[jenn33082]

I decided to come up with a list of helpful tips for this diet journey, both for myself and to share with you guys. Feel free to add the things that help you!

1. Plan your meals ahead of time. I like to plan a week in advance, that way I know what I need to buy at the grocery store.
2. Learn why certain foods are bad for you.
3. Learn why certain foods are good for you.
4. Tell everyone you know that you are on a diet. This helps with accountability. You are doing a wonderful thing for yourself, be proud!
5. Stay away from boxed foods.
6. Stay away from "white" foods (white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, white rice etc)
7. Don't skip weigh in's because you feel that you won't see the number you want to see. Skipping 1 weigh in leads to skipping 2 and so on.
8. Find good foods that you love. Make healthy versions of your favorite recipes
9. Find a program that works for you (counting calories, weight watchers, Atkins, South Beach etc) If your current method is not working, try a different one.
10. Find an exercise regime that you enjoy. If you look forward to working out, you'll do it more often

[ade903]

I like this!
1. that's a must. I fail when I don't plan.
6. I love bulgur, quinoa, brown rice, whole grain bread! White stuff (cept potatoes...yum) just isn't as good anymore!
8. Anything can be made healthier! That's what I'm learning!
9. I agree about changing up programs. Sometimes we just need a change!
10...still working on that one!

Great tips, many people will find these useful!

[MandaLynch]

I'm definitely learning that planning meals is a big advantage. I started to write down what I eat and that is helping a lot too.

[HaleyisLove]

ok I have a few little problems with this...

Personally I lost 127 pounds eating all kinds of food...there was no such thing as a good food or a bad food and I think when people lable foods bad they crave them and binge on them or things like that... I could have anything just if it was bad it was planned... I think planning is key...

Also I'm not a fan of whole wheat... I ate white bread, white pasta, white rice always and still do... I've also ate a lot of boxed stuff and put salt on EVERYTHING...

I think its about listening to your body and doing what your body needs/wants

white bread doesnt make you gain weight just like wheat bread doesn't make you lose it.

[FreeSpirit]

Get a food scale! It's so easy to have a "rounded" tablespoon of peanut butter, or a little extra cereal, etc. All of those "little" extras add up! A food scale helps me be as precise as possible and make sure my calories are where I think they are.

[jenn33082]

Those are just things that help me, not "do these things and you'll lose weight".
I do better at completely cutting things out than having a little here and there. I don't like wheat bread but sourdough is acceptable in SB so I use that for sandwiches or toast.

[junebug41]

*Plan, plan plan! Then, plan some more!
*Knowledge is power in regards to the foods that we eat. I had no idea what kind of garbage I was putting into my body. Being able to make educated choices about what I was eating helped me tremendously.
*Actually, I did not (and do not) tell people I am watching what I eat. Why? Because sabateurs are EVERYWHERE Because somehow after that point, my diet is their business.
*Being honest with myself. I know a lot of people who lose weight go on to challenge themselves physically by running races. I have zero desire to run competively or to challenge myself in that way. I always kinda thought I had to. Also, I will never be able to eat like someone with a fast metabolism or someone with the ability to self-regulate with ease. I have gotten over the "it's not fair!!" of it and moved on.

And of course, have an open mind, especially when talking about spaghetti squash

[ade903]

I am hit or miss about telling people about my diet...
My grandpa is the worst. He has no filter. And he's rude to women. That's why he's divorced. So two weeks ago I was going for a jog, walked by him on my way out and he says "oh so you are finally thin enough to work out?" ummm..I was never too fat to work out! And anytime he sees me eat, he asks all about it. And if it is "bad" (according to him) he assumes I've quit. "Oh, so it wasn't working out for you? you can't eat (enter food here) on a diet. You won't lose weight." And he's just mean to other people. Kind of frustrating. Nice guy...but some things are just better left unsaid. Random. But that's my life.

[singforthedayx]

Ok here are some of mine!

1a) Learn as much as you can! I constantly do research on nutrition and fitness. The biggest eye-opener for me was Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism. It's really scary what certain foods do to your body. Basically, I dedicate a lot of my free time to "independant study" ...mostly on food/nutrition...but also on exercise/fitness. I find that it keeps me focused and on track.

1b) Going by what I've learned, I make a conscious choice to avoid A) Trans fats (On food labels, these are called partially hydrogenated oils) B) High Fructose Corn Syrup and C) Bleached flour. There are a few other ingredients that I also try to avoid (mono/diglycerides and the like) but those three are my biggest no-no's. As a rule, I try to live as organic as my budget and taste buds will allow. This is BIG for me, and I hope I can raise a little awareness about these ingredients just by posting this here.

2) Moderation NOT elimination. I have a weekly cheat day... or at the very least, one higher calorie day a week. Additionally, I don't cut anything out 100%. If I crave McDonalds, I get like a kids meal. If I crave chocolate, I eat chocolate. etc etc ... I will never fight off a craving because that has spelled disaster for me in the past.

3) Don't stock up! I'm at the grocery store several times a week. It's bananas, and I hate it - but I do it. Why? Because I'm a binger by nature... if I keep too much food around, I *will* eat it whether I'm hungry or not. So I usually only buy enough food to last me 3 or 4 days, then I go out and get more.

4) Calorie awareness...not counting. I don't know how many people this will help, because I know many people are pretty dedicated to calorie-counting, but for me, it becomes obessive after awhile. I read the label of every single food I put in my mouth. I know how many calories are in them... but I really only count it all up maybe once in a week, just to make sure I'm on track. I can kind of guesstimate the rest of the time how much I'm eating, and my body is so used to eating the way I do now, that I can usually just listen to it (eat when I'm hungry, don't when I'm not) and get my calorie intake right on target. If I count calories every day, I get crazy and frustrated, and that's never good.

5) Keep things interesting. This goes along with #1. I'm always researching new food I can eat, and new exercises I can do. You don't want your diet to get boring, because that's when you revert to old habits. (in my experiences) Additionally, you don't want to fall into an exercise rut either because 1) You will get bored and 2) YOUR BODY will get bored. aka, it will adapt and won't be as effective.

6) Always look at the positives, not the negatives. If you ate something you didn't want to eat one day, be proud that you maybe walked on the treadmill for a half an hour. Ok, you didn't lose as much weight as you wanted this week...but you're still x amount closer to your goal. Never EVER put yourself down... we all have bad days, but look at all accomplishments you've made so far rather than focusing on that one "slip-up".

I may add more eventually...but those are biggies for me. (: