We'd all love to lose a few inches - if only it weren't so much work. Here are some easy, no-effort and no-sweat solutions that, over time, can add up to a big loss.

Here are some really simple strategies to cut calories and burn more fat that take 60 seconds or less. Combined with your cardio workout, you'll find plenty of opportunities to slip these tricks into your routine and watch the scale go down. If you've already begun losing weight, these can maximize your efforts and speed results.

Chew Gum
Smacking gum twice for 15 minutes a pop between lunch and an afternoon snack helped people consume 36 fewer calories per day, according to a study in the journal Appetite. Do this every day, and in one week, you could scrub a total of 252 calories from your diet. Researchers have also discovered that chewing sugar-free gum all day increases your metabolic rate by about 20 percent. That could burn off more than 10 pounds a year.

Go Green
One study found that men who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea extract (GTE) every day for three months lost more body fat than men who drank tea without GTE. To get the benefits, researchers suggest drinking several cups of green tea each day. The caffeine frees fatty acids so that you burn fat more easily. And the polyphenols (antioxidant compounds) in green tea appear to work with caffeine to increase calorie burn.

Think Small
Using small salad plates and bowls can help you eat 30 percent fewer calories at meals, says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of 'Mindless Eating.' Likewise, drink out of skinny glasses (versus short, wide glasses), and you'll serve yourself 28 percent less.

Fidget
One study found that doing mundane activities throughout the day like fidgeting during meetings and getting up to change TV channels separated lean individuals from obese ones. Slimmer people moved at least two hours more a day with these activities, burning 350 calories a day without working up a sweat.

Get Some Shut-Eye
Women who slept less than seven hours on average per night put on more weight during middle age than women who slept more, reports a study from the American Journal of Epidemiology. In fact, women who slept only five hours a night were one-third more likely to gain weight (33 pounds or more) during the 16-year study.

Nosh Grapefruit
It's no myth: Grapefruit could be a weight loss aid. In a 12-week study from the Journal of Medicinal Food, people who ate half a grapefruit three times a day (before each meal) lost an average of 3.6 pounds. Researchers believe grapefruit may lower insulin, a fat storage hormone.

Slow Down
When women took more time to eat, they consumed 70 fewer calories than women who ate more quickly, according to a study from the University of Rhode Island. If you eat three meals a day, that could mean slashing 210 calories just by eating slower.

Skip Seconds
Rather than going back for seconds or thirds, put everything you're going to eat on your plate before you indulge. The payoff? You'll eat about 18 percent less calories.

Trick Your Taste Buds
Sucking on a menthol or eucalyptus cough drop can stop cravings instantly.

Dip Your Bread
Use olive oil in place of butter. It's healthier and may also help you eat less. In one study, dippers ate a total of 52 fewer calories on average than those who used butter.

Drink, Drink, Drink
Dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent. At a weight of 150 pounds, that would be about 45 fewer calories burned a day - which could mean 5 extra pounds a year.

Supersize Your H2O
Speaking of dehydration, buy the big bottle when it comes to good-for-you stuff such as water: You'll drink more.

Chunk Your Salad
Chop carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, zucchini, or other veggies instead of shredding or slicing. It takes more effort to munch bigger pieces; you'll do more chewing and eat less during the main course.

Reflect On Your Choices
Looking at yourself in a mirror while eating may help you consume 22 to 32 percent less.

Rent a Spooky Movie
You're less likely to eat when you're fearful - but more likely when you're angry or happy.

Crunch Through Commercials
Here's a no-sweat get-fit tip: Do ab crunches during commercial breaks of your favorite shows. A 155-pound person who does a total of 15 minutes of ab moves burns about 50 calories.

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