Small changes that make a diffrence......imput needed. =)

:flowerforyou:

I always keep a bag of 100 calorie popcorn in my desk and most days when the afternoon hits I will make it and put it into a bowl at my desk.. gives me something to munch on for that mindless eating thing we do

Replaced all the chicken stock in the house to Low Sodium and all natural stuff as well

Got rid of most of the processed food and replaced it will the tools to make it home made.. no more rice mixes or noodles or any of that.. we just use plain rice and cook it in chicken stock

Eat on smaller plates

Don't bing the pot to the table.. serve up plates in the kitchen (and I do measure up the servings for me, my hubby and older son) and bring the plates to the dining room.. no one goes back for seconds

I keep a pile of carrots or whatever on the counter when I am cooking so I much on those and not anything else.

so obviously I can ramble..lol

I switched to "herb salad mix" with fresh tomato salsa instead of plain lettuce in my salads because the leaves and salsa have so much flavor, I find I use less dressing and higher calorie things in my salads.

I LOVE sweets! I found the SkinnyCow Ice Cream Sandwiches -- they are low in calories, fat and even contain fiber. My personal favorite is the Mint Ice Cream Sandwich, but they come in a variety of flavors.

I look forward to hearing what everyone else does. . . .

Have a great day!

Yes I also use the hummus in place of chip dip and veggie dip its so much better for you. I replaced my diet pop with diet green tea so i still get my caffine fix during the lunch hour. And i still believe that drinking 2 big glasses of water before you eat really does help u eat less. Good Luck and i loved to hear what everyone else does for their small changes

Bump!

When making guacamole.. substitute 50% of your mix with green peas. The peas take on the flavour of the avocado, only with less fat. Sneaky & yummy rolled into one

Even more yummy and higher protein.. use soy beans instead of peas

I have changed a lot! I eat much more food actually now, crazy as that sounds. I don't just eat carbs and leave the rest on my plate cuase i'm full. I eat way more vegetabls and fruit, drink way more water and am avoiding canned and processed foods as much as possible.

When i eat a sandwich i eat one piece of bread. I use ezekiel bread now instead of whole wheat.

I meausre out hummus or red pepper dip first. so i don't aimlessly dip.

I don't let myself have almost any crackers or snacky foods and have begun avoiding high sugar bars like fibre1 as they all seem to make me crave more and more and more!

I use laughing cow instead of mayo sometimes. Still working on this!

Drink a glass of water before dinner, or two to help not overeat. I measure out my full plate and push the tempting dishes across the table. I try to fill my plate really full with salad, mushrooms or veggies, psychological i guess :P

Put my salad in a mixing bowl with a few other veggies and toss with tbsp of my fave poppyseed dressing, coat well instead of finding it dry and wasting more calories on more dressing.

Allow myself a few packets of nestea singles on days i can't get my water in.

Make sure i don't go longer than 3-4 hours between meals. If we are eating a late dinner i allow a second snack so i don't binge.

On days i have extra calories i mix peanut butter into my oatmeal. Super yum, very filling and healthy!

My fave go-to snack right now is yogurt with berries on top and FF whipped cream. On days i have a really good workout i indulge in a bit of low fat granola too! (but find it hard to limit so mostly as a treat)

THANK YOU! Enriched = crap, might as well be white bread, etc.
[/quote]

I know!! I burst peoples bubbles ALL the time about it. People get flustered when they say "oh, well this is whole grain" and I flip the box/ bag/ what have you and point out the "enriched" part. A lot of people blow me off but I am so glad I know better.

I think it's some crap that companies are allowed to falsly label their products that way.

I was told that as women, we stock bread (especially wheat), pasta and potatoes almost directly into our mid-sections... so I've been avoiding them at least during the week and this time around, I did not get the soft "love handles" that always came with losing weight (I have had 5 pregnancies)! Instead, I eat basmati rice, and rice cakes + a protein (25% less fat peanut butter or light cheese spread). I also discovered spaghetti squash (microwave 10 mins to be able to cut into rings, remove centre, fill with cooked ground meat mixed with salsa, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 40 mins - absolutely delicious!!). I have also discovered edamame soy beans!! (Boil three minutes, drain, sprinkle with coarse salt if desired, and extract the beans from the pods). Those beans are an excellent source of protein, fibre and good fats: all essential for attaining our goals! :bigsmile:

I had a lot of trouble adjusting to my calorie intake at first, but as I became more aware of the caloric value of foods, I gradually made adjustments to eat more satisfying meals... and at least two snacks!

Don't forget cardio! (you need to sweat, there's no getting around it!). Taking power walks with my stroller has really kicked my metabolism into high gear!

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

THANK YOU! Enriched = crap, might as well be white bread, etc.

I know!! I burst peoples bubbles ALL the time about it. People get flustered when they say "oh, well this is whole grain" and I flip the box/ bag/ what have you and point out the "enriched" part. A lot of people blow me off but I am so glad I know better.

I think it's some crap that companies are allowed to falsly label their products that way.
[/quote]

It pays to be an informed food shopper.

* Swap "normal" sized wholemeal bread for smaller loaves. 90cals per normal size / 57cals per smaller slice of bread.
* Drink lots of water
* Swap sugar for sweetner
* swap full fat milk for Semi- Skimmed
* Weigh your carbs with evening meal
* Swap white rice and pasta for wholemeal variety
* Swap fries / jacket potatoes / roast potatoes for new potatoes. New pot's are 140 cals per 200g
* Swap red meat for chicken and turkey
* Use oil sparingly - I still cook with olive oil as it is good for you but use a LOT less
* Cut down on alcohol and swap beer & wine for a spirit and low cal mixer (IE vodka & diet coke)
* Have portion of veg or salad with lunch and dinner - you get so much for so little calories. Use dressing sparingly or make your own (a tiny olive oil, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar
* Eat lots of fruit - but do check the calories - some fruits are very high. I am loving strawberries at the moment and pineapple!
* Eat little and often. I have 3 meals a day but snacks at 11am and 4pm too
* Use your food diary to PLAN as opposed to just log food. Logging after you have eaten means you cannot make healthir choices
* Cook from scratch as often as possible
* Do not deny yourself the odd treat. But go for snack size - in the UK you get little pots of Key Lime Pie that are 140 cals per pot! Or mini size chocolate bars
* Do not skip meals
* When eating out go for children's meals if they are on offer. Or else stick to the healthiest options possible - but have a few of someone else's fries so you are not totally missing out :-)
* Make plans for the weekend / when you have free time as boredom can lead to snacking. Even if it is just doing some laundry
* Plan rewards when you reach certain goals
* Take regular exercise but do not feel guilty if you cannot hit the gym 6 days a week
* Eat back your exercise calories
* Listen to your body - if you are hungry then eat (remember to put in what you want to eat before eating it though - if you fancy a burger and then enter it into your planner first - you may feel differently!!)
* Be patient - losing weight and keeping it off takes time
* If you have a bad day do not let it turn into a bad week. If at first you don't succeed then try again and again!


Finally - and most importantly - always remember to lose weight for yourself and nobody else!

Best of luck!

Chives make anything taste delicious (especially with fage fat free greek yogurt on a baked potato--a yukon gold potato is so creamy it doesn't need butter).

I keep a stock of light string cheese on hand.

Measure out salad dressing or other condiments--Trader Joe's Fat Free Balsamic has 25 calories for 2 Tbsp and it is delicious. Sometimes fat free dressing is gross, this stuff is not.

I eat chocolate almost every day--either a couple of dark chocolate wedges (70 cals from Trader Joe's) or a sugar free pudding (60 cals from Jello or Kosishack-which is more natural than the Jello brand). If I have the calories and some milk in the house (we almost never use milk now) I will make some hot cocoa. Good, high cocoa content kind, not the fake sugary kind.

Sandwich thins! I can still put my full serving of turkey on there and have the experience of two slices of bread. We also use them when we make turkey/chicken burgers. A favorite dinner when we are craving burgers--sandwich thin, Trader Joe's frozen chicken burger, veggies, mustard and ketchup and Trader Joe's sweet potato spears. The raw ones--toss them with less than a Tbsp of olive oil and some salt and bake them. So good!

I am going to try the laughing cow/cracker thing with my sandwiches. I am getting so tired of baby carrots.

Spray butter