Small But Super Helpful Habits
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This helps me: I choose not to snack.
*I plan 3 filling meals a day (You have to be conscientious about not underfeeding yourself.)
*Drink water and tea throughout the day
*Become comfortable feeling a bit hungry about an hour before a meal
I find living like this I lose weight consistently and don't focus on eating/dieting/calories all day long.0 -
mgcarrillo wrote: »girlviernes wrote: »GothyFaery wrote: »Went from whole fat milk to fat free
Funny, I went from skim to whole fat milk
Having supplies of nuts and coconut chips - they are a very easy form of a snack and very satisfying.
Getting some tools for work, I have some salt-free seasoning, a microwave steamer tray, and knife, and now a food scale. This way i can just bring some fresh produce and keep in work fridge and prepare on the spot. Everything tastes better fresh
I have a weird thing with milk, where if I drink low fat or skim, my brain thinks of it as a "drink" (i.e., not a big deal) and I consume more without even thinking about it, whereas whole milk registers to me as a "food" and I'm careful about only drinking a reasonable amount. But that may be just my personal oddness.
I also switched from 1% milk to whole ... it has more fat so it keeps me full far longer, and I do have to cut other fats to meet my macros, but it's worth it for the 8 ounces I drink a day.0 -
Something I heard Dr Deepak Chopra advise ... Deepak encourages everyone to put their hand over their stomach. He said people should gauge where they are right now. If you’re totally famished, you’re a 1. If you’re totally stuffed like after Thanksgiving dinner, that’s a 10. Deepak said people should only eat when they’re a 2 or 3 and stop when they’re a 5 or 6. Practice body awareness. Don’t fill up your stomach, leave about one third for digestion.0
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teaching myself how to cook more varieties of foods, so that I don't eat too many pre-packaged, chemically ridden foods.
packing a lunch of healthy 'left-overs' instead of eating frozen dinners.
Learning difference between satisfied vs. full and knowing when to stop eating
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keeping healthy treats in the house for when cravings get out of hand. example: fruit, 85% dark chocolate, nuts. (but knowing what is considered appropriate portion size and not reaching for more).
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if it's reasonable to walk there and still be on time, do it. you can burn an extra hundred calories daily just by adding up 20 minutes' worth of reasons to walk.0
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Being prepared has been the BIGGEST help for me. My motto is "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." I portion out snacks on my days off to prepare me for my work week (no excuses of "well, I was running late!") I also no longer keep foods in the house that I know I'm bound to binge on. I keep those FAR away (if I'm going to indulge on something, like decadent ice cream, I will get enough for ONE serving - like going to Braum's or something, rather than getting a whole container to keep around the house.) Also, I drink TONS of water. I've realized over time that a lot of times I felt "hungry" I was really just thirsty!0
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pairs4life wrote: »Log everything without judgement. Review the logs. Move to being plant ( fruit and vegetable forward), in other words, eat as many fresh vegetables and fresh fruits as possible. This means even if it is a doughnut, cookies, burgers, or candy this Friday, the first course should be fresh fruit and/or vegetables! Everything else, everything else is a condiment!
I was "trained" to do this as a kid. I still feel guilty if I don't eat my fruit/veggie first before having a snack.
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Always eat breakfast even if it is just a banana. Always carry healthy snacks and water with you. Easy such snacks are carrot sticks, nuts or fruit. Get a water bottle and take it with you everywhere. If you are never STARVING you will never need to fill up on unhealthy and fattening foods.
Never take an elevator or escalator always take the stairs. Park at the outer edge of the parking lot or a block away from your destination so that you can add those extra steps in.
Plan your meals in advance so you know how much time you have to spend at the gym to balance everything out.
If you have a bad day or two, do NOT beat yourself up. Just get back on track as soon as possible.
And just keep at it. Do not give up because it is slow and frustrating. Just keep on tracking, keep on working out and KEEP ON GOING!!!!0 -
I started looking at food and thinking about what it would do for my body instead of what it tastes like. For example candy does nothing for the body where an apple is good fuel to keep your body going.
Also it's been said before but do something every hour i personally like to use the bathroom on the first floor and then walk up the six flights of stairs back to my floor, it's small but anything that gets your heart pumping a little bit is good.0 -
Interesting to read what others find helpful.
I feel it is pretty helpful for me to log food for the day In advance. I can see if dinner is going to be heavy then maybe I should have a lighter breakfast or lunch and no snacks or increase my exercise. I'm trying to keep to 3 meals and one snack each day. Usually that is enough to fill me up.
Exercise is a bigger challenge for me. I feel like if my regular exercise doesn't require me to go anywhere or need special equipment then I am more likely to do it. So things like walking, dancing, and exercise videos works for me.
I'm new here but I can see that having active MFP friends will probably be pretty helpful to me.0 -
Hi, well done on making the change from drinking soda to black tea,tglad you feel the changes!! Every little helps!! I enjoy my coffee with the odd green tea, but also water is good for weight loss!! I also eat more fruit and i like carrot sticks too :-) Hope this helps!!
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girlviernes wrote: »mgcarrillo wrote: »girlviernes wrote: »GothyFaery wrote: »Went from whole fat milk to fat free
Funny, I went from skim to whole fat milk
Having supplies of nuts and coconut chips - they are a very easy form of a snack and very satisfying.
Getting some tools for work, I have some salt-free seasoning, a microwave steamer tray, and knife, and now a food scale. This way i can just bring some fresh produce and keep in work fridge and prepare on the spot. Everything tastes better fresh
I have a weird thing with milk, where if I drink low fat or skim, my brain thinks of it as a "drink" (i.e., not a big deal) and I consume more without even thinking about it, whereas whole milk registers to me as a "food" and I'm careful about only drinking a reasonable amount. But that may be just my personal oddness.
I've actually read a study in which they randomized kids to either skim or whole milk, and the skim milk group ended up with greater calorie intake for the day.
I've already seen some shift in dietetics sources towards more full fat items, and I think this will continue over the next decade.
Certainly in my personal experience switching to full fat milk has been good for my taste buds and hasn't impeded weight loss in any way.
So drinking full fat milk instead of skimmed or even skimmed is better, weight loss wise?0 -
My most helpful small change is bringing healthy, low-cal, fat-based snacks to work so I don't munch down 400 calories of someone's brownies or birthday cake. I keep a box of 100-calorie almond packs at my desk and a bag of string cheese in the fridge; I usually only want one or the other, but even if I have both it's 170 calories of satiation instead of 300-500 of empty carbs and sugar. Tremendously helpful!
ETA: I really want to second (or third, or whatever we're on) the people who said using a food scale was a helpful small change. That made a staggering difference to my progress, and it's so much less fuss than it sounds. The food scale alone helped me get to an accurate, healthy 1500 calories/day... when before I was estimating 1500 calories and actually eating more like 3000+. Massive, massive difference.
Food scale sounds like a good idea!!! I must keep note of those snacks though! Greek yoghurt is so nice!!0 -
The single most helpful helpful thing I've found is switching my weekday breakfasts to porridge and an apple. I used to always get so hungry at at work before lunch but this low calorie breakfast really fills me up and is warming on winter mornings.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Pre-log every morning.
This.
Me too (pre-log my day - the quote is hidden by default).0 -
Slowly cutting calories and substituting foods. For example, instead of drinking my regular milk I changed to Silk's Unsweetened/Unflavored Soy Milk. This made a big difference of 100 calories less in my daily intake. Also, not putting condiments on my foods was helpful. Everything adds up and you'd be amazed at how many extra calories you consume without even knowing.
Logging everything I consume is really helpful because it makes me feel in control and good about my food choices. It can also help in the respect that if I do eat something bad, I will have to see the consequences 0 -
I know things are all about the small tweaks these days, but I really think that if there's a big egregious issue (in my case, too many calories overall and a lack of exercise) that addressing that was a stronger positive than all the tiny habits.
I know little things add up, but if it's a big an obvious problem, I think it's more useful to run with the big and obvious solution. I don't need to try to overclock my metabolism (a chancy endeavor at best outside of lab conditions) until address the simple "too many calories".0 -
girlviernes wrote: »mgcarrillo wrote: »girlviernes wrote: »GothyFaery wrote: »Went from whole fat milk to fat free
Funny, I went from skim to whole fat milk
Having supplies of nuts and coconut chips - they are a very easy form of a snack and very satisfying.
Getting some tools for work, I have some salt-free seasoning, a microwave steamer tray, and knife, and now a food scale. This way i can just bring some fresh produce and keep in work fridge and prepare on the spot. Everything tastes better fresh
I have a weird thing with milk, where if I drink low fat or skim, my brain thinks of it as a "drink" (i.e., not a big deal) and I consume more without even thinking about it, whereas whole milk registers to me as a "food" and I'm careful about only drinking a reasonable amount. But that may be just my personal oddness.
I've actually read a study in which they randomized kids to either skim or whole milk, and the skim milk group ended up with greater calorie intake for the day.
I've already seen some shift in dietetics sources towards more full fat items, and I think this will continue over the next decade.
Certainly in my personal experience switching to full fat milk has been good for my taste buds and hasn't impeded weight loss in any way.
I use full fat items on some things- I use butter for example. I don't drink milk except for special occasion lattes, and. I always use whole milk. When I'm cooking, I almost always use low or no fat- sour crem, Greek yogurt, cheese. For whatever reason, I don't feel like I miss this fat when I'm baking, but miss it more if the ingredient is the main event so to speak.
This is a great thread! I do many of these things already, but really like the alarm idea. I sit at my desk all. day. long. I have my own office, so people typcially come to me, not the reverse. I love the idea of setting an alarm at intervals to get myself up and moving throughout the day.
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Along the lines of pre-logging, I usually pre-plan and log 70% of my budget, making sure the food is very satisfying and as nutrient dense as possible, and leave 30%+exercise calories for things I feel like having outside of my pre-planned food. Snacks, sweets, fruits...etc. If I don't feel like having anything extra that day, I just double up on some of my pre-planned dishes. This way I make sure I have plenty of nutrients, and some wiggle room for whatever I feel like having on a whim.0
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So many good ideas here!
Mine is this: I cook my food, put everything away (if anything is left out, I WILL eat more), clean pots/dishes, make my plate and then I sit down with my food. I don't eat while I'm cooking or until I'm at the table. For me, all of these things make me pause and be mindful of my food. I used to eat so quickly that I didn't even taste my food!0 -
rosepetals4eva wrote: »girlviernes wrote: »mgcarrillo wrote: »girlviernes wrote: »GothyFaery wrote: »Went from whole fat milk to fat free
Funny, I went from skim to whole fat milk
Having supplies of nuts and coconut chips - they are a very easy form of a snack and very satisfying.
Getting some tools for work, I have some salt-free seasoning, a microwave steamer tray, and knife, and now a food scale. This way i can just bring some fresh produce and keep in work fridge and prepare on the spot. Everything tastes better fresh
I have a weird thing with milk, where if I drink low fat or skim, my brain thinks of it as a "drink" (i.e., not a big deal) and I consume more without even thinking about it, whereas whole milk registers to me as a "food" and I'm careful about only drinking a reasonable amount. But that may be just my personal oddness.
I've actually read a study in which they randomized kids to either skim or whole milk, and the skim milk group ended up with greater calorie intake for the day.
I've already seen some shift in dietetics sources towards more full fat items, and I think this will continue over the next decade.
Certainly in my personal experience switching to full fat milk has been good for my taste buds and hasn't impeded weight loss in any way.
So drinking full fat milk instead of skimmed or even skimmed is better, weight loss wise?
I'm not sure I would go that far regarding one being better than the other for weight loss. For someone who really likes milk, 4 cups a day of full fat really add up in calories. I wouldn't be thrilled if I had to spend more than 1/3 of my budget on milk.
Now the study mentioned is done without limiting the amount of calories, so I'm guessing full fat milk is more satiating, leading overall to reduced calories intake. But in a controlled diet, where calories are accounted for, low fat milk may work better if you have other alternatives that help you stay satiated.0 -
Canderel instead of sugar in drinks.
Frylight instead of olive oil for frying.
Lurpak Lightest instead of butter - and a teensy amount
Skimmed milk - a tiny bit - in tea and coffee instead of semi-skimmed
Never buy high calorie food in packs, just buy one if possible.
Don't sit in the house shivering and cold ( I live in a very old, cold, drafty house) wrap up, get out and garden.
Make fitness plans with friends rather than eating ones.
Always dance at parties even if no one else is -pretty soon they'll join you.
Take fruit out if you know you're going to be hungry when out.
Ignore most of the aisles in the supermarkets - they don't exist for me.
If I have to buy high fat or high sugar food for tradesmen or family or friends then tell them I can't control myself round these foods and make them take it away when they go.0 -
I do not go to the store hungry and I dont buy any trigger foods. Every once and awhile ill buy some snack food but Ill have one portion and then hide the bag in a deep part of my pantry and for some reason that does the trick for not snacking all day on lets say cheetos lol0
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Park as far from stores as you can. Saves time, too, it's easier to walk than drive around waiting for a close spot.
Use stairs and not elevators or escalators.
Keep a big sports thermos of water on your desk at all times and sip from it regularly, refill immediately when empty.
Two or three cups of hot green tea helps me even more than black tea.0 -
GothyFaery wrote: »Went from whole fat milk to fat free
Smaller portions
Have burger lettuce wraps instead of buns (I like the wrap better anyways)
I work a desk job and don't have to get up much so I set an alarm on my phone for 45 minutes. Every time it goes off I alternate between going to the bathroom and a 5 minute power walk around the building. It really adds up quick.
ETA: Using a food scale to actually weigh out servings. It's amazing what a differance that makes.
@gothyfaery, I'm just beginning to research this, so someone else may know more than me about the matter, but I recently found out that calcium is fat-soluble, meaning that when there is little/no fat in your milk/yogurt, your body is absorbing little/no calcium from that food. I'm slowly working my way from fat free up. We are currently drinking 1%. I have a friend (PE teacher, triathalete) who says if you're not drinking whole milk, there's no point in drinking it at all because you're not getting the nutritional benefit.0 -
Water, water and more water!
I started juicing and my health has changed so much
Smoothies or fruit for breakfast
Salads and raw foods
I don't buy the temptation food
I eat before going to the store
Eat enough!
Be conscious about what goes in your mouth
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I use almond & coconut milk instead of regular milk. There's 45 calories in an 8 oz glass and they make great smoothies.
If you can't say no to junk food then don't keep it around. You can't eat it if it's not there. I keep almonds in the car to snack on and I take water with me when I go out. Keeping hydrated is important and drinking water before you eat will help you feel full.
Plan you meals out a week at a time that way you can have an idea of what you will be eating calorie wise and won't be as tempted to hit the drive through because you don't have anything planned.
Make time to exercise every day. If it's too cold or rainy outside walk up and down your stairs for 15-30 mins. If you're short on time walk 10-15 minutes 2-3 times a day. Climb stairs during commercial breaks. Do squats while brushing your teeth. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Do burpees every morning. Start off doing 5 and add 1 burpee every day to your morning total. There are many things you can do to burn calories that don't require strenuous energy and lots of time but they do require some time and effort.
Most of all remember that you didn't get to where you are overnight so don't be discouraged when you don't get to where you want to be overnight. Stay strong, stay focused, and stay positive!0 -
Figure out a breakfast meal that leaves you satisfied.
For me, that's eggs, an apple or pear, and/or leftover boiled potatoes, with coffee and 18% cream. Usually ends up being about 350 calories, and it seems to set me up for success for the rest of my day's eating.
As much as I love bagels and buttered toast, if I have them for breakfast I am snacky for the rest of the day. They make a much better end-of-the-day treat if I have room in my calorie count.0
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