What are your favorite diet hacks?

I like using plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in savory foods like baked potatoes.

ClearNotCloudyMind wrote: »

Very curious about this “anti-nutrient” lentil pasta issue. We just discovered it and while it tastes a bit wierd, I’m loving eating pasta again with the family. However if it’s secretly evil, I’d like to know?!

Well, based on reading a bunch of articles about it, the logic goes this way: Red lentils, like beans and other legumes, contain phytic acid, which can potentially prevent the absorption of certain minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and zinc. They also have two complex sugars, farrinose and stachyose, that aren't broken down very well by our digestive system and cause gassiness. Proper preparation is the key to fixing that, which is why we soak beans so they are less gas inducing. Sprouting is another thing people do to make beans more digestible.

The concern that some people have is that legume based pastas aren't soaked or sprouted first, they are made from ground bean/legume flour.

I still eat red lentil pasta without concern because (a) it doesn't make me excessively gassy, which means my body is doing okay digesting it, and (b) I'm eating it in small quantities - like one to one and a half servings at a time, or 2-3 ounces dry pasta. Finally (c), I'm also not eating it at the same time as I take in a bunch of minerals, and that's fine because the phytic acid anti nutrient effect only lasts a few hours. If I were OMAD I might be more worried. Once again moderation and a balanced diet wins!

Personally I'm not worried about it because of the above reasons but I know it's a Thing for some people.

Back to the topic at hand though - I now "owe" another diet hack! I use crystalized lemon or lime powder to add flavor to a lot of things, I usually find I need less sugar if I have more flavor.

Also I do things like squats and counter pushups while I'm waiting for my tea to heat.

Smaller beautiful plates, you can only fit so much and I don't do second helpings. Tall glass for water and I treat water like the most precious thing ever so it is never to be wasted.

I try to avoid complex carbs after 6 pm and no carbonated drinks at all regardless of whether they are diet or sugar free - that seems to help.

tomato paste = I use it to add flavor and meaty taste to my ground chicken breast..be it making meatloaf..chili..I also add a tablespoon or two to soups and sauces.. it adds dimension and taste.

Balsamic vinegar - I use it to add flavor to ground chicken, turkey when making anything like burgers..and on my lean steaks ..works in stir fry also like soy sauce.

Low sodium chicken broth - to steam my vegetables and in place of milk and butter in my smashed potatoes.

This is a weird one, but having oatmeal for breakfast. It seems to fill me up better and for longer than lots of other breakfasts. - This seems to be a "thing", too, as it apparently has been shown that this "longer filling" thing works for many people. - Also, I just like how versatile oatmeal is.

Bean pastas. They just help adding some protein. I dont notice them creating any problems for me, so I am going to stick with them.

Kombucha when I really feel like soft drink. (Though sometimes I go for a no sugar soft drink option instead). They are relatively low calorie drinks and good for your gut.

Reduced sugar and swapped most of my added sugar intake for Natvia. Though, I don't avoid sugar completely or anything like that.

I drink flavoured water (0 calorie) and have switched from coffee with cream and sugar to chai tea with Splenda or Stevia. I get bored of plain water and this has helped me switch from high calorie drinks.
I also try to make myself eat two cups of cooked veggies before I eat whatever other dinner meal I’ve planned. Two cups of green beans or sautéed peppers or boiled cabbage or just mushrooms sautéed with a light margarine usually fills my tummy quite a bit for less than 75-90 calories. Then I “reward” myself with a smaller portion of whatever I want so long as it fits in my calories. I find after I eat 2 cups of veggies then it’s almost work to get my protein in and I don’t really want much of whatever I else I made.

I also keep a stash of “Source” brand 35 calorie “dessert” yogurt cups. When I crave something sweet I try that first and usually the craving for anything else passes. (Great for that late afternoon or late evening snack urge).

A 35 calorie serving of light Source brand yogurt and the

Agree! I had some whipping cream to use up after making some butter, and I put it in my chai. Now I’m taking upwards of 100 calories a day out of my budget for a tbsp in both cups. Bonus, it’s helping me up my fat macro which is usually really low.

Having said that, my favorite hack is a hot drink: chai latte, pomegranate tea, a German Christmas fruit tea, or a lovely cup of Kusmi caramel or rouge tea (have to use those sparingly. Kusmi costs an arm and a leg and is for special breakfasts.)

Hot drinks are filling, satisfying, and take a long time to drink, so there’s lots of “mouth exercise” involved.

Once a week, after cooking something in the air fryer-which I’m gonna have to clean anyway- I throw in several pounds of chicken breast, seasoned with just Lawry’s or some lemon pepper seasoning. It only takes about ten minutes to cook a halved breast. Chicken breast is low calorie, low fat and high protein.

I chop it and use it in salads, mix it with a little low cal Kraft mayo, BBQ sauce, or some Thai peanut sauce and roll it into a low carb tortilla. It’s very useful to have pre-cooked in the fridge, tasty, filling, nutritious.....

I don’t care too much for hard candies. They’re not something I’d binge on, so I can keep a jar and eat one once in a while if I’m flagging. There’s some very nice hard candies for well under 20 calories. Even a mini candy cane is only 17! Ginger People ginger chews and Hermann the German both have high taste sweets for cheap calories. I keep a bag of Hermann’s in my backpack and slowly suck on one between studio classes.

Beef jerky has gotten me over many humps.

A slice of deli chicken rolled up tight makes a good snack in a pinch.

Fave lo cal products:
Kraft Fat Free Mayo 10 calories per tbsp
Kroger Thai peanut sauce 35 per tbsp
Walden Farms maple syrup 5 calories for 2 tbsp
Vietnamese Cinnamon : much spicier than “normal” cinnamon
Oli+Ve balsamic vinegar on salads, fruit, stir fries, marinade
Jordan’s Skinny Syrups
Trader Joe’s Umami Seasoning Blend
Tajin seasoning (Mexican chili and dried lime)
Jello sugar free puddings and jellos
Hagel (Dutch chocolate sprinkles- not low cal but very intense chocolate flavor for a few grams sprinkle)
Sabarino Tartufi truffle salt
Lidl Taco kits (not low cal per se but very acceptable at 130 calories per 2 hard shell tacos and sauces, add your fillings)

Chips are a weird food for me. If I can't have them at all I will binge. However, I'm no good with portioning. The answer is to buy large packages of single-serving bags. I've always told myself that if I want more than one bag, I can have it, but somehow the "opening another bag" is just enough to keep me just eating the one.

And this week I'm trying the trick of not eating any for a few days; I'm bloated and that's a quick way to drop my sodium intake.

That’s some brilliant thinking @Antiopelle I love pomegranates but always end up looking like I have the pox when I eat one. They just get everywhere.

Maybe I could invest in a case of lobster bibs.

One of my favorite with lunch treats is strawberries and bananas cut up together and topped with reddi whip
2 protein pancakes with 1tbs of pumpkin spice cream cheese
I don't do sugar or creamer in my coffee just stevia and almond milk

- Fries and roast potatoes from the air fryer. What a difference in calories
- I don't drink any calories, except alcohol and I've cut down on that too. So just water, black coffee or tea
- Cauliflower rice with my curry, or no rice at all with my curry, I might just have a small naan bread instead
- Preplanning (as someone else mentioned above) is major for me as well

I have been using the "stop, wait, let some time pass" then have some water, or a bowl of vegies, then decide if I really want that candy bar or unhealthy treat/meal. It's a mindfullness technique I learned about and it works for me. Good luck everyone!! Great thread

Tea all day. I have an electric kettle in my office and at noon I switch to caffeine free. I have a drawer full of black, green, oolong, ginger, and assorted herbal.

It forces me to get up frequently to walk to the bathroom, and I take the opportunity to go to the restroom one floor up.

That is while I was working on-site.