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Food and exercise are the foundation of weight loss so here are some food hacks to put you ahead!

Weight Loss HacksFood was always something that I struggled with and sometimes it can be difficult not to fall back into old habits and fall off the food wagon. These are a few of the ways I found to get my food and eating under control

Remove your temptations

Are you a sweet or savoury kind? I am an afternoon sweet snacker so I got rid of all the chocolate and sweets so there was nothing but fruit or healthy yogurt to snack on. It helps you to avoid the temptation – if you know you are going to eat it then why have it in the house at all??

*NOTE: try this for two weeks and then gradually bring it back and see if you can handle a small portion every now and then*

Sit at the table

Make a show of every meal – sitting at the table will help you remember that you have eaten and will help you out later in the day when you are trying to figure out if you are hungry or bored!. Also sitting down to meals helps you to re-train your brain that a table is meant for meals, so sitting on the sofa (or desk, floor etc) is not and will slowly stop you from wanting to eat where ever you are.

Eat with a knife and fork

I mean everything (obviously not soup or cereal – don’t get pedantic) sandwich? knife and fork, pizza? knife and fork, vegetables? knife and fork. Eating in this way takes longer and the extra time fills the gap between food and stomach making you less likely to reach for seconds (or thirds).

Fiddly Foods

The above reason also works for fiddly foods like peas, spaghetti etc – anything that is annoying to get into the mouth is your friend because it takes longer to eat and you are more likely to feel like you’e

Grate cheese

Weigh it out first and then grate it, it looks like there is more on your plate even though there isn’t and it is more fiddly (it also melts better this way).

healthy food shots

Dark chocolate

I am not saying go and eat bars of the stuff but it is better for you than other chocolate and has heart health benefits too (in moderation). I also find that I can moderate portions of dark chocolate better and it leaves me more satisfied.

Healthy popcorn

There is a misconception that all popcorn is unhealthy (cinema popcorn is terrible don’t eat that) but there are actually tasty healthier alternatives that are a great snack without too much fat/calories.

I found “Propercorn” which is my absolute favourite so I buy in bulk. You can also get them in the usual sizes from Tesco’s and other shops. If you prefer other healthy brand alternatives just have a look at the nutritional info first to make sure there aren’t sneaky fats in there.

Ice Lollies

Find ones with low sugar or make your own using watered down fruit juice (mango and pineapple is tasty) and they are a healthy alternative to pudding if you cannot spare the calories. They are also a great snack compromise if you are feeling peckish but unsure what you want.

*NOTE: You can also add pieces of fruit in there to squeeze in some of your 5 a day*

Fruit ice lollies
Image and recipe at Domestic Sluttery

Don’t count fruit and veg

In the beginning, I really struggled to get excited about fruit and veg and I didn’t want to waste any of my daily calories on those when I could have eaten a Mars bar :p – so I decided that fruit and veg don’t count. It generally encouraged me to have fruit or veg as a snack because “it didn’t count” and I could eat as much as I liked.

Portion control

This was a big issue for me just when looking at things I could never decide if that was an appropriate portion size or not so I have tried two things:

  1. Halve your normal portions – e.g. if you usually have 2 or more pieces of toast – half it. If you want a full English breakfast have 1 of each item instead etc.
  2. Eat from smaller plates – I use sandwich plates or my son’s plates because they are smaller and usually the correct portion size looks extra small on a dinner plate.

Will I still want this tomorrow?

I sometimes play this game if I feel like I want something for the sake of it. It is simple…

Will I still want this tomorrow in the same way? – Answer = Yes = wait until tomorrow and if I still do then have it, if not then don’t (usually I don’t)

Answer = No = Don’t have it and have a healthier snack

vegetable basket

 

Eating Out Food Hacks

Cinema

Take your own snacks/drinks – it is that simple, there is very rarely anything healthy and it is not going to look great next to the giant fizzy drinks and giant “share bags” of Maltesers and that is not even taking into account the price.

Restaurants 

  • Pick what you’re going to eat ahead of time – A lot of restaurants have their menus online and some even have the calorie or nutritional info on there and it allows you to make a properly informed choice (sometimes the difference between “classic” or “light” pasta is about 500 calories and one is healthier than the other even though both taste the same.
  • Be wary of alcohol calories – Substitute things like wine and fruity cocktails (which are full of sugar/empty calories) with a vodka and diet coke or a gin and soda
  • Eat one portion healthy – If you are having the salad for dinner and want the cake then have it (don’t deprive yourself) but if you are having an unhealthy dinner then have a healthy dessert or skip it. Make compromises with yourself, you don’t have to have the whole evening go food crazy to enjoy yourself.
  • Share Pudding – If you are worried about how much is there then don’t try eating it on your own, ask to share and have a smaller portion. (This is great when you go out with your buddy – see above-).
  • Let everyone know so that they don’t encourage you to overeat. Generally, if they know you are trying to be healthy and eat or drink less they will be supportive

How do you try to stay healthy? What are your food hacks? For more info on weight loss, visit my How To Kickstart Your Weight Loss.

Weight loss food hacks, what to do when you are trying to eat healthier, how to eat less calories, what to eat when you are going out and want to stick to your plan, plus some very simple food hacks to make you succeed #weightloss #foodhacks #diet #weightlosstips

 

My Weightloss food hacks for eating out! - I lost 5 stone using these ideas and getting a handle on my eating using these tips!
Weight loss food hacks that helped me to lose 5 stone - nothing major just some cool tricks and tips to getting a handle on food!

by | 50 Comments

50 comments on “Weight Loss Food Hacks”

  1. I always want something to snack on in the evenings as we eat our dinner so early. I try to pick something healthy…….most of the time!

  5. I agree on a basic mindful approach to food. Sit at a table, enjoy every morsel rather than mindless snacking. Ordering food online also helps I find, I’m less likely to pick up temptations.

  8. Lots of great tips here – when I grate cheese I use the finest grater so that it looks like there is more than there is and it spreads further!

  11. Great hacks I’ve been doing slimming world and keeping temptation out of the way really helps for me. I also plan for eating out as i feel more in control that way

  12. I’m a nightmare with food and always struggle with portion sizes. This is such a great list and I find eating at the table helps keep structure to my day and reminds me when I’ve eaten.

  13. You look amazing! I’m finally, at the age of 48, am coming to some healthy impressions of eating and finding out why I have been eating the way I do. Thank you so much for your suggestions and for sharing them at the Over the Moon Link Party.

  14. Charlotte I LOVE this article. A few years ago I lost 80 pounds, cleared out my closet and bought all new clothes. In spite of it all I felt so good I celebrated, with food. I gained it all back. Now I have pictures of me at my heaviest, eating, taped on the fridge and cupboards. I can do this! Please link this at all my parties!

  15. Great tips! I think it’s so important to not feel deprived (at least not for an extended period of time)! Try finding healthy dessert alternatives so you can enjoy yourself without destroying your healthy habits! 🙂

  18. These tips are so smart! I try to keep the junk food out of the house, especially since I work from home and I’m there all day. If there is bad food in the house when I get hungry, I’ll end up eating it. So instead, I keep fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, healthy homemade snacks and yogurts in the house.

  19. You look great so well done! These tips are very useful, I’ve never had to loose weight but I do get it a habit of eating a really unhealthy diet ever now and then so these tips would help me get back on track. #yumtum

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  23. Great tips! I have lost a few pounds this month just by being a little more conscious about what I am eating and keeping an eye on my portion size. My fav dinner plate is normal sized, but has a wide rim meaning the middle bit looks full with less on it!

  25. Lots of really good tips. I do the “will I want this tomorrow” But I say, if I still want it this afternoon, in an hour then I can have it. Usually the moment passes 🙂

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  28. Brilliant tips! And so easy to do too. Mr M has type 1 diabetes so we don’t have sugar in the house, I don’t miss it anymore. Portion control is so important! Thanks for joining in with #memyselfandi and hope you can link up again in the future

  29. Love this! It’s all such good advice, especially portion size. I love the idea of the will I still want it tomorrow rule. Definitely going to be using that one 🙂
    Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes
    Debbie

  33. Great tips! Getting rid of temptation is something I have to take seriously. It’s too easy if it’s just there! And once I start, I can’t stop so best not to start at all. #anythinggoes

  34. Great list of tips which I must start practicing myself. Might look out for the healthier popcorn as we’re a bit addicted to the non-healthy stuff at the moment! #anythinggoes

  37. These are absolutely fantastic tips I think I need to bookmark this. I have been debating getting smaller plates and I actually think this is a really good idea. Well done on your amazing weight loss 🙂 thanks for linking to #memyselfandI

  38. I am so thrilled that I crave healthy foods – Brussels Sprouts in olive oil over chips or sweets! Salmon over a juicy fast food burger… Mmmmm! 🙂

  39. Great tips – that serve as a great reminder. I know my bad habits include wandering around eating during the day AND YET I would never let my girls do that! I make loads of popcorn myself – it’s so quick and I often take it as a post-school snack too (and feel very smug!!!) #memyselfandI

  41. Love these hacks, great tips. Especially love the ice lollies as you can make some seriously tasty ones that are still healthy! Thanks for linking up to Marvellous Mondays, hope to see you again next week! Kaye xo #MarvMondays

  42. These are great tips. The reason I like them so much is because these aren’t extreme life changes but manageable small choices that can have a huge result. If I’m having something that isn’t super healthy at a restaurant I try to ask for a box when the food comes out so I can box up half and his way I’m not eating as much and I get two meals for the price of one.
    If I order a burger I try to get a salad or steamed veggies on the side so many little tricks!

    • oo that’s a great idea! yes sometimes it’s just little things that actually change your mind or your perspective on it 🙂 thanks for commenting xx

  45. Portion control is definitely something I have learned the hard way this year – I really cannot eat as much as I used to! Some fantastic tips! Sim #weightlosswednesday x

  46. These are all fab ideas! We do healthy popcorn a lot and make it from scratch. We also make fruit ice lollies and now drink fruit water in our new fruition bottles!

    Angela

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