Always read the labels on the boxes and bottles in the grocery store. The fine print that gives the nutritional information is so important. Especially check the first four ingredients because they have the highest concentration levels. Also, be especially aware of sugar in any form such as Corn syrup, Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup (there are several others). These should be avoided as much as possible in high amounts along with high sodium contents.

Another good way of helping you loose weight is to determine not to eat after a certain hour in the evening, like after 7 or 7:30 PM. Eating late in the evening just before going to sleep is bad because your body doesn’t exercise and burn up the calories consumed. It is as if you ate two or three times as much food because it just settles in your stomach, doesn’t get burned off and leaves you with a real bloated feeling in the morning. You’ll also find you are more hungry than you ordinarily would be had you not eaten so late the night before.

Do you tend to reach for food when your emotions start to get the best of you? You think that perhaps a candy bar or some cool ice cream will soothe your stress or emotions and bring calm into your life. Who hasn’t done this? This can be very dangerous because when you eat while emotional, your body does not have to turn off the hunger since eating out of emotions is not tied to actual hunger. Instead, become more active, or read a book, play a game, talk to a friend…train yourself not to react to your emotions by eating.

Now, this may be the craziest one of all…use blue. It is a fact that marketing research has proven. They have a track record of proof that the color blue has an effect on depressing our hunger. So, try using a blue table cloth or blue plates. You may find it will make a difference and with out realizing it you will feel less hungry.

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Its a given, we all know that we need to exercise and eat healthy to lose weight. In addition, here are some extra ways others have found success in helping them lose weight to get rid of excess pounds and ugly fat. Some are more unconventional, but if they work, why not. You choose…

Drink 8 glasses of water a day. How? Well, there are several ways you can make your water into a refreshing drink. Try adding a squeeze of lemon and or lime juice to sparkling water. You can get the concentrated juice in bottles at the supermarket or squeeze right from the fruit. A squeeze of juice from a fresh orange can also add zest to your water. Use your imagination and drink up!

You may have always heard that snacking is bad for you and will cause you to gain lots of weight. Well, yes and no. Fat is burned when we eat, but frequent eating of small amounts will increase our metabolism, maintain our blood sugar levels and help our bodies burn the fat. So, snacking can actually be a good thing for us…BUT, we must snack on healthy, low calorie foods.

And speaking of snacking…Everyone knows that fresh, raw vegetables are very healthy for our human bodies. So, providing a platter of cut up fresh raw vegetables to snack on an hour before dinner will not only give us the nutrients we need but will begin to curve our appetite, so by the time dinner is served we will tend to eat less. I also keep raw vegetables washed, cut and ready to eat in the refrigerator for anyone who craves a nice cold snack can come and help themselves.

Soup…yes, a meal of soup can fill you up and you can consume less calories. I often will eat soup for a light dinner with a piece of Light Rye WASA bread. It is very satisfying! I make it myself to insure there is not a lot of salt or fat. I use organic low sodium chicken broth or beef broth. Sometimes I will make a soup with some grated cheese as a treat, or I will add a few tablespoons of Thai Kitchen coconut milk to give it a more creamy texture. These are my treat nights.

Did you know that foods rich in vitamin C are considered fat burners? Evidently vitamin C dilutes the fats in our body, making it easier to flush them out of our system. So oranges, grapefruit, lime, broccoli, carrots and cabbage should be included in your diet for each of these are high in vitamin C.

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This however, is a little different from the many ‘same old, same old’ diets in that it has some angles to it to help keep you motivated and on track for losing that unwanted fat. It’s proven to be a successful method for Kyle Pott even though there are unconventional methods that he used to accomplish a goal of losing 50 pounds!

This could be the key for some dieters to help accomplish their goal of losing weight and avoiding becoming a dreaded obesity status. “To stay motivated and lose a significant amount of weight, you should complete many goals in a short period of time.”

Can you do it too? Well, try it out and see if it works for you:

“The following are 10 unconventional weight loss tips that worked for me. Between January 4, 2006 and March 31, 2006 I lost fifty pounds. These tips work well because almost every tip is focused around completing a small goal. In my opinion, to stay motivated and lose a significant amount of weight, you should complete many goals in a short period of time. The reason I call these tips unconventional is that I had not seen a majority of them before starting my diet.

I will start by recognizing the typical “calories in, calories out” schpeil. Yes, to lose weight you have to eat well and exercise. But there is much more to it than that, and I don’t want to spend time regurgitating ideas you’ve heard before. That brings me to the first point:

Buy a digital scale
This seems easy enough. I recommend that before starting a diet, buy a scale that is accurate to .2 (two-hundredths of a pound). I will explain why below. I also recommend either buying a scale that can record your daily weight, or manually logging your weight everyday. I bought a scale that was accurate to .2 and logged my weight at Sam’s Club for $22. It has been a great investment.

Weigh yourself everyday
You’ll find that almost every other dieter will tell you to weigh yourself only once a week. I recommend the exact opposite. I am very goal oriented and I like to see results everyday. The reason I recommend buying a scale that is accurate to the .2 is that there is a very big difference between weighting 170.8 one day and 170.0 the next day. Losing .8 pounds in one day is excellent. However, if your scale is not accurate enough to report the loss and still shows 170 after a day of healthy eating and working out, you will feel extremely discouraged. A more detailed scale makes it easier to keep a positive outlook. The more successes (days with positive weight loss) the easier it is.

Drink 8 glasses of water everyday
This one is obvious and broadly recommended, however, the reason I recommend it is slightly different. Drinking eight glasses of water per day helps you “feel less hungry.” I can’t prove this scientifically, however, when I am at work, I drink 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups in the evening. On the days that I don’t drink the water, I feel hungrier, earlier. Also, on the days I don’t drink water I feel sleepier, sooner. Don’t feel intimidated by trying to drink 8 glasses of water. Try doing what I do: I have a pint glass I keep at work, it holds sixteen ounces (as all pint glasses do). All I do is drink two pints of water in the morning and two in the afternoon.

Make your diet public
Tell people you’re on a diet. There’s no reason to be ashamed to be on a diet. I found that trying to keep my diet a secret was harder than just telling people. In fact, telling your coworkers, girlfriend, family, etc. will increase your accountability. It motivated me knowing that my coworkers and family knew that I was dieting because I did not want to fail. I also chose a typical “fat picture” and put it on my fridge, in my cubicle, and on my wall. I wanted to have a continual reminder to lose the weight. I know it’s a cliche, but it was important for me to remind myself of my ultimate goal.

I feel I should also note that although I was 50 pounds over weight, when I told people I was on a diet they often said “you don’t need to diet.” I found this surprising because I was obviously overweight. Beware that you will likely hear similar comments. I found it easier to just accept the “compliment” than to try to justify my diet to them. Remember that you are on a diet for you, and that you do not need to justify yourself.

Don’t diet on the weekends
This is another unconventional bit of advice. I was able to lose 50 pounds without dieting on the weekends. I found myself tired, depressed, and unmotivated if I tried to continue my diet into the weekend. I felt that Friday and Saturday (my weekend) was a time to celebrate 5 days of dieting. You may not find this necessary, especially in the first few weeks of a diet. However, as many weeks passed, the weekend became a time for me to celebrate my weekly successes and get myself mentally prepared for another five days of dieting. I considered it a mental recharge.

Don’t sacrifice your life for your diet
On occasion, you will find yourself unable to eat healthy. Whether this is because of lunches with your team at work, birthdays, or special occasions, there will be events that you just can’t (or don’t want to) eat healthy. A diet will feel overwhelming if you have to sacrifice special events in your life. The way I combated this was to exchange a day that I was not going to diet on the weekend. In other words, if I didn’t diet on Tuesday, for example, I would diet on Saturday, instead.

Make the small changes
This is a pretty common tip, however, I have a twist to it. Rather than giving up what most diets say you should give up (soda, coffee, beer, caffeine, etc.) just make healthier decisions. I didn’t want to give anything up, so I decided to make some changes instead. The first switch I made was switching to diet soda. Don’t worry, you’ll quickly get used to the flavor. Before I started my diet, I swore I would never drink diet soda. Now thanks to my girlfriend, diet is the only soda I drink. The second switch I made was to drinking black coffee. Cut out the sugar and creme, and you get the benefits of coffee (caffeine) without the calories. The last major switch I made was to “healthy” beer. I’m a Miller Lite drinker, however, by temporarily switching to Beck’s Premier Light (60 calories per serving) I was able to still enjoy a healthy social life while maintaining my diet.

In addition to making the small changes in your diet, make the small changes in your life: park further away, walk to the end of the train platform and get in the last car, and vow not to take an elevator for an entire week. I also found it advantageous to wear a pedometer and try to compete against myself for how far I could walk in a single day. The furthest I walked in a day was 6.5 miles. I voluntarily walked to work twice a week.

Gain perspective by understanding the fractions
Your diet is an incredibly small fraction of your life. If you live for 80 years, and dieted for four months, that would only be .42% of your life. That’s right, if you diet for four months, it will be less than one half of one percent of your life. On the other hand think of the major benefits you can get from .42% of your life. If it helps you stay motivated, count down the days starting at 120.

Rationalize your workouts
Finding the time to get to the gym can be very difficult. However a 1/2 hour workout is only 2% of your day (assuming 24 hour days). For me, the most motivating thought was comparing my workouts to sitcoms. As a huge Everybody Loves Raymond fan, every time I would sit down to watch an episode, I would remind myself that in the 1/2 hour that I was sitting and doing nothing, I could complete my daily workout.

You’ve lost the weight, what now?

Have a red flag weight
Once you’ve lost the weight, you need to keep it off. This is where the red flag comes in. You need to pick a weight and vow to never get heavier than it again. It is normal for your body to fluctuate five to ten pounds. I recommend picking a weight that is ten pounds heavier than what you “normally” weigh and never weigh more than it again. Setting a red flag weight allowed me to keep off every pound for over 1 year.

Lastly, for the curious out there…I followed the Weight Watchers diet. I did not pay for the diet, nor did I go to meetings. I found out all the information about the diet on-line. The first place to look is at their patent.

All well known diets are available via Google Patent Search. For the several months that I was dieting, I also gave up red meat and made sure to drink a lot of milk. The preceding tips worked perfectly for me and they will work for you, too. Prior to creating my own diet plan, I tried to diet several times and failed every time. I swear by these weight loss tips.

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Low-Sugar Lemonade (Makes 4 drinks)
5 lemons
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 quart sparkling water
1 handful mint sprigs
Juice 4 of the lemons; slice the other lemon and set aside.

Blend juice with applesauce and maple syrup. Stir in sparkling water. Pour mixture into large pitcher over ice. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs and serve. (80 calories per serving)

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Being vegan means you consume no animal or dairy products whatsoever. You don’t eat steak and you don’t even drink milk.

On the other hand, if you are a vegetarian you don’t eat meat or fish or any other animal product. That means you don’t eat steak etc. But, you do drink milk.

You call it what you want to call it. One thing for sure, being a Vegan or a Vegetarian is a healthy way of eating no matter which your choice of eating pattern is.

And speaking of what you call these two lifestyles, how do other people look at these two? Some people say that “veganism” is a lifestyle and that “vegetarianism” is a diet. The choice is yours.

Both diets are quite simple: eat less saturated and trans fats plus less cholesterol-laden foods plus more vegetables and more foods rich in fiber, vitamin C and E and phytochemicals. This equals better health.

You just want to make sure you are getting enough protein, iron, zinc, vitamins B12 and D, iodine, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium in your diet. These can be added with supplements.

One other good point is that if you come from a family with a history of hypertension or diabetes, eating the vegan or vegetarian way will put you at a lower risk for getting these afflictions that can seriously alter your life in a negative way.

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For a little zip in a cold glass of sparkling water, try adding a few ice cubes made from fruit juice or berries. Or use your blender to puree frozen or fresh berries with or without fruit juice and freeze the blend as cubes.
If you like things a little more tart, squeeze some lime or lemon into the mixture.

This will not only keep your calories down, but will give you a satisfying drink that could keep you out of the fridge for cravings for other fattening foods.

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Make your own Trail Mix

Next time you’re in your local health food store, have your kids pick out some ingredients from the bulk department. At home, place each ingredient in a different bowl and have your kids(s) assemble their own trail mix! They will love eating their own creation!

Ingredient Ideas: whole grain cereal, nuts (raw is healthiest), seeds (raw is healthiest), pretzels, natural chocolate or carob and dried fruit.

Excellent for bringing on a bike ride or family hike.

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Banana Ice Cream

Ingredient Ideas: Bananas, crushed peanuts in bowls, dark chocolate chips in bowls

Peel bananas and freeze. Remove from freezer and blend. Place in containers and add your favorite topping.

This is the “un-ice cream ice cream”! Also, if kids have any dairy issues, this is a fun way for them to participate in an ice cream sundae.

Of course, bananas are an excellent source of potassium.

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Frozen Orange Treat

Ingredients: Oranges and orange juice

Cut tops off oranges and remove insides. Place insides with orange juice into blender and pour mixture into empty orange shells. Freeze.

Kids love a refreshing snack in summer and this one adds fluid to help meet hydration needs!

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LATE SUMMER FRUIT KABOBS

□ 3 pears, cored; cut wedges
□ 3 apples, cored; cut wedges
□ 24 seedless green grapes
□ 24 watermelon cubes
□ 8 oz. carton fruit yogurt
□ Lemon juice
□ 3 plums, pitted; cut wedges
□ 24 seedless red grapes
□ 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

Dip pear and apple wedges in lemon juice to prevent discoloration. On wooden skewers, place fruit in contrast in shape and color. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with Frosty Fruit Dip: Combine softened cream cheese and yogurt, blend well. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

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