Weight Loss Tips

As I've mentioned before, I tried the Special K Protein Effect plan to help me get rid of some stubborn pounds that I had gained over the summer due to poor eating habits.  It worked well and I ended up losing more weight than my goal.  While I'm not strictly following the plan right now, I've still incorporated the products and some of the lessons I learned into my daily diet.  

I wanted to share some other weight loss tips and snack ideas that have really helped me maintain my weight and ensure I don't overindulge especially during the upcoming holidays!  I'm still going to indulge a bit for the holidays, but I'm going to create low fat versions of all my favorite holiday foods so that I don't gain a lot of weight during this time of year.  If you have any requests, let me know and I can post the recipes that I use.

One of the key components of losing weight is making sure you are not hungry so that you don't reach for junk food.  The reason so many diets fail is that you are deprived and are constantly starving.  I'm aiming to make real lifestyle changes that I can actually stick to on a daily basis.  I've discovered that I usually get super hungry around 3 pm so that's my danger zone time when I'm tempted to grab some chips/cookies/ice cream, etc.  However, I've found some great low fat snacks/lunch ideas that help satisfy my hunger and taste good so that I don't end up eating a bunch of junk.  
 
When I want to have something different from the Special K Protein Shakes, my favorite lunch meal is 1 cup of non-fat Greek Yogurt (I love Fage because it is so creamy and rich) with 3/4 cup of Chocolate Cheerios mixed into it.  I often have this because the protein in the yogurt keeps you full for hours.  

A good snack, especially for that late afternoon slump, consists of apple slices with Laughing Cow cheese spread on each slice.  The flavors go great together and it's very filling. 

A bowl of strawberries or red grapes is something else that I snack on before dinner to help beat my sweet cravings.  If you're not too hungry, you can make your own trail mix.  I use peanuts, dried cranberries, chocolate chips and raisins in mine for an awesome salty and sweet combo.

All of these foods are low in calories, yet satisfying enough to prevent overeating.

Lastly, a huge factor that has allowed me to stay on track has been setting out specific times for my meals/snacks.  I like to be organized and follow a schedule so doing this has been a tremendous advantage in keeping my eating habits in check.  My day goes like this:  I have Special K cereal for  breakfast around 10 am.  I set my lunch for 12:30 pm, which is the Greek yogurt or the protein shake.  Then I'll have some of the snacks that I mentioned above at around 3 pm.  Dinner for me is at 5:30 pm and I usually have a big salad with a breaded chicken breast.  Dessert is an absolute must for me so I'll eat my dessert at 7 pm.  I use a rotation of low fat/low calorie recipes for dessert or I'll have a Special K meal replacement bar since they are sweet and taste yummy.  I follow dessert with an apple or some other fruit.  I don't eat after 7:30 pm and don't feel the need to.

Whatever you do, don't deprive yourself because that always leads to binging on the food you're trying to eliminate.  Keep everything in moderation and you will be able to lose weight or maintain your weight, while still enjoying food and not feeling like you are on some strict diet.  Also, if you do have something that's high in fat, don't take that as a pass to just blow your healthy eating plan.  This was always my problem in the past.  I would have something unhealthy and then I'd get discouraged since I'd "ruined" the day so I would just eat fattening things for the rest of the day, which further derailed my weight loss.  Remember, you can still get back on track by making healthy choices for your next meal/snack and that one bad food decision shouldn't mess up the whole day.

Hope these tips help and if you are currently on the Special K Protein Effect plan, let me know how it's going!