Maintaining a healthy weight is hard, but we all know it’s important, especially in regards to long-term health. Most of us also recognize that weight loss will be primarily determined by what what we eat and how much physical exercise we get—natural foods and aerobic exercise appear to be your best bet.

However, there’s also something to be said for the brain. While the lump of neurons inside your skull weighs relatively little in comparison to the rest of your body, it uses between 20-30% of our energy. As CheatSheet.com explains, we can use the brain to boost our weigh loss goals:

1. Brain growth equals weight loss

Weight loss and brain health are closely related, and as Ramsey explains, certain natural brain compounds are essential for weight regulation. “Brain health depends on a set of natural brain compounds like the brain growth factor BDNF and the hormone melatonin,” Ramsey said. “These are both critical to weight regulation and the speed of your metabolism. Eating foods that promote the production of these molecules in the brain is key to a healthy weight.”

Sticking to a diet and exercise plan are great methods to lose weight, but it turns out they’re not the only influences. Check out the full post for more interesting ways to have your brain affect your weight.

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