Hey Ladies, I'm trying to boost up my weight loss. I've been losing at a good steady pace but was wondering if any of you knew of any proven tricks, foods, exercises, anything that could give me a little bit of a boost!Let me know. Thanks!

I'm a weight watchers but the concept works for anything. I zigzag my points (calories). I'll have a higher day/lowerday/higherday/etc..... In weight watchers, it is known as the Wendie Plan. Also I ear a big breakfast, a smaller lunch and a even smaller supper.
Good luck!

Consistency!
I've been going to the gym 4 days a week, walking on weekends, seriously cut back on sweets (like 1 in 2 weeks instead of 1 each day) ... and have seen the results! You just gotta keep it up

That's exactly what I was going to say!

Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. STICKING with your plan, day after day, including the weekends, as even one off plan day will delay your weight loss.

I also highly recommend finding foods that you love to eat as that will help you STICK with that said plan. Look around. Find some new recipes to play around with.

Planning ahead is also very VITAL. As eating healthy doesn't happen by chance. It's got to be mapped out in advance. HAve the right "foods" on hand. A fully stocked home with good, nutritious, healthy foods. Rid your home of all the junk. You can't eat it if it's not there. Pack foods up with you so that you've always got something healthy on hand. This way there's no excuse to make poor choices.

Keep yourself nice and full by eating frequently. Make it high quality foods, ones that will satisfy you and not leave you craving for garbage. That would be protein and fiber. Weight loss powerhouses.

For me, I avoided the sugars and the starches. Eating them always left me unsatisfied and with the desire to eat MORE of them. Not so good.

Keeping track of your calories. Monitoring them so that you don't overspend your calorie budget. It's SOOOO easy to eat more calories then is necessary, hence not creating a calorie deficit and stalling your weight loss.

Make exercise a non-negotiable priority. This way you do it no matter what. Even if you don't feel like it.

I don't think there's any real trickery involved in what I've said. Just some good, sensible habits to incorporate into your life.

You're off to a great start. Keep up the good work and your weight loss will surely continue.

A good "healthy" frame of mind, patience, exercise, and steer clear of refined sugars and flours.

Keep healthy snacks nearby and available for when you just have to eat something.

I always have in my fridge at home and at work - cleaned and ready to eat veggies, apples, non fat cottage cheese, low calorie/low fat string cheese, corn tortillas ( I bake in the oven ) and salsa

Water!!

You have been given some great advice in the other posts. I agree with them all. I just want to add, drink lots of water. It is one of those things that I had always been told but did not pay too much attention to. Being sure that I get 6 to 8 glasses of water a day has made a huge difference. I have also found that on days when I don't get my water, I am much hungrier.

I am not on WW but LOVE the non-scale victories of WW. Good luck stepping up your weight loss!

I've barely started my journey to a healthy weight but there are a few things that I've had to learn the hard way. There are also some great tips that can be found on the boards.

The first thing I learned about diets from trying different fad type diets was that if I didn't feel comfortable, it would never work. I'd find excuses to cheat or give up in misery. Part of this was realizing that I need to eat more than the 'standard' 1200 calories to not just feel comfortable but also to lose. My best advice is to experiment and to ask some of the very knowledgeable people on these boards about it.

The hardest thing I had to learn was admit to my 'problem' foods. You know, the kind where one just isn't enough? If there is a certain type of food, or even a certain brand that provokes overeating/binging, then it's something you just have to avoid or you end up sabotaging yourself. For me (and many others) I was out of control with sugar and white breads. That meant that I had to avoid sugar and replace my bread with higher quality, whole wheat/multi-grain products. Considering how hooked I was to both, this was very, very hard to do.

The third tip I can give you is that you should never leave the house hungry, even if I expect to eat out. I made this mistake and ended up eating things that I would have otherwise avoided. Now I carry snacks and have something small before I go out. It sure helps kill temptation when I go past an icecream parlor, or doughnut place.

Hmm, another important thing that I learned from others here is that you will have moments where you fall off the dieting wagon. Plan for them and don't let yourself think you've failed entirely. Dust yourself off and keep going.

Finally, ask plenty of questions and take inspiration from the people on 3FC !

MN.

What are you doing for exercise? Cycling that can help too. Intervals it's called ... making sure your heart rate goes up higher than usual for short periods. Walk a while ... jog until your heart rate is faster then go back to walking ... repeat.

Thank you all very much. I will take all this advice to heart and start incoprporating it into my plan. Susan, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your minute ticker. never even thought of that! Because I love seeing my ticker move I think that a weekly exercise ticker will be great for me. A great motivator to make sure I get in enough workout time. It'll also get me back to my food and exercise journal which I've neglected the last few weeks.

Again, thank you alllllllll!

Always pack your lunches/snacks to work/school/etc. I would also recommend not to bring your wallet/change so you are not tempted to buy anything and that way you will just eat what you packed! Also, you get to control what you put into your body if you are the one making it.

I eat the same lunch everyday... I know this may not work for everyone, but for me I am learning to look at food as just necessary to live... as fuel.

it helps keep me focused and regimented

I have a can of tuna each day for lunch and rotate my sides-- sugar free applesauce or a mini yougurt and some type of berry or some days celery with sf peanut butter

I don't know if this fits with what you were asking but.....

A piece of advice I can offer (and that I am still learning myself) is:

Forgive yourself when you slip up, and keep going.

This means when you fall off-plan, don't just chuck everything out the window. Learn from the mistake(s), and keep going.

For instance, if you break down and have a slice of cake or polish off a whole plate of Thai fried rice (like i did last night) don't punish yourself for it by berating yourself or starving yourself later. And don't say to yourself " oh, well, since I already messed up I'll just eat XYZ too and start again tomorrow."

No more all-or-nothing mentality! Accept it and keep going. You will be doing this for LIFE -- it's inevitable that you will have some "off-plan" moments in the next few decades!

Like I said, though, I'm still learning this concept myself so I know it's easier said than done.

I don't think there are many tips that work for everyone. For example, the only thing that has worked well for me in the long term, is low carb - low enough that I consider it fairly extreme - and wouldn't recommend my WOE (way of eating) to anyone who hasn't tried almost everything else without success (although maybe my bias against low-carb is a bit extreme) .

I think the only advice that applies to everyone is pay attention and experiment. Don't get discouraged or angry with yourself if you try something that doesn't work well for you. If you try something and aren't happy with the results, it's not a failed experiment - even unintended results provide information on what doesn't work for you.

This place is absolutely wonderful, because there are so many people doing so many different things, that you're bound to find tips that fit your personality and lifestyle.