I hope it is ok to post all these tips I found online....
#1 Switch from soft drinks to water, club soda or seltzer. Do it gradually. Just by cutting one can of soda or beer, you'll save up to 150 calories a day; 4500 calories per month. That is 15 pounds a year without even trying!
#2 Smile and laugh often. Laughing generates positive energy, instant stress relief, and put your busy life into perspective and balance. Don't take things too seriously. Enjoy life.
#3 Watch your caffeine. Two cups of coffee a day is OK. If you take more than that, it may cause anxiety, insomnia, dehydration and jittery. Besides, drinking too much caffeine can cause you to lose important fluid and micronutrient such as calcium and zinc, with the frequent urination as caffeine is diuretic.
#4 Brush your teeth after each meals to erase the taste. Freshening and cleaning your mouth make you less tempted to eat more.
#5 Want a quick energy booster without sugar or chocolate? Get moving. Exercise can make you feel invigorated, energized and alert. It doesn't need to be long. Ten minutes is enough to chase away your energy slump.
#6 Find yourself active hobbies; gardening, dancing, carpentry, house cleaning, roller blading, volunteering for your committee cleaning, and the like.
#7 Beware of unconscious munching. Especially when cooking, watching t.v. and reading.
#8 Take ten. When you feel like eating, give yourself ten minutes; drink water and do something else. If it's true hunger, the signal will still be there after ten minutes, then have your meal or a healthy snack. If it's a false signal, the hunger will often be gone.
#9 Park your car a mile away (just kidding). Choose the farthest parking space from the entrance.
#10 Go for fresh fruits - apples, oranges, grapes, papaya and more - instead of sugary dessert or snack, like ice cream, cake, candy, chocolate, or pie. Plus, apples may cut heart-desease risk in half if you eat them regularly.
#11 Replace ground beef pattie in your burger with veggie burger; it's low in fat and calorie. Try Gardenburger Hamburger Style or Morningstar Farm Griller.
#12 Add extra veggies to fried rice, pasta dishes, stir fries, soup, lasagna, casseroles, and other dishes. Why? Fiber in veggies add bulk and boost your fullness so you'll eat less. Fiber can also decrease your craving for sugary foods.
#13 Stand instead of sit. Standing burns more calories so stand as often as possible.
#14 Substitute half of ground beef in your Sloppy Joe's, spaghetti sauce, and meat loaf with texturized vegetable protein (TVP). It tastes just like ground beef but with less fat and cholesterol. TVP can be found in some grocery stores or natural-food stores. Whenever recipes called for ground beef, make it a habit to replace half or all with TVP.
#15 Go meatless once or twice a week. Give your body a rest. Instead of meat or poultry for protein, choose cooked beans, tofu, veggie burgers, veggie "chicken" or soy hotdogs, nuts or seeds (especially almond). Replace cold cuts in your sandwich with roasted veggies. Try grilled or roasted portobello mushroom instead of ground beef on your burger. It's flavorful yet only 26 calories in 3.5 oz. serving.
#16 Bring lunch from home two or three times a week to work. Instead of eating at the restaurants, bring low-calorie frozen entree, veggie burgers, turkey sandwich, or instant soup to work. Bring your own snack rather than digging your office vending machine. Tuck a box of raisin, banana, apple, orange or pear in your purse or lunch bag.
#17 Make your own pizza. So that you can load up more veggies, tomato or pizza sauce, and less cheese. Use non-fat or low-fat cheese. You can add some cooked skinless chicken cubes and soy pepperoni (it tastes like the real thing but with less calories and fat). Thirty minutes and you are ready for a healthy fast food meal.
#18 Cut back on alcohol. It increases appetite and weaken your discipline to healthy eating. Have it just one or two glasses a week or on special occasions only.
#19 To keep low-fat cooking fast and easy, stock you kitchen with low calorie, low-fat staples. Pantry essentials include fat free broth, instant soup cup, low-calorie frozen entree, canned beans, canned fish, veggie burgers, meat from the deli, low-fat or non-fat cheese, milk, whole grains, pasta, rice, a pack of tortilla, frozen veggies, precut veggies, bagged ready-to-eat salads, seasoning and condiments to flavor your food.
#20 Orange is the healthiest, filling, snack food that keeps you satisfied and feel full untill mealtime. It is juicy and packed with vitamin C. Grab one when you are hungry in between meals.
#21 If you think exercise is boring, think again. These fun exercises will change your mind (and body too!). Choose these summertime fun activities - hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, inline skating, kickboxing, sailing, playing Frisbee, golfing, playing beach volleyball, bird watching or swimming.
#22 Scale back on T.V. time. Watching T.V. tends to make you more sedentary. While exposure to commercial encourages you to eat more snack. Next time when you feel like watching T.V., visit a neighbor, walk your canine friend or weed the garden. Heck, summer is almost here, go out and enjoy the bright day!
#23 Eat a 1/4 cup of non-fat ricotta or cottage cheese, or drink one cup of 1% milk before you head out to a buffet or for happy hours with friends. A bit of protein can help you eat less and make yourself binge-proof.
#24 Portion your foods in 10-inch dinner plate and never go for seconds. Still hungry? Have a medium fresh fruit for desert and drink one glass of cold water. Then wait 20 mins. By then, you most likely won't feel like eating anymore.
#25 No more overeating at summer picnic. Join the outdoor social event of picnic but spend more time playing the backyard games. Avoid the temptation of cake, barbequed chicken, macaroni salad, potato salad, potato chips, pie, soda and beer by joining the kids. Share their fun and burn calories too. Try horseshoes, croquet, tag, Frisbee, or hacky sack.
#26 Write down your problems. List you fear, doubt, sadness and then list the bright side of your problems. Also list all the possible solutions. These make you realize that you can do something about your problems. The writing will prevent you from turning to foods for comfort. You deal with your problems head on instead of using foods to numb your feeling. Instead of using foods to get out of your problems or to make yourself feel better, you rely on you wit and wisdom and feel in control of the situation. Get in touch with your emotions and cope with them throught writing; not foods.
#27 Reward your little efforts, but not with foods. Buy youself a favorite CD, enjoy a bubble bath, a day at a spa, buy yourself fresh flowers, get massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures. Buy yourself a little gift. It doesn't have to be expensive, just a little something. Tiniest treat gives your mood a boost and you'll feel good about yourself and what you did.
#28 Set manageable goals. At first, aim to lose just 10 pounds. When you lose those 10, you'll feel accomplished and you know that another 10 is very much possible. If you set to lose 50 pounds at once you'd feel overwhelmed and finally decide that it's too difficult for you to achieve. You might give up. The same with exercise, just 5 minutes around the block, then 10, 15, 30, and who knows, probably you'll go for a marathon.
#29 Try out something new such as mango, jicama, tangerine, fig, papaya, or guava. Instead of brown rice, try other hearty whole grains such as quinoa, bulgar, buckwheat or barley. Have you tried shiitake mushroom, portobello mushroom, bamboo shoots, bean sprout, asparagus or egg plant? Put cooked lentils or chickpeas on your salad or in your soup, rice and pasta dishes.
#30 Get out and enjoy the sunlight. Sunlight helps your body secrete a brain chemical named serotonin. It can quell hunger! Besides, sunshine is good for your body as it boosts your mood. Do a little window shopping on your lunch hour, walk wherever you can, take a stroll at the park, meet your friend outdoor instead of indoor and take pictures of nature.
#31 Get busy. Many people eat to combat boredom. People who blast away pounds and keep them away permanently are those who get involved in community activities and family projects. Find activities that are rewarding and fulfilling to you such as volunteering for your favorite organization or if you love to read, volunteer at a library. Summer is here, it's time to fly a kite, learn to make bird houses, grow an herb garden or organize a fun raising event for your community.
#32 Do it for yourself. If you do it for your partner, parents, or anyone, once you make those little progress and that person doesn't even realize your effort; and that might drive you to dissappointment. You might turn to food for comfort, or you'd say "If my loved one doesn't even notice my hard work and 5 lbs loss, what's the use?" That might lead you to giving up for the lack of support. Do it because that's what you want, start your journey of weight loss for your own personal gratification. You matter, you love yourself first and will do anything healthy to ensure the best for yourself - healthier and trimmer you.
#33 If you are waiting to be happy only when you reach your desired weight, please stop torturing yourself. Choose to be happy today. Wake up every morning and say to yourself, "I choose joy and happiness today." If that's hard to do, list 5 things you value and love. Those you love and cherish; your kids, spouse or significant other, friends, career, memories, and lots more. Aren't you grateful and happy to have them in your life? Happy is an inside job, it's your choice. You can choose to be overweight and miserable or you can choose to be overweight and happy. When you are happy, you tend to see life in different ways. You are more hopeful about things especially your own ability to reach your desired weight.
#34 If you don't want to count calories or cut portions, the best way to ensure that the calories you eat are at healthy level, base your meals on whole grains, veggies, fresh fruits, legumes, and low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Use lean meat or poultry as condiments, just to flavor your foods. Use smaller portions of lean meat of poultry. Cut it into small pieces and add it to you dishes. That way, you'll get the taste but with less calories and fat. Or, have them on special occasions only.
#35 Practice patience. Some people change their eating and start to exercise but quit 3 months later because the scale doesn't register any loss and the clothes are still tight. It takes you months and probably years to put those excess fat on you beautiful body. What makes you think a month could melt the pounds away? If you stop after a brief attempt, then what you have is not a winning weight loss plan. Make the change that you can stick with for the rest of your life. Find exercises you enjoy doing so you don't feel dreadful doing it. Adopt a healthy eating habit that is not rigid and leave you dreaming about your old unhealthy habit. If you are consistent to your commitment of a healthier living, the pounds won't hang on to your body forever. Give yourself some time before your clothes start getting looser and the tape measurement gives a smaller reading of your waist.
#36 Trick your cravings. Suck on lemon or anything sour. Do it for a while to reduce your cravings, or you can try menthol/eucalyptus cough drop for instant craving stopper.
#37 Want to stay 'regular' and curb your appetite? Sprinkle high fiber ground flaxseed on your breakfast cereal (choose one percent or nonfat milk, or low-fat calcium-fortified soy milk). Flax can curb your appetite, make you feel fuller and satisfied quickly so you'll eat less overall. Add it to your yogurt, breakfast fruit smoothie, pancake batter and homemade muffins. You can find ground flaxseed at frozen or refrigerated section at any health food store or a local supermarket. Introduced it slowly, 1-2 teaspoons a day and increase it to 1-2 tablespoons. Store ground flaxseed in refrigerator to keep it from oxidizing.
#38 Summer is just around the corner and it's getting hotter. You can continue your walking routine at a cold place - the mall. If you like, join the mall walker group or program to keep you motivated. Mall walking is comfortable, safe, convenient and fun too. If you are an allergy sufferer, rest assured that pollen or dust cannot bother your workout because mall air is usually filtered.
#39 Park your car or get off the bus a couple blocks away from your workplace. 15 min walking to your office and another 15 mins after work give you 30 mins of physical activities, 5 times a week (if you work 5 times a week). Initially, you'll probably come up with excuses not to stop blocks away from your destination. Take it one day at a time.
#40 Fight sugar craving - Switch your breakfast from doughnuts, cup cakes, sweetenned cereal, pastries and white bread to high-fiber cereal, whole grain unrefined bread. Make your own muffins and pancakes using whole wheat flour.
#41 Fight sugar craving - Instead of cake and cookies for dessert, choose low-fat plain yogurt with fresh fruits for flavor, veggies, low calorie sugarless Jell-O and puddings, low-sugar ice cream, fresh fruits, or smoothie made of low-fat soy milk, fresh fruits and ice cubes. If you like baking, make your own dessert using low sugar recipes in diabetic cookbooks.
#42 Fight sugar craving - Split your meals into 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Base you meals on high fiber veggies and whole grain with some lean protein. For snacks, choose fresh fruits or food from startup #10. If you eat low-fat frozen entree or ready made foods, read the label and make sure it is low in sugar (not more than 3 grams per serving).
#43 Fight sugar craving - Cut your soda drink in half. One can of soft drink gives you a whopping 30 to 50 grams of sugar. Watch out for your fruit drinks because one cup of orange drink can give you 30 grams of sugar. Eat orange instead.
#44 Fight sugar craving - Have some protein with every meals; bean soups, low-fat cottage cheese, eggs, peanut butter, plain low-fat yogurt, skinless poultry (not fried), lean meat, fish or shellfish, nuts or seeds (without added sugar), cooked beans, canned protein (sardines, water-packed tuna, salmon, chicken) or low-fat cold cut meat (sugar per serving not more than 3 grams).
#45 Fight sugar craving - Reorganize your plate so half of it is veggies cooked the healthy way. From now on, get 'acquainted' with the produce section at your local supermarket. Start small and keep building bigger portions of veggies on your plate. What about canned or frozen veggies? Yes, they are acceptable too. They are as nutritious as their fresh friends.
#46 If you can't leave out the french fries from your meals, have them, but cut the portion into half. Then supplement your meals with "baked" french fries. That way, you won't feel deprived of your favorite foods and you can still cut out hundreds of calories. Cut the potatoes into french fries style, sprinkle with paprika, pepper, or chilli powder. Spray with cooking spray and bake at 400F until done.
#47 Beef-and-potatoes lover? There's no reason why you can't have your favorite dishes. They key is to trim them into lighter versions. Instead of prime rib, T-bone, New York Strip and porterhouse, stick to lean meat such as sirloin, round steak - cuts with loin or round in the name. Avoid high-calorie, high-fat cuts by choosing beef that is not marbled or pocketed with fat. Before cooking, trim away the thick white streaks - the fat. Then, marinate the steak using spices, herb, and sauces instead of butter or oil. For mashed potatoes, prepare them with broth or low-fat milk and flavor with spices or salt-free seasonings. To cut calories even further, go with other healthier starch side dishes such as whole grain rice, whole wheat pasta, grilled or saute carrot, corn, parsnip and beets.
#48 Either you are too busy, or lazy and you think take-out meals is the solution (but you just make a new resolve to eat healthy), have your favorite take-out dishes. Pair them with healthy foods such as ready-to-eat broth-based soup, homemade salad, or cut up veggies of your choice. So, you'll eat less of high calorie take-out meal. Or, you can add side dishes such as steamed or stir-fry brocolli, beans dishes, baked potatoes with nutritious topping such as salsa, whole wheat rolls or roasted veggies.
#49 Eat only when you are seated. It sounds silly but by making this deal with yourself, you can no longer gorge in front of the fridge, at the kitchen sink, in bed, while watching tv or driving. You are going to enjoy your foods and truly eat them on the plate, at the dining table, seated. On the plate means no more eating from ice cream carton, cookies package, chips bag, peanut butter jar, or pizza box. By setting up this whole routine, you are more aware of how much you are stuffing yourself. So, you are less likely to eat a whole jar of peanut butter or bag of cookies. In fact, you might notice that you are satisfied with smaller portions than you normally have.
#50 Night time eater? At 11p.m. you start to imagine all those delicacies in your kitchen. You've got some work to finish up, late night show is on and you hate to miss your favorite actor. Or, you're just plain used to staying up late. To cut munching at night, go to bed early and wake up early to finish your work. Videotape the late night show and watch it the next day. Change you habit, wake up earlier than usual so you can go to bed early. Before long, it'll become your new healthy habit and cut the night time bingeing.
#51 Learn to say "I love myself." Sometimes you are too wrapped up taking care of everbody else, and you forget to take care of the most important person - yourself. Of course you enjoy doing things for your spouse, kids, relatives, friends or your boss, but do you treat yourself with the same kindness and considerations? Treat yourself like you treat others - nice, warm, friendly, loving, caring and compassionate. When you feel tired, stop and rest. Get a massage, spend extra time in the bathtub, take a short nap. Instead of doing all the house chores by yourself, distribute them among family members so you'll have time to pamper yourself. The idea is to make the world a pleasant place for yourself first.
#52 Squeeze 'active time' here and there. Your body will get a dose of workout without even sweating. While waiting for your microvawe to go off, do some lunges or squats. It's tea time and the water is still heating, so, go for wall push-ups. Waiting for the washer to finish its cycle? Do calve raises. If you have stairs or an exercise machine at home, use it to kill the time. Make a new deal with yourself - waiting time is active time.
#53 Spice up your meal. Studies reveal that eating spiced meals can help slim you down. Adding hot fiery red pepper to food may boost metabolism up to 30%. Find ways to add spicy heat in your foods. For example, add hot sauce to your sandwich, soup, stew, and chili. Add chopped jalapeno to your omelettes or scrambled eggs, or homemade pizza. Plus, super hot food may make you stop eating sooner thus decreases your food intake. Eating out? Go to ethnic restaurants such as Indian, Thai, Mexican and ask for extra spicy dishes. The intense flavor of hot dishes makes you less likely to stuff yourself.
#54 Portion the food in advance. Fill in your plate for the amount you want to eat. Then, wrap and store away the rest of the food before eating your meal. If the foods are there on the table, you are more likely to polish them off. Seeing all the foods on the table will increase your desire to stuff yourself even when you are no longer hungry. If you are still hungry, you can always go for more. Or, you can choose a piece of fresh fruit to complete your meal. Bottom line is, more food on the table might make you eat much more foods than you need.
#55 Cut out 200 calories daily from your meal. You can take off up to 2 pounds a month, 12 pounds in 6 months without deprivation. It's easy to find 200 calories from what you are already eating.
Here's a few examples:
1 tbs mayonnaise
60 calories
1 can soda
150 calories
Total
210 calories
1 tbs regular salad dressing
70 calories
1 slice american cheese
75 calories
1 pat butter
60 calories
Total
205 calories
3 oatmeal cookies
210 calories
1 big bagel (compared to 2 wholegrain bread - 160)
260 calories
10 french fries
220 calories
The easiest way to cut 200 calories a day is to read the label on your snack or desserts, soda drinks, and be conscious of the amount of sugar you put in your coffee or tea.
#56 Go to bed 30 mins early so you can get up early for a simple healthy breakfast. Plan your breakfast before you go to bed. If you don't, you might grab a Danish, doughnut, croissant, or pastry at the office or at a fast-food joint. Those foods are loaded with calories, sugar and fat. They give you an ever increasing waistline.
#57 Grab the salad but skip the croutons. Start your meals with a small plate of veggies, dark leafy green with low-fat or nonfat dressing. Most fast food restaurants and groceries are now offering salad bars with dozens of varieties of veggies and even fruits. Take your pick and make salad your appetizer or a fast, nutritious meal by itself. Beware of the seeds, grated cheese and bacon bits. Choose low-fat or fat-free dressing and use it in moderation.
#58 Craving for cake? Try angel food cake. It uses mostly egg whites and is low in fat. Top it with fresh sliced strawberries (or other berries) and a dollop of low-fat whipped topping. Still, it gives you less than 160 calories per slice and only about 2 grams of fat. A sinfully delicious, fulfilling dessert or snack (but less in calories and fat compare to regular cake) that satisfies your cravings. But that doesn't mean you can have it at every dessert - moderation is the key.
#59 Top you baked potato with this delicious, healthier alternative to butter or margerine:
Plain non-fat yogurt.
Stir fry veggies.
Salsa.
Low-fat vegetarian chili.
Low-fat pasta sauce with plenty of veggies.
Low-fat or non-fat gravy.
Non-fat ranch dressing or any dressings of your choice.
Shredded soy cheese. It comes in variety of flavor.
#60 Watch your restaurant portions. Americans are eating super sized meals and drive everywhere - contributing to overweight epidemic. Yes, you are getting you money worth with bigger portions but is it worth your health? Stop cleaning you plate. To avoid finishing your meals (who won't when it's right in front of you!), ask for to-go box and immediately put away the portions you don't need. Take them home for later meal or snack. Choose salad for appetizer (skip the croutons and choose low-fat or nonfat dressing) and a cup of mixed fruits for dessert.
Lots of Tips to help with weight loss...
