Big-Day Slimming Strategies

Big-Day Slimming Strategies

November 18th, 2005 @ 9:54 pm by Mrs. Ant

By Susie Galvez, adapted from Weight Loss Wisdom: 365 Successful Dieting Tips

�‚�� Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water every day to curb your appetite and fill you up when you’re hungry. All that moisture is good for your skin too.

�‚�� Use the fruit and vegetable bin in the refrigerator to store high-fat temptations. You are apt to forget they’re there!

�‚�� Change your computer password to a word or phrase that will make you “think thin” every time you use it– “hourglass” or “skinny one,” for instance. When you type it, you’ll think it. (So clever! I already changed my blog passwords to remind me to exercise and drink more water.)

�‚�� Be a food sleuth. If you are not sure if something you crave is fatty, take a little bite. If the food feels thick on your tongue, chances are it is high in fat.

�‚�� To become more aware of your portions, try eating with your non-dominant hand. If you are right-handed, use your left; if you are left-handed, use your right.

�‚�� When bread is included in a meal, keep the serving to two ounces—each slice of bread is roughly an ounce. A dinner roll averages 2 ounces, and half a bagel is approximately 1-1/2 to 2 ounces.

�‚�� If breakfast is not your cup of tea, why not turn that meal into two snacks–one in the morning and the other in the afternoon when most cravings hit.

�‚�� Once or twice a week, eat 250 calories less than your weight-loss program requires. Forgo the extra half cup of cereal here, the pat of butter there. Believe it or not, doing this twice a week can result in losing 12 to 15 extra pounds in a year.

�‚�� Keep breath mints handy. At less than 5 calories each, they freshen your breath and, just maybe, lessen the allure of that tempting treat.

�‚�� Try a flavored coffee when you are feeling the urge to have something sweet. It will give you a rich taste and full feeling during the day without the calories.

�‚�� When other remedies fail, eating a single slice of multi-grain bread-around 60 calories or so-can stop a full-blown crave attack before it starts. The trick is to eat the bread very slowly and no more than one slice.

�‚�� If an old-fashioned sundae is something you simply must have, try this low-calorie version: a half cup of frozen yogurt, some slices of banana, peach and strawberry, and a tablespoon of chocolate syrup. All this yields a sweet dessert with only about 200 calories.

�‚�� If you are planning to dine out, see if you can have the menu faxed or e-mailed to you ahead of time. This will give you time to make your low-calorie choice before you arrive at the restaurant.

�‚�� Instead of butter or cream cheese, spread a tablespoon of peanut butter on your bread. Rich in monounsaturated fat, peanut butter helps to lower cholesterol, and the 3 grams of protein in that size serving will help you feel full until your next meal. (Mmm.. I love peanut butter!)

�‚�� Chew sugarless gum whenever you’re cooking. It will help you resist doing too much tasting.

�‚�� If good-for-you carrots are part of your calorie plan, make them baby carrots. The little ones contain 70 percent more betacarotene antioxidants than their grown-up counterparts.

�‚�� Anytime you are feeling puffy, combine these ingredients in a blender: 1 cup of red cabbage, 1 apple, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1 carrot, and 1 celery stick. Drinking a glass of this bloat-banisher cocktail three times a day will help rid your body of extra fluid. (Too lazy/ busy to make this. I’m just going to try drinking V8 more frequently.)

�‚�� Some easy ways to figure serving size: a 1-ounce cheese slice is the size of a computer disk, a bagel is the size of a CD, and a slice of pizza should fit in a standard #10 business envelope.

�‚�� You can burn as much as many as 100 extra calories by drinking water cold and icy, as opposed to drinking it at room temperature.

�‚�� Whenever you can, start a meal with a cup of soup. Because soup quells initial hunger, you are less apt to overeat-saving as much as 300 calories.