Weight Loss Tip #1 - Only start a diet plan that you can stay on.
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The problem with most diet plans is that they are
simply too strict. You get on a diet with the best of
intentions and after two weeks of not being able to eat bread, drink
coke, or have anything with the least bit of sugar, you
crack. Once you crack the guilt sets in, your adherence to
the diet slacks off, and, before you know it, you're completely
off the diet. Sound familiar?
The inherent problem with most diets is that, well, they are
diets. If you're truly serious about weight loss, you need
to get on diet plan that allows you the flexibility to
indulge once in a while without blowing your diet. Our
advice is to get on Weight
Watchers®
today.
It has got
the best combination of healthy dieting, sustainable weight
loss, and flexibility of any diet plan that we've seen.
Best of all, if you can't join the weekly meetings, you can
still follow the Weight Watcher's FlexPoints plan online.
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Weight Loss Tip #2 - Learn to be assertive at
restaurants.
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Restaurants are minefields for
anybody who is trying to lose weight, but they don't have to
be. Ask the waiter/waitress how foods are prepared and if
they can ask the cook to make changes. For instance,
substitute a cream sauce with a tomato or pesto sauce. Ask
for the fish to be prepared without butter. Have your baked
potato delivered with the butter and sour cream on the
side. Tell the waitress not to bring bread.
It may feel odd at first to make demands
about how your food is prepared, but the overwhelming majority
of restaurants are more than happy to accommodate you.
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Weight Loss Tip #3 - Change the way you order
salads
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Salads by themselves are
extremely healthy and contain no fat. The problem is that
once bacon, cheese, and dressing are added on, you might as well
reach for a hamburger from the standpoint of calories.
Here are three quick tips to ordering salads that are guaranteed
to cut calories without sacrificing taste.
First, request that the dressing be brought on
the side. Chances are you'll use less dressing by adding
on it gradually then the chef will by dumping on top of the
salad. Plus, the lettuce and vegetables on the bottom of
the bowl will be a lot less soggy if you add the dressing on
gradually.
Second, ask if the restaurant has low fat
or no fat dressings available. Many have lower fat
versions, or at least a vinaigrette. If you are at Wendy's,
make sure to ask for the low fat ranch or the fat free French -
otherwise you might as well order some fries...
Finally, ask the waiter/waitress to leave
off the cheese and bacon. In most dinner salads, these materially increase the calories and the cholesterol. We
also recommend you specifically request not to have
bread/breadsticks brought with your salad.
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Weight Loss Tip #4 - Keep carrots and celery
around.
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Carrots and celery are a
dieter's best friend. They satisfy your need to crunch,
are packed with vitamins, reduce your risk of cancer, fill you
up, and are incredibly low in calories. Mix up a little
salsa or no-fat sour cream with spices and you've got a snack
worthy of serving to friends.
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Weight Loss Tip #5 - Get to know Skinny Cow Ice
Cream
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Yes, you can diet and still eat
ice cream! Silhoutte makes some fabulous ice cream
sandwiches (we recommend the mint) that are only 130 calories,
with a mere 20 of those calories coming from fat. You can find
them in the ice cream section of most major grocery stores (e.g.
Kroger, Albertson's, Super Target, Winn Dixie, Wal-Mart).
Trust us, these are really good ice cream sandwiches!
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Weight Loss Tip #6 - Buy, order and cook smaller
portions
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The best way to eat less is to
have less on your plate. Order and cook in smaller
portions. If you're still hungry afterwards, you can
always order or cook something else, but since this requires
effort, you're more likely to eat less. Also, if you buy
things in smaller bags, there is less to give you cravings.
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Weight Loss Tip #7 - Change your chips to Baked
Lays and Baked Doritos
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Let's face it, chips taste
good. Unfortunately, they're full of fat and high in
calories. Baked Lays and Baked Doritos are the big
exceptions to this rule. While not everybody is crazy
about the Baked Lays (we like the sour cream and onion flavor),
the Baked Doritos taste very similar to the real thing. In
fact, once you've tasted the Baked Doritos, you'll probably
never go back to the real thing.
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Weight Loss Tip #8 - Save 100 calories at Subway,
instantly!
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Subway loves to talk about
their low fat sandwiches, but they don't tell you about how
dangerous the condiments are. Our advice is to stay away
from the oil, period. To save more than 100 additional
calories, tell them no cheese (40-60 calories) and request
either the low fat mayo (65 calories less than the regular mayo)
or the honey mustard (just 28 calories and no fat).
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Weight Loss Tip #9 - Walk away from a craving
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When you're dieting, it seems like
there is something to give you a craving everywhere you turn - the
office doughnuts, the pastries at Starbucks, the pizza coupons in your
mailbox... Next time you get a craving, make yourself busy,
pronto! Go for a quick walk, call a friend, follow-up on some
email, surf the web. Chances are, within five or ten minutes, the
craving will go away. If not, indulge, but try to not to
overindulge (e.g. have a half of a doughnut).
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Weight Loss Tip #10 - Keep a food journal
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Start tracking what you eat at
every meal. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it will
keep you thinking about what you're actually eating.
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Weight Loss Tip #11 - Forget the Cheetos!
Check out Quakes Corn Rings
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If you like Cheetos, we have a
snack for you - Quakes Corn Rings. One serving is
just 130 calories with 4.5 grams of fat; not perfect, but not
bad either. Oh...there is one other detail we should share
with you, one serving consists of 25 PIECES!! Snack away -
you'll probably been done snacking before you get to the 25th
chip. They are made by Quaker and are available at most
grocery stores.
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Weight Loss Tip #12 - Change your spread
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If you eat toast, bagels, or English
muffins, you can easily cut calories by changing the spread
use. A tablespoon of Parkay has 90 calories, a tablespoon
of Philadelphia Cream Cheese has 100 calories, but a tablespoon
of Smucker's Red Raspberry Preserves has just 50 calories.
If you prefer the taste of butter or cream cheese (or want to
cut down on your sugars), you should consider switching to
Parkay Light (50 calories) or Light Philadelphia (70
calories).
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Weight Loss Tip #13 - Smart Ones
Sundae Cones
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You've got to love it when you
can eat ice cream and still lose weight. Our new dessert
of choice is Smart Ones Giant Sundae Cones. They are
just 130 calories with 2.5 grams of fat and they taste
great. We're talking creamy ice cream! Best of all,
if you're on Weight Watchers (and you should be - see Weight
Loss Tip #1), they will only cost you two points. Both the
chocolate and vanilla flavors are equally good.
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Weight Loss Tip #14 - George Foreman Is
Your Friend
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We didn't jump on the George Foreman bandwagon until a friend gave us a
Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine
as a present. After having used this grill extensively, all we can say is - believe all of the hype.
This grill cooks amazingly fast, is easy to clean up, and once you see the all the fat that comes of
the meat and fish, you'll wonder why you went so long with out buying this grill before. Whether you're
low fat or low carb, the George Foreman Grill is an absolute must have if you're on a diet!
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Weight Loss Tip #15 - Increase Your Activity
Level & Lose 10 Pounds
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Here's a real easy way to lose an
additional ten pounds this year. Simply burn an extra 100 calories
every day and in 12 months, you will be 10 pounds later. The
amazing thing about this is that it is actually easier than it
sounds. All you need to do is be just a little more active
throughout the day. For instance, take the stairs instead of the
elevator, leave your shopping cart at the end of each aisle in the
grocery store and walk back and forth to your cart, park farther away
from the store (added bonus - your car will get dinged less), walk your
dog longer, give your significant other a massage every night (you'll
definitely get an added bonus for this :) ), garden more often, play
with your kids, etc. Notice none of these activities are very strenuous,
but they all burn calories. The more calories you burn, the more
weight you will lose.
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Weight Loss Tip #16 - Set A Seemingly Unrealistic
Athletic Goal
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Rather than being obsessed with your
weight loss, obsess about a goal. We mean a really, really big
goal - running a marathon, completing a triathlon, riding a century (a
100-mile bike ride), skiing black-diamond slopes, climbing Everest,
etc. Even if your goal is just to run a 10k in under 40 minutes
(which means running at sub-seven minute mile pace), you want to make it
big and hard to achieve. After you've picked a goal, get approval
from your doctor, and TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW. Why? If you
set a big goal and tell everyone you are going to accomplish it, you've
suddenly taken on a big responsibility. This in turn will make you
get in shape, thereby causing you to lose pounds. In case you
think this borderlines on insanity, we've got a true story for
you. Several years ago, while working out in a pool, we met a
middle-age gentleman who was in great shape. He told us that two
years prior, he was sitting on the couch, eating chips and watching TV,
when the Ironman Triathlon was broadcast. After looking in the
mirror, he decided he was going to change his lifestyle and compete in
that race. Two years later and 90 pounds lighter, he had
completed two triathlons and was training for his third. Big goals
lead to big results.
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| We periodically update our
weight loss tips, so bookmark this page (or add a link to it on
your web page) and keep coming back. Also, be sure to tell
a friend! :) For more fitness and weight loss tips, check
our our Fitness
Blog.
If you have dieting advice you think should
be listed here, send us an email by filling out the form located
on this page
and we'll take a look at it. You can use this same email
to inquire about republishing this page.
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