health ideas
25 Weight-Dropping Tips to Get You Started
By Karen Hammonds | 1/17/2005

You've decided. You're committed. You're ready to drop some weight. Time to slash your food intake and rent a room at the gym, right? Not necessarily. Small, subtle changes can make a big difference over time. And small changes are easier to work into your current routine.

Think in terms of manageable baby steps, like swapping your afternoon soda from regular to diet. There are lots of little changes you can make — in your diet and your daily routine — that will add up to healthy weight loss over the long haul.

Take a look at our 25 tips below. You'll learn to eat smarter, fit exercise into your busy day and revamp your daily routine. Start by picking five changes that you're sure you can tackle and put them into practice this week. Then try another five next week. (Print this article for easy reference.)

Not every idea is right for everyone, so experiment and see what works for you. Lots of little changes can yield big weight-loss results — and a healthier new you!

Eating Tips

• Good things come in small packages. Here's a trick for staying satisfied while still keeping portions under control: Cut high-calorie foods like cheese and chocolate into smaller pieces. It will seem like you're getting more than you actually are.
  
  
• Don't give up dips. If you love creamy dips and sauces, don't cut them out of your diet completely. Just use low-fat sour cream or mayo instead of the full-fat stuff.
  
  
• Get water-wise. Make a habit of reaching for a glass of water instead of a high-calorie snack. It will help your overall health as well as your waistline. Add some zest with a twist of lemon or lime.
  
  
• Herb it up. Stock up your spice rack, and start growing a small herb garden in your kitchen window. Spices and herbs add fantastic flavor to foods without adding fat or calories.
  
  
• Slim down your soup. Make a big batch of soup and refrigerate it before you eat it. As it cools, the fat will rise to the top. Skim it off the surface for reduced fat content.
  
  
• Doggie-bag that dinner. At restaurants, ask the server to put half your entrée in a doggie bag before bringing it to your table. Putting the food away before you start your meal will help you practice portion control.
  
  
• Listen to your cravings. If you're craving something sweet, eat something sweet — just opt for a healthier nosh, like fruit, instead of a high-calorie one. The same goes for crunchy cravings — for example, try air-popped popcorn with soy sauce instead of high-fat tortilla chips. It's just smart substitution!
  
  
• Ease your way into produce. If you're new to eating lots of fruits and veggies, start slowly. Just add them to the foods you already enjoy. Pile veggies on top of your sandwiches, or add fruit to your cereal.
  
  
• Look for high-fat hints. Want an easy way to identify high-calorie entrees? Keep an eye out for these words: au gratin, parmigiana, tempura, alfredo, creamy and carbonara, and enjoy them in moderation.
  
  
• Don't multitask while you eat. If you're working, reading or watching TV while you eat, you won't be paying attention to what's going into your mouth — and you won't be enjoying every bite. Every time you sit down for a meal, sit down. Chew slowly and pay attention to flavors and textures. You'll enjoy your food more and eat less.
  
  
• Taste something new. Broaden your food repertoire — you may find you like more healthy foods than you knew. Try a new fruit or vegetable. (Ever had jicama, plantain, bok choy, starfruit or papaya?)
  
  
• Leave something on your plate at every meal. One bite of bagel, half your sandwich, the bun from your burger. See if you feel satisfied eating just a bit less.
  
  
• Get to know your portion sizes. It's easy to underestimate how much you're eating. Don't just estimate things — make sure. Ask how much is in a serving, read the fine print on labels, measure your food. And learn portion equivalents: One serving of pasta, for instance, should be around the size of a tennis ball.
  
  
• Make a healthy substitution. Learn to swap healthier foods for their less-healthful counterparts. Find a substitution that works for you: Use skim milk instead of whole milk; make up a batch of brownie mix with applesauce instead of oil; try a whole-grain bread instead of white.
  
  
• Bring lunch to work. Packing lunch will help you control your portion sizes. It also provides a good alternative to restaurants and fast-food joints, where making healthy choices every day can be challenging (not to mention expensive).
  
  
• Have some dessert. You don't have to deny yourself all the time. Have a treat that brings you pleasure, but this time enjoy it guilt-free — be sure you're practicing portion control, and compensate for your indulgence by exercising a little more or by skipping your afternoon snack.
  
  
• Ask for what you need. Tell your mother-in-law you don't want seconds. Ask your sweetie to stop bringing you chocolates. Speak up for the salad bar when your coworkers are picking a restaurant for lunch. Whatever you need to do to succeed at weight loss, ask for it. Make yourself a priority and assert yourself.

Fitness Tips

• Improve your treadmill technique. When walking on a treadmill, don't grip the rails. It's fine to touch them for balance, but you shouldn't have to hold on. If you do, that might be a signal you should lower the intensity level.
  
  
• Simon says ... get fit. Here's an easy way to fit in exercise with your kids: Buy a set of one-pound weights and play a round of Simon Says — you do it with the weights, they do it without. They'll love it!
  
  
• Make the most of your walks. If your walking routine has become too easy, increase your effort by finding hills. Just be sure to tackle them at the beginning of your walk, when you have energy to spare.
  
  
• Shop 'til you drop ... pounds. Add a workout to your shopping sessions by parking your car as far from the store as possible, to get more walking in. And try walking up the escalator — getting to your destination faster will be an added bonus.
  
  
• Walk an extra 100 steps at work. Adding even a little extra exercise to your daily routine can boost your weight loss. Today, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or stroll down the hall to talk to a co-worker instead of sending an e-mail or calling.

Lifestyle Tips

• Brush your teeth after every meal and snack. This will be a signal to your mouth — and your mind — that it's time to stop eating. Brushing will also give your mouth a nice fresh taste that you'll be disinclined to ruin with a random potato chip. At work, keep toothpaste and a covered toothbrush in your desk drawer.
  
  
• Clean your closet! First, it's great exercise. Second, it's an important step in changing your attitude. Get rid of all the clothes that make you look or feel bad. Throw out anything that's too big — don't give yourself the option of ever fitting into those clothes again. Move the smaller clothes up to the front to help motivate you. Soon, you'll be fitting into those too-tight jeans you couldn't bear to part with.
  
  
• Take your measurements. You might not like your stats now, but you'll be glad you wrote them down when you see how many inches you lose. It's also another way to measure your success, instead of just looking at the scale. Sometimes even when the numbers on the scale aren't going down, the measurements on your body are.

health ideas
Top 12 Tips For Weight Loss
By Kristin Savarese | 3/5/2004

Odds are, you already have a dieting trick – a behavior that helps you to stay on top of your weight loss. There are the usual strategies: Eat before serious hunger strikes, order dressing on the side, drink water to feel a little fuller. Then there are the more unusual strategies that people enlist, like taping motivational notes to the fridge, chewing gum through the afternoon munchies or even symbolically "closing" the kitchen after dinner.

Here are some of the best dieting tips we've seen on the WeightWatchers.com Community message boards. Maybe one of them will work for you, too!

What's Your Top Tip?

• "I brush my teeth when I get cravings. I love the fresh, minty feeling, and it fools my sweet tooth. I don't even mind the stares in the office bathroom!"
  
  
• "I imagine a particular food super-glued to my rear, hips or tummy. It isn't so hard to resist when I realize where it's going after it leaves my taste buds."
  
  
• "I keep lots of healthy snacks in my purse, my car and my desk. If I get really hungry, I will grab at anything, so this works well for me."
  
  
• "Try new things. I discovered this weekend that I actually like raw spinach. I'm willing to try almost anything to keep my diet interesting and healthy."
  
  
• "I list all the reasons I want to lose weight and put them in random places around the house, along with older, thinner pictures of myself."
  
  
• "Wear really tight clothing. I wear tight jeans so that I stop eating when I feel 'fat.' It works for me!"
  
  
• "Go to the grocery store every week and stock up on healthy foods. If you're well-prepared, it's easier to have a successful week!"
  
  
• "Set small goals and reward yourself with fun stuff. When I reach 10 percent, I'm going to get a pedicure."
  
  
• "Only eat the reduced-fat foods that really taste good to you."
  
  
• "I don't put anything in my mouth unless I write it down and hold myself accountable for it."
  
  
• "Don't deprive yourself. It usually leads to eating lots of substitutions that won't satisfy you, and you'll end up having the chocolate, anyway."
  
  
• "My favorite tip? I look at myself in the mirror! I like where I'm headed, but I'm not there yet."
• +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

health ideas
28 Small Changes That Will Make a Big Difference
By Melissa Sperl | 9/26/2005

Hey, slow down! Weight loss is no sprint, it's a marathon. So abruptly and drastically changing your routine is only going to leave you breathless and worn out. A more realistic approach to weight loss is to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Little by little, it'll make a big difference.

Do Sweat the Small Stuff
"Making small changes one at a time is a great strategy," agrees Howard Rankin, PhD, a South Carolina psychologist. "It's not overwhelming, and it results in a slower, steadier weight loss." Think of it this way, maybe cutting the cream out of your coffee seems like a small feat to you. But once you've got that down you can add another small feat, then another.

So, we asked people just like you — on the WeightWatchers.com Message Boards and in Meetings rooms — what small steps they've taken in order to make their way toward their weight goals. Here's what they had to say:

… About Small Eating Changes

• Water, water, water, water. (Your skin will look great, too!)
  
  
• Order half portions at restaurants, or share a full portion with somebody. Or ask for a "to-go" container when you order your food, and pack up half the portion before you even start eating.
  
  
• Cut back on butter and mayo.
  
  
• Limit fried foods to once or twice per week.
  
  
• Use less or no sugar in your coffee or tea.
  
  
• Replace ground beef with "Boca" products or ground turkey.
  
  
• Try at least one new food every week. If you're bored with what you're eating, you're more likely to give up.
  
  
• Eat fresh, raw veggies with sandwiches instead of chips.
  
  
• Measure your portions until you're sure you know what a cup, a half-cup, and a tablespoon look like. This will help you practice portion control, an essential key to weight-loss success.
  
  
• Try not to drink high-calorie beverages.
  
  
• Dip your fork in a side of salad dressing before each bite, instead of pouring it directly on your salad. You'll find that you are satisfied with much less than you usually put on.
  
  
• Find healthy alternatives to all your favorite foods.
  
  
• If you don't really love it, don't eat it.
  
  
• Never eat out of a bag or box. Take out a measured/counted quantity of food and put it in a bowl. This way, you know exactly how much you're having.
  
  
• Always eat something for breakfast.
  
  
• Read food labels. Check serving sizes.
  
  
• Add vegetables to everything.
  
  
• Plan meals in advance; use that information to make out a complete shopping list.
  
  
• Give food to guests to take home.
  
  
• Write down everything you eat and drink, without fail.
  
  
• Plan ahead for special occasions by accounting for higher-calorie foods before you eat them.

… About Small Exercise Changes

• Take the stairs every single time they're an option. No more elevators or escalators.
  
  
• Make exercise a priority, not an inconvenience.
  
  
• Park far from your destination, so you're forced to walk — this works at the supermarket, the mall, wherever. (This also helps you waste less time looking for a parking space!)
  
  
• View tiring chores (shoveling snow, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, taking the garbage out, grocery shopping) as a chance to get in some activity.
  
  
• Take the grocery cart back to the store when you're done loading your bags into your car.
  
  
• If you take public transportation, get off one stop early.
  
  
• Work out with a buddy.
• ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

health ideas
Making Time for Dieting
By Leslie Fink, MS, RD | 1/26/2001

Between work, your life and your kids' extracurricular activities, there's not a lot of time left for healthy meal planning and exercise. And when you've got to make choices between helping your kids with an important school project and an hour at the gym — guess which one is going to lose out. How can you live your hectic life and still make time to slim down?

Keep It Simple
"If you have too many things going on in your life, you cannot properly manage your time, " says Susie Glennan, owner of thebusywoman.com. So think of your life as an onion and peel away any unnecessary layers. For example, offers Glennan, once you've decided which of your day's activities are important to do, find a way to fit them in, for less time. And consider combining steps to get maximum return for your effort, like writing out your grocery list on the train or getting in a walk during a lunch break.

Here are some suggestions on how to handle some real life "I don't have time to diet" dilemmas:

Dilemma: I don't have time to cook dinner during the week.

Solution: Start reallocating your time — use the 15 minutes it might take you to drive to Mickey D's for a fast food dinner to create a weekly grocery list instead. Base your list upon three, freezable meals that can be doubled for six night's worth of dinners. Then pencil in a few hours on the weekend to shop (you were going to the grocery store anyway!) and cook. Leave Sunday and Monday night's meals in the fridge and then freeze the rest in small, reheatable portions for the rest of the week.

And to help you get out of the kitchen faster, rely upon pre-made staples, such as stir-fry mixes and already-marinated or precooked chicken breasts.

Dilemma: I'd like to work out after work but I get home too late.

Solution: Don't sweat it if you can't make it to the gym. Instead, tag team your activities. In other words, work out while doing other things. Lace up a pair of sneakers and conduct a brief business meeting on a walk. Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Park at the far end of the parking lot when going shopping, and walk or jog to the door.

Dilemma: I'd like to cook healthier meals for myself, but chopping all that produce takes forever and I lose interest.

Solution: If cooking's not your thing, but healthy eating's a top priority, learn to cut a few corners. Stock up on convenience items to minimize time in the kitchen. Buy already chopped, frozen vegetables and stir-fry mixes (they're usually just as or more nutritious than fresh vegetables) or already cleaned and cut up plain veggies from a salad bar. And when you're really in a pinch, order several portions of steamed vegetables from a Chinese restaurant and keep them on hand.

Dilemma: I feel guilty when I try to exercise — like I'm neglecting my kids who need me for homework, to play games and to cheer them on at soccer games — so I keep cutting back on my workout time.

Solution: Include your kids in your activity time and you'll kill two birds with one stone. Ride your bikes side-by-side while you review the new topics they've learned in school, volunteer to help out the soccer coach and warm up with the kids — then run up and down the sidelines during the big game. And plan calorie-burning weekend activities that the whole family can enjoy, such as hiking, swimming or ice skating.

Dilemma: I get hungry in the middle of the afternoon and the only quick snack around is a candy bar from the vending machine. Who has time to run down to the deli for a piece of fruit or baked chips?

Solution: Forget the vending machine — buy an apple at lunchtime and keep it on your desk for later. Also, consider storing staples such as mini boxes of raisins, individual bags of baked chips and microwave popcorn in your desk drawer as a back-up arsenal.