If you’ve visited a Skechers retail store or flipped through a health magazine in the last six months you may have noticed a funny looking shoe called Shape Ups hitting the weight loss marketplace.

[Nothing makes me feel more comfortable then walking barefoot.]

According to Skechers, Shape Ups were designed to promote weight loss, firm calf and butt muscles, improve posture and strengthen your back with several styles and colors available for men and women.

Now it’s not often weight loss and fashion are combined into one tangible product but during a recent visit to a Skechers retail store I decided to give these bad boys a try because you can

Sometimes, losing weight boils down to how much you shove into your mouth during a given meal. All the interval training and low-fat yogurt in the world will not save you from consistent mis-steps at the dinner table.

I found a research study from Sweden where subjects ate 22% less food when they were blindfolded, but they felt just as full as usual. This brings new meaning to the phrase “Looks like your eyes really are bigger than your stomach“!

Conclusion: Taking vision out of the picture may help you achieve your weight loss goals!

Without the sense of sight, you are forced to rely on internal signals of satisfaction from your stomach and brain. Most of us normally rely on external cues such as an empty plate, the end

We all know those guys and gals who can eat what they want, barely work out, and still manage to stay more fit and lose more weight than their friends.

Why? Because they have a fast metabolism .

The rest of us? We’re left with our own jealous thoughts while we curse our genes for not being better at burning fat. But does having a slower metabolism relegate us to a lifestyle filled with weight gain and frustration?

The answer: NO .

"Sure, you’re stuck with your metabolism to some degree ", says the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Gary R. Hunter, PhD, director of the exercise physiology lab and professor at the School of Education. "But research shows that building and maintaining lean muscle can speed it up . "

In fact, by