Losing weight and keeping it off is hard. That is the plain and simple fact for anyone who has tried to do it including the writer of this post. That said, Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the Emmy-award winning The Dr. Oz Show, says that people who have been successful at losing weight often say it wasn't that tough. "That is probably the most common thing I hear on the show," said Dr. Oz during a casual conversation in his New York City office. "When I ask people how they lose 30 pounds or 50 pounds or 150 pounds, they say, "It was really easy. Much easier than I expected. I just did a few things right, but I did them every day."
So, what are those few things? Well here are some of Dr. Oz's favorite weight loss tips and tricks:
Barley for Breakfast
"The reason I love barley for breakfast is because it's very high in fiber," said Oz. "It has about six grams per serving. The average American woman gets about seven to ten grams of fiber. The average American woman needs 25 grams of fiber."
Soups Before Entrees
"The reason I love soups prior to any meal is because they tend to be digested more slowly... They fill you up... It turns out that people who eat soup will eat on average a lot less food at the meal," he added.
The Smell of Vanilla
"No matter what body type you have, there's one constant among folks who are gaining weight and don't want to, which is that they have this continuous craving for food," said Dr. Oz. (Yes, I can relate to that as I dream about what I'll soon be having for lunch!) "Vanilla works centrally, it works in your brain... that scent will immediately give you that deep sense of calmness. This is the deep, emotional center of the brain that's being calm where our cravings live. And when those cravings are satiated, you don't go out there and sabotage your diet."
Kelly Wallace is Chief Correspondent of iVillage. You can follow Kelly on Twitter (@kellywallacetv).
A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.