The simplest solution to a problem is often the best. That applies even when the problem is losing weight—because how many times in your life have you heard of a simpler solution than “just drink a glass of water”?
A study in the journal Obesity divided clinically obese subjects into two groups: one that drank 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before meals and one that only visualized a full stomach before eating. After 12 weeks, the water-drinking subjects had lost almost three pounds more than the control group. The exact reason why isn’t clear, but it’s believed that water helps you feel fuller, leading you to eat less.
If the taste of plain water doesn’t interest you, feel free to use a non-nutritive sweetener like SweetLeaf drops (sweetleaf.com), which are fruit-flavored and sweetened with stevia. Or toss in some frozen berries—they’ll jazz up water with almost no calories.