Are you struggling with excess pounds? (Who isn’t, right?) Along with discipline and determination, these are my 12 best weight loss tips.

1. Find an Accountability Partner

Losing weight is hard, and going it alone is even worse. Find someone in a similar situation that you can genuinely talk to—not a saboteur in disguise! This could be in-person or online, so long as regular contact is maintained. A lot of people succeed with group help, like Weight Watchers.

2. Moderation is key

Only eat when you are hungry and then, do not overeat. I repeat, do not overeat. This will go a long way in curbing the pounds. If you have a habit of eating while you are on the computer or sitting in front of the TV, try some healthy snacks instead of chips and cookies. Not only will you get in some great nutrients without much thinking about it, you’ll also save yourself a lot of calories. As an aside, limit vegging or lounging in front of any kind of screen as much as possible—this will also help keep the pounds off.

3. Avoid processed foods

Not only are they usually high in calories, they’re loaded with bad chemicals. Rid your cupboards of anything artificial and then don’t buy a replacement. Along the same lines, avoid anything that says “Reduced fat, reduced calories, reduced sugar…” these types of fake foods are junk. Instead of eating artificial foods, learn to enjoy whole foods.

4. Avoid sugar

This is a big one for me and probably my very hardest since I admit to having a sweet tooth. What has helped me is to just not have sweets in the house as much as possible. Also, when I’m craving something sweet, I will eat a piece of fruit, make fresh juice, or a smoothie instead.

5. Drink water

If you feel hungry, try drinking a big glass of water and see if your hunger goes away (a lot of the time we mistake thirst for hunger). Also try swapping sweetened coffee drinks and soda for plain water; by cutting the caffeine/sugar addiction, you’ll cut a lot of calories. If you don’t like water, try herbal teas.

My personal goal is 8 glasses of water daily. I have a huge mug that I fill up with ice water and carry around with me. Having it nearby me throughout the day means that I drink more. For extra zest, I’ll often squeeze a little lemon or lime. Crystal Light is good too for those who like their flavors.

6. Eat a diet high in fiber

I try to make the majority of my diet consist of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Not only do you feel better eating this way, it’s better for you, and it’s hard to gain extra weight on this kind of diet! I aim for a combination of both raw and cooked produce, plus good carbs like oatmeal.

7. Incorporate more exercise into your life

Little bursts of energy can add up over time. Park farther from the door of a store and briskly walk. Take the stairs whenever you can. Stand instead of sitting. Jog instead of walking. Do a couple sit ups or jumping jacks. If you only have 5 minutes, use it, because some is always better than none.

8. Don’t eat after 8:00 PM

How often do you feel nighttime munchies? Constantly? Me too! My solution is to stop eating late at night. This might seem like a strange one, but it works. I also sleep much better on an empty stomach.

9. Try a new hobby or interest

Many people may be unaware that eating can be a hobby. If you spend a lot of time focused on buying/cooking/consuming food, you may want to find a distraction. Why not try to volunteer, organize your closets, plant a garden, do your nails, take a class, start a business…anything away from food that keeps you busy. Pretty soon, you’ll realize that you’re so busy doing other things, you won’t need to mindlessly munch out of boredom.

10. Keep a food diary

Visual people love this tip because it’s a concrete way to keep track of calories in vs. calories out. By tracking food/water, we’re forced to remember the little things that often go unnoticed: a few bites of cake, the kids’ leftovers, a mocha latte, etc.

I write down my food, water, and vitamins which really helps to keep me focused.

11. Forget the gym membership

Ok, that sounds crazy, right? But let’s be honest: most people who have a gym membership rarely use it. Unless you’re truly going to visit the gym on a regular basis, it’s just a waste of money. I’d much rather walk outside, especially in a nice park or at the beach. Not only is it more scenic, it’s free. In the winter, or during bad weather, I’ll walk at the mall.

12. Find Inspiration

This may sound goofy, but I sometimes tape pics of celebs on my fridge for inspiration. Personally, it’s always been my dream to have a figure like Raquel Welch did in her prime. To have a belly as flat and flawless as hers, I’d definitely need some professional help, like CoolSculpting. 

There really are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss. Fad diets don’t work, because nobody can stick with starvation. It’s better to think of it as a lifestyle program, a new way of living and eating. It may not happen overnight, but if you stick with it, the pounds will come off.

 

What’s your best weight loss tip?

Guess who found a very old and under-used juicer in the garage? Yes, that would be me. I received this secondhand from a moving neighbor about a million years ago, probably used it once or twice, and then forgot about it. (I think I was also too lazy to wash it, if memory serves.)

It’s long overdue for another go. Making fresh juice isn’t hard, but it does take some time/effort. There are tons of yummy juice recipes, but I wanted to use up what I had on hand, which was 3 oranges and a handful of baby carrots and kiwi (I don’t like a whole lot of carrot flavor, though, so I used 1/4 carrots and the other 3/4 fruit). Apples are also delicious juiced with oranges and carrots, but I didn’t want to make a special trip to the store to buy any this time; it’s on the grocery list for next week.

First, I quartered the fruit, then diced into smaller pieces so everything would be well blended.

The end result was quite refreshing. I prefer smoothies to juice—it’s a texture thing—but this was tasty anyway. My new goal is to have either fresh juice or a fresh smoothie every single morning to boost immunity and energy. Wish me luck!

 

Do you have a favorite juice recipe? I’d love to try it!

I’m so excited these promotions are being offered again this year, because I had so much fun participating in 2014!

Tropical Smoothie Café: Get a free Jetty Punch smoothie from 2:00-7:00 PM. MUST wear flip flops! (This promotion benefits Camp Sunshine.) Be prepared for long lines.

Cumberland Farms: All 600 locations are offering a free Chill Zone Slushy or Chill Zone Soda drink. 

The free drinks are only available today, June 19. No coupon is needed and no purchase is necessary for either deal.

Sometimes it’s the unexpected deals that I enjoy the most, like this Egg-stra good find (sorry, I know that was beyond silly, but I had to.)

A local produce store was advertising peaches for $0.99/LB. Since I LOVE stone fruit, I stopped in, hoping for a bunch. They were completely cleaned out of the fruit, but I always do a quick run-through of any store I visit, looking for Manager’s Specials, Mark Downs, Unadvertised Sales, etc.

As I rounded the corner to the dairy section, a bright neon orange $0.25 sign caught my eye and I went to investigate. I could hardly believe it when I saw tons of free-range, organic, grain-fed eggs!

These retail for $3.99/dozen—or more!—so finding them for a quarter is unheard of. They all expire today, but that didn’t deter me. I scooped up 8 dozen for myself and left the remaining 5 in case anyone else wanted them.

After I got the eggs home, I carefully checked them over, making sure everything was intact and clean. Then, I started cooking.

I’ve heard that eggs can be frozen whole, out of the shell, but I’ve never tried that method (I’m not against it, I just wasn’t in the mood to experiment. It’s easier and quicker for me to stick with the tried-and-true). Here’s how I used up 8 dozen eggs in a day:

Boiled: I hard boiled 3 dozen. 1 dozen will be used plain for snacks and the other 2 dozen were made into egg salad.

Scrambled: The next 2 dozen were scrambled and made into breakfast burritos—all of which I froze for future meals/snacks. (I didn’t use a recipe, just scrambled eggs, diced onions/peppers, and cheddar cheese in flour tortilla.)

2 Pound Cakes: I have a delicious recipe that uses 6 eggs per cake! I made 2 and that finished off another dozen.

2 Bread Puddings: This was great because it used up some older, random apples, a handful of raisins and a dozen of the eggs.

If you’re counting, that brings us up to 7 dozen. After I finished cooking all of the above, I was exhausted and out of inspiration. Out of the blue, a neighbor called because she’d received my UPS package by mistake. When she kindly dropped it off, I offered her the last dozen and 1 of the cakes, which she was overjoyed to receive.

It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it—for the most part. More than anything, I was proud of myself for being creative and getting such a good price. 

 

Do you have any egg-heavy recipes to share? I’d love to try them!