11 Easy Ways to Lose a Couple Pounds

Hitting the gym every day can be tough when you're a busy mom, but there are little tricks from [...]

Hitting the gym every day can be tough when you're a busy mom, but there are little tricks from Total Beauty you can use to help shed the pounds. These tips won't do what a gym will, but every bit counts!

Start eating off of blue plates (the smaller, the better), especially if its a dish you tend to binge on.

The Study: Boston University

The Theory: We eat more when there's less contrast between the color of the food and the plate. Few foods are naturally blue, which makes it the calorie-counting plate color of choice It's also less "stimulating" than yellow and red, colors favored by fast food restaurants for a reason. The size of your bowls and plates is also a factor. Bigger dishes can make a portion look smaller, so you're more likely to pile on more food.

blue plate
(Photo: Total Beauty)

Add a multivitamin to your daily routine.

The Study: International Journal of Obesity, National Institute of Health and the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at Harbin Medical University

The Theory: Researchers haven't pinpointed individual vitamins that impact weight loss, but they believe that when your body is low on nutrients, your appetite fires up and you overeat as a way to replenish your bod.

Keep your bedroom as dark as humanly possible, invest in a sleeping mask and shut your laptop, TV and cell off at least an hour before bed.

The Study: Ohio State University

The Theory: Neuroscientists found that mice who were exposed to a dim light at night over eight weeks gained 50 percent more weight than mice who slept in complete darkness at night. Why? Those exposed to dim lighting (yes, the blue light that emits from your cell and laptop counts) started eating at odd hours (hello, late-night snacking).

>>Read more: 10 Worst Foods to Eat Before Bed

Turn your thermostat down to the lower 60s, especially when you sleep.

The Study: Fiona Johnson of University College London

The Theory: In mildly cold conditions, your body can generate heat without shivering ("non-shivering thermogenesis" if you're a scientist), and researchers believe that this response has an impact on brown fat. Unlike regular fat, brown fat burns calories like a furnace when it's activated by non-shivering thermogenesis.

Snag an end seat at your dinner parties and happy hours, and shop the outer edge of the grocery store.

The Study: Various

The Theory: Bread, chips and other high-calorie, carby foods tend to be set at the center of the table at parties/happy hour/dinners, and highly processed and packaged foods hover in the middle aisles of a typical grocery store floorplan. Avoid those center spots at the table or bar, and when you're grocery shopping, load up your cart from the outer aisles, where the fresh produce, meats, dairy and natural foods are typically shelved.

To read more quick tips to lose weight, check out the original article by Total Beauty here.

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