We make many changes in our lives in our march towards a healthy weight. Decorate your kitchen not only to express your style but also to help you stay with your diet plan and lose weight. It could be anything from the colors to the lighting.

Want To Lose Weight? Paint Your Kitchen Blue!

Have you ever wondered why "Healthy Choice" frozen entrees are packaged in green boxes? Or why fast food chains use the red color in their logos and in their restaurant's decor? Researchers found a correlation between color and appetite. If you understand what it is and learn how to apply it when decorating your home, your entire family could benefit.

In lab tests, when volunteers were shown the colors red, orange and yellow, their appetites were stimulated. These colors have an effect on your autonomic nervous system that increases your appetite. Conversely, a decrease in appetite occurred when participants were shown the colors blue, indigo and violet. It's no coincidence that many fast-food logos and restaurant decors use the red end of the color spectrum!

If blue is not for you, simply try to avoid using colors that stimulate your appetite. Eliminate red, yellow, and orange from your kitchen and dining areas.

Of all the colors in the spectrum, blue is an appetite suppressant. Research has shown that blue, indigo and violet colors naturally suppresses the appetite. In tests, people could not bring themselves to eat foods colored blue, due in large part to the fact that many of us have deeply rooted instincts to avoid blue and purple foods since they tend to be poisonous in nature.

Incorporate blue in the color plan for your kitchen. Paint your kitchen wall or even one wall blue. If changing your wall color is a bit too drastic, decorate your kitchen with blue plates, bowls, mats and napkins for your color theme. Weight loss plans suggest putting your food on a blue plate to assist in suppressing your appetite.

Research revealed that green created a "relaxed" or "balanced" feeling among participants. It's no surprise then that the manufacturers of "Healthy Choice" entrees use the color green to suggest freshness and to create a feeling of peace, which in turn promotes a healthy stress-free lifestyle.

Include the color green in curtains, paintings and seat cushions. You can have green tea cups, coffee mugs or green glasses. Add more plants in the kitchen for a fresh look.

You can also consider about artful accessory changes and minor additions that could (in the long run) lead to major results regarding the way you feel. Here are some tips:

Illuminate your kitchen. Eating in the light psychologically makes you aware of what you are eating. Add mirrors on the walls of your kitchen. This not only increases the lighting but also makes you confront your image frequently. Such a visual prompt will help you stay focused on your weight goals.

Encourage healthy snacking by using a fruit bowl for a centerpiece on your kitchen island or table. Remember to fill it with fruits, of course!

Eat your dinner on a black or dark blue plate. The color of the plate subconsciously diminishes your appetite.

Place a dark tablecloth on the table in the evening. Put it on the table after lunch to curb your appetite the rest of the day. Restaurants use red tablecloths to stimulate your appetite. (Good trick they have been using for years.)

Fix a music system in the kitchen to play slow music when you eat. Studies have shown that music has the power to boost mood, lessen pain and reduce depression. Choose classical or New Age music like Vivaldi's Four Seasons or Yanni.

Clear the home of clutter. Throw away things that are reminders of you gaining weight. The dress from the 80's that you will wear once you lose 20lbs. Eliminate items that make you feel tired and unmotivated.

Do your exercises in bright colors in place of the traditional grey/black jogging suits. The warm colors of the rainbows stimulate activity while the dark colors tire the body.

Another way the Color can help you lose weight:

If you find yourself comfort eating and packing on the pounds, here is a great way to lose weight. Before you rush to the fridge or reach for the cookie jar, stop. Take a minute and ask yourself: "Which color do I need?" Whatever answer comes to mind, go with it. Then, imagine that you are surrounded by that color. Take long slow deep breaths and imagine you are breathing that color through your body and filling up with it. You can use color in self-healing too. Begin to think of color as material of non-physical matter, which is needed to feed, soothe, enhance and heal you and your life. You can visualize and direct a color to a particular part of your body that is not well. Surround yourself with color and fill all of your body with color. Remember that color is very real. When you feel tired or down, even a few breaths of color will give you what you need.

The eyes convert light (color) into energy, which travels through our nervous system, and affects all body functions. Remember Color is like a vitamin, when you have a deficiency in Vitamin C you take more Vitamin C, when you have a lack of focus take more yellow or when you need to stimulate your metabolism take more red. If you need some peace and rest, think of green and blue, take orange for enthusiasm, yellow for refreshment and pink for love.

Be surrounded with colors and get in better shape.