Tips and Tricks

Hi there! I've been eating from smaller plates and bowls for years now, simply because I find cute plates and I buy them. So naturally, I have trained my mind to expect these portions. Also, by eating smaller-portioned meals throughout the day, I maintain my energy levels and metabolism doesn't rise and fall in between meals. I also pack my own lunches for work, so that's another healthy tip I would recommend. Cooking nothing but whole foods has kept my weight in check and leftovers are awesome. Good luck

A couple of easy ones that I use:

-Stop eating when you aren't hungry any more. This does not mean full. If you are full, you probably ate too much, but if you are no longer hungry, you probably ate the right amount.
-Don't clean off your plate, despite what your parents said. If this is a regular problem, invest in smaller plates.
-Like Yoga said, pack your own lunch full of nutritious snacks and meals. I have 3 small meals I take everyday to work, and eat breakfast before I leave and dinner when I get home. This keeps the metabolism stable and your body never wanting food. Plus, by planning out your meals, you know its nutritious for you already and removes the guesswork.
-Move around every hour, especially if you work at a desk all day. Get up and walk around your office or plant, take a walk around your building, something to keep you from being too sedentary.
-Work out some everyday. No matter what, you have time to do pushups or situps, even if its during commercials of your TV show. Some working out is better than none at all.
-Have a regular sleep pattern. This will help to keep your body used to regular sleep and meal patterns.
-Keep your mind busy. Not thinking about food helps to not be hungry. Concentrate on your work or hobby to take your mind off eating.
-Keep your end goal in mind. Remember the sacrifice now for the body you want to have later at the beach this year, or to be able run that 5K finally, or get into those skinny jeans, or whatever your specific reason for weight loss is. Keep that in mind when you feel like going off the rails and remember that having a good body feels infinitely better than that extra piece of chocolate cake.

I'm sure there are lots more, but this is what I could think up quickly. Good luck and keep up the good work.

Here's some I've learned in the last month:

- Ever have problems catching your breath after a hard burst of cardio? I do interval training with fast bursts of running with walking. Something a basketball coach told me a long time ago to hep me with my asthma I use all the time....NEVER put your hands on ur knees to calm and catch your breath. It just shrinks down the capacity of your lungs and how much air you can get in. Instead, put your hands on top of your head and intertwine your fingers. You can catch your breath SOOOO much faster and do more fast bursts over all!!! Works wonders I swear

- REALLY watch your sodium intake. I can really tell when I get too much and I'm all bloated. MFP put my goal at no more then 2500 grams of sodium a day, but the FDA recommends no more then 2300 so I changed mine to that on MFP. Unfortunately alot of those "diet" meals such as Smart Ones/Lean Cuisine and etc have alot of sodium. Fresh homemade meals have so much less.
- Along with that, drink lots of water. And if you consume some extra sodium for whatever reason drink more water.
- Exercise...I am not a person that can just eat healthy and really lose weight. I need to be working out, which is fine with me. I have never been a runner, but I'm trying to change that.
- Plan your meals the day before. I do this every day, so I get what I need and don't go over. I pack my lunch for work, along with 2 snacks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) the night before.
- If you know in advance you're going out to eat at a particular restaurant, see if they have their nutritional facts online. It makes picking a meal way less stressful when you're out to have a good time.

Hope those help