Sneaky Ways to Slim Down

Here are successful strategies to cut calories and burn fat that take 60 seconds or less. With about 1,000 waking minutes in everyday, you'll find plenty of opportunities to slip these tips into your routine and watch the scale go down. If you've already begun your weight loss, these can maximize your efforts and speed results.

1. Mix a juice spritzer

Combine your favorite juice (half of your usual amount) with plain or sparkling water. You can cut up to 85 calories per glass--and lose 5 pounds or more a year.

2. Walk while you talk

Burn calories while you talk on the phone: Do the laundry (68 calories), set the table (85 calories), or water plants (102 calories).
Values based on a 150-pound person and 30 minutes of activity.

3. Study the wrapper

At a quick glance, that candy bar appears to contain 220 calories. But a closer look may reveal that it (or a bottle of juice, bag of crackers, or bag of nuts) provides two or more servings--which more than doubles those calories.

4. Sip green tea before a walk

The caffeine frees fatty acids so that you burn fat more easily. And the polyphenols (antioxidant compounds) in green tea appear to work with caffeine to increase calorie burn. (If you have high blood pressure, skip this tip.)

5. Pack a lunch

Dining out more than five times a week may make you eat more--nearly 300 calories a day--than if you dine out less frequently.

6. Dip your bread

Use olive oil in place of butter. It's healthier and may also help you eat less. In a recent study, dippers ate a total of 52 fewer calories on average than those who used butter.

7. Sprinkle flax on cereal

High-fiber, ground flaxseed can help curb your appetite and eliminate calories. Add it to yogurt or muffin and bread mixes. Available in health food stores.

8. Schedule a blood test

About 1 in every 12 women (most of whom don't know it) has an under active thyroid, which can slow down her metabolism.

9. Supersize your H2O

Buy the big bottle when it comes to good-for-you stuff such as water: You'll drink more.

10. Eat a chunky salad

Chop carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, zucchini, or other veggies instead of shredding or slicing. It takes more effort to munch bigger pieces; you'll do more chewing and eat less during the main course.

11. Call a friend

Fill loneliness with talk and companionship--not cookies.

12. Log your food

Writing down what you eat can help you cut calories and stay in control because you're more accountable. No need to record it perfectly or review what you wrote: The benefit is in the writing itself.

13. Buy small

The bigger the package, the more you're likely to eat--up to 44 percent more, according to one study.

14. Break into a jog

If you already jog, speed up to a sprint. These brief intervals allow you to cover more distance, burn fat and calories--without lengthening your workout. The increased impact will also help make your bones stronger.

15. Drop and do 10

Before you pry open that tub of ice cream, do 10 situps or pushups. Doing something physical can put you back in touch with your body--and your goals.

16. Slurp chunky soup

People who ate soup containing large vegetable pieces reported feeling fuller and ate 20 percent less during lunch than those who had a pureed soup made of the same ingredients.

17. Blot the fat

You can dab off about a teaspoon of oil--or 40 calories and 4.5 grams of fat--from two slices of pizza.

18. Skip "light" foods

The weight of food--not just the fat and calories--is what fills you up. Eat less and still feel satisfied with low-calorie heavyweights such as oranges, strawberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cooked spinach, collard greens, and broccoli.

19. Order fish

Varieties rich in omega-3 fatty acids--tuna, mackerel, cod, and salmon--may help you drop pounds by improving fat metabolism. Overweight people who ate a reduced-calorie diet that included fish every day lost about 20 percent more weight than those on a fish-free diet.

20. Trick your taste buds

Sucking on a menthol/eucalyptus cough drop or hard mint can stop cravings instantly.

21. Post inspiration

To keep yourself on track, place quotes in strategic spots where you might need some motivation: on the fridge, TV, dashboard, or computer. Some suggestions: "I’ll take this one day at a time."