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

eat more bland food

Don't drink with your meals it causes the food to sit in the stomach longer rather than ride the wave of liquids thru the pyloric valve and into the intestines. Don't drink for an hour afterwards either. You will stay full longer.

when should you drink?

Children in drought stricken areas of Somalia are in starvation mode. You are not in starvation mode because you forgot your 4pm apple.

This made me laugh out loud...and then feel like I'm going to hell.

I agree... except for I don't feel like I'm going to hell....

Starving children are hilarious.... :huh:

I fast for 23 hours, wait till 11pm, eat 2,300 calories. And drop the lbs.

There are no real tricks however a "trick" i do use is intermittent fasting. I've dropped 17 pounds in 30 days. I weigh myself every day to see if my body is stabilizing and sure enough it is. I fluctuate 1-2 pounds every other day just before I drop another pound or two. FOR ME it's mindless, it takes a little discipline but I like big meals and to know that I can eat big meals means I can eat what I want, in moderation of course.

I watch my cals and make sure to get some excercise in, take vitamins and supplements and drink a ton of water. Easy as that.

when I get closer to my goal I'll start to increase intensity with workouts however I have to get my umbilical hernia repaired.

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

That's my motto too

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.

LOLOL No it doesn't.

Well, I don't know of any "tricks", but I have made some subtle changes at the grocery store:

1.) I switched to Weight Watcher's and Body Wise bread. I love sandwiches. This bread is 35 cals. per slice.
2.) I bake more than fry, and when I fry, I use olive oil, Becel margarine Light, or just plain water for meats, fish and veggies.
3.) I avoid the deli and only buy packaged fat-free lunchmeats.
4.) I switched from mayo to Calorie Wise Miracle Whip.
5.) I use only calorie wise Kraft salad dressing or make my own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of dijon mustard. Yum.
6.) I buy and use skinless chicken. Skin is too fatty. I use leaner cuts of beef. I try to eat fish once a week...baked, not fried.
7.) If I get a chocolate craving, one package of Thinsations or a Fiber 1 bars at 100 calories each does the trick.
8.) I don't buy frozen ANYthing unless it;s Kool Whip Light for my strawberries, or a package of frozen fruit. And Skinny Cow ice cream treats, Must. Have. Skinny Cow.
9. My weekly shopping used to be 50% crap, processed food, and junk. Now I am eating "cleaner" and have replaced the crap with more produce.
10.) If I want sour cream on my potato, I buy the reduced fat "light" version.
11.) I no longer eat much cheese, but when I do, it's Philly Light or Kraft Light Singles
12.) I eat turkey bacon instead of regular bacon.
13.) Although some can be high in sodium, I find the "light" versions of brand name soups are quite tasty.
14.) I've tried to incorporate more grains such as barley and quinoa into my diet.

Basically, anything you buy off the shelves at the grocery store has a light version. Try them! But be sure to make your cart 75-85% clean eating...meats, produce, grains, etc. (<--THIS from a former junk food junkie!).

Search for lo-cal, low fat recipes on the Internet. There's TONS of them out there to suit your taste.

Cook daily and try not to eat out, but when you do, be bold about asking the chef to prepare your meal according to your dietary standards. Most are happy to oblige.

Log everything and be honest about what you put in your mouth. The only person you're cheating is you.

More veggies/salads, water, exercise.

Less processed foods, high calorie snacks.

NO diet pills, fad diets, laxatives, or fasts.

And.....no denial! Portion control works! Eat what you like but less of it, and subsitute fat as much as you can with lighter versions.

....after not losing for 10 months despite eating less and exercising 5 days a week...I now eat about double the amount of cals(close to my TDEE) and lift weights...scale is finally moving again

1800 calories of good clean nutritious food is a whole different thing than 1800 calories of processed pre-packaged food, or fast food. They are completely different animals. When I eat clean, I can barely get to 2000 cals, I'm set to eat around 2200 per day. I'm really full. When I eat like crap, meaning, packaged and processed foods, I can easily eat in excess of 3,000. There is a reason for that. However, without going all into it, if you watch "Forks over Knives" they explain the physiology as to why that happens. However, what I wanted to say is my trick is eating clean. That's all there is to it. Eat clean, and exercise most days. Don't make a big deal out of it, don't obsess. Just do it, and make it part of your new lifestyle going forward.

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).

^^^ agree. I'm pretty certain that starvation mode only exists in reality on desert islands.

Eating whole foods. Drinking lots of water. Exercise!!!

I don't have any tricks. I just plan my shopping, then plan my meals, and use MFP. No magic is required. :smokin:

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 find this a bit of an oxymoron. If you think about it, "back in the day" you didn't have food available to you 24/7. That means you may not be able to have a meal until the next kill, or next harvest, etc. Yet, they were extremely fit. Now, we have food 24/7 and eat all the time and we're obese. I don't think there's much of a difference between eating 8 small meals or 1 large meal. I think; to each his own. Agree, i always thought starvation mode was when your body had used up all its stored fat and then started eating at muscle, organs etc.

This video has a lot of good points.

http://www.trimdownclub.com/introduction/index.html

I pray to the mighty Earth Crab