Steve, in my comments to this post, asked what kind of diet I was on. So, I thought it would be a good time to spell out what I’ve done and what has been working for me.

First off, I’m not saying that what I’ve done will necessarily work for everyone. It won’t. I think it’s important to take the time and think about your lifestyle, try different things, and find out what’s going to work for you too. It may be very different than what works for me, or for anyone else.

Here are some things that have been working for me, and why I think they’re working.

Think healthy

I’ve begun thinking more about whether I’m healthy and less about the weight. Paradoxically, that has helped me to lose weight.

I’m ashamed to admit that in the past I’ve tried some really awful things to lose weight. I’ve gone on diets that I knew were unhealthy, thinking that it would be all right to do that for a while if they helped me lose weight. You know what? Even if I did lose a little weight, I couldn’t stick with it very long. When I went off those diets, the weight came right back.

Now, I’m focusing on eating healthy, lots of fruits and vegetables, light on meat, very little junk. That has helped me to feel better, more energetic, and to lose weight. Regardless of what you try for weight loss, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being sure it’s healthy.

You should also talk to your doctor about diet changes, how many calories are appropriate for you, and whether any of your health conditions require you to make specific changes to your diet. Many doctors won’t open up a conversation about weight and nutrition with you until you make the first move.

To help judge whether you’re on the right track, ask yourself these questions. If the answer is no to any of them, you need to rethink your weight loss plan.

1. Would my doctor approve what I’m doing?
2. Would it be safe to eat this way long-term?
3. Could I eat this way for the rest of my life?

Weigh Daily

I know this goes against what most diets recommend, but it has been an important change for me. Weighing every day allows me to be aware of any trends in my weight and make changes to what I’m doing before things get out of hand. For example, if I gain weight for two or three days in a row, then I know to be more careful and tweak my diet a bit. If I were weighing once a week like many recommend, then I might gain several pounds before I know that something is not going well.

What I don’t mean here is being hyper-vigilant about your weight. If you see you’ve gained half a pound, that’s not the time to panic. Fluctuations in weight are normal, and day to day changes aren’t anything to be concerned about. What I watch for are upward trends, like gaining three days in a row. That tells me to pay more attention to what I’m doing.

It’s o.k. to be hungry

This is another one that flies in the face of all the diet ads. When everything is telling you that you can lose weight and never be hungry, it can be hard to stick with a diet that makes you hungry!

This is one that I really had to think about. If you’re used to eating enough to gain weight, or to maintain your too-high weight, then doesn’t it make sense that eating less will cause you to feel hungry?

I’m not saying to starve yourself. Remember the first principle of doing what’s healthy at all times! It’s perfectiy all right to feel hungry between meals; it’s not all right to skip meals or starve yourself to lose weight.

Don’t eat between meals

I know the current weight loss science recommends five or six smaller meals a day. That may work for many people, but it doesn’t work for me. The fact is, I simply eat too much at each of those “smaller” meals to lose weight.

Instead, I do the traditional three meals a day, no snacks. That seems to work better for me.

No seconds helpings

This, combined with common sense portion control, has really helped me to control the amount I eat. If you’re used to seconds, then this may be a tough one to do. I’d suggest starting out allowing yourself a second-helping of the lowest calorie food on the plate, which is probably the vegetables.

(You DO have vegetables on your plate, right?!)

After a while, you’ll get used to one helping of everything.

Divide and conquer

Now, let’s think about what’s on your plate. I’ve really been working on eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat. I try to make each meal about 2/3 vegetables and fruit, leaving the other 1/3 for meat and grains.

I don’t count potatoes as a vegetable! They’re simply too starchy and too high in calories. I count those as grains instead.

As for grains, I eat whole grains, not white. So, that means no white bread, white rice or white pasta. I eat the whole grain versions of those. If you’re not used to it, it might be difficult, but I honestly like them better. I don’t think the plain white versions have any taste at all.

Nothing is forbidden

I eat anything I want, and that has also been a huge factor in my success. Here again, I have to emphasize the difference between what I do and what many diets promise.

I eat any THING I want. I do not eat any AMOUNT I want. Many diets promise that you can lose weight while continuing to eat anything, when what they are implying is that you can eat whatever you want, in whatever amounts you want. That’s not true, and anyone willing to admit it knows that it defies common sense.

I’m the type of person who wants whatever is forbidden. If you told me I couldn’t have a bowl of brussel sprouts, that’s what I’d instantly develop a craving for. So, eliminating a food from my diet is a great way to make me eat more of it. This one is largely a psychological trick for me. Since I know I can have what I want, if I really have a craving for it, I’m able to better resist it.

So, those are the big changes I’ve made. Again, they may not work for you or fit in with your lifestyle or health goals.  If you’re also looking to lose weight, then I’d encourage you to make healthy changes to your eating and be willing to try different things until you find what works for you. See a doctor, so you know if there’s anything special about your situation that would change your diet.

I can’t say it enough; your first concern should be eating healthy and being healthy. That’s more important than anything, including losing weight!

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Are you trying to lose five or ten pounds? Going on a strict diet and starting a rigorous exercise program may not be the best way to accomplish your weight loss goals. Instead, focus on doing healthy things that you can stick with long-term. You’ll feel better, stay with your weight loss program longer, and get better results overall.

Stop drinking sugary soda

A 16 ounce cola has around 190 calories. That’s 190 calories of sugar, which for many people, will only make you hungrier an hour or two later.  If you want to lose weight more easily, this is a simple change.

Can’t stand diet soda? Switch to water instead. It’s even better, and you’ll avoid the artificial sweeteners.

Skip after dinner snacks

If you’re trying to lose weight, snacking in front of the television in the evenings can be a real diet breaker. One ounce of chips has around 150 calories, and lets face it, who can eat only one ounce? That’s a REALLY small serving, and I know that I don’t stick to that when snacking.

Try doing something with your hands while watching television to prevent snacking. Even better, get up and DO something instead of watching t.v.!

Get a little exercise

You don’t have to hit the gym for hours every week in order to lose ten pounds, or any amount of weight. Rather than make drastic lifestyle changes you’re not likely to keep up, try making smaller changes instead. Take the dog for a walk, wear a pedometer, mow the grass yourself instead of hiring someone to do it.

Skip dessert

Desserts can be loaded in extra calories. Try having a special dessert only once or twice a week instead of something sweet daily. A nice dessert at your favorite restaurant will be more enjoyable than a handful of cookies you eat in front of the t.v. As an added bonus, you won’t have the leftovers at home to tempt you.

Say no to second helpings

This is an easy way to lose a few pounds. Eat whatever you want, in your normal serving sizes. By not going back for seconds, you’ll cut your calories without feeling deprived. Take the leftovers for lunch and save money and calories by avoiding the fast food drive through.

Beware of Salads

What? Salads can be a great addition to your diet. They’re nutritious and low calorie, and they can certainly help in your weight loss efforts. However, if you’re topping your salad with diced eggs, shredded cheese, full-calorie dressing, beans, etc., you can be adding hundreds of calories to it that you don’t intend. That salad can end up with as many calories as a burger and fries!

Manage Stress

Stress makes many of us eat more than we should; I know it has that effect on me. Work on dealing with your stress before it contributes to a weight problem. If you’re trying to lose weight, try doing an activity you enjoy that helps you wind down and deal with the stress of your day.

Find Hidden Calories

A tablespoon of mayonnaise has 100 calories. A typical sandwich might have one or two tablespoons on it. Honey mustard has almost 50 calories per ounce. A baked potato is a good choice for lunch, until you add hundreds of calories in butter and sour cream. Adding cream to soups drastically increases their calorie count. Examine the recipes for what you’re eating and cut the extra calories that don’t contribute much to the dish’s flavor.

Be careful in restaurants

If you’re trying to lose weight, eating out can be very problematic. Portion sizes are large, and having a wide selection of food in front of you is tempting. Try ordering your meal instead of eating off the buffet. Most people will eat more from a buffet than they intend to. Order an appetizer instead of an entree, or split an entree with someone. Try drinking water or unsweet tea instead of soda.

Stop obsessing

Paradoxically, being hyper-focused on your weight is one of the worst thing you can do for your weight loss efforts. Instead, focus on eating healthy food, getting some exercise, and taking care of yourself overall. Doing those things and making simple, gradual changes will help you take off that ten pounds!

***

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If you’re like me, and you’ve been feeling a tad under-motivated lately, then here are some sites that can help you get back on track.

101 thoughts on losing 100 pounds
Lots and lots of great tips. Some are common sense, but others were surprising and insightful.

What Sugar does to your Brain
High sugar diets are just not good for you!

Blood Sugar 101
A lot of people don’t understand what diabetes is or how it works. Sadly, that applies to a lot of diabetics as well! This site has some great information.

10 Tips for Safe Outdoor Exercise
Great tips for summer exercisers.

Decade by Decade Guide to Exercise
Tips for exercising, whether you’re in your 20′s, 30′s, 40′s or beyond.

Avoid these 7 Danger Foods…
The focus is on avoiding the freshman 15, but this advice applies to anyone.

Top 10 Ways to Stay Energized
Lots of tips for keeping your energy levels high. Not strictly a diet- or fitness-related post, but useful nonetheless.

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How many calories do you need per day?

If you’ve tried to lose weight, then you know the basic calculation; one pound is 3500 calories. So, let’s say that you want to lose one pound a week, then you cut 500 calories per day. Easy, right?

Except. How do you know how many calories you’re already eating per day? Can you safely cut more than 500, or is 500 too much to cut?

The first thing you need to know isn’t how many calories to cut. It’s how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain your current weight.

Calculate It

You can use something like the Calories per day Calculator to get an approximation. Most of these calculators will take into account your sex, age and activity level in making the estimate.

Age: In general, the older you get the fewer calories you burn.

Sex: Men will tend to burn more calories than women because of their higher muscle mass.

Activity Level: This one is obvious. Higher activity levels mean you burn more calories.

You can also get a rough estimate simply by multiplying your weight by 10.

Try a few calculators and the multiply by 10 method. You won’t get results that match exactly, but your numbers should hover around a particular range.

Observe It

This method takes longer, but I think it’s more accurate. Take a couple of weeks, maybe a month, and track everything you eat.

1. Be careful to weigh and measure your food and calculate your calories correctly.
2. Don’t change your diet or exercise.
3. Weigh each week and verify that your weight isn’t changing.

This method is more difficult, but it should give you a good estimate of how many calories you can eat. Compare it to the calculations you did in the first section and see how close they are.

One benefit to this method is if you have a particularly slow metabolism, you’re likely to get a more accurate result. Also, you’ll benefit from developing a habit of journaling what you eat!

Daily Calories vs. Average Daily Calories

It’s tempting to think of calories as something that you should watch from day to day, but it’s really the overall effect of your calories that matters.

We’ve all experience this, I’m sure. You eat a huge meal, weigh the next morning and find that you’ve gained a pound or two. You think that it was your binge the previous day, but that isn’t really possible, unless you ate a 7000 calorie meal! (2 pounds x 3500 calories each)

What’s more likely is that you gained some water weight from the big meal, and that it will resolve itself in a few days. OR, you’ve been eating more calories than you ought to for more than one day, and you’ve truly gained 2 pounds.

Watching your AVERAGE daily calories over a period of at least a week will let you keep things in perspective. Let’s say you plan on eating 1500 calories a day, but you have one day in the week where you ate about 2000 calories. That’s bad, right?

Not necessarily, if you were able to keep your average down around 1500. So, maybe you ate only 1400 calories for a few days to make up for the splurge.  I find this way of tracking calories more realistic. It allows me to not feel as if I’ve failed when I exceed my daily goals.

Wrap Up

To sum up, this is what I’m doing.

1. I’m tracking what I eat this month to develop the food journaling habit and determine how many calories I can eat per day and maintain my weight.
2. I’ll use those figures to determine what calorie count I should aim for each day.
3. I’ll focus on my weekly calorie average, not the daily calorie count, to track how I’m doing.

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Here is my original SlimShots review.

I’ve been trying SlimShots off and on for a little over a month. I’m usually not a believer in weight loss pills or supplements, but I’d heard good things about this, and the explanation behind how it works sounded reasonable enough. I also liked the fact that it was stimulant free and seemed pretty harmless.

I tried it at both one and two shots per day, varying the times of day and whether I took it with or between meals. I found two shots per day most effective. I also found that it worked better for me if I took it a little after a meal and not with it.

Good

First, I do think that SlimShots helped me in appetite control. I can definitely tell a difference on the days I use it. I can tell an even bigger difference when I take two a day.

I think it’s also helpful in habit-building. I used it for about a week straight, and I was pretty successful in eliminating my afternoon snacking habit. That seemed to stick with me even after I quit the SlimShots.

Not-so-good

It seems to give me a pretty rough case of heartburn. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was the culprit, but after alternating between days I took it and days I didn’t, it became pretty clear that it’s the cause. I’m not sure why that is, but it was uncomfortable enough that I quit taking it, despite the fact that it works.

The problem didn’t start until I’d taken it daily for a little over a week, so it might be that I’d be able to do one or two days to get through a stressful time without side effect, but I haven’t tried it. The heartburn may not be a problem for everyone, but it turned out to be a show stopper for me.

Conclusion

• It did help me control my appetite
• The taste isn’t great, but it’s bearable
• It helped me correct some bad eating habits
• It’s a little pricey, especially if you do 2/day
• It causes nausea for some, heartburn for me

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SlimShots is an appetite suppressant. It’s made from two types of oil, and the general idea is that fat will tend to make you not as hungry by fooling your metabolism into thinking that you’re already full.

The process is called the ileal brake, and Nature has an in-depth article discussing it. Certain types of fats trigger the mechanism.

SlimShots is marketed as a fat that can trigger the ileal brake mechanism and help you to eat up to 30 percent less. It has only 20 calories per creamer. You can get 3 boxes for$80.00 on the SlimShots site. I buy it at Walmart for about $25.00 a box.

I’ve been using SlimShots for about a week, and here’s my opinion so far.

Taste

Okay, but not great. I put mine in a cup of coffee and have it like that. It tastes like vanilla, but it does have a bit of an odd aftertaste too. It’s nothing that I can’t live with, but I wouldn’t want to cream my coffee with it all day long either.

Side effects

None really to speak of. I did notice some nausea one day after I took it, but I wouldn’t say that it was definitely the SlimShot that caused it. I’ve read that other people occasionally experience nausea if they take it on an empty stomach.

Dosing

The web site recommends one shot at breakfast and one at lunch for the first week. Then, one shot at breakfast only.

I’ve tried several dosing strategies, and I have better results when I don’t take it with a meal. I know that for some that increases the chance of nausea, but it seems to help my appetite more that way. Also, I’ve found that taking it in the afternoon works better for me since I tend to snack more from afternoon through the evening.

Does it work?

That’s the real question, isn’t it? For me, yes, I can tell a difference in my appetite between the days I take it and the days I don’t. It’s especially helpful for me to control afternoon and evening snacking.

Would I use it again?

Yes, I think that the little extra help it gives is worth the price. I’m generally not a fan of taking weight loss potions, but I’m giving this one a go.

Note, this is not a paid review. 

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Does this sound familiar?

You start off weighing 200 pounds. You manage to lose 25 pounds, but over the next few weeks or months, your weight bounces back, maybe settling in around 185 or 190. Your weight stays there for a while, and eventually you’re able to drop more weight and the cycle repeats itself.

What’s going on? In short, you’re falling victim to your body’s set point. The set point is, to put it simply, the weight your body “wants” to be. That will be about a 10 percent range (plus or minus) from your current weight. So, if you weigh 200 right now, your body isn’t going to want to drop below 180. Doing so will trigger reductions in your metabolism and changes in appetite that will encourage you to gain weight.

Doesn’t seem fair does it?

You gain weight, your set point readjusts UPWARD, and it’s even tougher to take the weight off? What’s the solution? According to this article, Ideal Weight or Happy Weight?  the answer is gradual weight loss.

Let’s look at the above scenario. Instead of losing 25 pounds, let’s say you lost 15 instead. You’re closer to your set point range, so it should be easier to keep that weight off. You’ll quit trying to lose weight and focus instead on maintaining the weight you’ve lost. When you’ve done that a few months, your set point will reset, and you’ll be ready to try to lose another 10 percent of your weight.

I know what you’re thinking (because I thought it too). That’s going to take a long time to get the weight off. You’d be able to lose 20-30 percent of your body weight in a year, max. When you have a lot to lose, that’s a long time to wait.

If you’re like me, you struggle more with keeping the weight off than with losing it in the first place. I’ve lost hundreds of pounds and kept off only a fraction of them. So, isn’t it quicker to do it this way than to stay on the roller-coaster of losing and gaining weight?

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To summarize, SlimShots is made of oat and palm oil, which suppress your appetite. You drink one or two small (the size of a coffee creamer) servings a day, and you eat as much as 30 percent less.

I did a little research, and from what I’ve found there are two big complaints with the product: the taste and a tendency to cause mild nausea.

There’s also a page that discusses some clinical trials that support the notion that adding these types of fats to the diet can suppress appetite. One warning though, according to the site Slimshots is not appropriate to combine with Alli; I’m guessing because of how Alli reacts to fat in the diet.

I haven’t bought any, and I’m not sure that I will. I am wondering if anyone has tried it and what your results were. I’ve found some discussions and reviews online, but I’d like to know what you say.

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You may have already read, but doctors have found that in one study, people who ate about half their calories for breakfast lost, and kept off, more weight than people who followed a more traditional low carb diet.

Here’s the gist of it…

• Participants ate around 1200 calories a day
• They ate around 600 calories for breakfast
• At breakfast, they ate carbs as well as protein and fat
• For the rest of the day, they stuck with a low carb diet

These participants lost more weight than people who followed a traditional low carb diet.

One problem I see with this is the practicality. I think it would be hard to get that many calories for breakfast in a healthy way (no, donuts don’t count.) I don’t normally have time to cook in the mornings, so I’d miss having a hot meal at least once a day. Since dinner is very low calorie, it’s not going to be easy to cook for that meal.

Has anyone tried anything like this? I don’t doubt that it works, but I just don’t think it work work into my lifestyle very well.

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Getting to a healthy weight isn’t just about dieting and exercise. Many things in your everyday life contribute to your weight and your health. Clutter is one of them. Whether it’s the clutter in your floor, in your head, or on your hips, all have a similar source and need to be dealt with.

Physical clutter

Is your clutter a result of trying to keep too many things? Things you don’t need, use or even want any longer? Have you ever thought about why you keep so many things? Sometimes people tend to hoard items that have sentimental value. Or perhaps you grew up poor and are afraid to throw anything away. Maybe there are gifts you don’t like, but you can’t give them away because someone you care about gave it to you.

I doesn’t matter WHY you’re keeping too much stuff. The important thing is that you think about why you’re keeping it. If you’re not sure, start throwing things away and listen to the mental “chatter” that goes on as you resist getting rid of your things. As you go through this exercise, you’ll start to get a better idea of why you’re having trouble getting rid of things.

You’ll hear yourself thinking things like

• I may need it
• It’s my favorite (shirt, skirt, shoes, etc.)
• My (friend, mother, husband, etc.) gave it to me, so I want to keep it
• My (friend, mother, husband, etc.) gave it to me, and I’ll hurt their feelings if I get rid of it
• I paid too much for it to get rid of it

Mental Clutter

Once you recognize why you’re plagued with physical clutter, think about how that affects you mentally, particularly with your weight. Do you hoard because you’re afraid you’ll be without them some day? Could that be a reason you overeat?

Or maybe you keep items for sentimental reasons, or because they were gifts. Do you eat to please others (socially). Of do you eat certain foods because they bring back memories or good feelings?

Here’s a big one… Do you fear the changes that decluttering may bring? Are you afraid of what your life will be like if you lose weight?

When you resist giving away clutter, use some of these techniques.

• If you haven’t needed it in the last year, you’re not likely to. Put them in a box, date the box for three more months if you feel you have to, and then throw the whole thing away when the time comes.
• Even favorite items stop being useful eventually. Get rid of it to make room for a new favorite.
• You don’t have to keep every item a loved one gives you. Choose only items that are really meaningful. Take photos of any others if you like.
• You don’t have to tell loved ones that you’ve gotten rid of one of their gifts, just quietly do so and don’t feel guilty about it.
• How much you paid for something doesn’t matter. The money is gone regardless, and if you don’t like it and aren’t using it, it’s clutter.

I tend to keep things for sentimental reasons, and that goes hand in hand with my emotional eating. I eat to comfort myself, particularly when I’m stressed, and I keep things around me that comfort me as well, often long past their usefulness.

Look around your house and think about how much you own and whether you’re hoarding or not. As you examine why you tend to keep things, you’ll get clues as to why you tend to gain weight. Working on one will often help you with the other.

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