Want to boost your weight loss efforts into overdrive?
Head to the mountains! According to the International Journal of Obesity, people living at high altitude were 4 to 5 times less likely to be overweight than people who stayed at sea level. Researchers at Germany’s University of Munich took overweight people to a resort 9-thousand feet up in the Alps. The study subjects were told to eat whatever they wanted, and avoid exercise. The result: They ate 734 FEWER calories per day and lost nearly 4 pounds, on average. Even more remarkable, they kept the weight OFF even after returning to their normal lives and altitudes. The researchers believe it’s because lower levels of oxygen boost production of the hormone leptin, the “I’m full” hormone, which makes you feel satisfied with less food and increases metabolism.
So, if you want to make it easier to lose weight? Spend your next vacation high in the mountains!