7 Weight Loss Tips You May Not Have Considered

Jeanmare

Initially, we often lose weight easily after switching to a plant-based diet.  This is typically due to the natural caloric deficit that is created by eating plant foods in lieu of calorically dense foods such as meat, eggs, dairy and oil.  But after a while we might find ourselves leaning too heavily on simple carbs and vegan junk food in an effort to feel normal again.

Or maybe that’s just me.

I’ve been at this weight loss thing for nearly 30 years so believe me when I say, I know  what foods I need to eat to be slim.    It’s one thing to know what to do….we all know what to do!  But if you’re susceptible to overeating and emotional eating, as I am, we often need to look to our behaviors around food and our environment to support the overall efforts of a lifestyle change.  To wave that final goodbye- or middle finger- to those last 10 lbs.

I recently participated in Lindsay Nixon’s Slim Team through her Meal Mentor program and while I lost a few more pounds, I also learned a few tips, or heard them in a different way, that helped me turn another corner. I’ve also been fan-girling out on Chef AJ recently after my friend turned me onto her Weight Loss Wednesdays she hosts on Facebook.  I’ve been following Chef AJ for years and have enjoyed using many of her recipes overtime, but unbeknownst to me, she has maintained a  50 pound weight loss for 5 years!   So, I stand on the shoulders of these two women as I pass on what might be new ways to think about how we eat.

Brian Wansink, PH.D, author of the book Mindless Eating and Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, says his research shows we make well over 200 food decisions a day!  In this country,  we seem to have constant and unending food messages in every direction cueing us to eat. Billboards, television commercials, social media, well meaning relatives and social gatherings, advertisements pasted to the backs of trucks passing us on the interstate and even our very own kitchens are beckoning us to soothe our downtime with food.  We are up against many persuaders each and every day, often without knowing it , and making a few modifications and rules for ourselves can help  tighten the screws and put us back in the driver's seat on our journey to a healthier weight.  Here are a few ideas we can consider:

1. Veggies For Breakfast-  From Eastern China to France to Poland to Italy, many places around the world traditionally enjoy eating vegetables to break their fast.  VBR, as Chef AJ refers, sets the tone for what our taste buds will (or won't) crave the rest of the day.  Try steaming up a pound of your favorite vegetables in veggie broth and salt free seasoning such as Mrs. Dash.
2. Sitting Down- A lot can go down while we are standing... sampling food while we are cooking dinner, walking around at a festival or even standing in the fridge eating while trying to figure out what to eat!  It all seems harmless, but those bites count and they do add up.  Lindsay Nixon says it helps to make a rule for yourself to only eat when you’re sitting down.  Make a sign for your fridge or pantry reminding you to sit down while eating. Admittedly, I have caught myself MANY times mid-bite, dragging myself to a chair before swallowing. 
3. Dining While Distracted- Watching t.v., talking on the phone, dashboard dining (this is a bad one for me!) or doing any multi-tasking while eating are all ways we mindlessly munch.  And it’s my belief that society is to blame.  We all have endless to-do tasks and limited time, making eating an easy activity to pair with other mindless tasks.  We've taken the time to make the meal, so let's take time to enjoy it!
4. Set the Timer- When hunger strikes it can be a helpful practice to set a timer and wait it out another 15-20 minutes.  Are you experiencing true hunger or are you bored? Are you eating only because it's "time to eat" (i.e. lunch at noon)?  Another 15-20 minutes can help you determine what’s going on and if you are truly hungry, it’s helpful to remember that you are not going to starve to death.  I’ve experienced panic many times when I start to feel hungry...an Archie Bunker moment that this might be the end.  It's helpful to know that other cultures, such as the French, cultivate that feeling of hunger.  I never read the book, but that's probably why French women don't get fat.
5. Don’t Drink Water- with your meals that is.  Definitely drink plenty of water...(I follow the general rule of drinking half my body weight in ounces or more if I'm doing something strenuous.)  But when it comes to eating, and weight loss is your game, Food Babe (she knows everything, doesn't she?) says drinking water with our food dilutes the naturally occurring enzymes and stomach acids, causing us to hinder proper digestion of our food.  We can hydrate between meals, up to 20 minutes before and an hour after eating. (Note: If you can't get through a meal without drinking, too much salt is likely the culprit- takes one to know one ;)
6. Create Reminders- It can be helpful to set reminders on your phone around those times of temptation when we might be likely to go off-rails with snacking on the wrong foods or overeating.  Those times for me used to be around 3:00pm when kids would be coming home from school and we would be transitioning into the next part of the day.  Or maybe for some people it’s late at night after everyone’s gone to bed and you finally have some “me time” or you’re treating yourself after a long week while watching your favorite show.  I’ve set reminders on my phone such as “You are not going to starve to death!",  "Cultivate your hunger!” and “Hunger is not an emergency!”  to go off at those times when I'm most vulnerable.
7. Get Rid of Your Snack Basket- I needed to create the right environment in my house in order to find success at home.  For me, this means removing trigger foods and getting all food behind closed doors.  (Remember the "See-Food" diet?) Studies show that when cereal boxes or snack baskets are left out on the counters, we are that much more likely to overeat throughout the day.  And so are our kids.​

Bonus Tip:  If we are feeling bored with our "healthy" food- if we are eating to be entertained by food- we are probably eating outside the parameters of our true hunger.  It can be helpful to consider that when hunger is the problem, then any food will satisfy and taste good.  And we can also turn this around when we contemplate eating mindlessly!