tricks of the trade

  • Hey everyone - sometimes we do the basics (lower cal intake, increase cal expediture aka excercise) but sometimes its nice to do a little extra. what are some tips/tricks/etc you've heard of to help us loose the weight? these are mainly studies ive read and articles... but can also be personal experience or myths (though if you have some evidence even better!)

    1. grapefruits and grapefruit juice - study in which group A drank small glass of grapefruit juice before meals lost more weight than the group who drank the caloric equivalent in apple juice. (watch the cals from the grapefruit juice and try to find one not from conc. with no added sugar! or even better start off your meal with a real grapefruit) (study)

    2. Low and NF dairy - studies in which two groups consumed same calories but one group had a significant amount from low and nf dairy lost more weight on average than the group without it. (plus side = lots of good lf dairy options keep you full and give you protien down side = lactose intol. might have a hard time with this one?) (study)

    3. people will lose the lbs for the green - people offered as little as 7 $ were more likly to be sucessful at losing weight than those with no $$ incentive. have dp/dh/so/parents/yourself setaside some "goal money" for each goal (10 lbs? 20? etc) then treat yourself (facial? clothes? trip? night out? etc) (yahoo art)

    4. caffine- can boost metabolism for small periods of time. if in a plateau add 2-3 servings (prob dont go over 4 total per day??) to your diet. watch the calories (ie choose diet coke, coffee, diet redbull etc) (told this by a personal trainer). plus= also acts as a dirurectic (? spell?) to help lose water weight.

    5. avoid preservatives - i stayed with a french host family that were convinced americans were over weight because of all the processed food we consumer. they said - look was the preservatives do in your food, imagine how hard it is to break down fat with that? (total myth but just throwing it out there)

    ok thats all ive got - what ones have you heard/ do you use?
  • eat lots of water-based foods-- fruits and veggies. this makes you feel fuller and eat fewer calories while also getting more water AND vitamins AND roughage!
  • Freddy, what a great idea r.e. the sponsored weightloss!! May have to steal that one from ya ;P
    xXx
  • Here's one I ran across today, from Reuters Health via stumptuous.com: eat low GI (GI=glycemic index) breakfasts, where low-GI foods are, generally speaking, complex carbs, fats, and proteins. A new study shows that on days when kids were fed a low-GI (GI=glycemic index) breakfast, they ate, on average, 60 fewer calories throughout the day than if they were fed a high-GI breakfast. Studies on adults have found a similar appetite-suppressing effect of a low-GI diet. See here.

    Another one from Reuters/stumptuous.com: don't fool yourself about the calories in the food sold by restaurants that tout themselves as "healthy." People tend to underestimate the calories they're eating in these restaurants even more than in other restaurants, to the tune of 15%.

    Oh, and condiments are typically not counted in Subway's calorie counts, so if you order mayo, oil & vinegar, aoli, or something similar for your sandwich, it probably has 150-200 more calories than the company's nutritional info indicates.

    Kim
  • My mother did a sponsored weightloss to help me raise money for a big trip I went on in 2002. She did amazingly well and lost about 70lbs.
  • That money thing is really true. We had a competition at my last job, with a $20 buy in. The first time I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and won $240. The second time I lost the competition, but I also lost 12 lbs so I guess I won that one in a way too!

    Get dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing and then skewer the food, it will make a little dressing go a really long way without making you feel deprived.
  • I read a study awhile back that said that a high intake of calcium makes it more difficult for fat cells to hang onto water, or something like that. (I forget the science -- I could probably dig it up if someone's interested.)

    Quote: Oh, and condiments are typically not counted in Subway's calorie counts, so if you order mayo, oil & vinegar, aoli, or something similar for your sandwich, it probably has 150-200 more calories than the company's nutritional info indicates.
    Good one! Cheese generally isn't counted, either.
  • Great idea for a thread!

    My dad has sponsored me for weight loss before, and he's doing it again this time too. I have my first weigh-in on Friday so I am hoping for a big payout, lol! (I am desperately broke!)

    I don't know if this counts, but this is something I was told by a fitness instructor... to firm up your derriere (and who doesn't want to do that!), you can squeeze your butt muscles, hold for a second, and relax. You can do this almost anywhere, sitting in class or in front of the TV, laying in bed trying to sleep, pretty much any time (I don't do it while standing when there are other people around because it makes my butt move around in a weird way, lol). You can do it like 15 or 20 times in a row 5 or 6 times a day. I don't know if it actually works but it can't hurt!
  • Tip from a natural health website for women...this is also what is predominantly found in energy drinks, but minus the sugar and carbonation.


    B vitamins

    These are important vitamins in terms of weight loss, and they are often known as the 'stress' vitamins. Vitamins B3 and B6 are especially important because they help to supply fuel to cells, which are then able to burn energy. Vitamin B6 together with zinc is necessary for the production of pancreatic enzymes which help you to digest food. If your digestion is good, you will be much more likely to use your food efficiently, instead of storing it as fat.

    Vitamins B2, B3 and B6 are necessary for normal thyroid hormone function production, so any deficiencies in these can affect thyroid function and consequently affect metabolism. B3 is also a component of the glucose tolerance factor which is released every time your blood sugar rises. Vitamin B5 is involved in energy production and helps to control fat metabolism.

    As you can see, the B vitamins as a group are important and the best way to get them is in a good B-complex supplement.