8 Science-Backed Ways To Boss Your New Year Resolutions

8. Lose Weight By Gaining Fat

Losing weight is officially the most common new year's resolution, but it's just so difficult. Due to the public interest in shifting those pounds, scientists are always looking into new and better ways to lose weight and one of the latest pieces of research into the world of slimming has seemingly uncovered a whole new kind of fat that can actually make you thin. It has been given the attractive name of "brown fat" (never leave it to a scientist to name things) and it has some very special qualities. We generally think of fat as a way of storing excess calories, but brown fat actually burns calories and the more of it you have, the more calories you burn whilst at rest. This research is not only heartening for the curvier amongst us, but also explains why some people can seem to eat truckloads of junk and stay thin. So, how do you get some of this magical fat? Well, unfortunately, you don't get brown fat by mainlining doughnuts, but there are a few simple tricks to increase the chances of getting more of the stuff. Brown fat burns calories by producing lots of heat, and it is thought that its main function is to keep us warm. Therefore, regularly exposing yourself to colder temperatures, such as taking a cold shower or keeping the heating low, will kick it into action. There's no need to give yourself frostbite either, as it is thought that temperatures of just 16 °C might just do it. If you don't fancy shivering your butt off, then capsaicin, the compound that makes chilis spicy, is thought to help with brown fat production too, so maybe that Friday night curry is less of a guilty pleasure than you thought.