Easy lifestyle changes to help me lose weight !

[Lynday]

Good evening, this is one of my many evenings of feeling blobby :(

I am trying to motivate myself into losing my baby weight (more like toddler weight now), and I was wondering, before I start the seriousness of a DIET, does anyone have any little tips or tricks of day to day food management that they do?

The only tip I can give which I noticed someone else do, whilst I was chowing down my calorie laden burger at a BBQ was to skip the bread and just have the meat and load up on the salad. Simple, but genius to me!

So, any other tips and tricks please do share :)

Honey is a lot healthier than refined sugar but best to wean off sweet things altogether

What about agave nectar and xylitol as sweeteners - both low GI. Can't be doing without any sweetness !

I use agave on my porridge :)

OP, I have some which have helped me. Some of them already mentioned, but here they are:

Frs of all, this is a biggie for me - Do a big monthly shop online. Start at the beginning of the month and plan you meals. You can have a cooling off period so you don't make unhealthy impulse buys. Ocado is great. The Waitrose frozen veg has plenty of variety, but if you plan meals it doesn't cost more, because you can also budget for meals each week.

Fill up on veg and pulses.

Avoid wheat, gluten products and wheat. If you get the munchies and want a sweet treat, try the gluten free Eat Natural granola with live natural yoghurt and sprinkle a spoon of Xylitol on the top.

Avoid unecessary carbs. In fact, the whole avoiding white foods is awesome advice.

Limit booze to one night at the weekend.

Exercise, build muscle and go for intensity. Jillian Michaels DVDs are fab. Don't weigh yourself, but focus on being less flabby and whether your clothes get looser instead.

Drink lots of water.

I even stopped smoking and have got smaller since doing this. I have no idea what I weigh, but have dropped from a size 10 to 12, to a size 8 to 10.

Sorry for the essay, but I want to spread the joy.

Does anyone think that I could start a blog to help people stop smoking whilst maintaining or losing weight? I have bloody well cracked it!

Betty cocker I think we are twins in this respect ;-) Totally the same- must try this DVD!

Great thread. I've lost 5lb in 3 weeks by just making simple changes.

My tips are:
Stock up on herbs and spices - we sprinkle garlic salts and black pepper on salads, and all sorts to fish, chicken etc. This is even better if you can let things marinate for a few hours.

Fill your plates with salads or veg - it makes your portions seem bigger.

Chop banana into porridge for brekkie for sweetness.

Sugar free jelly is also great.

Don't weigh yourself too often.

We could be twins snoopy.

Unfortunately, I have just had the biggest munch out ever.

Saturday, I did 1:45 mins of circuit training and went on a long bike ride. Yesterday, I went abseiling, caving and climbing.

Today I am so sore and my thighs are on fire. I've just eaten more today than I would usually eat in about 4 days.

So, another tip is don't beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon!

HoraceHorseface, I put garlic and chillies on most things.