10 Unexpected Food and Drinks to Help You Lose Weight ...

1. Tequila

Let’s start with what I consider the most shocking item on this list: tequila! Alcohol is notorious for sneaking in empty calories to your girls’ nights out, so I was really surprised to see that this one actually has benefits. Tequila has been shown to promote weight loss because the agavins within the drink (a type of sugar from the agave plant) actually repress appetite. So, as strange as it sounds, the more you drink, the less calories you consume! Unfortunately, I don't think this counts for margaritas. But, a shot or two of tequila every once in a while can help you shed pounds in the end!

2. Popcorn

Don’t get too excited— the buttery goodness you buy at movie theaters won’t really do much for your diet. But this snack, if untainted by cheese, butter, caramel, salt etc. is a great snack because it’s full of fiber which will keep you full for longer so that you ultimately eat less. You can still flavor your popcorn to make it tasty, but maybe with cinnamon or herbs and pepper, which will also help boost your metabolism!

3. String Cheese

String cheese: the handy snack your mom would pack for you in your school lunches when you were little? Yep, that’s the one! That small snack really packs a punch though! It’s a naturally lean protein with no carbohydrates and plenty of calcium and vitamin A! Plus, it’s easy to transport so just bring it along with you to work or class to munch on instead of buying something unhealthy from a vending machine.

4. Peanut Butter

There aren’t many things in this world I love more than peanut butter! (Except chocolate, of course) So when I found out natural peanut butter could help me lose weight, you can only guess how excited I got. Studies show that people who added 500 calories of peanut butter to their diet ate smaller portions at meals and increased their resting metabolism by 11%! If you like peanut butter, try to add in a tablespoon here and there and see if you notice a difference.
Source: foxnews.com

5. Eat Your Reds!

Keep your plate... red! It sounds strange, because everyone always seems to be in a frenzy about eating more green fruits and vegetables. But evidently, red fruits can be even more beneficial to weightloss. This is good news for someone like me, who loves Pink Lady apples and juicy red strawberries! If you do too, feel free to add some more red foods into your diet. The anthocyanins in red-purple fruits prevent your body from storing as much fat. If you want to lose even more weight, make a juice out of a variety of red fruits!

6. Pu-Ehr Tea

This drink is surprising mainly because I had never heard of it before, but many people swear by it and studies prove that it aids in weightloss. Pu-Ehr tea detoxifies your body, prevents fat cell production, and even helps you sleep better. The benefits of this drink are limitless!

7. Potatoes

Potatoes get a bad wrap these days, but only because we've turned them into chips, french fries, and fatty comfort foods. But potatoes on their own are a great food to aid in weightloss. They are a fat free, low-carb, nutritious substitute for other sides to go along with the protein in your meal.

8. Red Wine

Studies have shown dark grapes (either whole or as wine or juice) can help burn fat more effectively. It slows the production of new fat cells as well as the growth of fat cells that already exist.

9. Chocolate

This doesn't mean your daily Milky Way isn't taking its toll on your body, but when eating the right kind of chocolate studies have shown that without diet and exercise, chocolate eaters actually lost more than non-chocolate eaters. It's all about moderation still of course but at least now you can indulge and help your efforts.

10. Coffee

When looking to cut weight, black coffee is the way to go. Black coffee has virtually no calories and the caffeine is a fat burning stimulant because it boosts your metabolism. In fact, two cups of black coffee a day saves you 14 pounds a year as opposed to those who drink it loaded with cream and sugar.

Like I said, there's no one secret food that will make you shed several pounds over night. However, introducing these into your diet will add some tasty foods and drinks to your diet and help you get closer to your weightloss goal. What foods or beverages would you put on this list?