JUST when you think you have heard of every weight loss hack, a new one emerges.
The latest suggestion for keeping kilos at bay doesn't require you to spend money, eat something weird, or exert yourself in any way - and it's backed by science.
German researchers recently discovered that smelling your food before you eat it could help you stay slim, triggering a feeling of fullness that may prevent people from overeating.
The scientists looked at brain scans of mice as they responded to food odours, and were able to identify a specific group of nerve cells in the brain that have a direct connection to the nose.
The mice ate less when these cells were activated before eating, but only when they were exposed to food smells and not other aromas.
While it hasn't been yet been determined if the same process of sniffing to suppress appetite could work on humans, the signs are positive, with authors noting that our brains contain the same group of nerve cells responsible for the reaction as the mice in the study.
Thankfully, there is absolutely no harm in giving it a go.
However, the researchers pointed out that it won't work for people who are already overweight, as obese mice didn't have the same brain reaction when they smelled food.
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