Ways social media can help you lose weight

Sure, social media is a great tool for keeping track of long-lost friends, but did you know social media is also a great tool for shedding weight?

Medicaldaily.com gives us some great insights on how Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other sites are aiding in the battle of the bulge.

• Instagram can help us avoid foods that are high in calories. A research team from Brigham Young University investigated the effect that taking photos of our food and posting them on social media can have on our appetite. It makes us hungrier, right? Not according to the study, which found taking lots of pictures makes food less appealing. ”In a way, you’re becoming tired of that taste without even eating the food,” explained study author Ryan Elder. “It’s sensory boredom — you’ve kind of moved on. You don’t want that taste experience anymore.”

• Ever heard of the Pinterest Diet? Nutritionist Mitzi Dulan has recently published The Pinterest Diet: How to Pin Your Way Thin. In the book, Dulan “explains 12 rules that combine healthy recipes, exercise plans, and inspiration to change the way we lose weight,” according to Medicaldaily.com. Want to learn more? Check out Dulan’s piece in the New York Daily News.

For more info on how social media can help us lose weight, check out the full blog from Medicaldaily.com.