Tips!

I'm going to meet my friends for breakfast this morning, but first I'll squeeze in that 15 minute workout. I'm determined to do it every day. I want to see if it really makes a difference. I have to say after the first time doing it yesterday, after the initial aches, I felt great all day! After I walked the dog , I did hills on the treadmill. I am stepping it up, just like I posted yesterday. I figure I can't post all these tips and suggestions without trying them myself! While huffing away, I watched that new show "Dance Your Ass Off!" It's a dance competition with very overweight contestants who also are trying to drop lbs. I hadn't seen it before and I expected it to be exploitive and silly. But, I think it's my new guilty pleasure! It's surprisingly entertaining and I found my self rooting for these enthusiastic, sincere, chubby folks!
Busy day today, so let me just post a few of my tips....

Break Leftovers Down

Instead of using one large container to store leftovers such as casseroles, side dishes, or pasta, why not separate them into individually-sized containers?

That way, when you reach in the fridge to find something to reheat, you're retrieving just enough for one helping. Breaking down meal-sized servings into single servings will help you limit your food intake with no additional effort. Like leftover takeout pizza....take the time to put individual slices in baggies otherwise you know you'll eat everything in the box!

Make meat a side dish

Treat meat or meat-based entrees as a side dish rather than the main part of your meal.
By loading up on veggies and healthy grains as the bulk of your meal instead of using them as sides, you'll feel full sooner and get extra vitamins and fiber. Experiment with new vegetables and preparation methods to keep things interesting. Especially now with so many local fresh veggies available, I let them take center stage. I have two big helpings of veggies along with a small piece of meat for dinner. I don't even include a starch

Divvie it up...

Buy snack foods in single serving sizes or divvy up full size packages into smaller, indvidual bags. It may be difficult to stop eating, oh, say, potato chips (My biggest weakness!) straight out of the bag while watching Desperate Housewives, but am I as likely to inhale the contents of 12 zipper bags without some forethought? Doubtful.

Don't forget to indulge....

Treating yourself once in a while to a "forbidden" food will keep you from feeling deprived; a sense of deprivation can easily lead to overeating. Stop a binge before it starts by indulging every now and then. ( like frozen cookie dough :-)....but just one bite!)

Here is a link to 15 150 calorie snacks

Now get up off that chair and start moving!