After losing 70 lbs - 28% down from my peak - I learned these 13 tricks to help me along my weight loss journey.
1- Drink two tall glasses of water a minimum of ten minutes before eating anything,
2- Reduce/eliminate white starches/sugars(bread, pasta, cereal, rice, potatoes and pizza)
3- Monitor your meals. Find a web or smart phone app food tracker and use it. I used WebMD’s tracker. If you eat a bag of potato chips, record it on the tracker. You’ll be able to see your caloric, sugar, carb, protein, etc., intake. It’s important to understand the most vital aspect of weight loss and maintenance, that being your daily consumption statistics. Find a suitable recommended level of intake for weight loss and see if you can hit the targets. You can also keep a hand written food diary.
4- Exercise a minimum of thirty minutes a day – include aerobic and strength training exercises and stress reduction stretches and relaxation breathing for decreasing emotional eating.
5- Set a goal of never finishing a meal or leaving a clean plate. Even if it’s just one more bite, leave it for leftovers.
6- Put fork down for a minimum of ten seconds after each bite of food.
7- Take a sip of water in between each bite of food. Drinking alcohol with meals can cloud your judgment and lead to overeating, be mindful of this if you typically imbibe. Maybe have a drink at the end of the meal, rather than at the beginning or during.
8- Always come in last! When eating with companions, make sure you are the slowest eater. Never finish before anyone else.
9- Snack on cherry tomatoes, cheese, small handful of nuts or steamed vegetables.
10- Repeat this phrase in your mind three times whenever you think you’re hungry “the feeling in my stomach is thirst, not hunger“, then have a tall glass of cold water, wait a few minutes and see if you’re still “hungry“. The body is giving you a thirst signal, it is NOT a hunger signal.
11- Use small plates for meals. Fill plate with salad and vegetables first and finish them before eating the main course.
12- Cut the size of your typical “forkful” in half. The tip of the tongue can only taste so much food at once.
13- Re-read this message at least once a week until these become your habits.
As I am not a registered dietitian nor a trained medical professional, please take the tips as merely suggestions from a fellow struggler who finally got tired of being obese (it’s okay to use that word). Please consult with competent registered or trained professionals or do your own research on specific changes in diet and exercise to see what works best.