surprising tricks to lose weight

We all know it comes down to eating better and exercising more, but what little tricks have you developed that help you?

Some of my surprisingly helpful changes are:
-- Not reading in bed. If I don't stay up all night reading, then I have more energy for the next day, can exercise more, and have a better attitude.
-- Socks and long underwear. I get cold all the time. I realized that by wearing those thick guy-type socks, I stay warmer and snack less. I would go for a coffee or a muffin when really I was cold, not hungry.

What are your tricks?

Fri. Jan 20, 12:12pm

When I feel like snacking, I drink water first, to stay hydrated and to see if instead of hungry, I was really just thirsty.

I snack on carrots, bananas, apples, and oranges instead of junk food.

Honestly recording what I eat here on peertrainer helps me think more about what it is I'm eating.

I avoid food with transfats (partially hydrogenated oils). Some nutritionists say that stuff should be banned, and it really isn't good for you... So that helps keep me away from a lot of things I'd otherwise snack on.

I try not to eat after 9 pm. I brush my teeth early some nights, so I'm less tempted to snack.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 1:00 PM

I alot myself a certain number of calories for each meal (and none for snacking). If I know ahead of time that I'm going to want to eat more at a certain meal or go out somewhere where there will be food, I account for it by taking calories away from the other meals that they're alotted to. That way, I don't have "bad" days because I had a treat, and I don't have to feel guilty about those treats!

Friday, January 20, 2006, 2:50 PM

Not only do I record my food here, but I plan my meals for a week and write my plan on a whiteboard on my fridge. Then I go shopping and only buy those items. It reduces waste and I have no excuse not to eat the healthy meals I've planned, especially since I have all the ingredients ready to go and they're just sitting in my fridge. Plus I don't buy anything else so if I really don't want what I have planned I have to eat cold cereal or go shopping.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 4:21 PM

At work, I started stocking baby carrots & cut up broccoli in my mini fridge.

When hungry, I put some in a bowl and microwave for about 3 minutes-- it comes out still bright in color and cooked just enough to give you a firm, yet slightly giving texture... :-)

Tastes good, and I am not loading up on bad calories! :-) In the summertime, I especially LOVE zucchini... I used to take a whole one, cut it up into chunks and microwave them (with a little dash of butter and salt & pepper, although nowadays I would forgo the butter).... It's very yummy!

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 12:26 AM

I also started eating home-made lunches vs. buying at work.... 2 things this will save: 1) Money (eating out is expensive! My hubby and I estimate that if we eat about $15 a day in lunches, that meanst about $300 a month we would spend! Instead of eating lunches out, we are buying ourselves a treadmill with the money we have saved!

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 12:28 AM

hee hee... I only mentioned 1 of the 2 things I save by not eating luch out...
The 2nd is Calories, as I only stock a good bread and lunch meats, soup, etc... :-)

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 12:29 AM

Vegetable soup is my major weight loss weapon - full of veggies, filling, satisfying, adds water. Just make it healty - not too much fat or salt.

Lots of herbal tea in the winter is also key for me.

Big bags of brocolli from Costco keep me eating veggies.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 6:43 AM

Reach for sour things when I crave sweets

I read or heard somewhere that when you have sweet cravings grab something sour.

So... I've got some great blueberry green tea that has a sour taste to it that I drink when I feel a sugar craving.

I also stick religiously to 1200 calories a day and remind myself that the weightloss is calories in vs. calories out. I want this BAD and no amount of snacking is worth sabbotoging my weight loss!

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 7:47 AM

My "trick" is to get on the scale every single day. I always know where I stand, if I have to eat less that day or if I have the flexibility to eat a little more. It really works and I'm not the kind of person to get obsessive about the number, it's more of a check and balance.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 8:17 AM

what's the name of the blueberry green tea? Sounds interesting.

That sounds like a good strategy, but it reminds me of this trick my boss and his friends tried years ago -- when he was hungry, he would eat a jalapeno pepper out of a jar on his desk! I thought that was crazy. :)

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 4:10 PM

Celestial Seasonings make the blueberry tea. I really like it!

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 5:12 PM

My Dad told me this:

Remember as a kid you weren't allowed snacks? Well, that's because once you snack once, you keep snacking. If you're hungry early (hey, you do live alone), just cook early, and eat a good balanced meal. So what if you eat a little more.

Also:

When I crave sweet, but seem full, I eat a popsicle-- the Flavor_Ice ones are only 20 calories a piece... 2.5 calories for the splenda ones, and they settle my sweet tooth without making me sick to my stomach.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 8:20 PM

I didn't actively cause this change, but, my gym got all new cardio equipment, and each has it's own personal mini-tv - you just have to bring your own headphones and plug them in! I'm so much more motivated to get on the equipment, and especially, stay on it, now that it's not just a TV far away w/ closed captioning, that I can't control!! Suspense shows, like Law and Order, are great, b/c I want to see the ending!!

Monday, January 23, 2006, 10:22 AM

I like to eat meals with chopsticks. It makes me slow down and really enjoy whatever I'm eating. Otherwise I eat too fast and often overeat.

Monday, January 23, 2006, 11:03 AM

when I want something sweet I opt for a handfull of strawberries w/Fat Free Cool Whip. The strawberries are loaded with antioxidents and low calorie.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 9:47 AM

TRICKS TO LOOSE WEIGHT

Eating breakfast is always reccomended, but I found that I wasn't hungry at 6:30 in the morning. I now wait until 8:30 -9:00 to eat. I enjoy it more and I'm not looking for a snack around 10:30.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 1:26 PM

I make myself little challenges. writing them down makes me feel a little crazy lol but hey they work for me.
When I have to do easy tasks such as take out the garbage or get the mail etc etc I break them up, instead of taking out the garbage and then getting the mail I take out the garbage go back upstairs to my apartment and then go get the mail or do the laundry, that way I take the stairs twice as much ( I live on the 4th floor of a walk up so basically I use that for my cardio haha).
I dont keep crappy foods in the house,I keep it pretty basic with veggies, meats and whole grains.... but I do allow myself a treat now and then but I decided that if I want them then I have to walk for them. If I'm really craving a cookie then I have to walk atleast 5 blocks to get it. That way I got some exercise OR I was too lazy to walk and didnt get the cookie.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 1:49 PM

To the poster above who eats with chopsticks...

LOL!!!

I guess it's because I'm Chinese that I find the idea of eating with chopsticks to slow down as a funny concept... In fact, I think that I may eat even faster when I do it with chopsticks... LOL By the way, the eating slower thing only works at the beginning when you aren't familiar with chopsticks. Once you've got the hang of it, no one will get in the way between bowl and mouth... :-D

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 2:35 PM

My never-ending cup of tea (or water)

I have a tea cup and use the same tea-bag throughout the day. Each time I'm at about 1/2 empty, or if the tea has gotten cold, I'll add more hot water. Keeps me full of water, so I don't snack as much.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 2:37 PM

LOL:)

I'm Chinese too, but chopsticks continue to be a challenge at times :)
When we go to the Japanese Steak House, with 7 - 8 people seating, I'm usually the only one at the table eating with a fork...and to top it off, my husband has to translate for me because I have a hard time understanding our cooks (he's use to broken English because of my family). He calls me a twinkie...yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Just a joke between us.

Anyway, I really like sauteed vegetables, so instead of using butter or oil, I use chicken or vegetable broth instead. It gives the vegetables more flavor and moisture but without all the fat. For breakfast, I like doing that with vegetables, then scrambling an egg in it.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 3:03 PM

LOL at the last poster...

That's okay, My hubby's white and I'm of Chinese heritage and he's always being asked at restaurants if he wants a fork. The funny thing is that I taught him how to use the chopsticks, but my parents say that he is far more graceful than I am in usiing them!!

Of course, I learned to use them as a kid (maybe 2 or 3 years old), so for me, it's not a big deal. :-) I find it funny that he notices my parents' accent, yet I seem to be oblivious to it... must be because I'm conditioned to listening to it! :-)

To add taste to rice, without much in calories, I've found these "Seaweed and fish sprinkles" at a Japanese Grocery near my house. If you like fish, then they really add a good flavor to plain rice, without adding a lot of calories... There are many different kinds.. I usually get the ones with "Bonito Flakes" and "Seaweed" and "Dried Egg" I try my hardest to stay away from the kinds that have a lot of MSG (and Japanese foods are notorious in their use of MSG, so you really have to read labels carefully). Sometimes, I'll get some "nori" (seaweed sheets" and toast them lightly in the oven or in a warm frying pan... and just wrap it around rice...

Gives it flavor without adding a lot of calories.

Of course, if you're on a low carb diet, then this would not be helpful.....

Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 9:50 PM

To the op, thanks for the tips. I love boiling ginger with chicken broth. And not that that's not hot enough, I love to put alot of pepper in too. This is great for sipping as an after dinner snack if the cravings begin, or when you have a cold or flu. Anyway, I'd love to chat with you sometime because of our similar heritage. If interested, you can find me in the public blog under imahu2.

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 8:17 AM

I incorporated more raw foods in my diet for a month i was eating 80 percent raw food and i felt not only great but i lost 8 lbs. i am now eating 100 percent raw food and i am full of energy

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 9:01 AM

to the op, silly question, but what is raw food? Only fresh fruits and vegetables (that's it)?

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 9:15 AM

all organic raw fruits and vegetables, i can have raw fish like sushi without the rice, raw nuts, pretty much anything uncooked and doesnt come from a can, unprocessed foods, i make my own drinks. But really theres a lot more to it then most people think.

Thursday, February 9, 2006, 11:05 AM

Basic weight losing tricks you can start now

While big diet plans, exhaustive work-outs, and lot of mental effort is needed to lose the unwanted flab and get to that optimum weight you always wanted to achieve, there is much more to weight loss than you think. And much of it are simple basic things that slip off our mind, read on to find out:
http://www.medimanage.com/my-weight/articles/basic-weight-losing-tricks-you-can-start-now.aspx

Monday, October 26, 2009, 12:40 AM

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