With each passing day, there seems to be more insane exercise regiments and weird weight reducing trends that claim to help women get a lean, slim silhouette.
However, compared to the historical weight loss tricks used in ages past, today’s are almost like child play.
From living off sunlight, to ingesting parasites, and other bizarre tactics, women have truly come a long way, but there still exist some crazy tricks today, some of which seem to work, while others are just downright fibs.
In order to understand why there’s such an intense craze to lose weight among women, we need to check out some facts.
According to the World Health Organization, women in Kenya rank 9th in the African continent, for being the most overweight. This is after nations like Swaziland, Lesotho, Gabon, and Ghana who lead the pack as the top four in that order.
The WHO Africa Nutrition Report states that the region’s percentage of overweight women stands at a median of 23.8 percent, with Kenya’s being 32.8 percent.
Similarly, one in three adult women is overweight, according to the report released in November 16, 2017, at a rate of 40 percent.
The Business Daily publication also reported that since 2009 when the population of obese people in Kenya was at a mere nine percent, the number rose to 20 percent three years later.
Yet another report by the US National Centre for Biotechnology Information estimates that 55.3 percent of urban-living Kenyans are obese or overweight compared to their rural counterparts at 20.9 percent.
All these go to show how “urgent” the need to lose or reduce weight is, more so among women. The challenge remains how to cut down on this weight, and many have been duped into buying special creams, juices, or other weight-reducing regimens to achieve their weight loss goals.
Read on to discover some of the bizarre and horrifying weight reducing tricks women try to slim down over the years, and whether they’re healthy or not.
- Sit at the end of the table
Apparently, if you sit closer to the centre of the table, you’ll probably end up overeating as your favorite dishes will be more accessible to you.
Sitting at the end of the table will make all the difference and help you reduce weight.
- Massaging your earlobes
If you thought your earlobes didn’t serve any special purpose other than sticking earrings on them, there’s more to it.
Some women are known to massage their earlobes as a weight reducing trick by using gentle finger pressure on the area in front of the ear canal and above the earlobe as it is an appetite-suppressant point.
This trick is based on the claim that energy imbalances cause unhealthy food cravings, which massage can cure.
- Nail painting
Painting nails is another bizarre weight reducing trick women try, and it works by distracting you from cravings or snacks when you’re tempted to chomp down a bag of chips or other foods.
The time you take to wait for the nail polish to dry is enough to keep the cravings at bay.
- Wearing tight clothes
As uncomfortable as this is in reality, women are using it for weight loss, especially at lunch or at the dinner table, to remind them when they’ve had enough.
Another weird trick that goes with this is hanging skinny jeans in the dining or kitchen area as a reminder of your weight loss goals.
- Sitting with your back to the buffet
There’s nothing like a lavish buffet spread when you’re hungry.
But, some women believe that sitting with your back to the buffet will help you lose weight as it diverts your attention away from the food.
- Sleeping in a cold room
The psychology behind sleeping in a chilly bedroom is that the cold forces your body to burn calories and heat itself up, ultimately improving metabolism and sleep.
- Drink olive oil
This is drawn from The Shangri-La Diet, by author Seth Roberts, who claims that you can lose pounds of weight by drinking up to two tablespoons of olive oil in between meals, two times a day.
This diet, Roberts believes, can lower your body’s weight drastically by curbing appetite.
- Eating in front of a mirror
If you have a mirror next to your table or on the wall, it could help you reduce weight as you watch yourself eat, so you won’t end up overeating.
All you need to do is sit by the mirror, relax, and eat as you watch. The process will make you conscious of the quantity you consume and how you eat.
Nothing like making healthy food choices and resorting to superfood diets. They go a long way in keeping the weight under control.
- Go public with your meals
Now this is a crazy one! It’s not about telling your friends about what you intend to eat, it’s literally writing it out on a board for the world to see.
The psychology here is that you follow through with your meal plan and forces you to be accountable in picking healthy meal options.
Tennis champion, Monica Seles tryst with binge eating is popular but how she fought and came out of it, is an inspiration in itself.
- Add Blue to your mealtimes
Blue isn’t an appetizing color as such, especially when it comes to food. However, serving food on blue plates, using a blue tablecloth and napkins can help with weight reduction.
If you want to go further with it, you can paint your kitchen or dining area walls blue.
- Eating with your less favored hand
Whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, eating with your opposite or non-dominant hand may help you lose some kilos.
It won’t feel natural, but you’ll be less likely to over-eat.
- The Toothpaste diet
This isn’t about gulping down toothpaste, but brushing your teeth with minty toothpaste after each meal so your brain communicates that it prefers the fresh, clean feeling.
The resulting effect is you control your snack or food cravings, while preventing tooth decay.
Are these tricks healthy?
It depends on how far you’re willing to go to try out either one of them. Some are said to work, but there are others like sleeping in a cold room or wearing tight clothes that may not be the best.
Wrap Up
Most of these tricks don’t need much of your energy or time, in fact, they’re mostly psychological than physical.
Resorting to healthy recipes and balanced meals along with a regular workout regimen, is what an ideal woman should strive for.
Capital Lifestyle Contributor- Jenny Travens
Jenny Travens is a creative writer who has many passions and interests. Health and wellness is one area where she likes to contribute as much as she can. She has a long association with Superfoodsliving.
You can also find her on Twitter.