Real World Weight-Loss Tips

Outsmart Office Treats

"Doughnuts are in the breakroom!" "I've ordered a pizza!" Hearing these phrases at the office strike fear in my heart. If you also often find yourself in this situation, why not stash a low-fat granola bar or another item that is acceptable in your diet in your desk drawer? Sure, it’s no iced-with-candy-sprinkles treat, but giving yourself an alternative -- a healthier goody to munch on -- might save you a few calories while everyone else is dropping glaze crumbs on their shirts.

Tasty 'Tater Topper

Baked potatoes can be a real diet staple -– they're very low in fat and quite filling. But the challenge is to find something to top it that will keep you from racking up the fat and calories. Check out these ideas: Low-fat plain yogurt and chives; reduced-fat salad dressing; honey mustard; reduced-fat cottage cheese; salsa; Dijon mustard; or broccoli and low-fat melted cheese.

Or, give this simple recipe a try:

Potato Topping
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese (1% milk fat)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon imitation bacon chips
2 teaspoons dried chopped onion

Place yogurt, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and soy sauce in a food processor or blender. Mix until completely smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill.

Give Yourself a History Lesson

If diets seem to continually fail you, you may need to take a serious look at your past weight-loss efforts to find your mistakes before can ultimately succeed. To do this effectively, I wrote my weight-loss history -- what diets I had tried, what I disliked about them, why I feel they failed me .. I also wrote about why I thought I had gained weight in the first place and how I had, at times, sabotaged myself. When I finished, I was amazed at what I learned about my feelings and attitudes about losing weight. It helped me gain focus and I sometimes refer back to it when I start to slip up.