-If you want to eat hyper-palatable foods, portion out the serving size into small Ziploc baggies. For instance, if a serving size of crackers, chips, nuts, trail mix, etc. is “X”, take the time to portion that amount out into several baggies so you’re less likely to keep going back into the same container. If you don’t want to take the time to do this, see if someone else in your household will do it for you.
-Always order salad dressing on the side. Practice “spearing” the dressing: dip your fork into the dressing and then pick up as much of your salad as you can.
-When dining out, eat your protein & veggies first and starches last. You may find that filling up on protein and fibrous carbs is more satiating than say, breads, pastas, and rice.
-Consider drinking a little bit of zero calorie seltzer water before consuming a restaurant meal. The carbonation may help reduce how much you consume (Coke, Pepsi, etc. probably will not have this effect). If seltzer isn’t available, try drinking regular water before your meal.
-Don’t discount the value of making a meal swap: grab a protein shake and a small piece of fruit instead of your standard breakfast or lunch.
-If you don’t want to count calories, find TV dinners/frozen entrees that fall in line to 300-600 calories and have at least 20-30g of protein.
-Reduce temptation in your home. You wouldn’t ask a recovering alcoholic to mix drinks at a your birthday party just because you heard they make a mean Manhattan. If you don’t feel in control of certain foods, minimize the exposure you have to them in your home/workplace.
-Routinely ask yourself: what is the least amount of “X” food I can have that will satisfy me? Think about things like desserts, alcohol, etc.
-Sharing food/desserts is a sneaky easy way to reduce your calories. I’ll enjoy a milkshake, a piece of cake, etc a lot more if I share it with my son Sebastian (for instance).
-If you’re currently peri-menopausal or menopausal, foods/alcohol that you used to consume may no longer be tolerable for you. It’s not fair but it may be your reality.
-Get better at saying No. You can do it politely. Having boundaries will take you far with dieting.
-If you are a woman, married to (or in a LTR) with a man, there is a fantastic chance that if you both are dieting, he can eat almost double what you can and not only lose weight but lose weight faster than you. This is also unfair but it’s also very common.
-Be mindful of the food pushers in your life. They are either consciously or unconsciously sabotaging your efforts. It isn’t because they don’t love you or care about you. It’s because the very act of you trying to diet upsets the status quo and some people are very resistant to change.
-I have seen more people than I will ever be able to count screw up their fat loss efforts through liquid calories. This could be alcohol consumption, juice, energy drinks (not zero calorie), dressings, condiments, cooking oils, coffee creamer, etc. If you’re not losing fat, start looking there.
-There is nothing wrong with you if you have trigger foods and your friends or loved ones do not. Stay aware of what those foods are, let the people in your life know what they are and reduce your exposure to them.
-Treat your nutrition coach/RD like you would your accountant/bookkeeper. If I needed help balancing my accounts (income/expenses) and I “forgot” to throw in a couple of credit cards with balances on them, the numbers won’t be right. You may not like how your diet looks but the more honest you are about what’s happening there, the easier your coach can help you.
-Last but not least, you are under NO obligation to lose weight (unless you have a health issue that is directly correlated to your current weight.) At any point, you can stop weight loss or proceed forward. Stay in the driver’s seat.
