What Are Your Dieting Tricks?

Try drinking a glass of water before you eat it will help fill your stomach up, and when you think you have had enough have something sweet, it sends a trigger to your body that you are done.

If you eat when you watch TV, stop watching TV :). I don't watch anymore, I read, play with my daughter, go for walks, clean (rarely :)) etc.

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The best advice is to stop dieting.

Most people give up at your point because the results are harder and harder to see - your body is adjusting to your metabolic needs, and plateuing is really common. You have to battle through it and recognize that little losses (perhaps 0.5 lbs/2 weeks) are still accomplishments.

My previous company has a deep clinical pipeline of hormones that can be used to help weight loss. Basically, there are literally dozens of hormones in your body that all have a role in regulating your hunger, your fullness, etc. Only a few are on the market as Rx products (not for weight loss at this time), but clinical trials are underway to make them available when proven safe and effective.

At the end of the day, you really should invest in seeing a Dietician to help you with the latest clinical evidence regarding how to boost your metabolism with food, how to change your diet so you're more full (usually drinking a full glass of water before you eat + lots of fiber).

Simple things like putting your fork down between meals will help you slow down how quickly you eat. It takes your body 20 minutes for your brain to recognize that you're full - your stomach is also a muscle that will expand and contract allowing you to eat larger portions. Chew thoroughly, drink a sip of water before each bite, and learn which foods have more lasting power in your body to help you feel fuller longer so you avoid the temptation to eat.

Good luck - I'm not a dieting expert (I could lost 15 lbs myself), but these are tips I learned in 8 years of selling diabetes products like insulin, Byetta and Symlin to people with Type 2 diabetes who struggle with their weight as well.

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Everytime you want to eat something and it isn't meal time, drink a glass of water. Believe it or not, many people confuse thirst with hungar.

When you get munchy, go for a walk, or do some exersize.

As already mentioned, before you eat a meal, drink a glass or two of water. Results of a study were just visited in the news about people drinking two glasses of water before eating a meal 'shedding' off pounds because it reduced the amount of food they ate at each meal by 70 - 95 calories per meal. That may not sound like much, but that is between 210 and 285 calories a day cut out!

Here is a link to the article http://www.kcra.com/news/24755558/detail.html

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Good for you! It does slow down at times. Don't give up. While you're at a plateau, WRITE DOWN everything you put in your mouth every day, as well as what you're doing for exercise each day and how often. Keep the record going.

You might do well to incorporate planned snacks into your eating plan if you get too hungry between meals. Since you say you get hungry in the evening, definitely plan a bedtime snack time into your food routine. I have that situation, and I solve it with light string cheese - a couple of those are only 120 calories and that keeps me from heading to the pantry just before I turn the light out.

I've had to make a rule not to eat while watching television, because I was in that habit - as soon as my favorite program was on I headed for the kitchen to "fortify myself." Fortify myself? For what? Was the program so bad? :^) Now I do other things with my hands while I watch. Ironing comes in handy for me.

Keep in mind that as you lose weight, your body acts differently. It needs fewer calories to work now, so make the calories you take in very, very worthwhile! Review your food choices one more time and see if you can improve them at all. Review your exercise and see if you can bump it up just a little. Above all, don't quit! You're on the road to success... your body's just at a rest stop.

(Just read the other responses. Water! That's what I forgot to say. Keep track of your water intake. Sometimes what seems like hunger is really thirst. And water is so good for your body.)

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One of the keys to losing weight (and not "cheating") is to not be hungry. It is very difficult to fight hunger. The best thing to do is fill up on healthy food - fruits and veggies and nuts. And drink lots of water (about half your body weight in ounces every day - 100 pounds = 50 ounces of water).

Here are some other thoughts...use a smaller plate or bowl, don't have unhealthy snacks in the house (if they aren't there, you can't eat them), keep lots of healthy snacks (nuts, fruits, veggies). Eat a small salad before each meal - greens (especially romaine lettuce) help with digestion - but don't drown it in unhealthy dressing.

Another thing is to get some exercise. Even just walking will help.

Good luck!

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I am fortunate to not have an issue with weight and dieting. However, I am keenly aware of what I eat.

I believe in eating whatever you want (in moderation). Exercise is a huge plus.

When I am having a craving, I drink a bottle of water. I also have a picture of a huge, gross obese woman in my pantry. One look is all it takes for me to choose not to binge.

Good luck. I've heard the last pounds are the hardest to lose.

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A lot of good suggestions here. I recommend two books:

- Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink
An entertaining read with a lot of interesting behavioral experiments on our unconscious eating habits, triggers, etc.

- In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Short but with a broad scope covering our often mistaken ideas about food and health, the origins of 'nutrition', the modern commercial food industry, traditional food cultures, and a no-nonsense approach to eating simple, awesome food that makes your life better.

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It helps me to keep track of what I eat at myfitnesspal.com. If I know I have to log the calories I've eaten and see the numbers rack up, then I think twice before I eat. I understand though, night-time eating is the worst for me too -- after the kids are in bed and when I'm watching TV. I totally understand where you are coming from!

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I'm sure it's different for everyone but I find that I have to do a combination of eating healthier & exercise to lose weight. If I'm only doing one or the other, I don't see results. And I wouldn't worry so much about the number on the scale as I would how you look & feel, how your clothes are fitting, etc. Last year, after an illness, I started taking better care of myself, including taking the time to exercise. I lost less than 10 pounds on the scale but went down a size and had several co-workers & others at the gym comment on how much weight I had lost. It really wasn't much but the exercise made me look & feel better enough that it made a big difference in how others saw me. Being told how good you look is definitely motivation to keep going! Losing weight is definitely not easy though. I hope you get some tips that help!

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Well, weight watchers has many good tips.. one in particular.. keep a journal of HOW MUCH you are in fact eating.... it's easy to just pick something up here and there (even IF healthy) ... the portions can add up..
keep a journal for a week and note the amount of what you are eating and time.... perhaps you are eating too much in between meals.. or as you say, BIG portions.. one thing they always say is eat MORE filling foods.. so if as you say you are eating healthily... then don't just eat one piece of fruit, perhaps try another piece at mid-day. Additionally, for some, in order to feel filled up , protein can help in that it does help suppress the appetite..
I am also a big fan of water, However, that doesn't fill some people up..
do you enjoy milk? maybe a small glass of skin milk will help. According to Weight Watchers, they say milk of all liquids is filling... that is of course, IF you enjoy dairy.
the other thing is... plan ahead... so that when HUNGER strikes you strike back... this might mean cutting up fruit ahead of time and making a fruit salad.... throw it in a bowl and have it ready to go once you get those hunger pangs... eat, every couple of hours so as to NOT binger.. and eat enough in the DAY so that you don't set yourself up for binging at night.
Lastly, a good snack is popcorn (the real stuff with no additives) really you can make that in the day , pop it with a little coconut oil (you don't need much) and have it ready should you want to indulge at night..
in Weight watchers, say you start out at 180 lbs.... once you reach 170 (note the handle change to 7) you are then asked to further reduce your portion... WHY?? because your body does get used to the amount of calories and hence, you don't lose more weight (or some dont) so....
yes, portions are VERY important... that is why keeping a journal of what you eat is so important.. therefore is you notice you are eating let's say.. TWO or THREE snacks.. you can begin to know where you need to reduce and won't go into this last lap blindly..

best of luck
p.s. sometimes you can join Weight WAtchers for free. check out.
I do think it's a good program when you work it.. so far, I've lost 11 lbs...
I have more to go.. but right now, I am learning how to modify my diet..

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Lots of great advice! This may sound silly, but if it's late and I'm watching tv and get the munchies, I go upstairs and brush and floss my teeth. Once my teeth are nice and clean, I don't want to get them "dirty" again with food-- so I don't eat. Call me lazy, but it works for me.

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hello
i take herbalife products and are awesomes ,you lose weight and you don't feel hungry and all herbalife shake have 15 grams of protein and the f1 shake has 19 vitamins it's a wonderful way to start your day!!!

you just remplace 2 meals with the shakes and have 1 healthy meal is so easy and delicious that my husband is doing it tooo!!!

the best thing is that you feel with more energy.

____@____.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bup4yiIlmy4 this is an excellent video

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Hi Cherry,
I let the bowl decide the amount. Don't eat out of the bag. I sit down for most of my official snacks forcing me to look at my food. Don't eat your child's food. That is a sure way to undo your progress. Can you make some snacks or food in containers and leave them in containers in the fridge? Say a sandwich, carrots, and dressing of choice already packaged? That's what works for me when the stress level is high. Veggies and hummus, olive dip, dressing of choice was an easy one to set up too.

I hope this helps you. When you lose the last few, it is hard.

Good luck,

L. L.

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Lot of good suggestions from everyone, something that gets overlooked is sleep. Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep, your body will function at its best if you are well rested.

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Knit, crochet or do needlepoint. The more you concentrate on working with your hands on a project that does not flash a commercial for food or snack products at you, the more you can ignore craving urges. Television, radio and magazines constantly bombard us with food urge "triggers". Make it a rule for yourself that you never eat ...after dinner....within 2 hrs of bedtime...after you brush your teeth...whatever will work for you. Good luck.

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Not to diet in the first place is my biggest trick (traditional dieting is how you get an UNDERweight person to gain weight, by throwing their body into "hoarding" mode), and I lost over 100lbs in 2 years.

Eat 5 or 6 times a day, and walk 3-5 miles a day, and you'll be golden.

BTW... Our bodies *naturally* plateau for a period of time in between sections of weight loss. It's sort of like our bodies "resetting" what normal is. In "normal" most people fluctuate a few pounds on either side. Once our bodies have reset that "normal", then they start losing again. The plateau doesn't mean that a healthy diet and exercise combo as quit working. It means it's really working and you're still on the downward glide. It's when your body starts doing natural up/down fluctuations in a week that something needs to change.

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