Reader’s Digest recently posted 50 easy ways to lose weight. Fifty ways? Easy ways? You won’t be surprised to hear that I read the whole list. Here’s the article’s lead-in:
You know the drill when it comes to losing weight — take in fewer calories, burn more calories. But you also know that most diets and quick weight-loss plans have about as much substance as a politician’s campaign pledges. You’re better off finding several simple things you can do on a daily basis — along with following the cardinal rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activity. Together, they should send the scale numbers in the right direction: down.
That’s all well and good. But the very first of the fifty tips had me shaking my head in disbelief: “Once a week, indulge in a high-calorie-tasting, but low calorie, treat.” That’s right — once per week, allow yourself something that tastes high-calorie. Examples? Lobster, shrimp, smoked salmon, whipped cream.
I’m sorry, but smoked salmon is a staple when I’m thinking fitness. Fish is a healthy, nutritious food, and smoked salmon is a good way to get it. Shrimp are five calories a piece. If we’re supposed to be eating this sort of food just once a week, what are we eating the rest of the time? Sawdust?
Fortunately, not all of the tips are that extreme. Here are some I liked:
- After breakfast, make water your primary drink. Since refocusing on fitness, I’ve been a water fiend. I do allow myself about eight ounces of juice (Naked “Blue Machine”, which is filled with fiber and B-vitamins) three or four times a week, but mostly I drink water.
- Wear a pedometer. Sedentary people only take 2,000-3,000 steps a day, the article notes. On my worst days, I get less than 1,000. Seriously. But wearing a pedometer motivates me to walk more. If I can pick up an extra 2,000 steps, I know I’m walking an extra mile.
- Downsize your dinner plates. I’m trying to reduce my portion sizes, but I don’t always remember to do so. Often I reach for the larger plate instead of opting for a small one. When I limit myself to a small plate, I eat less, but am just as satisfied.
- Eat 90% of your meals at home. People generally eat more in restaurants. If you limit yourself to one meal out during the week, and then another every other weekend, you’ll still get the fun of dining out but without all the added calories.
- Use seasonings. A few weeks ago I mentioned that I like to spice up sliced apples with a touch of cajun seasoning. Yum! This same principle applies to many foods. I used to add a little cheese powder to bean soup. I love to dip carrots into salsa. This technique can help make bland food more exciting.
- Eat a handful of almonds instead of a sugary snack. On my walk to the grocery store today, I realized that I’ve had very few sweet indulgences since the first of the year. I’ve had a couple pieces of cake, but I’ve done much better about not buying myself candy and Hostess Sno-Balls. Instead, I’m eating a handful of nuts when I have a craving, or cheese, or a piece of fruit. The truth is these snacks are more satisfying than a box of Hot Tamales!
- Brush your teeth after every meal. The article says that the mintiness tricks your brain into thinking mealtime is over. I’m not sure about that. I just think it’s gross to eat after brushing my teeth. This could be a great way to prevent me from eating desserts…
A couple of these tips are duds, but most of them are handy tricks that can help you remain motivated to lose weight and to eat well!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
JD,
I know it’s uncomfortable to make any changes at all to old habits (or good-tasting habits), but you have to remember that this RD article is trying to help people get more ideas about how to make solid changes without feeling deprived. There are more issues to some of what they say:
Most people don’t realize that many smoked salmon use sugar to have the “smoky taste”, which jumps the blood sugar as well as create sugar cravings. To be honest, naked salmon is far better for the body than smoked salmon – and you get used to it NOT being smoked if you don’t eat the sugar- and artificially-smoked salmon.
I know it’s fun to poke fun of these lists, but the RD list is simply there to REMIND new-healthy-eating folks that they aren’t trying to starve themselves nor deprive themselves. RD’s 50-list is not really extreme, and it’s not as bad as “sawdust”, LOL! I thought the list had some VERY easy ideas, which meant thy could be implemented quickly, cheaply, without much effort… but they were very sane. MHO.
Dan and I use salad plates instead of dinner plates all the time now. Surely Kris would agree to do the same in your house? You get plenty of food without overloading as easily. Regular plates look huge to us now.
A handful of nuts definitely helps take the hunger off for me. I eat a small snack (150-200 cal or so) almost every day between 3 and 4:30, and nuts are high on my list since they don’t mess with my blood sugar and are filling.
Seasonings! They are so important. I am big on this one.
I had a roommate who brushed her teeth after every meal, and her dentist told her she was brushing her enamel off. So I don’t know about that one!
I’ve been using the smaller dinner plate trick for the past few weeks – it really works. I’m also a big fan of brushing teeth right after dinner.
I’ve been bad about water lately, though, and have been feeling it. Cramping up in odd places (like my toes) and not recovering as quick as usual. I have to get back to drinking more (water, that is).
the almonds really does the trick and they are so portable. I have to be careful not to eat too many though! (your sawdust joke cracked me up!)
I still eat out a fair amount, but I ask for a to-go box with my meal and dump half into it before I even start eating. Out of sight – out of mind. I use the second half for lunch the next day.
I’m very intrigued by your comment that you are “just as satisfied” with a smaller portion than a larger portion. This is telling you something important about your eating habits. Here’s one interpretation: the connection between your “feeling satisfied” and whether you keep eating has been broken and consequently has led to your overeating — at least, up until now. Do you agree?
Here’s the problem that I have with “50 Ways,” “8 Tricks,” “11 Easy Steps” and all the other lists: a list is not a plan. Without a plan, you’re lost. Today you may choose to implement 3 items on the list of 28, tomorrow 7, the day after 0, but in the end, a consistent, effective approach is necessary to achieve the outcome you seek. Lists are retrospective: you spend a year implementing, modifying, and perfecting a plan, then you notice that there are 5 key parts to it: what a great blog topic!
The best lists — like Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps — are both a list and a plan. Of course, in that case the list is really incidental to the plan.
I’m curious: this drink you’re drinking has fiber in it? This sounds like a marketing gimmick to me, unless it’s some pulpy fruit drink. Other than a daily latte and the occasional sweetened iced tea in a bottle, I only drink water, and the world of bizarre glowing blue and pink beverages I see out there, with domesticated livestock and atomic mushroom clouds on the label, make me suspicious and vaguely frightened.
I’m curious: this drink you’re drinking has fiber in it? This sounds like a marketing gimmick to me, unless it’s some pulpy fruit drink.
It’s not pulpy, but it’s granular. It’s good stuff. You can read the nutrition summary here. The ingredients are:
Blue Machine: apple and pear juice blend, banana puree, pineapple juice, blueberry puree, soluble dietary fiber, blackberry puree, coconut, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E (dl-Alpha Tocopheryl acetate), niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamine), folic acid.
So it looks like there’s added fiber. I’m fine with that.
The latest issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter discusses this whole idea of juice with fiber. Here’s what the editors say:
“Juices (even orange juice with “lots of pulp”) have little or no naturally occurring fiber….Welch’s — and other companies — add maltodextrin, a chain of sugars not quite long enough to be a starch. Some dextrins are absorbed poorly enough to count as fiber on nutrition labels.”
Eating breakfast was the easiest change i made to lose weight. I used to skip it every once in a while, and now I never do – it really changed my metabolism and prevented lunchtime pigging out!
I’d be careful with the Blue Machine. It’s 170 calories per cup! (For reference, Pepsi has 100 calories per cup). Also, pineapple is one of the highest-glycemic fruits out there, not a good idea for controlling blood sugar. You can get vitamins and fiber in other lower-calorie ways.
I think these drinks and smoothies can be really dangerous for keeping calories down (I speak from experience) — same with “protein bars.” If you are drinking two cups of Blue Machine per day, that’s 340 calories per day. Cut that out (replace with water) and you’ll lose almost one pound in 10 days. Just something to think about!
Sorry I just re-read your post and see that you aren’t drinking the Blue Machine every day. But the calorie count and high-glycemic ingredients are still worth reconsidering, in my opinion.
Good luck with all the great changes you’re making!
Nice article, but Lose Weight is not easy. A recent study has found that most individuals’ bodies have strengths and weaknesses with different foods. One person may be able to easily handle processed carbohydrates while another can handle fat carbohydrates. Pay attention to your body, and test diets that rely on either type of carbohydrate to see which type of diet gives you the best results.