1) Here’s a fun tip. If you are feeling snackish- try putting on some jeans. Make sure they’re fitted. If you are more into comfort, you’ll likely find yourself wearing stretchy pants with elastic waistbands. These are not your friend. Putting on some fitted jeans will remind you not to overeat. Muffin tops and unbuttoned jeans are NOT sexy.

2) Start your meal with bulky, low calorie veggies and fruit (along with the water you are sip-sip-sipping). Broccoli and cauliflower are fabulous with fat free or light ranch and very low calorie and filling. A salad is also great- just journal all the extras and make sure they fit in your calorie budget. A recent fave of mine is strawberries! So sweet and fresh and very low cal. Try them with a couple of tablespoons of light cool whip for a wonderful treat. In the cooler weather try soup instead- but watch the sodium.

3) It honestly does matter where your calories come from. As a recovering carboholic- I must stress this. You’ll get to a point where calorie counting is not enough- you have to watch where you macronutrients are coming from. Don’t go all Atkins on me- but try to bump up your protein and lower the carbs.

4) Find excuses to get more activity in. I work a desk job and sit on my butt way too much during the day. However, I always try to find little things to get up for and move around. I volunteer to run errands and grab coffee. At home I break chores up so that I have to go up and down the stairs more often. At my desk at home I’ll even stand and walk in place while I browse the net. Little bits do add up, so squeeze extra activity into your daily routines.

5) Get a buddy or a group of pals to encourage you. Dieting is not an endeavor you should approach alone. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a support system. It could be a work out buddy, a spouse, and fitness forum- whatever. These folks have your back, and encourage you to pick yourself up when you had an off day. They commiserate your fails and celebrate your success. They really keep you going.

Got a golden weight loss tip of your own to share? Let us know in the comments, or if you’d prefer, post about it in the forum!

Beatles fan.

So everyone is looking for a fast fix to their weight. I’m really sorry to break this to you, but there really isn’t one folks. No magic pill or shake or exercise program. It takes time, hard work, and dedication, and different things work for different bodies. But can supplements help you along the way?

I confess- in the past I was a supplement junkie. I did ephedra when it was legal, fat and carb blockers, cleanses, Lipo 6 Black, TrimSpa, Xenedrine, Alli, QuickSlim- you name it, I have probably tried it at some point. And you probably guessed that none of them really worked for me. Not saying that wouldn’t help others, but not me unless you count stomach aches and frequent bathroom trips. I have one of those bodies that can be super stubborn when it comes to losing weight, even when I am technically doing everything ‘right’. How’s this…for over 2 years I ate 1200-1300 calories a day, worked out several times a week, and stayed within the same 5lb range. All of my numbers said I should have been losing. It was physically impossible for me not to lose for crying out loud! But still- I was stuck. And frustrated…let’s not forget that. So frustrated I quit dieting all together several times, which lead to gaining.

Now- I said there wasn’t a magic pill, but I do believe that some products out there can give you a hand. I always joked that if something really worked- I wouldn’t be able to afford it. But I did find a fat burner that helped me break out of a plateau and gives me lots of energy. I generally don’t like to take anything these days (I value my health over the number on the scale), but as a temporary boost- why not? Is it really so harmful? More harmful than carrying around too much weight? More harmful than quitting and undoing any progress made?

For me- that product was Lipo 6 Ultra. It helped me to bust through a plateau and drop 5lbs. No- I don’t get anything for endorsing them. Just speaking the truth. Unfortunately, you can’t take it for too long so I have stopped, but I will return to it if I hit another stubborn plateau. It beats unnecessary frustration and feeling like the girl no one asks to dance.

What is your stance on weight loss supplements?  Have you found something that works, or do you steer clear of that beckoning aisle at Walmart?

MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker

I thought it fitting to start off with what is not only one of my favorite iphone fitness apps, but one of my favorite weight loss tools online, as well.  MFP is such an awesome resource for nutritional information, as well as keeping track of calories, managing goals, and getting motivation from a like minded community.  The app interacts with your online account, so you can make status updates and food entries, just like you would from your computer.  You can also work offline so you can sync your information whenever you want.

Fitnessbuddy- 1000+ Exercises, Workouts, Ultimate Exercise Journal by SkyHealth

Fitness Buddy has just about every individual exercise and workout routine you could imagine (over 1000, go figure).  All broken down into easy to follow  illustrations with instructions.  The app has a workout for any ability level, complete with high res images.  That, and the fact that you can track and graph your body weight and metrics through the app, make it a great addition to your fitness app arsenal.

c25k

This app gives you audio prompts every time you need to switch from walking to running according to the C25K plan.  You can listen to your music and enjoy your workout without constantly looking at your stopwatch.  If you’re not familiar with the C25K program, click the spoiler tab below for a  brief rundown.

If you’re new to c25k, or just don’t want to spend the $2.99 for the app, some helpful people put together some pretty sweet podcasts that you can download for free in itunes.

Check out the Couch to 5K podcasts here (you’ll need itunes to open) .

Pocket Yoga

This is a really great app for the beginner or even the most skilled yogi.  This is like having a yoga coach in your pocket.  Grab your ipod, find a quiet space, customize your session and go.

The freedom of mobility that this app gives your yoga practice is what makes it so special. Gone are the days of having to bribe the kids to stay out of living room for 40 minutes so you can get a good session in. This yoga studio in a box comes with 3 different practices, which can be customized by 3 levels of difficulty and different durations. The library of illustrations alone  make the app worth the price.

Pedometer 24/7

Pedometer 24/7 is just that- a pedometer for your iPhone. You can use it 24 hours, 7 days per week. It uses an advanced SophisticatedAccelerometer™ technology for accurate steps counting and automatic calibration. Ideal for walking, jogging and running.

All you do is enter your height and weight, adjust the sensitivity- and go.  The pedometer app monitors steps taken, speed, distance traveled, and calories burned.  One cool feature of the app is the ability to track your daily history and graph your activity level.

With the ability to accurately track steps with your iphone or ipod in your pocket, and  a sexy interface to boot, Pedometer 24/7 is a great value at 99 cents.

Well, that’s all for now. I could have easily made this a top ten list of best apps for weight loss, but let’s leave something for next time . What do you think of this list? What’s your favorite fitness app? Let us know in the comments.

1) No shopping when you are hungry. This is bad for your waist line AND bad for your budget. Your defenses are down, and that bag of chips or cookies or ice cream seems pretty reasonable. Those candy bars placed for impulse buys at the register will call to you as well. Just don’t! Eat before you go, make a list, and stick to it unless you come across a seriously killer deal!

2) Measure out a portion of everything. Some people swear by packing individual servings in sandwich baggies and marking the outside with nutritional information (homemade 100 calorie packs, anyone?). I don’t go that far because- here it is- I’m LAZY. LOL! What I do though is measure out portions on a plate or in a bowl, and put the item away. Yep- I do individually count out pretzel twists and animal cookies.

3) Weigh your food. Invest in a food scale. Don’t guess at how many ounces of chicken you are eating. KNOW! Think you know what a serving of cereal is? Trust me- your bowl is bigger than the 3/4 cup serving on the box. Be accountable and measure it out.

4) Drink lots of water. Everyone knows they should have 8 glasses of 8oz a day. I have a 32oz bottle I fill up at least 4 times a day. If I am feeling snackish, I sip-sip-sip to fill up my tummy. If I am starving before dinner I sip-sip-sip to control portions later. It works! If you have problems drinking plain water- go for Crystal Light type packets, or lemon/cucumber slices to add some flavor.

5) Close your kitchen after dinner. Really. You do not need to go back in there for a late night snack while you are watching the Bachelor. If you are like me, TV eating can quickly turn into mindless eating…especially if you don’t follow Golden Rule #2. Close the kitchen, brush your teeth, invest in some sugarless gum to get you through.

More rules to follow! Feel free to add your favorites in comments!

Many of my weight loss buddies have an all or nothing approach to dieting. They will be ultra-strict with themselves and their food. No sweets, no carbs, no fat, no alcohol (no fun- I say!). I get it. These things can be trigger foods that lead to binges. However- I find that if I don’t allow myself what I really want (within reason), that I will binge sooner or later. It’s always better for me to work it in and be responsible than to deny and build up a huge bubble of desire that WILL eventually pop into an all-out hog fest.

I think it’s all part of the lifestyle change. I have tried dieting. It’s not a long term solution for me. I can’t feel deprived. I can’t have ‘forbidden’ foods. It all has to be balanced or else I simply won’t succeed.

How about you? Are you an all or nothing dieter or do you find that an ‘everything in moderation’ approach works better for you?

It had been ‘one of those’ weekends- too many carbs, too much sodium, not enough moving, so I thought it would be the perfect time to get myself back on track. I had coffee and water, and went out for my ‘wogging’ workout.

For those of you that are going ‘HUH?’ about that term, it’s our word for a walking and jogging workout. I’m not a runner. I hated running growing up, but I am learning and appreciating the hip and thigh shrinking benefits of running. So I wog- jog for 5 or 6 minutes, walk for 2, repeat until I hit 30-35 minutes.

Anyways, I did my wog fasted. Now typically I am  a fan of a carby breakfast with a fair amount of protein a couple hours before a workout, so it was a change to drag myself outside with my tummy rumbling. I did feel good during- I had energy, I felt empowered, I didn’t get a stitch or a cramp. I finished triumphant, but with a slight ringing in my head. Sadly- that ringing turned into nausea, dizziness, and a pounding headache . Signs of low blood sugar. I felt off  all day long- even after eating and taking some Advil.

Did I do it wrong? I’m not sure. But I am left to conclude that at least for me, working out fasted isn’t a good solution. I figured there might be a problem- I know I have low blood pressure and just do better eating every 2-3 hours.

Because it threw off my whole day- I am not going to repeat the experiment. After all- I work full time and have 4 children to chase after- I just can’t afford to be ‘off’!

If fasted workouts work for you- all the more power to you! Let me know in comments what I did wrong or what works for you, and perhaps I can check it out again. I do think it can have benefits, but for me- at least for now- I’ll stick to eating.