Crazy Weight Loss Techniques

Crazy Weight Loss Techniques

There are lots of healthy and simple ways to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of dangerous, wacky, unhealthy, and just plain ol' weird ways to lose weight too.

Here are five weight lose techniques that fall into those categories:

Diet Glasses

These blue sunglasses from Japan are supposed to suppress your appetite and make you get less excited about eating. Some customers have even said that the glasses work but they acknowledge that it's likely a placebo effect. The glasses subconsciously make you believe that food is less appealing when wearing the glasses.

This is apparently the official FTF Blue Diet Glasses website but I can't read Japanese so I'm not 100% sure.

The Gum Diet

At one point researchers found that chewing gum will not only burn calories but it can also reduce your desire to eat. A small study in the US showed that if you chew gum all day, every day, you can lose more than 10lbs per year. Most gum contains sorbitol though, which will have a laxative effect on you when consumed in large doses.

Chewing all that gum will mean your digestive tract is working overtime and this can cause stomach cramps and increase the risk ulcers. You'll also look like a valley girl.

The Dumbbell Phone

This great Japanese device is attached to your regular telephone. It is 10 pounds and will give you a workout all day long, as you chat away on the phone.

Although this might be an extreme example, doing little workouts during your workday can be a great way of incorporating healthy habits into your life. Taking a break every half hour to do stretches, burpees, or pushups can help you avoid Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Or just tape a brick to your phone and hope for the best.

Swallowing Parasitic Worms

This is likely the most disgusting weight loss trend of all time. An article in the Telegraph newspaper describes the risks involved in consuming parasitic worms that could grow up to be 15 inches long.

This crazy weight loss technique uses eggs of Ascaris worms, which grow inside your body and will lay up to 200,000 eggs per day. I'd rather get on the treadmill I think.

Body Slimming Toe Ring

This is another one that looks to be a scam. The Body Slimming Toe Ring is a piece of jewelry that is supposed to use the ancient practice of acupressure to help people shed pounds. There have been no clinical studies, acupressure research, or other medical information to back up the claims of this product. And the website does not mention any form of diet or exercise.

The idea is that you put the toe ring on and you start losing weight. I suspect it doesn't do anything but if you like wasting money on crazy weight loss tricks you should give it a try.

There are hundreds of other crazy diets out there. Most are relatively harmless, some are probably good for you, and others could do you serious harm. A great example is consuming parasitic worms.

Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and proteins and live an active lifestyle and you'll do just fine.