I for one am tired of the hard-line, all or nothing approach to losing weight.  It can be so restrictive and painful.  It’s easy to give up when all you’re hearing about is another fruit you should never eat, or a new superfood you must eat, or calorie restriction, or insulin resistance, etc.  The maxims of this regime suck!

Try these easy, simple and unique things that may just give you a gentle nudge in your weight loss journey:

 Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint Oil has been shown to suppress cravings and reduce appetite.  Before a meal, drink a tall glass of water with a few drops of peppermint oil.  My pick is peppermint oil infused seltzer water with a meal to help me feel full and avoid the temptation to overeat.

 Meditate

Meditation can positively affect your body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), can help with hormonal re-balancing and can create a healthy awareness of your food intake,  food choices and food habits.  Sattva is a great app that helps you get and stay on track with a daily meditation practice.

 Morning Sunlight 

A study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that three-quarters of Americans are vitamin-D deficient. D deficiency can cause weight gain. It’s nearly impossible to get enough of this vitamin from food alone.  Sunshine and Supplements are in order!  Enjoy the sun with a quick paced 10 minute early morning walk.  UV rays are lowest when the sun is rising, so this may be the safest time of the day for your ‘sun bath.’  But remember that aside from these few minutes a day, sunscreen should be worn whenever you’re going to be in the sun.   I use Thorne FX’s Vitamin D Supplement for additional protection.