A recent article on Yahoo, written by Prevention magazine Editor in Chief Liz Vaccariello gives 10 Weight Loss Tips that Work in a minute or less.

As the article states, weight loss tips that are easy and quick to implement are more likely to be used by most of us because our lives are so busy and crazy.

The 10 strategies given to burn calories and fat are:

1. Mix a juice spritzer
Combine your favorite juice (half of your usual amount) with plain or sparkling water. You can cut up to 85 calories per glass–and lose 5 pounds or more a year.

Not a bad idea but is watered down juice all that tasty? I think it’s a better idea to just cut down on the amount of juice and have more water instead. Or, switch to a lower calorie juice like my favorite – tomato juice.

2. Walk while you talk
Burn calories while you talk on the phone: Do the laundry (68 calories), set the table (85), or water plants (102).

I’m okay with the idea of walking around while talking on the phone. But isn’t it a little rude to multi-task and do laundry, set the table or water plants while talking to someone? Don’t they deserve our undivided attention?

3. Study the wrapper
At a quick glance, that candy bar appears to contain 220 calories. But a closer look may reveal that it (or a bottle of juice, bag of crackers, or bag of nuts) provides two or more servings–which more than doubles those calories.

This is a big pet peeve of mine. Packages that look like single serve shouldn’t trick us by having multiple servings in a package. It’s a good idea to peruse all labels and wrappers before we purchase although I admit to not doing it all the time. Sometimes I just don’t care!

4. Sip green tea before a walk
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. (If you have high blood pressure, skip this tip.)

I knew green tea was a healthy beverage but didn’t know it freed up fatty acids. I’m not a green tea fan but am finding it’s easier to drink with a little honey stirred into it. And, I never steep it more than 2 minutes – that prevents it from getting too strong and bitter tasting.

5. Pack a lunch
Dining out more than 5 times a week may make you eat more–nearly 300 calories a day–than if you dine out less frequently.

Yeah, it’s a good idea to pack our own lunches, but doing it in a minute or less? Not realistic.

6. Dip your bread
Use olive oil in place of butter. It’s healthier and may also help you eat less. In a recent study, dippers ate a total of 52 fewer calories, on average, than those who used butter.

I love dipping my bread in olive oil but sometimes I really do want butter. I keep whipped butter in my fridge. The air that’s pumped into it helps me use less.

7. Sprinkle flax on cereal
High-fiber ground flaxseed can help curb your appetite and eliminate calories. Add it to yogurt or muffin and bread mixes–it’s available in health food stores.

I’ve started using flaxseed, but have learned to buy the whole seed and not the pre-ground flaxseed because it loses a lot of its nutritional value after being ground.

8. Schedule a blood test
About 1 in every 12 women (most of whom don’t know it) has an underactive thyroid, which can slow down her metabolism.

I can attest to this one. I found my thyroid was underactive. In addition to making it extra hard for me to lose weight, I was tired all the time. The good news about having an underactive thyroid is that the test for it is simple – just a quick blood test. And the medication is reasonable. WalMart sells a 30 day supply of generic thyroid medication for just $4.

9. Supersize your H2O
Buy the big bottle when it comes to good-for-you stuff such as water: You’ll drink more.

We all know drinking water is good for us but I’m one of those people that has a hard time drinking plain water so I use zero or low calorie mix ins for part of my water every day to make it easier for me to get it into my body.

10. Eat a chunky 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.

This is a good idea but who can cut up (or chunk up) vegetables for a salad in a minute or less? I can’t even select the ingredients from a salad bar where they’re already cut up in less than a minute!

Overall I think all these tips are good and I’m going to do my best to implement ones I haven’t already made a part of my daily life. But, I won’t kid myself and think they’ll all be super easy to do or take a minute or less to do. I may be superwoman in training but I don’t move at the speed of light! (at least not yet).