Lost 60 lbs
- I think adding salsa to a healthy salad is a great way to add loads of flavor for only a handful of calories. I also add in a small slice of blue cheese (I like the Rosenborg slices, which have 70 calories each). I track my daily calories, drink 7-8 12-ounce glasses of water a day, and do 30 minutes of kickboxing and 30 minutes of Pilates each day. I feel invigorated! It's easy to get in 30 minutes of activity here and there. When I find myself sitting in front of the TV, I remind myself that I could be doing something more productive, so I shut it off and get moving.
- —Guest Sheri
Rountine
- Take out 1 workout day a week which is usually Saturday or Sunday and commit to excersise. I done this: lift weights at any intensity level, take frequent 2-minute walks, and find something fun to do with or without like basketball. For those who need a change from the usual walk can dribble a ball while they walk, so at the end of the day you won't feel guilty about cutting calories. Cut one thing off when you eat that has high calories and enjoy yourself, congratulations, you've earned it.
- —Guest thumper
sweetie pie
- I use low calorie sugar - made from half natural and half artificial it tastes like the real thing, and saves lots of calories.
- —Guest Kathy
Cutting calories and carbs from bread
- I love using the Arnold Buns. They are much thinner than your regular buns and come in wheat, whole grain or white and they are delicious and can be used with a sandwich, turkey burger, mini pizza. I normally broil mine first and then add what ingredients. I also buy Ezkeil Bread from the frozen section of my grocer. Wonderful flowerless bread. The cinnamon and raisen can be spread with fat free cream cheese or Polaners fruit and makes a great breakfast.
- —Guest Susan
Cut calories and fat when frying, etc.
- One thing I do to cut calories AND fat is frying things in apple juice (any other juice that is 100% also helps...adds an unusual element to some recipes, depending on the juice--but apple changes the flavor the least). Heat it up like oil and toss in whatever you're cooking. I also tend to bake things that are normally fried or sauteed. Like Ratatouille is an excellent dish, except that it is sauteed in oil...so I bake it instead. I also use applesauce instead of oil in baking...use the same amount of applesauce as oil when making cakes, cookies, muffins, bread, etc.
- —musicmissionary
Cut calories
- I cut some calories by mixing my salad dressing with salsa or picante sauce. This works really well when eating out. I just ask for salsa on the side and mix it with ranch or thousand island dressing. Taste great.
- —Guest Kelly
count calories
- I've lost 50 pounds over the last year by simply counting calories and exercising. Use a calorie counting website to figure out how many calories you should be eating a day. Keep track of them daily. Exercise, daily if possible. The weight will come off. Don't cut any foods/food groups out of your diet totally. That's too hard to live with for very long and leads to failure. If you are counting your calories you can plan ahead and still enjoy little treats. I still eat ice cream almost daily, but now its an ice cream sandwich or one serving of lower fat ice cream, not a huge bowl full. Get a food scale and use it with the nutrition info on the side of all packaged foods. Figure out the calories in recipes you cook to figure out the amount per serving. For exercising I ride my bike 15-30 miles a day or more. At 15 miles a hour, on average, it doesn't take much time out of your day and is enjoyable.
- —Guest Jenny
Careful of snacks that seem healthy.
- I used to eat certain fruits that I thought would give me energy and not too many calories, but I was very wrong. Avoid bananas in excess (one medium size contains 105 calories) and honeydew melon. Also, cheese on roasted vegetables is almost always a trap. I thought I was doing okay by eating eggplant Parmesan, but no way no how. Look up the calories of all the food you are eating, even what you think is guiltless and okay. There's a change you'll be surprised!
- —Guest Lamb
Sugar Free JELL-O!!!
- For all you who have that sweet tooth.... I've found that Sugar Free Jell-o is a must for me. It's 10 cals for a 1/2 cup, and you can even put a little cool whip lite on it.... YUM!!!!!!
- —Guest Chunky Monkey=-)
Losing weight
- Eat 5 small meals a day to keep the metabolism burning, quit eating 3 hours before bedtime and count calories are the biggest tips. Writing every thing you eat down in a book or calendar is pretty easy and there are a thousand ways to get how many calories are in something with the internet available. It's amazing when you write something down how you look at it later and just decide you don't want to spend your calories on that, and in effect make a choice not to eat some of the stuff you may have never thought about. On exercise, walking the dog for an hour will do wonders for you and your dog. Eventually, you'll want to run and before you know it the pounds are just pouring off.
- —Guest BCM
Beware of Salads!
- Usually, when people think "diet", they think "salad". However, people also think the best way to have a salad is by including lots of dressing, which ends up making it pretty horrible for you! I cut out unnecessary fat calories by asking for my salad dressing on the side and dipping my fork into the dressing, so only the prongs have anything on them. The amount of dressing that sticks to my fork is more than enough for my bite of salad! It will cut the dressing you use by more than half!
- —Guest Brianne
Dun dun dun dun
- A few days ago I was in a dressing room. The lighting was poor but it couldn't distract me from what I saw. In the mirror stood a young girl with cottage cheese thighs. Of course my mother disregards such things calling me "skinny" but I knew deep down that it was time to get in shape no matter how young I might be. Now don't mistake me for a ten year old because I am most certainly not. My sweet sixteen is just around the corner :) Anyways, long story short I kicked my dimpled butt in gear. I started being more conscientious of what I put in my mouth cutting off junk food. Being a vegetarian at a young age can make you opt to eat food that aren't good for you. So in conclusion to my story, I started eating healthier, and less, and exercising as well. I feel like a better person just by making the simple decisions as to what I consume on a daily basis. I no longer feel the guiltiness of eating "that" because I simply don't.
- —Guest Laura*
Limit liquid calorie intake
- If you switch out soda and juice for tea and water (both of which contain 0 calories,) you will cut 300-400 easily depending on how much soda and juice you regularly drink. Drinking lots of water helps with weight loss and most teas are filled with vitamins and supplements that can further aid in the weight loss process. Try it out! You'll feel the difference right away.
- —tina1325
I lost 50 pounds
- I started at 140, had a baby and shot up to a very uncomfortable 175, and after doing the following landed at 126. I am 5'3", and 35 years old. My tummy is flat, and I feel great. I eat 1200 calories a day, divided into 5 or 6 small meals. Lean protien, fruit and veggies high in fiber, one serving of black beans, one serving of yogurt, and lots of water EVERYDAY. I stay away from sugar, salt, and processed foods like lunchmeat and frozen dinners. During the week, I jog on the treadmill or the eliptical machine to burn 300 calories (monday thru friday). Lift light weights twice a week, just to tone. The more tone you are, the more calories you burn. I also do an ab video as much as I can. It was hard to get used to, but I went from size 14 to size 8 in a month. After about 6 months, I am wearing a size 5, and feel comfortable in a bikini OUTDOORS with other people, which I havnt felt comfy doing since I was a little girl. Hope this helps someone. I life changing.
- —Guest boxcar301
Measure it
- Buy foods with calories on them. For example, everything at Trader Joes has calories listed. Buy a 20 dollar food scale and some measuring cups. Use them to prepare your foods. Set up a spreadsheet that allows you to input your food every day. Never eat more than your limit. Start eating high fiber cereal (puffins are good), apples twice a day for snacks and potatos. The fiber will help a lot. Chew gum when you get hungry. Run three times a week for 25 minutes. Focus on weekends. We all fail on weekends.
- —Guest Measure it
