[Dan2112]

Stolen from Yahoo News...

Seems like these fall right in line with our plan!

Summer is right around the corner! Here are six strategies that can help you lose weight--and keep it off.


1. Consider the buddy system. Some people do better if they have a friend, spouse, therapist, someone they can talk to about successes or setbacks. Ideally, this person is nonjudgmental and unconditionally supportive. If you thrive with a little help from your friends, go ahead and ask for their help and guidance.

2. Slow your eating. Taste your food. Savor the texture. Put your fork down between every two bites and sip water during your meal.

3. Keep sugarless gum always on hand. Sugarless gum can give you a hit of something sweet, keep your mouth busy (so you'll be less likely to snack), and clean your teeth when you can't brush.

4. Shock your tongue. Be liberal with spices-chile peppers, curry, hot salsa, wasabi. Hot and spicy flavors encourage slower eating. Hot (temperature-wise), low-calorie beverages can also help you feel satisfied and hydrated. When you're bored, it's possible to nurse a hot cup of skim latte, green or herbal tea, or diet hot cocoa for much longer than it would take to eat a snack.

5. Get enough sleep. During sleep, our bodies rest and regenerate, so we can be strong and clear-headed the following day-clear-headed enough to make wise food choices. What's more, sleep deprivation causes an imbalance in certain hormones, including ghrelin (which causes weight gain) and leptin (which decreases appetite). When we don't get enough sleep, our levels of ghrelin go up (more weight gain) and levels of leptin go down (so we are hungrier). Don't think of it as downtime, but as another important facet of your nutrition plan.

6. Donate your "fat clothes." Losing weight is a major accomplishment. As soon as an item of clothing is too big for you anymore, give it away. Don't keep it in your closet as part of your "just in case" wardrobe. It is easier to back-slide if you have bigger pants to slide into.


I gotta tell you.. Liz and I went through the closet last night and by the time we were done, we had a really really big pile of fat clothes for Goodwill.. I tried a couple of my old pants on and couldn't believe how frickin' big they were... It disgusts me that I let myself get that big...

[Mama Nicole]

Dan, I can still hardly believe that you have lost 88 pounds.........WTG!!!

[JLem311]

great post dan! and awesome job on cleaning out your closet and getting rid of the bigger clothes. i really need to do that too!

[lumifan4ever]

I definatley practice number 3 and 5. I like to keep gum so when i am bored, i can put that in my mouth instead of food. I also love to sleep, so I am real good at number 5!!

[emmysmom]

I'm really bad at #2...sometimes I don't even sit down to eat. There are days when I eat just to get my food in and forget to sit down and enjoy it.

[Dan2112]

That's always been a big problem for me too Tina.. Back in my media days, we were always eating on the go.. If you got 5 minutes to throw a burger down your throat, you did it...

Unfortunately that has carried over to my home life as well, and my daughter does it too.. If we don't make her slow down, she'll be done with dinner before we've even sat down after serving the kids.

Add to that, my hatred of cold foods that are supposed to be hot (the one exception being Pizza)... I eat fast so that it won't be cold by the time I'm done with it... bad bad bad...

[hdsqrl]

I have another little tip that might be a bit controversial, but it works:

Get some sun! Whether it be real sun () or from a bottle (the Loreal Sublime Glow is rather nice)...seeing a bit of color on parts of your body that previously have never seen the light of day seems to perk you up and help you feel a little thinner, so you keep on going!

[marzbe]

Originally Posted by hdsqrl

I have another little tip that might be a bit controversial, but it works:

Get some sun! Whether it be real sun () or from a bottle (the Loreal Sublime Glow is rather nice)...seeing a bit of color on parts of your body that previously have never seen the light of day seems to perk you up and help you feel a little thinner, so you keep on going!

See by virture of name we're supposed to be blonde beach bunnies (now can someone just realy the message to my brunette head ), I'm actually on count down hours until I can get myself to the beach for the first time of the season, I alwasy look slimmer when I've gotten sun. I have bikini worthy abs for the first time in my life, I have to show them off.


As for the clothes thing I keep a pair of size 20W jeans and a pair of size 14 khakis hanging amongst the size 8's in my closet. (Boy I love saying the size 8's ) When I'm having the type of day that I want to go totally OP I force myself to put on the size 14 that were tight when I wore them to my initial weigh in. When I'm having a really bad day I put on the size 20. That's the true perseverence test, it reminds me that I crashed down to a size 14 by being totally unhealthy, and it was those same total unhealthy habits that put me into a size 20W to begin with. With the way my body's been dropping, I know the scale is never the true number, putting on a pair of pants that was once too tight but are now 3 sizes too big, that shows me why I'm doing what I'm doing.

When either of those don't work and I'm still craving the junk food, I force myself to sit down and watch the last half hour of SuperSize Me. That always gets rid of the junk food and grease cravings.

[hdsqrl]

Originally Posted by marzbe

...I force myself to sit down and watch the last half hour of SuperSize Me. That always gets rid of the junk food and grease cravings.

Ohh...that's a great idea. I don't own that flick, but have seen it. Might be a good idea to go buy a copy to help when the Doritos are screaming my name.