Color psychology has been used for a variety of reasons. Hospitals are generally painted white to give it the aura of cleanliness and sterility. Vacation homes are generally made of wood and further enhanced with brown paint to give individuals the sense of stability and connecting back with the earth to give us a feeling of wholesomeness. Black is the most preferred suit color for those in the corporate world because it evokes power and authority.

Our eyes react instantaneously to color. Particular shades encourage us to take action or make us feel a certain way. It is no wonder then that colors are also used by the food industry to make us buy or eat certain foods.

Red, oranges and yellows are appetite-enhancing colors. Chinese restaurants, fastfoods and most food chains use these or a combination of these hues to attract customers to their stores. Even the packaging of certain foods are so designed with color psychology in mind. Oranges and reds stimulate activity, appetite and energy. It increases enthusiasm and leads one to take action. Yellow is also a mentally stimulating color that activates memory and encourages communication. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is for a bunch of friends to part when they are having a great time chatting in a fast food joint long after the burgers and fries have been devoured? The color choices in these places prompt customers to even order for seconds or thirds.

You too can also use colors for weight loss success. To suppress your appetite and succeed in curbing your calorie intake, blue is your color ally. Due to the calming, sedating and cooling effect of what seems to be everyone's favorite shade, having blue plates, blue cutlery and even painting or tiling your kitchen blue can have a tremendous effect on limiting your appetite. Experts even recommend going as far as putting a blue light in your refrigerator so you lose the urge to eat just as easily as you opened it. Even a blue placemat can work wonders.

Black is also another color that suppresses the appetite. This is because we are normally taught that black or dark-colored foods are dangerous for us. You can try using containers to store foods that are easy to snack on. If you've got breads, chocolates or cakes in your refrigerator, try putting them inside black bread bin or airtight containers so the mere sight alone of a donut in a clear white plastic Tupperware doesn't trigger a one-man or one-woman feeding frenzy.

Knowing the meanings and symbolism behind the hues we see everyday can help you use colors for weight loss. All it takes is a little experimentation in the shades of the plates and cutlery you use to make you eat less or consume little of foods that are bound to make you fat.

Using blue and black colors for weight loss will definitely help you win the battle of the bulge. They say that if there's a will, there's always a way. If you're dead serious in winning the battle of the belly bulge, you'll use everything in your disposal to win it. May the colors be with you!