What are some "tricks" you use to lose weight?

reginamusicant

Something I do:

1. I switched my coffee creamer out for 2% skim milk and a little Splenda. It's the ONLY thing I use artificial sweetner for. After a few days creamer is WAY TOO SWEET for me anymore.

2. If I'm craving a sweet drink I put some frozen blackberries or raspberries in diet 7up or Sprite to satisfy it. It's soooo good!

3. I put my calorie goal a little lower then I really need to. Usually I forget that I can eat more, and reach my goal anyways

4. My healthy pizza (I love this) : 1 flat out low cal bread, pizza sauce (only 30 cals for 1/4 cup) and a shredded mozerella cheese stick (70 cals or less depending) Then you can add mushrooms etc. POP in toaster oven or oven until cheese is melted. I love pizza and this satisfies me without all the extra grease and calories.

What are some tricks you guys use???

1sisrat

I stop eating after 7 pm. (but do eat if I "really" feel hungry- something healthy)
I drink a cup of green tea around 8 pm every night.
I try not to sit all evening- wash dishes, get my daughter diaper bag ready for the next day etc (cloth diapers, bottles ready, etc)
If i feel tired I still at least do 30 min of light yoga to stretch out. (the mental release does wonders)
I drink a glass of water every two hours during the day to get my water intake (i've been doing that for 2 weeks now and I feel that my 2 month plateau is finally starting to give a little).

Piercep5

Hi Regina,

I eat 8 meals per day. Every two hours. The reason is because if you wait too long between meals your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat.

At the moment I am eating 2000 calories per day, which means I eat as close to 250 calories per meal as possible. However, when I was losing weight quickly I was eating 1500 calories per day (180-190 calories per meal). Just divide the total calories you want to eat by 8.

Also, drinking a glass of water (or a cup of tea) with every meal makes it easy to get your 8 cups of required water per day.

I also walk quickly on the treadmill every day for 30-60 minutes.

I lost a total of 50 pounds in about 7 months.



Pierce

runnninginmd

I eat 8 meals per day. Every two hours. The reason is because if you wait too long between meals your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat.

I'm not trying to be rude, but I think it can be really harmful to people when others post things like this as definite facts. Many people on this site have never thought about nutrition before, never done any research, weren't given proper information growing up, etc., so they tend to believe whatever as long as it is stated with authority. This is obviously a ridiculous statement, but people who don't know any better might take it to heart and decide that if they don't eat every two hours their body is going to start starving and storing fat. That's ridiculous.

Newer users: Please recognize that the majority of people on these boards are not professional nutritionists, dietitians, trainers, etc. They are mostly people just like you. So take everything you read with a grain of salt, ask for references, and do your own research (and get really frustrated when every bit of research you read says something different).

ohheyy125

here are some things I'm doing:

Add everything I eat to my diary before I eat it that way I can see if something isn't such a good idea after all

Eating every 2 hours but staying in my calorie budget really really works for me, even if it's just a tiny snack

3 to 4 bottles of water everyday (or 6-8 cups)

Cutting out meat as often as possible (it's been grossing me out lately anyways)

No more 200 calorie coffees. Either milk and splenda or just tea instead

20 minute walk/jog in the morning, strength training at night

No alcohol. This isn't a big thing for me because I hardly ever drink anyways

No juice or soda. Just the daily coffee/tea and water with lemon

I will pack as many lunches as possible


Tips from Prevention.com:

-Water yourself. Guzzle plenty of H2O.

-Halve at it. Divide your normal portion by two and save the rest for later. You are likely to feel full on less food than you think.

-Go meatless. A few days a week. In general, vegetarians have lower body weights than their meat-eating peers. Follow their lead -- at least until you drop a few pounds

-Get fresh. Eliminate all packaged foods and eat only fresh ingredients you've prepared. No bags, boxes, cans, or cartons allowed.

-Not so sweet. Everyone knows sugar isn't healthy, but when you start reading labels, you find it in unexpected places, like pasta sauce and frozen entrees. Cutting the sugar out of your diet will mean healthier meals overall.

-Cut the flour. The short-term elimination of floury foods like white bread and pastries can efficiently kick-start your weight loss plan.

-Be virgin. Alcoholic beverages are some of the emptiest calories out there. Replace them with water, and the weight comes off

-Eat at home. Meals eaten away from home have 134 more calories, on average.

-Tweet your weight. Some call it the #humiliation diet, but many credit the accountability for their weight loss success. Use #tweetyourweight.

-Veg out. Fill two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, which are less calorie dense and more nutritious than any other type of food

-Swap your supper for soup. Soup's high water content makes it a low-calorie and filling option. Just steer clear of the creamy kinds.

-Stop dieting. Yo-yo dieters don't tend to get thinner--they get fatter. Instead, make a serious lifestyle change.

-Go gluten free. It isn't a miracle diet, but it can be a useful short-term experiment that often leads to weight loss and ultimately a less bread-heavy diet.

-Spice it up! Cayenne pepper really can rev your metabolism, according to recent research.

-Drop the potato chips. At the top of the list for foods that make you add pounds? Potato chips. *Try Popchips, Beanitos, or VeggieStix!

kristen6022

Pre-plan my meals a day ahead. Helps with the day old worry "what's for dinner"...

I eat 3 snack and 3 meals a day - keeps me fuller longer and less likely to divert from the above plan...

In the winter, instead of drinking plain cold water, I drink a variety of teas all day at work. I get my water in + I keep warm!

slimfitnessmoms

Something I do:

1. I switched my coffee creamer out for 2% skim milk and a little Splenda. It's the ONLY thing I use artificial sweetner for. After a few days creamer is WAY TOO SWEET for me anymore.

2. If I'm craving a sweet drink I put some frozen blackberries or raspberries in diet 7up or Sprite to satisfy it. It's soooo good!

3. I put my calorie goal a little lower then I really need to. Usually I forget that I can eat more, and reach my goal anyways

4. My healthy pizza (I love this) : 1 flat out low cal bread, pizza sauce (only 30 cals for 1/4 cup) and a shredded mozerella cheese stick (70 cals or less depending) Then you can add mushrooms etc. POP in toaster oven or oven until cheese is melted. I love pizza and this satisfies me without all the extra grease and calories.

What are some tricks you guys use???

1. I agree with switching out to skim milk, but don't use ARTIFICIAL sweetner...the word ARTIFICIAL just is not good for you..its fake. An alternative I would try is STEVIA...its a natural plant based sugar.

2. As far as sweetening a drink..try HINT water ...obviously good old plain water is the best for you.

3.Good idea with tricking yourself with the calorie thing.

4. Make sure your low cal bread is whole wheat or whole grain but great idea with making your own.

Piercep5

I am in my second college nutrition class and this was the most basic concept that I learned in the first class. The instructor is Janet Guenther, a professional women bodybuilder. I took that statement directly from her.

The most important aspect to that statement is that if you eat smaller meals every two hours you have less of a chance of overeating. If you wait 5 hours between meals and then eat 700 calories you will most likely eat an excess and store fat.

testease

For me my willpower is running at 110% from morning till my afternoon workout. After that it fades, so i make sure to save 80% of my calories for night time so i have a large buffer to eat all the junk i want.

BCSMama

Definitely pre planning meals has helped. I cook on Sundays for the entire week so there are healthy meals that I can just warm up during the very hectic week. I also eat every 2-3 hours so I don't get too hungry. I keep healthy snacks at my desk at work and at home so I'm not tempted to eat junk food.

Linli_Anne

A couple things that I am currently trying (adapted from successful weight loss between my 2 kids)

1 - I take smaller bites/cut smaller pieces. So, for instance an apple, instead of cutting it into say quarters, I half each of them and cut it into 1/8ths. I'm still eating the same amount, but I'm taking a bit longer to eat it and it has be feeling a bit fuller.

2 - If we happen to go to a restaurant, after the food is served I ask for either a takeout container, or a second plate. I put 1/2 of what I ordered to the side/in the box. I'm often satisfied before I finish the 1/2 I kept on the plate, but for me if it is all out there, I'll eat it.

Zomoniac

My trick: eat less.

Espressocycle

I have microwavable pork rinds for my afternoon snack. They fill me up like nothing else for 60 calories. If only they had even a smidgen of nutritional value!

Espressocycle

Hi Regina,

I eat 8 meals per day. Every two hours. The reason is because if you wait too long between meals your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat.

I don't think your body goes into starvation mode after two hours! Still good advice - I eat all day long, because I know if I let myself get to hungry I'll end up eating way too much.

tryclyn

My trick: eat less.

Oh, mine is to eat more and on a regular basis.

FredDoyle

I am in my second college nutrition class and this was the most basic concept that I learned in the first class. The instructor is Janet Guenther, a professional women bodybuilder. I took that statement directly from her.

The most important aspect to that statement is that if you eat smaller meals every two hours you have less of a chance of overeating. If you wait 5 hours between meals and then eat 700 calories you will most likely eat an excess and store fat.

If you learn anything from that class, then the take away is that even your instructor/prof can be full of it. Do your own research.

ohheyy125

My trick: eat less.

Guys like to keep it so simple =P Here I am posting a huge list of "tricks". I always like to over complicate things!

fudgebudget

I am in my second college nutrition class and this was the most basic concept that I learned in the first class. The instructor is Janet Guenther, a professional women bodybuilder. I took that statement directly from her.

The most important aspect to that statement is that if you eat smaller meals every two hours you have less of a chance of overeating. If you wait 5 hours between meals and then eat 700 calories you will most likely eat an excess and store fat.

"Starvation mode" is so overused. It may even be true that your metabolism isn't as fast if you don't eat every 2 hours, I don't know, but your body is not going to shut down if it doesn't get food for 2 hours. That's hyperbole, and it's ridiculous. Children in drought stricken areas of Somalia are in starvation mode. You are not in starvation mode because you forgot your 4pm apple.

Piercep5

[/quote]
If you learn anything from that class, then the take away is that even your instructor/prof can be full of it. Do your own research.
[/quote]

I have done my own research and I've used it to lose 50 pounds. Either take my advice or don't. Somebody asked for weight loss tips and I answered it in my first post. You can choose to ignore any or all of it, but it works.

_crafty_

move more, eat less . . . and lift heavy *kitten*

LizzieMdp

Agreed