Weight Loss

I've been collecting little tips and mind tricks for weight loss. Some for from this forum  *Thanks Everyone!* and some are from other sources over the years. I hope this helps!

Please add on and post your Little Tip and Mind Tricks!

 - Portion control: put on your plate what you?d usually eat and then eat only half.

- Cut food into small pieces so it SEEMS like more. Research shows your eyes want to see (or at least the illusion of) large portion sizes.

- Similar to the above: Use small plates and cups. Research shows If it SEEMS like more food you?re more likely to eat less.

- Eat small meals often through out the day.

- If you're going to a place where there is temptation, (parties, grocery shopping) eat first. This is most important when shopping for food because shopping on a full stomach means your brain is free to make rational decisions about right food to buy for your diet.

- Take advantage of daily opportunities for exercise - use stairs, park far away so you have walk more, etc.

- Drink a lot of water and avoid alcohol. If not water, green tea is highly recommended.

- Don't see slip ups in the diet plan as failure - Just a bump in the road. You?re making a huge life style change so losing a small battle here and there doesn?t mean you lost the war. Keep it going!

- Protein rich food will make you feel fuller. Soy beans are great!

-  Cold temperatures will make your metabolism work harder to keep your body warm which means more calories burned.

- When you have a snack, put some in a small bowl rather than eating from a bag. If you bring the bag, you?ll eat more than you want to.

- Servings: better to take many small than a few large. A bit contradicting to above tips but many servings SEEMS like more, right?

- Drink 8oz of water 5 min before eating to get fuller faster and with eating less calories.

- Take a bitet, put fork down, chew, sip some water, repeat. Eating slower will make you feel full faster and you?ll eat less.

- When you should stop eating, pour salt, hot sauce, soapy water, or any sort of ?yuck? over the food on your plate to keep you from continuing to eat it.

- While cooking, have a cough drop to keep from ?taste testing? or eating while you cook.

- When eating out, order a to-go box with your order and immediately put half your order in if for later (tomorrow?s lunch maybe).

-Brush teeth when you?re done. It?s a good deterrent from eating more and has great dental benefits.

-It?s helpful to have snacks pre-measured into portion sized bags. Sometimes having the right foods at your convenience can make all the difference.

Very Good Tips!  The brushing teeth is also good one for persons quitting smoking.

An old Weight Watcher tip - order salad dressing on the side and dip your fork into it then the salad this way you just get a taste of dressing with each bite and won't use all the dressing.

Use low calorie vegetables to stretch higher calorie ingredients - for instance, add more canned diced tomatoes to spaghetti sauce and chili.  You can add grated zucchini to tomato based dishes too and it cooks right in.

that's a good one Clarirelaine. It would also make you fuller on less.

Any exercise tips/tricks as well? I'm on a low here lol

Couple of hints: 

1.  Use a extra large dinner plate and arrange salad ingredients in a decorative fashion around the plate - tomato and avocado slices on one side, lettuces on the other and some turkey and onion slices over the lettuce.  Eye pleasing food is more enjoyable.

2.  Cook from scratch.  Healthier meals are easy with some basics.  Pick up a good cookbook if you're a novice to cooking... and learn.  The Moosewood collections are a good start - especially the LowFat Moosewood.

3.  Work exercise routines into your everyday life.  For example when cleaning and you have to bend down - squat down and hold that position for a few seconds ... keeping your back straight.  I get a lot of exercise at home because there's 3 floors to my house and I'm going up and down the stairs frequently.  Maintain good posture walking up/down stairs - gives you muscles a better workout.

Show some skin.

The opportunity to assess your body throughout the day can be the difference between wanting that cookie and taking that cookie. Layers and baggy clothes do not encourage you to drop those pounds!

(I just learned this so now I'm a convert.)

I have heard:

* Cravings only last 15 minutes.  Set a stopwatch for 15 minutes, maybe grab a glass of water and wait.  Supposedly there's a good chance the craving will be gone after those 15 minutes.

* The smaller plate things does work. I usually only eat on small salad plates now.

Don't have junky foods in your house. Don't deny yourself, if you really want it, have a little bit, but make yourself work for it.

I love ice cream, but I don't buy it. If I want it, I have to walk a mile to the store to get it. I still enjoy it, but I get benifit from my walking and I really have to stop and think how bad I want it, or if I really want something else.

If it is in your house, wrap it up well, put it some place inconvenient, give it away etc..

We tend to eat more, if it is in front of us mocking us.

Measure your portions until you get used to how an approptiate portion shoudl look, and smaller serving dishes and uttensils really can fool you into thinking you are eating me.

Some variety is good, but too many choices can lead you to eat more than you othewise would as you will want to try everything. Limit your choices at anyone given meal. You will fill up on less.

Fill up on salad and vegies before eating slightly less healthy foods.

1) Listen to your body and what seems to squelch your hunger the most.  I have noted that almond beverage fills and satisfies much longer than a lot of things and has fiber to boot.

2)  Don't keep items in the house you tend to overeat.  Even something relatively healthy is not good if you tend to binge on it. 

And I definitely agree with the home cooking stuff.  I mysteriously lost some weight a couple of years or so ago when I did most of my own cooking.  An abrupt move changed all of that, and it has taken me a great deal of motivation to start over in that regard.  I gained about 27 pounds after the move, and the only thing different was relying on takeout and prepackaged items instead of cooking.

Here's a little tip I just learned:

If you jog, don't carry carbonated water.

Charlotte, did you get a face full of fizz?  I have the same problem walking with bottles of Diet Coke in my tote bag.  I am very, very careful when I open them.

Oh yessss... and fizzy water all over the front of me.

And JUST in case my humiliation wasn't complete, I was standing in the foyer of a store when I opened the bottle.

::Clean up, front door::

LOL - is it bad to laugh at your misfortune?  You're funny.

wow!!..i 'm into these tips and will use them.let you know how it goes..

I am sooo excited to hear that cravings only last 15 minutes!  I have a huge problem with binging during my diets.  I'm going to try the stopwatch thing!  THANKS!

Drinking a lot fo water with your meals will help you feel more full faster.

Soup as a first course will help you to eat less of the main course.

In a restaurant, don't eat the bread and split a dessert.  Ask for a take out carton a the begining of the meal and put half your food into it.  Restaurant servings are way too large.

Sometimes I just think and say to myself ...I know what it tastes like and I can have it again someday....just not today! Like I said, sometimes that works! :) WILL POWER!

Hi everyone, these are great tips.  I'm new here sort of and I need to work hard to stay motivated.  I joined over a year ago but never followed through.  I re-started Jan 1st and just had a 5 pound first week weight loss so I'm really excited.  I look forward to getting to know everyone. 

In regards to adding some exercise in:

1.  Park farther away from the building/store.  If you're at a mall, park at the opposite end of your intended store/area.
2.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
3.  Walk around the building/parking lot at work during your 15 minute break.  It will give you a change of scenery, chance to 'clear your head', help reduce stress AND get in some exercise.