Obesity is a major health issue in the United States and elsewhere, so it'd make sense that every year, more and more people are becoming concerned with their own body weight and how to lose some of it.

Sadly, the odds are against you. It's a lot easier to gain weight in our society, with more sedentary lifestyles and bad food floating around, than it is to lose it.

Diet and exercise are certifiably the only way to safely lose weight, but there are some little tricks to helping you lose more weight faster.

1. Eat with chopsticks.

One of the main causes of overconsumption is horking food into our mouths too fast and becoming too full. There's a delay between your stomach and your brain.

Often, we find ourselves overeating, not realizing we're actually full. Forks and spoons make it easy, but by nature, chopsticks slow down the process of eating. By eating slowly, you're less likely to eat more.

2. Make a mantra.

"I will lose weight." "I will work out today." "I won't eat that cake." Repeating these mantras, and whatever others you can think of, actually helps you resist temptation and do what you need to do to lose weight.

3. Eat four fewer bites.

Along with eating slowly, take four fewer bites then you otherwise might. This let's your mind catch up with your stomach and get a better idea of whether or not you're full.

If an hour later you're still hungry, don't hesitate to have the last few bites. Doing this can save 100 calories a day, resulting in an extra 2 pounds of weight loss per year.