Plan your meals, plan healthy snacks.
Prepare: Shop for the good stuff. Premeasure food into individual servings. Precook as someone said above. Cut up fresh veggies ahead of time so they're easy to grab. If you need to post lists of healthy snack options so you remember your choices, do it.
Measure, measure, measure. Know what a serving size is. Know what 1/2 cup of vegetables looks like, 4 oz of chicken, etc.
I would also say track it before you eat it. Know whether it's 1 serving or 3 servings; know whether it's 100 calories or 500 calories before you eat it.
I know this has been said before but I don't think it can be said too much. PLAN!!! When I feel lazy and think I will worry about it tomorrow I tell myself this....
Failure to PLAN is planning to FAIL!!
As much as I hate that saying I know it is true and nothing gets me back into planning mode quicker than that!!
I have kicked artifical sweeteners to the curb too!! I sweeten my oatmeal in the morning with 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and add some cinnamon or nutmeg. I count the calories in the brown sugar. I enjoy how it tastes and the 32 calories are accounted for. Dark Chocolate is a MUFA (I am a Flat Belly Dieter) I have found Newman's Own Dark Chocolate Bars, the 1.7 ouces size is a MUFA serving. I have one about 3 times a week. I keeps my sweet tooth in line and I stay on plan.
I'm working hard on getting in my daily required vegetables and fruit which is like 5-9 cups. If you eat 5-9 cups of veggies and fruit, it's hard to overeat! You're stuffed!
I also told friends and family that I was starting a diet and have kept them up on my progress. So, now, I'd be embarrassed to fall of the diet. My friends, on the whole, are fairly trim so they won't be crawdads pulling me down.
I agree with everyone who said to plan ahead. But since I want to be different in my answer my tip is...
Eat lots of FIBER!!! High fiber foods fill you up and are typically lower in calories then overly processed food. Make sure you drink lots of water with that fiber too!
This is one I found in The Beck Diet book I'm reading. Beaware of how often your standing while eating. Train yourself to only eat sitting. This has stopped me from mindless food popping while cooking or getting plates ready for the kids.
I really am burned out on counting and logging. I know it works wonders, but I just couldn't face it again (been on a few diets before ). So, what I do is cook ahead as much as I can, divide it up in portion sizes and eat it, one serving at a time. I eat as much salad and non-starchy veggies as I want with one serving of the preprepared protein and/or starchy item. I pretty much eat as much fruit as I want, too, but I don't seem to want to over-eat on fruit.
Anyway, I do a lot of cooking ahead. It is really nice to fix a salad, veggie and select a couple of tasty things out of the freezer to complete the meal.
For me, I have to avoid all sugary foods because they trigger me to binge. That and avoid white flour, white pasta, etc. curbs my urges to overeat. Of course, if I'm not eating that stuff, I'm eating much healthier food.
From my last successful diet and I'm doing it again...
On a previous diet I lost 70lbs which I kept off for ten years. Then an accident left me disabled and the pounds came on. Now I am taking control again. My secrets that worked follows...
Make a meal plan for the week and stick to it. I actually chart every meal and snack a week ahead.
Always eat sitting down and try to eat on a schedule when you can. This avoids becoming overly hungry and avoids your getting the munchies.
Okay sounds weird but here goes I blow up a fat picture of myself and use clear contact paper to make myself a placemat. I only eat sitting in my spot so if I eat anything, I have to look at myself first. lol
Same pic posted on fridge.
I set ten pound goals. It's easier to reach your goal of ten pounds then it is as in my case to reach my final goal of 85 pounds.
I buy a really cute outfit a size smaller then I am and I hang it in the kitchen.
Yep stuff it in a clear plastic bag on a hanger so you can see it and hang it right by the table.
Annie 85 pounds to lose and 74 to go...
started diet March 17th
weight loss 11 lbs.
In the past, it has been to not think about food that much. Oddly enough, late last year I dropped about 5 pounds in a month as soon as school started and when I stopped obsessing about dieting. I found that when I was too into exercising/dieting and such, I gained weight because food was ALWAYS on my mind. The problem with this approach was that there's the tendency to go back to old ways and to binge. This was what happened and I piled a few pounds back on. While it was awesome to lose 5 lb without even trying, I realize that I have to do something a bit more concrete if I want to lose the 40 lb.
I find the best tip for me is to eat healthy, but also eat things that comfort me. Be it ramen noodles or mashed potatoes, if I like it, I have to eat some of it. Also, it works best for me if I eat 3 satisfying meals a day because then I'm not always thinking about food when I snack mid-meals. It also helps for me to eat breakfast a little bit later so that when I have lunch, I'm not ravenous. And for dinner, I try to eat by 5. If I get hungry afterwards, then it's all down to willpower and I'll just sip water or sleep early. I really wanted the 4-6 mini meals thing to work for me, but my lack of self control becomes the pitfall and I end up eating more than I intend to, every single time.
). So, what I do is cook ahead as much as I can, divide it up in portion sizes and eat it, one serving at a time. I eat as much salad and non-starchy veggies as I want with one serving of the preprepared protein and/or starchy item. I pretty much eat as much fruit as I want, too, but I don't seem to want to over-eat on fruit.
I blow up a fat picture of myself and use clear contact paper to make myself a placemat. I only eat sitting in my spot so if I eat anything, I have to look at myself first. lol