I was curious to see what was everyone's secret weapon when it comes to their diet and exercise.

As far as my diet, my two secret weapons are: cottage cheese and green tea. Both of these items have helped control my cravings tremendously. I don't go a day without eating cottage cheese or drinking green tea.

As far as my exercise, my secret weapon is: cardio. Without my running and/or HIIT, I wouldn't have dropped my body fat down to where it is now. Plus, my heart is thanking me as well.

What about you?

Crystal Light for a sweet drink any time, rice cakes with a smear of PB and jam for breakfast and off-brand Puffed Rice cereal for snacks.

Plus piles of salad or mounds of cooked veggies, plus seasoned soy "chicken" breasts as a typical lunch or dinner (I'm vegetarian).

For exercise: mini-trampoline.

Love this thread!

Diet: Greek yogurt, 0% or 2% (another vegetarian here--a convenient way to get protein without going wild on calories--I eat plain Greek yogurt with fruit, no sugar or artificial sugar).
Also fresh herbs, when I can afford them, or spice grinders when I can't-- adds a lot of flavor to food, makes simple meals ultra-delicious.

Exercise: Work hard--really hard--and aim for variety. Cardio, weightlifting, plyometrics, heavy lifting/few reps, light lifting/many reps, bodyweight exercises, yoga, stretching, walking, running, sports, HIIT, steady state--I think they all have their place.

fruit and vegetable detoxes ( currently back on one as of today), pb when Im dying for something sweet, and my scale... It keeps me in check when I get out of control with my eating.

The cognitive behavioral techniques from the Beck Diet Solution.
Really good stuff in the books. This is the only way that I have ever broken out of 6-month+ plateaus (yes, it takes a really long time to lose weight when you don't have much to lose - at least for me!)
If I stuck to all of Judith Beck's recommendations (only eat while sitting down, have a plan PLUS a back-up plan, realizing that "hunger is not an emergency", weighing daily, etc etc) I'm sure I would have settled into maintaining my goal weight/size long ago.

When I have a sweet craving, I grab an apple and a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter. Works like a charm!

Coffee has been a lifesaver of mine. I do put a little flavored creamer and splenda in it but it has not stalled my weight loss efforts and the sugary flavor has not brought on any cravings. It satisfies my cravings and takes away thoughts of being hungry when I know I shouldn't be! And I don't know what I would do without Lean Cuisine and Weight Watcher meals. They taught me portion control if nothing else.

As far as exercise, I'm all about the cardio as well. I love the way it makes me feel as I'm doing it and for hours afterwards.

I like this post because it gives me a few other ideas! Thanks!

- Laughing cow cheese wedges. I smear them on apple slices or wasa crispbread or whole grain melba toast when I want something creamy.

- Hard boiled eggs. I can make them ahead of time, so they're a big time saver for me when my kids are clamoring for attention but I need a snack. I chop them into an Ezekial pita for a quick meal, or eat a few egg whites when I need a before bed snack. Lots of protein, low calories. I eat about 2 dozen eggs/whites a week.

For exercise, I set an app on my phone that sounds an alarm every hour between 9-4. When the alarm sounds, I do pushups, crunches and squats (sometimes tricep dips, bicycle crunches and lunges, depending on the hour of day). It helps me squeeze in some type of workout while taking care of the kids.

Diet:

My secret weapon has been oatmeal, honey & cinnamon for breakfast (almost) every day.

It's quick, easy, and healthy. It seems to help my blood sugar levels stay in check (I'm not a diabetic but borderline hypoglycaemic)

I am also finding that my appetite is more finely tuned - as soon as the 'gate' to my stomach closes, that's it, no more food sorry (though this is a huge shame when I'm in the middle (or so I think) of eating something super yummy). It's definitely helped me gauge my portion sizes with greater accuracy.


Exercise:

I have had great success with weight loss by running (though this has been a tough journey but so worth it). If there's one activity that's changed my body the most, it would have to be running. My butt and thighs were always a problem area for me, and now, I can say that I'm a lot happier with that part. IT's also helped to reshape and tone my abs and hips.

I still try and balance my workouts with strength training, pilates, yoga and kickboxing.

i used to finish dinner and want something sweet, like a bit of chocolate etc. Have now got in to the habit of having a cup of peppermint tea instead. It's become my 'end of meal indicator' and the habit has made my subconscious recognise that 'that's it' on the food front and therefore i'm not thinking about whether i want something sweet or whether i might eat something else.

Also i need instant food in the fridge for eating during the day so generally have a tub of mixed finely chopped veggies/salad with some sort of dressing on it (there's some natural pea and lemon dip out at the moment for example that's basically just blended peas (no cream cheese in it) that's good to stir in to the vegies. Then i eat that raw with a bit of protein (tuna or ham or feta or baked beans etc) as a meal during the day. I'm not a cook lol. But i really love this and there's endless variations with different veggies and different dressings to stick on!

Exercise - i agree with the mix-it-up philosophy, although would have to agree that running is the staple and has definitely changed the shape of my backside and thighs!

My two secret weapons are: fear and percentages!

Fear: the absolute terror of going back to my old body and old lifestyle. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Not now. Not ever.

Percentages: living by the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time, my eating is fantastic by my standards. And I have high standards, lol. This allows me the 10% to spend time with my friends and be social and not worry about what I'm eating. Strange to learn that a night out (drinks, yummy foods) has no effect on my weight when I go right back to eating right the next day. So I truly believe in the percentages rule. This has really allowed me the freedom to live my life. I trust in myself completely to be able to indulge for an evening, and get right back on the horse the next day. There is no other option, which is why it works! I love being able to trust myself like that...it's amazing, and I think hits upon something deeper inside me than the food.



Oh, also, cycling the same foods works for me! The constants always in my fridge: cooked chicken breast in slices, cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, egg whites, canned fish of some sort, fresh salsa, atleast a few cut-up veggies (baby carrots and peppers, etc). In the pantry: raw almonds, veg soup, organic canned veggies, protein powder. I always have these on hand.

Diet:

Recent Find: Garden Lites Souffles (140 calories!). It's the foundation of my emergency meal plan -- microwave for 4 minutes and I don't care what anyone else is eating!

Raspberry Crystal Light (actually, I'm now buying a no-name knockoff) and coffee/tea with NFPM & truvia -- really really help me avoid eating between meals or after dinner.

2 squares Lindt dark chili chocolate (90 cals) is a treat I allow myself at the end of the day. Not only scrumptious, but the bite from the chili makes 2 squares satisfying.

Exercise:

My treadmill desk... no weather-related excuses and I always have time for it, because it doesn't really take any time out of my day!

I try not to eat more then half of my calories before 6pm that way if I go out to eat or want a snack after dinner there is still room

I also don't buy ANYTHING I will binge on, not even cereal or crackers. I eat treats but only outside the house. I keep the fridge stocked with fruits and veggies and foods that need to be prepared.

Having certain things I eat for lunch most of the time. Vegetable soup, usually with a slice of wholemeal bread or sometimes 1/4 cup wholemeal soup pasta (in minestrone). Red pepper stuffed with corn and beans, with a salad on the side. A salad made with various veg and a small tin of chick peas. With the soups and the stuffed peppers, we make them in batches and freeze individual portions, so I know exactly what goes in there and what the calorie count and nutritional content is. They always come out at around 200 calories, so even with a slice or bread or a small salad added (and I do not drown salads in high-calorie dressings, just a splash of olive oil, lemon juice/balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper), it makes a nice easy lunch which is relatively low in calories but still filling. Miso soup is another common one, made with 1/4 cup (dry weight) red Thai rice, two slices of tofu, diced, some veg, and a bit of wakame seaweed if I'm in the mood.

I also have set things I eat as small snacks, usually 15-30cal. A satsuma, a 3g or 4g piece of dark chocolate, about 4 raw dark chocolate-covered raisins/mulberries, or a small chocolate and peanut butter ball (my own recipe), a rice cake with a sprinkle of salt and sometimes a tiny bit of olive oil rubbed in. I spend more money on the chocolate stuff: the darker the chocolate and the better the taste, the more likely it is that I'll be satisfied with a tiny piece, plus the price encourages me to keep the bar of chocolate/pouch of chocolate raisins going for as long as possible! A few types of chocolate, such as Green and Black's ginger chocolate, turned out to be too moreish, so they were taken off the list.