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psmith64
psmith64 Posts: 102 Member
in Motivation and Support
One of my tips is to fill your food diary out first thing in the morning, or even plan a few days ahead and fill a few days out.

Always include a few treats so you feel you are not depriving yourself, or on a diet. After all, we are not on diets we are just changing our habits for life.

If you find you are over your calorie allowance for what you want to eat this will then motivate you to do some exercise to eat what you have planned.

It's a win win situation, you get to eat what you fancy, but if it's more than your allowance it gets you into the habit of having to earn it.

Paul

Replies

  • DuhhMuffin
    DuhhMuffin Posts: 198
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    I plan out most of my meals up til dinner, and make sure I leave like 300 calories in case I decide to have a snack or a pop or something.
  • lorenzoinlr
    lorenzoinlr Posts: 338 Member
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    Know your personality type. I'm a saver, I like to hold on to my daily calories as long as possible, back-weighting dinner and eveining healthy snacks. My gf is a spender, she enjoys breakfast, front-loads calories and then hangs on.
  • Annieapple12
    Annieapple12 Posts: 122 Member
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    I put food in in advance as well.

    If I am not hungry but feel like eating I find having a cup of herbal tea helps.

    Also, jogging on the spot for 10 mins burns just over 100 calories so if I am nearing my limit and want to eat I do that first.
  • psmith64
    psmith64 Posts: 102 Member
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    Some great idea's here. I especially like the one of jogging on the spot for 10 minutes if nearing your calorie goal for the day but feel the need for a snack. Going to add that one to my list as you can't make any excuses not to do that

    Paul
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
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    I do the same thing. Weigh myself, put in food and exercise for day. I also leave some "extra" calories just in case. It works for me.

    Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!!!
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
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    Plan your day
    precook a load of healthy stuff on a day off to freeze and put in the fridge.
    Memorise the calories of foods that you regularly eat so if you need to pick food on the fly you don't go over
  • debbiegill1234
    debbiegill1234 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have known all along that the best thing I could do was to write down everything i am eating. This site is by far the simplest & easiest to use! I am on day # 5 and still recording. I want to lose 5 lbs in january. I work out 4 times/wk at a local gym & have still managed to put on about 7 lbs over the past year. This means that i am eating way too much! Guess my tip is you really need to document everything that goes in your mouth.:smile:
  • TyL17
    TyL17 Posts: 8 Member
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    Post your "before " pic on the fridge so you see it when you open it

    eat before you get hungry

    keep healthy snacks available

    don't watch TV commercials..
  • IsleEsme
    IsleEsme Posts: 175 Member
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    Chug CHUG water if I'm feeling the need for junk food.
    Log early in the day and PLAN dinner (dinner is my biggest problem)
    Get moving early in the morning. If I can be at the gym by 7-8am I know it's gonna be a great productive day :)
    Don't grocery shop when I'm hungry, it never ends well
  • IsleEsme
    IsleEsme Posts: 175 Member
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    Post your "before " pic on the fridge so you see it when you open it

    eat before you get hungry

    keep healthy snacks available

    don't watch TV commercials..

    Commericials at night are the WORST!! I mute them if they get to me. It seems every one is about some type of crap I don't need to be eating at 9pm!
  • psmith64
    psmith64 Posts: 102 Member
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    Post your "before " pic on the fridge so you see it when you open it

    eat before you get hungry

    keep healthy snacks available

    don't watch TV commercials..

    Some great ideas there, I especially like the idea of posting the before pic on the fridge !!

    Paul
  • RockingDad
    RockingDad Posts: 17 Member
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    Drink water steadily and regularly through the day. Keeping hydrated prevents water retention and really helps weight loss. I'm not kidding here peeps!
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
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    nice tips so far...a few i have learned along the way...

    i precook a lot of meat on the weekends. then just cut it up when i need it. note: i LOVE cold steak and chicken.

    i buy a gallon of water everyday. most days i drink most of it. it is easier for me to track my water level by seeing how much is left in the gallon, instead of writing it down somewhere. did i write it down already? did i forget to write it down?

    i use pepperidge farm stuffing instead of croutons on salads. they are much smaller, so while the calorie count is pretty much the same, i get way more for my calories used.

    bagged salad. can't say enough about this. love it. buy it on sale. so much easier, and you can add what you want. great for meals when short on time.

    find a few motivational quotes, and remember them. they will help you get thru some tough times. my current favorite, "who is in your mirror?"

    do this for yourself. that is the biggest difference for me this time. all the other times i have tried to lose weight, it has been for someone else. this time: me. this is the most successful i've been for the longest time.

    last one, remember we are all individuals, so what works for one, might not work my another. don't get discouraged, just find what works for you.

    good luck to all. looking forward to reading more of these from everyone!
  • pwnderosa
    pwnderosa Posts: 280 Member
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    Drink tea during times you tend to eat out of boredom or stress
    Find a form of exercise you love to do and look forward to
    Make a list of your favorite low calorie snacks, fruits, and veggies and refer to it before you go food shopping
    Reward yourself for small victories and milestones
    When eating out, be very wary of fried food, mayo, and salad dressings
  • LK0321
    LK0321 Posts: 25
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    I bought some great portion cups and bowls so measuring stuff is quicker at a glance. Ihave 4oz, and 8 oz cups for drinks, and 1 cup and 2 cup little snack bowls. The small 1 cup mason jars are great too. I have a zune and keep it loaded with "fitspo" pics and quotes. When I feel lazy i look through it and start watching inspirational shows like "operation osmin" and documentaries on netflix. Stuff that is calorie loaded like cheese, nuts and milk I only eat a half serving of. I also try to load up on healthy stuff before eating dirty.
  • dianarubi81
    dianarubi81 Posts: 4
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    Drink tea during times you tend to eat out of boredom or stress
    Find a form of exercise you love to do and look forward to
    Make a list of your favorite low calorie snacks, fruits, and veggies and refer to it before you go food shopping
    Reward yourself for small victories and milestones
    When eating out, be very wary of fried food, mayo, and salad dressings

    You are so right about the tea. I'm Currently in a big change to become vegan because of some colon and gastritis issues so my usual snack won't work. Tea is part of my treatment and it does the trick.

    Im glad I decided to come read some of the tips here. Sometimes we think we are the only ones with an issue.
  • soaps54
    soaps54 Posts: 567 Member
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    Don't only use the scale as your means of success or failure, pull out a measuring tape. There will probably come a time when the scale stops moving for some time and when that happens, compare measurements. You'll feel better. :-)

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