water.
So do these relatively easy tricks have any effect on whether or not we gain weight? Read on, and find out.
Do Food Tricks Work?
Skimming Grease Off Soup
No one's sure how many calories you can cut by skimming fat from a soup or stock, but it's hard to argue with solid blobs of lard staring back at you from a spoon. One thing that is certain is skimming can be quite the process. It starts with leaving the liquid to chill overnight, allowing the fat to solidify. You can then scoop out the fat, which is best to toss in the trash rather than have it end up in your arteries.
Eating An Open-Faced Sandwich
If mathematics are good for anything, they're good for counting calories. So the laws of mathematics dictate that if you divide something by two, you get half its total value. Case in point: a sandwich made with two slices of white Wonderbread will have at least 190 calories. Eat an open faced-version of that sandwich and the bread will only be adding 95 calories. Rinse and repeat and you can save yourself 31,920 calories over a year.
Eating Chips Out Of The Bag
Love chips but hate the greasy feeling of excess oil on your hands? Well, the easiest way to solve this issue it to pour your chips out into a bowl. It's a example of portion control, keeping in check how much you eat but also keeping the extra grease in the bag. No bowl nearby? No problem if you're making a trip to Japan any time soon.
Sitting Further From A Buffet
A dieter is only as strong as his or her willpower, and a buffet is where that willpower goes to die only to be resurrected in the form of bibs and wet naps. Should you find yourself at a buffet while on a diet, it's best to sit further away from the buffet table. By sitting further away, your trips take longer, burning more calories than sitting right next to the table and giving you less time to eat. That, and if the buffet food isn't any good, you might just decide to stay put since the trip might not be worth it.
Drinking Water Before You Eat
Want to stay hydrated? Drink water. Want to keep your skin healthy? Drink water. Want to curb your appetite? Drink water before you dine. In older adults, it takes longer for the stomach to empty so when that space is filled with water, it leaves less room for food. The result is a longer feeling of satisfaction without the usual amount of food needed to do so.
Drinking Ice Water
Ever wonder why your body starts to shiver when it's freezing outside? That's your body trying to keep itself warm through generating body heat. To generate heat, your body has to burn calories to produce energy. So, what happens when you try to recreate the same situation by drinking cold water? Well, not a whole lot according to U.S. researchers. While the body does work harder to increase the temperature of the water, the tradeoff is only about 8 extra calories burned.
Dabbing Pizza With A Napkin
It's a technique known as the "pizza blot" and it's similar to the fat skimming technique used in soup.The idea is to dab a slice of cheesy pepperoni with a napkin and watch as the excess grease clings to the paper. Only problem is, when you blot, you might not be getting grease, but rather moisture from the toppings. Still, a few grams of grease on the napkins means fewer calories in your body. Just don't use that same napkin to wipe your mouth.
Planning To Get Dessert Elsewhere
If you want to cut the calories, then it's best to cut the dessert menu. That's not to say you can't have dessert, just don't have it at the same place you had dinner. That's because you won't have enough time for your brain to tell your stomach that's it's full. By waiting roughly 20 minutes, your brain will trigger the hormone signals to tell your body has amassed enough energy, and dessert is unnecessary.
Eating On A Smaller Plate
Eyes bigger than your stomach? Then perhaps you need a smaller plate. We eat with our eyes just as much as we eat with our mouth, so if you're working with a smaller plate it means smaller portions of food. However, that doesn't mean you won't go back for seconds or thirds...
Smelling Your Food Before You Eat It
It's said that the nose knows best and now there's even science to back it up. According to a study in Scientific American, when a food has a strong or fragrant aroma attached to it, the brain is tricked into thinking that it's higher in calories and therefore, more filling. The result is smaller and fewer bites of your pseudo-filling dish.