Weight loss: 10 clever and easy steps from around the world to help you shed kilos

Losing weight is no cakewalk. There's a lot that needs to be done from following a healthy and clean diet to exercising daily. Here are 10 doable and smart tricks from around the world that weight watchers can try.

In fact, what a lot of us don't know is that some of the most touted weight loss secrets aren't just secrets for a reason-they are all derived from deep rooted traditions and practiced as a way of life and years over, came to be adapted by people all over the world.
 

Thailand: Eat spicy - Thai food is among the spiciest foods in the world. Spicy food is said to raise your metabolism and slow down your eating with that little zing. When you eat too fast, by the time your body signals it's full, you have already overeaten. Eating slowly is a good way to lose weight and eating spicy food can help you do this.

Poland: Eat home-cooked meal more often - To avoid wastage of money and to keep health intact, Poles prefer eating at home more often. They spend only 5 per cent of their money on eating out as compared to Canadians who spend about 30 per cent of their income on eating out.

Germany: Eat breakfast - Around 75 per cent of Germans eat their breakfast daily, which includes whole-grain cereals, bread and fruits. Experts have been advising people not to skip breakfast for years now. Skipping breakfast makes you indulge in high-calorie foods later. The easiest change to control binge eating is by starting your day right.

United Kingdom: Eat small portions - British people prefer eating smaller portions at home and even at restaurants. As per nutritionists, supersizing a meal helps supersize you.

France: Do not eat too fast - The French are known for having leisurely family meals. As per studies, on an average 92 per cent of French families dine together at night. These meals typically last for 33 minutes on the weekdays and 43 minutes on the weekends. It might sound illogical but longer meals actually encourage less eating. It takes around 20 minutes from the time you are full for your brain to realise that you are full. Thus, taking more time to eat means you are actually eating less.

India: Ayurvedic concotions - Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical system based on natural and holistic approach for good physical and mental health. Ayurveda offers many easy concotions that promise to promote weight loss. These concoctions do not have any side effects and promote overall health.
 

Russia: Grow your food - Russia, which has a similar climate to Canada grows its own vegetables and fruits. This makes their diet automatically more nutritious. They even preserve the food they grow.

Mexico: Eat a big lunch - Mexicans eat their biggest meal between 2 pm to 4 pm instead of eating a heavy meal at night. The logic behind this is, if you eat a smaller dinner, you will wake up feeling hungrier and will have a bigger breakfast, which facilitates weight loss.

Hungary: Eat more pickles - Hungarians do not just pickle their cucumbers but also bells peppers, cabbage and tomatoes too. All the vinegar in these pickles can help make you lose weight. The acetic acid in the vinegar helps lower the blood pressure, blood sugar and fat formation. If you are buying pickles from the market, check the sodium levels.

Japan: Take a nap - Chronic sleep deprivation leads to weight gain. That is why people in Japan take a 20-30 minutes nap to complete their sleep. Many people feel they are hungry when they are actually sleepy, so they eat a snack instead of taking a nap. Also, the less you sleep, the lower are your leptin (helps sense the brain when you are full) levels and higher are your ghrelin (triggers hunger) levels.