Weight loss tricks

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Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited December 2014
    I've thought of some things I've changed to help me fit in my calorie defecit

    1) I keep a 2 litre bottle of sparkling mineral water on my desk ...(in fact I take a pack of 4 in so I don't run out)

    2) I eat packs of berries ..like sweets sometimes

    3) really good quality dark chocolate (minimum 72%) place a small piece in the centre of your tongue and allow it to melt ..makes 20g chocolate taste divine and last a long time (and that's actually how you're supposed to eat chocolate to experience all its flavours)

    4) ice lollies like Fabs and Soleros are around 90 calories each

    5) total Greek 0% yogurt - 170g =97 calories and 18g protein

    6) 1 slice toast with low fat cottage cheese, avocado and tomato and then cut into 4 pieces ...delicious, and lasts longer in 4 pieces

    7) big pots of food made at the weekend ..like vegetable chilli (with rice and cheddar cheese) and butternut squash risotto give me lunches for around 400 calories all week

    8) big block of mature cheddar, grate at home and keep in a Tupperware ...easy to add 10g to chilli / scrambled egg etc

    9) two chicks liquid egg whites

    10) I see a trainer once a week who keeps me motivated and constantly pushed to the next fitness goal

    11) I set my activity to sedentary on MFP and allow my fitbit to overwrite it daily ...generally earning 300 calories over base..I also use a an HRM for workouts and log separately (400 - 700 calories)

    12) don't accept hunger signals as a cue to eat if I've just eaten ...ignore it, it does go away

    13) the dog ...best incentive to walk more
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Wow, lots of flags happening in this post! Seems like someone might need to review the guidelines on when to flag posts vs. when to report posts: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10019255/flagged-content-reported-posts-warning-points

    Now, while people scramble to flag this post (because I always get a flag if I mention flagging) here are my general tips for dealing with hunger:

    1. Make sure your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. If you're exercising and using MFP's setup for calories, this means you can/should be eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories.

    2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer.

    3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

    4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

    5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

    6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to wait it out and be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

    7. I also think it's important to look at your habits and emotions surrounding food and decide which ones might be hurting or helping. For instance, I tend to eat out of boredom or anxiety. If I can stop either of those before I get to the kitchen then I'm much less likely to eat when I don't want to. For me, that means a stress relief program, journaling and mindful eating to identify the emotions involved, and hobbies that keep my hands busy or get me out of the house. This is very much an "everyone is different" kind of thing, so there's no one tip I can give to help with this.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    Acg67 wrote: »
    Paul_Collyer wrote: »
    - Find the right calorie deficit for your situation. Trick is to minimise hunger and temptation and also provide your body with the nutrients it needs, while being below your maintenance burn.
    - Make good food choices beyond calories.....it will also make your calories go further. Keep your sugar target low and within that eat natural ones eg. fruit as much as possible. Also pay some attention to the GI index for your carbs.
    - Weigh and measure your food. Do not guess unless you have to, and be honest.
    - Plan your food diary on days where it is possible
    - Drink water through the day
    - Weigh yourself often and learn about your body, while keeping your eye on the trend....
    - Get exercising, and measure it accurately in terms of calories. Gadgets are your friend here if you can afford them.....( I use vivofit and Garmin 620, and HRM for all activities. About to go to 920xt to cover all if Santa listens to my wishes ;-) )
    - Reward yourself with days off or days where you go over your limit, as long as you make up for it on other days. You have to live.

    LOL GI Index
    It's a good think you're here to laugh at the tips. I'm sure everyone would hate to try something you found laughable.

    If you don't like a tip, why not just move on, folks? It's not like anyone's recommending others puke up meals or something.

    Well do tell how applicable the GI index to non diabetics? If you actually did a little research you might learn something, maybe even on this very sight. GI index isn't even a good proxy for satiating foods. But go on you tell me why it was a good tip.
  • thiswillhappen
    thiswillhappen Posts: 634 Member
    I've lost 25 pounds so far and I'm feeling great. I have 15 more to lose. Here are some of my tips:
    1. Drink lots of green tea and water.
    2. Try eating "raw till dinner" to see if you like it - you can get lots of fruits and veggies in during the day and keep your body fuelled on whole, nutritious, low-calorie foods. Then you can help yourself to a yummy, nutritious warm meal for dinner. I like fish or chicken with brown rice and veggies, for example.
    3. Have a cheat day once a week or once every two weeks. It helps get the cravings out of my system and it often makes me realize that I don't even enjoy the "junk" food I used to eat.
    4. Do a variety of different types of exercises in different settings so that you don't get bored. Make sure to have rest days too.
    5. Keep motivated by using online forums - On top of mfp, I enjoy fitness tumblrs that emphasize exercise, muscle building, healthy recipes and motivational quotes re self-improvement, confidence and accomplishment.
    6. Reward yourself for your progress with non-food treats like manicures, hair cuts, new clothes, coffee with an old friend, a massage, a chill yoga class, a bubble bath, a nap, whatever makes you feel good!
    7. Have fun! Think positive, smile, and be confident that though it won't happen overnight, you will see the progress eventually, and it will feel amazing. It will feel more amazing than any food will ever make you feel (as a recovering overeater, I say this from experience).

    Good luck! <3
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    thiswillhappen wrote: »
    I've lost 25 pounds so far and I'm feeling great. I have 15 more to lose. Here are some of my tips:
    1. Drink lots of green tea and water.
    2. Try eating "raw till dinner" to see if you like it - you can get lots of fruits and veggies in during the day and keep your body fuelled on whole, nutritious, low-calorie foods. Then you can help yourself to a yummy, nutritious warm meal for dinner. I like fish or chicken with brown rice and veggies, for example.
    3. Have a cheat day once a week or once every two weeks. It helps get the cravings out of my system and it often makes me realize that I don't even enjoy the "junk" food I used to eat.
    4. Do a variety of different types of exercises in different settings so that you don't get bored. Make sure to have rest days too.
    5. Keep motivated by using online forums - On top of mfp, I enjoy fitness tumblrs that emphasize exercise, muscle building, healthy recipes and motivational quotes re self-improvement, confidence and accomplishment.
    6. Reward yourself for your progress with non-food treats like manicures, hair cuts, new clothes, coffee with an old friend, a massage, a chill yoga class, a bubble bath, a nap, whatever makes you feel good!
    7. Have fun! Think positive, smile, and be confident that though it won't happen overnight, you will see the progress eventually, and it will feel amazing. It will feel more amazing than any food will ever make you feel (as a recovering overeater, I say this from experience).

    Good luck! <3

    LOL at bolded part...

    I see the clean eaters are out in full force in this thread...
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 650 Member
    I read somewhere that you should buy blue dishes because just like reds & yellows stimulate appetites, blue is suppose to suppress it. So if you have blue dishes, you'll tend to put less on your plate.

    I have no idea if there's any truth to that, but it couldn't hurt. You might end up with some awesome new dishes!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited December 2014
    I just happened to purchase blue dishes last week, I'll let you know if it's true :)
  • Turning_Hopes_to_Habits
    Turning_Hopes_to_Habits Posts: 103 Member
    My mother had blue dishes when I was growing up, but I always attributed my lack of appetite to her cooking...
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Turning_Hopes_to_Habits wrote: »
    My mother had blue dishes when I was growing up, but I always attributed my lack of appetite to her cooking...

    That works too :)
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Buy appropriately sized dishes. I paid $2 for lovely footed ice cream bowls which hold 4 ounces. A serving looks large in these bowls, as opposed to swimming in a sea of empty I-want-more.

    I have a special bowl for salads. It's basically a smaller serving bowl, a beautifully glazed blue ceramic coup bowl which easily holds a mound of fluffy salad and all the toppings.

    I have small plates for lunch, and snack plates which have a matching cup for soup which fits into an invention, and a small space for a sandwich or side.

    Apparently dish size has been shown in studied to help with satiety. Using smaller plates trick your brain into thinking you're eating more.
  • Turning_Hopes_to_Habits
    Turning_Hopes_to_Habits Posts: 103 Member
    I am 95% Pescatarian, too (i.e., only eat vegetable, grain, and seafood proteins).

    I'll call these HINTS to be more palatable to the Syntax Police.

    In general, I shoot for a minimum of 5-10 grams of fat for every meal. Less than that and the meal isn't satisfying to me: doesn't taste as good or keep me full as long.

    Gorton's Simply Bake Salmon paired with some broccoli and another vegetable is a great-tasting and filling lunch.

    If you don't already make frittatas, start. I use about one egg per whole cup of liquid egg whites to get most of the eggs' good nutrition and taste while limiting cholesterol and calories.

    I love Eggs in Purgatory/Shakshuka, but my husband hates them. See if they sound good. Only problem is, they really do taste best with a piece of bread, so make sure you have the calories for that.

    Michael Angelo's makes good frozen dinners with no preservatives and minimum processing. The Vegetable Lasagna and Eggplant Parmesan are both vegetarian, filling, and healthy.

    The idea of having a bowl of soup before a meal is one I do a few times a week. Well, I make soup once a month or so and eat it for a week. I like pureed veggie soups with 1 or 2 TBS of whipped cream cheese; it's like a cream soup with few calories and tons of nutrition. Once or twice a year, I'll have Progresso's Light Clam Chowder and doctor is with a little butter and some Old Bay and I enjoy it, but it's crap food and it's nowhere in the same universe as good clam chowder. Still, it's nice on the rare occasion when I'm too lazy to cook, have a taste for a dairy-based cream soup, and want low calories. It's as fake as you get, though...

    If you don't expect a replacement for spaghetti, spaghetti squash is great. I do like it with pasta sauce and a little cheese and garlic, but the texture is nothing like noodles and you won't like it if you're going for that. But if you want a low-calorie, nutritious vegetable that is slightly crunchy and pairs really well with an Italian flavor profile, give it a shot. Here's another hint: it's easy to overcook and make mushy, and then it's disgusting. You want it to be fork-tough when it's done. If you want to make an entrée out of it, add some shrimp.

    Vigo's Red Beans and Rice is great and can be microwaved. Fast and tasty and healthy. We eat it as an entrée with a salad.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    mommyrunning wrote: »
    Why are some people getting so caught up on the word "trick"?

    IMO, what we tell ourselves and the words we use have a powerful effect on our mindset. Telling yourself that you have to trick yourself into eating at a deficit? I'd much rather use words like strategy.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    edited December 2014
    SnuggleSmacks wrote: »
    Buy appropriately sized dishes. I paid $2 for lovely footed ice cream bowls which hold 4 ounces. A serving looks large in these bowls, as opposed to swimming in a sea of empty I-want-more.

    I have a special bowl for salads. It's basically a smaller serving bowl, a beautifully glazed blue ceramic coup bowl which easily holds a mound of fluffy salad and all the toppings.

    I have small plates for lunch, and snack plates which have a matching cup for soup which fits into an invention, and a small space for a sandwich or side.

    Apparently dish size has been shown in studied to help with satiety. Using smaller plates trick your brain into thinking you're eating more.

    I do something similar but to help recognize portion size. For cereal, I weighed out one serving (which is pathetically small), and found a set of cheap bowls at the dollar store that are exactly the right size for the cereal plus a little milk. They are tiny bowls, but I always eat cereal out of them because I know it is one serving (I still weigh it most of the time) and it looks like a lot more. I eat the same cereal all the time, but if I happen to eat a different one, I always weigh again just to be sure it is about the right amount again.

    Not a trick but a suggestion to keep motivated. Take pics often (same clothes/pose/angles/lighting) and measurements and one pair of tight jeans etc. Have an arsenal of ways to determine what "progress" means IN ADDITION to the scale. There will be times the scale doesnt move fast enough or at all, and we think we are not making any progress... the pics and comparisons of numbers will mean a lot to you during that time, and tell you that you are still on the right track. If you don't, most people will get frustrated and give up when the scale stops moving. I have weighed 130 pounds (+/- 3 pounds) for over 8 months, but my body fat has dropped from 25% to 17% in that time, and I went from a size 8/10 to a 4/6. I am glad I just ignored the scale and kept going!

    Oh - and if you are trying to get more protein in... I buy the premade vanilla protein shakes (Premier Protein from costco, 30g protein in 11 oz) and use them in place of milk in everything. I put it in my cereal, oatmeal, any recipe that calls for milk it works fine in (and I like the vanilla flavor). Easily adds 30g-60g protein a day I wouldnt have gotten just from regular milk, with less fat.

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