What food/fitness/health "hack" has made a big difference for you?

bribucks

I only keep snacks/junk food in the house that my husband likes, but I don’t like. For example, jalapeño chips (yuck!) instead of salt & vinegar chips (which I would demolish).

Chunkahlunkah

Knowing what foods satiate me best was another *major* hack for me. Food, though, really isn't my problem weight-wise. As long as I'm reasonably active, adhering to my most satiating diet just makes the difference between my normal weight and about 10-15 vanity pounds.

My problem is too easily falling into a slothful life. I do best when I don't need to choose being physically active bc it's already integrated in my life (i.e., an active job or living someplace where I get around by walking rather than driving).

I really liked the idea @__TMac__ mentioned earlier about always training for something. I think that could work well for me.

HoneyBadger302

Activity is the biggest key for me, so making the gym a part of my life, finding a motivator that will get me out of bed at 4:30 everyday to get there, and right now having a gym buddy has been helpful too.

My day job is very sedentary, and I don't do well on the calories required to keep my weight down without additional exercise, whereas I find it pretty easy if I'm working out enough.

seltzermint555

bribucks wrote: »

I only keep snacks/junk food in the house that my husband likes, but I don’t like. For example, jalapeño chips (yuck!) instead of salt & vinegar chips (which I would demolish).

We try to do this also. My husband and I both have certain things we can't really have in the house...Oreos for me, big containers of ice cream for him, etc. So we end up buying stuff that we like but don't like TOO much...Larabars, biscotti, ice cream sandwiches, squares of dark chocolate. That stuff will stick around for a couple of months instead of being scarfed down in a day.

holytricoli

I stir a serving of chocolate whey protein into my coffee. I have been doing this the last couple of weeks, and I feel like it really makes a difference. For one, no more coffee creamer. Plus, it's 24g of protein which curbs my appetite against snacking here and there later in the day.

***Note: You have to be careful about how you add it or you will get a disgusting, lumpy mess. Pour the coffee into the mug first, and then slowly pour the protein powder in while stirring constantly.

It tastes like a "poor man's mocha," similar to pouring in a hot cocoa packet but without all the sugar. I hope this is helpful for you! I haven't touched the coffee creamer in my fridge since switching over.

dsboohead

LOGGING in MFP!

lightenup2016

Int

holytricoli wrote: »

I stir a serving of chocolate whey protein into my coffee. I have been doing this the last couple of weeks, and I feel like it really makes a difference. For one, no more coffee creamer. Plus, it's 24g of protein which curbs my appetite against snacking here and there later in the day.

***Note: You have to be careful about how you add it or you will get a disgusting, lumpy mess. Pour the coffee into the mug first, and then slowly pour the protein powder in while stirring constantly.

It tastes like a "poor man's mocha," similar to pouring in a hot cocoa packet but without all the sugar. I hope this is helpful for you! I haven't touched the coffee creamer in my fridge since switching over.

Interesting...how many calories are in a serving? And can you taste the whey?

jgnatca

Start my day with a glass of water. Finish the same way.

Prelog my meal so I can adjust as necessary.

Batch make my hummus, don’t be cheap with the olive oil, and freeze it. Take out chunks as needed.

Daily run/walk.

Nothing is forbidden but watch the quantity. Take my time and enjoy it.

Nbaker0909

seltzermint555 wrote: »

I'm not trying to say meal prep is a bad thing (far from it) but I do think it varies by person/household. I would be much more likely to say "forget this" and just go out to dinner if I was on day #3 of a prepped-ahead-of-time meal that I just had to heat up. It would have long lost its novelty. I see the lovely prepped meals on Pinterest and all I can think is how much I would hate eating the same thing every night or even every day for lunch.

I'm sure not every person does it that way (same items every day of the week) but I definitely wouldn't like that.

I think you’re last comment nailed it on the head. Meal prepping doesn’t have to mean the same lunch or dinner every day. There are weeks when I’ll eat the same thing for a few days for lunch. But i find I don’t mind 2-3 days of the same lunch when it’s a new recipe and I stick to the serving sizes. However, this is not the norm for me at least for meal prepping. Meal prepping for me mostly means doing the time consuming pieces of the meals on Sunday. Sometimes that’s chopping up veggies and making sauces, marinades, spice combinations ahead of time. I tend to like to cook my meal (especially the veggies) each night because it tastes the best that way. But it is nice to be able to just grab them out of the fridge and throw them on the stove or in the oven or wherever. Meal prepping isn’t all 5 days of repeats :-)