Small But Super Helpful Habits

I started looking at food and thinking about what it would do for my body instead of what it tastes like. For example candy does nothing for the body where an apple is good fuel to keep your body going.

Also it's been said before but do something every hour i personally like to use the bathroom on the first floor and then walk up the six flights of stairs back to my floor, it's small but anything that gets your heart pumping a little bit is good.

Hi, well done on making the change from drinking soda to black tea,tglad you feel the changes!! Every little helps!! I enjoy my coffee with the odd green tea, but also water is good for weight loss!! I also eat more fruit and i like carrot sticks too :-) Hope this helps!!

avskk wrote: »

My most helpful small change is bringing healthy, low-cal, fat-based snacks to work so I don't munch down 400 calories of someone's brownies or birthday cake. I keep a box of 100-calorie almond packs at my desk and a bag of string cheese in the fridge; I usually only want one or the other, but even if I have both it's 170 calories of satiation instead of 300-500 of empty carbs and sugar. Tremendously helpful!

ETA: I really want to second (or third, or whatever we're on) the people who said using a food scale was a helpful small change. That made a staggering difference to my progress, and it's so much less fuss than it sounds. The food scale alone helped me get to an accurate, healthy 1500 calories/day... when before I was estimating 1500 calories and actually eating more like 3000+. Massive, massive difference.

Food scale sounds like a good idea!!! I must keep note of those snacks though! Greek yoghurt is so nice!!

xhecate wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Pre-log every morning.

This.

Me too (pre-log my day - the quote is hidden by default).

I know things are all about the small tweaks these days, but I really think that if there's a big egregious issue (in my case, too many calories overall and a lack of exercise) that addressing that was a stronger positive than all the tiny habits.

I know little things add up, but if it's a big an obvious problem, I think it's more useful to run with the big and obvious solution. I don't need to try to overclock my metabolism (a chancy endeavor at best outside of lab conditions) until address the simple "too many calories".

Along the lines of pre-logging, I usually pre-plan and log 70% of my budget, making sure the food is very satisfying and as nutrient dense as possible, and leave 30%+exercise calories for things I feel like having outside of my pre-planned food. Snacks, sweets, fruits...etc. If I don't feel like having anything extra that day, I just double up on some of my pre-planned dishes. This way I make sure I have plenty of nutrients, and some wiggle room for whatever I feel like having on a whim.

rosepetals4eva wrote: »

girlviernes wrote: »

mgcarrillo wrote: »

girlviernes wrote: »

GothyFaery wrote: »

Went from whole fat milk to fat free

Funny, I went from skim to whole fat milk

Having supplies of nuts and coconut chips - they are a very easy form of a snack and very satisfying.
Getting some tools for work, I have some salt-free seasoning, a microwave steamer tray, and knife, and now a food scale. This way i can just bring some fresh produce and keep in work fridge and prepare on the spot. Everything tastes better fresh

I have a weird thing with milk, where if I drink low fat or skim, my brain thinks of it as a "drink" (i.e., not a big deal) and I consume more without even thinking about it, whereas whole milk registers to me as a "food" and I'm careful about only drinking a reasonable amount. But that may be just my personal oddness.

I've actually read a study in which they randomized kids to either skim or whole milk, and the skim milk group ended up with greater calorie intake for the day.

I've already seen some shift in dietetics sources towards more full fat items, and I think this will continue over the next decade.

Certainly in my personal experience switching to full fat milk has been good for my taste buds and hasn't impeded weight loss in any way.

So drinking full fat milk instead of skimmed or even skimmed is better, weight loss wise?

I'm not sure I would go that far regarding one being better than the other for weight loss. For someone who really likes milk, 4 cups a day of full fat really add up in calories. I wouldn't be thrilled if I had to spend more than 1/3 of my budget on milk.

Now the study mentioned is done without limiting the amount of calories, so I'm guessing full fat milk is more satiating, leading overall to reduced calories intake. But in a controlled diet, where calories are accounted for, low fat milk may work better if you have other alternatives that help you stay satiated.

I do not go to the store hungry and I dont buy any trigger foods. Every once and awhile ill buy some snack food but Ill have one portion and then hide the bag in a deep part of my pantry and for some reason that does the trick for not snacking all day on lets say cheetos lol

GothyFaery wrote: »

Went from whole fat milk to fat free
Smaller portions
Have burger lettuce wraps instead of buns (I like the wrap better anyways)
I work a desk job and don't have to get up much so I set an alarm on my phone for 45 minutes. Every time it goes off I alternate between going to the bathroom and a 5 minute power walk around the building. It really adds up quick.

ETA: Using a food scale to actually weigh out servings. It's amazing what a differance that makes.

@gothyfaery, I'm just beginning to research this, so someone else may know more than me about the matter, but I recently found out that calcium is fat-soluble, meaning that when there is little/no fat in your milk/yogurt, your body is absorbing little/no calcium from that food. I'm slowly working my way from fat free up. We are currently drinking 1%. I have a friend (PE teacher, triathalete) who says if you're not drinking whole milk, there's no point in drinking it at all because you're not getting the nutritional benefit.

I use almond & coconut milk instead of regular milk. There's 45 calories in an 8 oz glass and they make great smoothies.

If you can't say no to junk food then don't keep it around. You can't eat it if it's not there. I keep almonds in the car to snack on and I take water with me when I go out. Keeping hydrated is important and drinking water before you eat will help you feel full.

Plan you meals out a week at a time that way you can have an idea of what you will be eating calorie wise and won't be as tempted to hit the drive through because you don't have anything planned.

Make time to exercise every day. If it's too cold or rainy outside walk up and down your stairs for 15-30 mins. If you're short on time walk 10-15 minutes 2-3 times a day. Climb stairs during commercial breaks. Do squats while brushing your teeth. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Do burpees every morning. Start off doing 5 and add 1 burpee every day to your morning total. There are many things you can do to burn calories that don't require strenuous energy and lots of time but they do require some time and effort.

Most of all remember that you didn't get to where you are overnight so don't be discouraged when you don't get to where you want to be overnight. Stay strong, stay focused, and stay positive!