Shocking Weight Loss Secrets

Sometimes, conventional weight-loss wisdom just doesn't cut it. Going against the grain can be surprisingly effective. Examine your weight-loss techniques and see if one of these little-known tips can help the needle on your scale begin to move in the right direction.

Eat Ice Cream

While you'll certainly stall your weight loss efforts if you eat a pint of premium ice cream every day, eating nonfat frozen yogurt or ice cream, especially if it's sugar-free, can speed up your weight loss efforts. Calcium may prevent fat storage and raise metabolism, according to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Eat 1,200 mg a day from low-fat or non-fat dairy sources, and you're likely to lose more weight than if you eschewed dairy products.

Count Nutrients, Not Calories

While counting calories can ensure that you don't go overboard on your diet, it can't stop you from feeling hungry. Eating plenty of nutrient-dense foods apparently can, however, according to a University of San Diego study published in November 2010. "Highly significant differences" in the perception of hunger were found between individuals who ate a low-nutrient diet versus those who consumed a diet high in nutrients. Some people reported that hunger pangs went away entirely. Add plenty of colorful vegetables to your diet to get this benefit, and do away with refined carbohydrates that don't have much to offer besides calories.

Embrace Routine

When you think about routine, you may be picturing getting in your car for your daily commute, stopping for a high-calorie coffee and coming home later to relax on the couch. In this case, routine is not your friend when it comes to weight loss. The key is establishing a routine that is healthy and sticking to it. Once you've gotten in the habit of biking to work, going to the park to walk the dogs during free time and eating healthy foods, you'll be in a routine that will work to help you meet your weight loss goals. It's up to you to redefine what routine means to you and your health. Change it up, and you may very well see some shocking changes to your weight.

Exercise Before You Eat

Common wisdom holds that you should eat breakfast before you exercise so that you have the energy to work out. This practice may be helping you to hold on to some extra calories. Reporting on a study published in "The Journal of Physiology" in November 2010, the New York Times points out that individuals who fasted before working out burned more fat than people who didn't -- even though both groups consumed the same number of calories. Working out before eating also appears to improve insulin resistance, which can be a cause of obesity.