Small But Super Helpful Habits

I started wearing my sneakers to work instead of my steel-toes. I can walk longer, farther, and faster during my transit commute, and my feet are less sore.

And get enough sleep! When I'm tired my food intake increases and with all the bad stuff

I keep a bunch of snacks at work, almonds, fruit bursts, 100 calorie bags of popcorn, pita bread or flat-outs, small pouches of tuna or salmon, pineapple chunks in a jar, protein shake with fiber as a quickie breakfast with some fruit (also makes my vitamins easier to take). I keep some laughing cow cheese wedges in the fridge, pickle relish, and Greek yogurt in the fridge. Some days I make a quick tuna salad using the yogurt, tuna, relish and place it in the pita bread or on the flatouts. I add some almonds and fresh fruit that I brought from home and I have a good meal that keeps me full for hours! Having food on hand keeps me from eating other things from the vending machines or that people brought in.

I try to pre-log my food for the day or at least have a mental idea of what my calories will be for dinner. For example, if I know that I am not working out that day I try to pick lower calorie soups and salads for my meals versus picking a "treat" or higher calorie item on workout days.

Lots of water, especially when I think I am hungry I will drink about 6-8 ounces and I find that I am not really as hungry I thought.

I try to rotate the fruits and veggies that I eat so I don't get bored with them and eat something like a 200 calorie donut for a "change of pace."

I think of food sometimes in terms of how long do I have to exercise on the elliptical if I eat this donut? A lot of times, I decide that the donut does not taste good enough to warrant the extra workout time. A piece of cookie cake with a big gob of icing on it would totally be worth it right now for me! I have been craving it for days!

I try to make sure that I work in foods that I truly enjoy but are not considered healthy into my diet several days a week. It is much easier to stick with it if you can have some dark chocolate, a juicy cheeseburger, or some pizza loaded with a bunch of meat and cheese!

If you go over your calories for the day, don't beat yourself up over it. Learn from it and move on. Don't allow it to become an excuse to eat over your goal for the rest of the week. We all make mistakes and it is through these mistakes that we learn the most about our strengths and weaknesses.

What a great thread! Surely, thorough logging is the key including the weighing of every bit and bite I am loving all your ideas and good habits.

To weigh in with my habits: lots and lots of water, the bottle is always with me (on the desk, on the sofa, next to the bed, on grocery runs, on walks etc.). I walk much more now instead of taking the bus. I have no more soft drinks.

Most importantly for me was to tell people that I am on a weight loss journey now. I don't have an awful lot to lose (now around 30 lbs) so most people say the polite "ah, but you don't have to..." but letting my friends and family know about it, makes me accountable and helps me to decline certain foods or seconds.

These things help me (a lot). Find what works for you and repeat... You can do it!

1) Eat breakfast every morning. Seriously.
2) Eat protein for lunch (tuna, chicken, etc.) to avoid getting hangry at work.
3) Get RunKeeper or equivalent app, hook it up to MFP, and walk.
4) Put an exercise mat and weights in front of the TV. Use them. Often.
5) Buy low calorie, filling snacks (peanut butter, popcorn, cheese slices).
6) Eat quality calories that you enjoy, including more vegetables!
7) Decrease or eliminate caloric drinks (esp. alcohol). Budget in on occasion.
8) Do not "go on a diet." Change the way you eat.
9) Drink lots of water and tea. Use tea as a treat.
10) It's OK to go to bed a little hungry. See #1.

Planning what I'll eat the day before has really helped me! I don't randomly snack anymore because I know around what times I get hungry at and plan my meals around that.
Eating more protein helps keep me fuller for longer. I always make sure to have a high protein breakfast or lunch so I'm full until dinner and won't snack.
Not cutting out foods. During my failed dieting attempt I would cut out whole food groups, and junk and it always lead to me binging on whatever I had cut out. So now everything is allowed in moderation.
Learning portion control so I only cook enough for me so there are no extras to eat or to go back to to get second helpings.

Really just logging foods and realizing just how many calories were in my usual diet was such a wake-up call, I remember just doing a day of it and being amazed. Once I started doing that and became cognizant of what a 'normal' serving size should look like, I started eating that normal serving instead of the 'extra large' one I was used to.

-If eating out, almost always half a portion size is sufficient - if I love it, asking for a box to take home and eat tomorrow is just fine. Skipping the fries/chips/empty calorie sides.
-All meals, take a bite or two, then drink a glass of water. I used to stuff myself because of wanting to feel full, and filling with water means I'm full at a reasonable amount, instead of a ridiculous amount.
-small square of dark chocolate for those moments of "ugh I need sweets now!" moments, instead of say, a pint of ice cream.

I swapped out chips for those Honey & Oats bars from Nature Valley, which keep me full longer, they're healthier. I also cut all soda from my diet save for a 8oz Dr Pepper in the morning (like you did, I get my caffeine from soda, and I can't switch to tea because I only like sweet tea and, well, that would defeat the purpose).
I am a snacker, a grazer, if something's there, I eat it, so I have a son, right, he's 3. I used to put out snacks for him and take a few because of a "mama tax" (its a real thing in my house), I've begun putting an end to that. I also clean. I clean quite a bit, because like I said, if its there, I will eat it, so I make sure that there is nothing in my vision for me to eat.

I always make extra at tea, then freeze. In my freezer I now have a range of lunch boxes and take a different healthy meal to work each day, cost effective and keeps me away from making sandwiches or buying food. I also pack my snacks and take no money to work.

Preplanning is key, as if starving hungry, I'm more likely to make bad choices.

I think of it as bartering. I want x but I want y more. So I can have a bit of each or chose y. Im not deprived, I am making a choices.

I agree with pre-packing meals & snacks (even something for dinner if you think you might run late getting home, and if you don't eat it you can save for tomorrow's lunch or take home for dinner).

I agree having a decent knife at work, plus a cucumber peeler and an apple corer are invaluable tools.

I keep a Mrs. Dash seasoning mix, hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar at work also.

I completely agree with unsweetened black tea as a go to drink for every day - but I struggle to add plain water in between for pure hydration.

My biggest "I'm starving and must eat now" saviors are: those hard boiled eggs that come pre-peeled (in half, throw away 3/4 yolk), the Carnegie Deli pickle spears, sugar free jello made with fresh sliced strawberries, and sliced chicken breast meat w/Dijon in a leaf of lettuce or without. I also love a breakfast roll-up using the Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas, some lean lunch meat and an ounce of cheese in the micros for 30 seconds... lasts for hours!

Undertwo wrote: »

I've taken to doing twelve bodyweight squats each time I use the bathroom at home. Two weeks ago I could barely keep my balance with arms extended now I do deep squats with arms folded against my chest.

Small steps in a greater journey toward fitness.

I do this too! Since I have a desk job and I'm self conscious about doing it in my area when I go to the bathroom I will take the time to do squats and since it's a one person bathroom I'll do jumping jacks or something too It all adds up!

I cut up fruits and veggies as soon as I get home from the grocery store. Having precut fruits and veggies displayed in clear Tupperware at eye level in my fridge makes it so much easier and more likely that I make a smart choice when I'm hungry.

I don't recommend eating apples everyday as they are very high in sugars. They are actually a 'useless' fruit nutrition wise. They are reportedly more efficient at waking you up in the morning than a cup of coffee.

Apples have both fiber and pectic that help you feel fuller. There are worse foods oust there.

For me, paying attention to portion size is key. We generally eat dinner from salad plates (which are still fairly large) just so there is not as much white space around the food--it tricks your mind to think the portion is larger. Also, I make sure that vegetables are at least half of the plate, protein 2/3 of what remains, and the remaining bit for rice/potatoes/pasta.

At restaurants, if I'm not specifically eating something that is low calorie, I will ask for a to-go box right away and split my portion so that I don't over-indulge.

Recording what I eat and trying to be as accurate as I can - not "oh but I think this meal is 500 calories"
Walking at least 10,000 steps a day because every little helps
Realising that I don't have to give up chocolate, sweets, and things I like - I just need to make sure I save up calories for treats every now and again