We all start out with the best intentions when beginning a diet. However, we sometimes stray and lose our willpower when denying ourselves too much over a period of time. Nonetheless, there is an easier way to remain focused and still lose weight without giving up everything you love to eat if you practice these few tricks.
The best thing you can do is learn to eat breakfast. Studies show those that eat breakfast tend to eat less calories and saturated fats throughout the rest of the day unlike the breakfast skipper whom loads up later on more fattening foods with sugars and saturated fats. Even if you're not hungry, you will be more able to resist impulsively eating more unhealthier and fattening food choices while keeping your energy up when you sit down for that important morning meal to start your day.
Another super trick to help you eat less is discovering spices and herbs. Cooking with spices properly can really turn a bland dish into a new flavorful experience, if you only use the right spices and herbs. In fact, red pepper, chili peppers, or cayenne pepper or even chili powder sprinkled on dishes or used fresh in your recipes all have been proven to help you burn fat faster while suppressing your appetite! This wonderful benefit is due to the Capsaicin those peppers contain.
Turmeric is another friend to the dieter. This peppery flavor may help reduce inflammation in the body that can lead to weight problems and diabetes.
You won't feel as hungry if you get more fiber in your diet. The soluble fiber like grains, fruits, and vegetables helps stabilize your blood sugar while combating hunger. Insoluble fiber like that found in legumes adds bulk to your gastrointestinal system so you feel full.
If you learn to cook with beans and lentils, you will feel lighter in your stomach, save on your grocery bill, help improve your cholesterol, simplify cooking, and definitely help you lose weight. Eat bean meals at least twice a week and check your scale because the pounds will seem to melt away.
Another helpful tip is getting enough protein since your body uses more calories to digest it than other foods. It helps increase your body's metabolism. At the same time, protein keeps you satisfied to help save you from getting the munchies. However, the proteins you should concentrate on are the beans, lentils, egg whites, fish, turkey, chicken (both skinless), soybeans, and all low-fat dairy.
Something else to think about is the volume of the food. For instance, you can eat 1/4 cup of raisins for 130 calories or you can blow up those dried grapes with 1-1/2 cups of fresh for the same amount of calories. Another example is if you crave potato chips. You can eat 10 potato chips for about 150 calories or a fairly sizeable baked potato that will take you longer to finish.
The last idea I have to share is remembering to take those meals at the table and eat each bite slowly instead of polishing off your plate as if you're in a race. Chewing slowly will give you time to enjoy those foods more while tricking your mind into thinking you ate more than you did because it took you longer to finish.
Showing posts with label diet tricks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet tricks. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With My Coconut Scones!
Today, I made something fantastic. Dear readers, if only we didn't live so far apart, I would invite all of you over to enjoy them with me because I know once you had tasted them you would also love them just as much.
I had some Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate and decided to play with one of my scone recipes. The result was a tasty masterpiece bursting with coconut flavor and more like a cookie than a small sweet bread only minus all the extra sugar and grease.
Unlike their Virgin Coconut Oil, the Coconut Cream Concentrate is a food and not an oil. However, I substituted this in my recipe for the margarine requirement and only used two tablespoons of the margarine in my recipe. I was delighted when I took these out of my oven and then more so when I tasted one!
Do remember when using a margarine in your baking to check whether it is a spread or margarine. Spreads never work because of their high water content. Only a margarine will turn out for baking.
Earlier, I shared another delicious scone recipe and another version with oatmeal. Honestly, if you are hungry for something good but are trying to watch your calories, then scones are ideal. All three of these recipes are fantastic and great for keeping you satisfied as far as goodies are concerned!
My Coconut Scones
1/3 cup of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate
2 tablespoons of margarine (not spread)
2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 -1/4 cup of raisins
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
6 tablespoons of milk
1 and 3/4 cup of sifted flour
Work your margarine, coconut cream concentrate, baking powder, salt, sugar, and flour like you do for a pie, rubbing together to combine into small balls. Stir in your beaten egg, milk, and finally raisins. Try not to handle the dough too long. Pat or roll out on floured surface and cut into small squares and triangles. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until done.
I had some Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate and decided to play with one of my scone recipes. The result was a tasty masterpiece bursting with coconut flavor and more like a cookie than a small sweet bread only minus all the extra sugar and grease.
Unlike their Virgin Coconut Oil, the Coconut Cream Concentrate is a food and not an oil. However, I substituted this in my recipe for the margarine requirement and only used two tablespoons of the margarine in my recipe. I was delighted when I took these out of my oven and then more so when I tasted one!
Do remember when using a margarine in your baking to check whether it is a spread or margarine. Spreads never work because of their high water content. Only a margarine will turn out for baking.
Earlier, I shared another delicious scone recipe and another version with oatmeal. Honestly, if you are hungry for something good but are trying to watch your calories, then scones are ideal. All three of these recipes are fantastic and great for keeping you satisfied as far as goodies are concerned!
My Coconut Scones
1/3 cup of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate
2 tablespoons of margarine (not spread)
2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 -1/4 cup of raisins
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
6 tablespoons of milk
1 and 3/4 cup of sifted flour
Work your margarine, coconut cream concentrate, baking powder, salt, sugar, and flour like you do for a pie, rubbing together to combine into small balls. Stir in your beaten egg, milk, and finally raisins. Try not to handle the dough too long. Pat or roll out on floured surface and cut into small squares and triangles. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until done.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Dropping Pounds Made Easier With These Few Simple Tricks!
How many times do you start a diet with good intentions and end up failing for one reason or another? However, there are some simple tricks that can help keep you on the right track toward your weight loss goals.
1. Avoid grocery shopping while you're hungry.
2. Eat your meals before feeding your family. By doing so, you will be full and more able to resist temptation of what high calorie food that could sabotage your dieting efforts. This may sound like a silly tip, but it works.
3. Plan out your meals ahead of time and make a list of the foods you need to make them and stick to that sheet.
4. Keep a food diary and jot down everything you eat. You might be surprised how each tablespoon when cooking or just a teaspoon of peanut butter for example can add up when counting calories.
5. Eating on smaller plates instead of oversized ones can provide an illusion to your mind that you are eating more than you actually are.
6. If you finish a meal and still feel not quite full, you might like to try waiting 10 minutes before looking for something else to eat. Often, that hunger urge will pass.
7. Brush and floss your teeth directly after dinner to resist snacking later. Sometimes, it is good to be lazy and keep a clean mouth to avoid flossing and brushing again.
8. Drink water with your meals to help dull your appetite. Six to eight glasses a day acts as a diuretic and will clean your system out of impurities.
9. Learn to stop eating in front of the television. Eat your meals only at the table.
10. Make a habit of weighing yourself once a week at the same time. Your weight does change at certain times of the day.
11. When you feel the urge to pig out, you might try eating something sour like a pickle or lemon to suck on. This bitter taste in your mouth could help you eliminate those cravings.
12. Those times you need a sweet, you also need to substitute that urge for fruit, but be aware of the calories and the portion you can have.
13. Avoiding the hunger for pastry, cakes, cookies, and ice cream is easier when it is not in your house.
14. Did you know that plates that are green, gray, or brown will help you eat less than orange or yellow ones? This sounds ridiculous, but studies have shown that those colors make a difference in visual appeal and the amounts that will go into your mouth.
15. Visualization is a helpful technique. When you feel like giving up your diet, close your eyes and picture yourself with 10 extra pounds. Now see yourself in your mind with another 10 pounds. Keeping that picture in your mind, you might try asking yourself if you really want to stray off that diet. Instead, close your eyes again and see yourself at your ideal weight.
16. Once a week reward yourself with a treat. If that treat is a sweet, enjoy that one designated day and eat your piece of cake, pie, ice cream--only in moderation. The same principle goes for those treats that are fatty like regular potato chips, tortilla chips, or alcohol, etc.
17. Eat with a small pronged fork like a cocktail fork can help with your efforts. You will not be able to shovel that much in your mouth with a smaller shovel.
18. Eliminate breads and watch the pounds drop off your frame more. This honestly works.
19. Chew everything at least 10 to 20 times before swallowing.
20. If you love salads, I suggest that you do not mix your dressing in with your salad fixings. Instead, keep a little dressing on the side of your plate and dip your salad into the dressing to avoid a calorie overload.
21. Eat regular cooked meals that will fill you with nutritious real food--not convenience foods loaded with preservatives and unrealistic portions to satisfy your hunger.
22. The more you eat, the more you want. Personally, I found it hardest initially to eat less. The longer you diet, the more I believe your stomach shrinks and the less you need to eat to fill full.
Dieting is hard enough that is why I wanted to share these helpful tips with you. Hopefully, they will keep you strong and going!
1. Avoid grocery shopping while you're hungry.
2. Eat your meals before feeding your family. By doing so, you will be full and more able to resist temptation of what high calorie food that could sabotage your dieting efforts. This may sound like a silly tip, but it works.
3. Plan out your meals ahead of time and make a list of the foods you need to make them and stick to that sheet.
4. Keep a food diary and jot down everything you eat. You might be surprised how each tablespoon when cooking or just a teaspoon of peanut butter for example can add up when counting calories.
5. Eating on smaller plates instead of oversized ones can provide an illusion to your mind that you are eating more than you actually are.
6. If you finish a meal and still feel not quite full, you might like to try waiting 10 minutes before looking for something else to eat. Often, that hunger urge will pass.
7. Brush and floss your teeth directly after dinner to resist snacking later. Sometimes, it is good to be lazy and keep a clean mouth to avoid flossing and brushing again.
8. Drink water with your meals to help dull your appetite. Six to eight glasses a day acts as a diuretic and will clean your system out of impurities.
9. Learn to stop eating in front of the television. Eat your meals only at the table.
10. Make a habit of weighing yourself once a week at the same time. Your weight does change at certain times of the day.
11. When you feel the urge to pig out, you might try eating something sour like a pickle or lemon to suck on. This bitter taste in your mouth could help you eliminate those cravings.
12. Those times you need a sweet, you also need to substitute that urge for fruit, but be aware of the calories and the portion you can have.
13. Avoiding the hunger for pastry, cakes, cookies, and ice cream is easier when it is not in your house.
14. Did you know that plates that are green, gray, or brown will help you eat less than orange or yellow ones? This sounds ridiculous, but studies have shown that those colors make a difference in visual appeal and the amounts that will go into your mouth.
15. Visualization is a helpful technique. When you feel like giving up your diet, close your eyes and picture yourself with 10 extra pounds. Now see yourself in your mind with another 10 pounds. Keeping that picture in your mind, you might try asking yourself if you really want to stray off that diet. Instead, close your eyes again and see yourself at your ideal weight.
16. Once a week reward yourself with a treat. If that treat is a sweet, enjoy that one designated day and eat your piece of cake, pie, ice cream--only in moderation. The same principle goes for those treats that are fatty like regular potato chips, tortilla chips, or alcohol, etc.
17. Eat with a small pronged fork like a cocktail fork can help with your efforts. You will not be able to shovel that much in your mouth with a smaller shovel.
18. Eliminate breads and watch the pounds drop off your frame more. This honestly works.
19. Chew everything at least 10 to 20 times before swallowing.
20. If you love salads, I suggest that you do not mix your dressing in with your salad fixings. Instead, keep a little dressing on the side of your plate and dip your salad into the dressing to avoid a calorie overload.
21. Eat regular cooked meals that will fill you with nutritious real food--not convenience foods loaded with preservatives and unrealistic portions to satisfy your hunger.
22. The more you eat, the more you want. Personally, I found it hardest initially to eat less. The longer you diet, the more I believe your stomach shrinks and the less you need to eat to fill full.
Dieting is hard enough that is why I wanted to share these helpful tips with you. Hopefully, they will keep you strong and going!
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