The Last Five

August 22, 2013 by jciriello 2 Comments

It’s been so long since I’ve written a post, that I almost forgot how to do it. I pretty much gave up on this blog thing because I was too busy, it had become a chore rather than a fun, creative outlet and did I say I was too busy ? But rather than close up shop, I just let the blog sit there until I felt the urge to write a post again …. and here I am.

This post is about that 5-7 lbs that are so hard to loose. After googling countless articles on the topic, I wanted to share the “tricks “that few people talk about. Most health & wellness magazines, sites and experts will tell you to drink more water, control your portion size, and exercise. Stuff we all know. For me, the hardest part is not snacking or stress eating. I can eat a healthy dinner, it’s the chips & hummus I decide to have after that are a problem.

I never really had to diet my entire life because I like to be active and I like to eat healthy foods. After my 2nd child was born, I did have to REALLY discipline my eating habits. And then this summer, work took on a stress level of 11 for me and I gained 6-7 lbs by just stress eating or by mindlessly inhaling my lunch, while I tried to get through my 92 unread emails. So here are some “tricks” that I hope to employ again and have helped me in the past:

• Vitamuffins: My friend told me about these 100 calorie muffin tops that are sold in the frozen, breakfast section of most grocery stores (except Trader Joes). They have 9g of fiber, taste great and are a perfect afternoon snack to keep me full till dinner time. This prevents me from coming home and having a 500 calorie “snack” because I am starving and have not eaten in 5-6 hours.
• Brush Your Teeth: I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and have little control over my sugar cravings. When I was trying to loose baby weight, I would brush my teeth immediately after dinner which would keep me from snacking or eating sugary treats.
• Chew Gum: Similar to the tooth brushing trick, this gives you the sweet taste of dessert and gives your mouth something to do.
• Go for a Walk: If stress or boredom is what triggers eating, go for a walk. A 10-15 minute walk will clear your head, get you away from your pantry and even burn some calories.
• Drink Black Coffee: Simply by cutting out the half & half or milk and sugar from your coffee can save you 80-150 calories a day. I was using one packet of “sugar in the raw” and half & half in my coffee daily. I am now trying to drink my coffee black, with a half packet of Splenda.
• Salad Dressing: I’m sure you’ve heard that there are a lot of empty calories in your salad dressing. Your salad may only be 400-500 calories, but you are eating 250 calories in dressing. Ask for olive oil & vinegar on the side or buy your own low-cal dressing from the market and use that when you make or order a salad.
• Skip the Cheese: This is another item that adds a lot of calories to a salad & sandwiches. Going without can save you 100-150 calories. If you skip the cheese and drink your coffee black, you’ve already cut over 200 calories out of your daily intake.
• How much to eat ? If you are active, try to eat 12-13 calories per pound (of your current weight) to loose weight. If you are not exercising, cut that down to 10 calories per pound.

Writing this post has been a good reminder how a few simple changes can result in weight loss.

Let me know what tricks you may have 🙂