Weight Loss Tips and running around....WHOOOO-HOOOOOO IT'S FRIDAY

Howdy Howdy!!!

Ok, I'm going to make a quick post, but had to stop in to say HEY *waving* to all my blog buddies out there. I gained only 1.5lbs over the holiday Whooo-hooo!! I celebrate because I thought it would be at least 10 they way I ate. I look back though and realize that I cooked my holiday fare with low fat substitutes. I hosted Christmas and New Years by the way. There were many dishes that I was afraid would pack on the pounds, but they didn't. I'm so happy.

Anywho, I ran across this article in fitbie that I adapted to fit my likes. I post it here in hopes that it will help someone else. Or read the article and adapt it to fit what you do. I didn't use every tip because a couple I do automatically, like the one about flax seed. I use fiber in all my dishes as well as protein. Check out below.

30 Second Weight Loss Tricks

1. When you get the urge to snack mindlessly give yourself a mini-manicure and pedicure. “Do a quick 30-second manicure in the evening,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “A coat of clear nail polish just makes it harder for you to stick your hand into a bag of chips.” By the time you are finished you may no longer want to snack.

2. Slice Your Food. Can good manners help you slim down? Exhibit A for why table manners ought to make a comeback: Cutting your food into smaller portions slows down your food intake, and it also visually tricks you to think that you’re eating more. Researchers from Japan’s National Food Research Institute found that people thought piles of sliced meats and veggies were 27 percent larger than when the food was kept in one piece. Satiety is affected by visual cues, so making your portions appear larger will help you feel satisfied with less.

3. Weigh Yourself Daily. Think you can guesstimate how well you’re losing weight? Study after study shows that regularly stepping on the scale can help you drop pounds. How much more weight? People who log weekly and daily weigh-ins lose about 12 to 18 pounds more than those who check less frequently, concludes a review study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

4. Dress Down. Take advantage of Casual Friday. A University of Wisconsin, La Crosse study found that people who wear jeans to work take 491 more steps a day than those in business wear. How many calories could you burn if you walked for 30 minutes a day?

5. Brush Immediately After Dinner. Tap into years of Pavlovian training (watch videos of Pavlov’s theories), and brush your teeth soon after you’ve finished supper. Traditionally, brushing your teeth is a signal to stop eating, explains Blatner, so you’re primed to resist after-hours snacking. The essence of peppermint has been reported to suppress appetite, and cleaning your chompers with strong-tasting toothpaste may help distract your taste buds from craving another flavor.

6. Eat before you go to a party. This will cut down on overeating and eating fatting foods from the party table.

7. Rather than eyeball portions, place a measuring cup in your pantry so that you’ll know exactly how much you’re doling out, recommends Blatner. Keep a serving of cereal to one cup, a portion of dry macaroni to ¼ cup.

8. Reach for the phone, not the potato skins, the next time you’re feeling blue. Emotional eating can spiral out of control really fast, so instead of turning towards food for a pick-me-up, dial a friend to vent or schedule some Frisbee to blow off some steam.

9. LASTLY: MAKE A CHOICE…..You have the ability to make the choice to be who you are or want to be. If healthy is what you aspire after then choose healthy. It’s that simple. You make the choice to eat that extra cookie or piece of cake. You make the choice to hit the snooze button for that extra 15 minutes and not get up to exercise. You make the choice. So what will you choose??

Here is a recipe that I found in a group I'm in on Facebook. Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR and NEW YOU!!!

Peanutty protein bars
by Fit on the Fly on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 4:32pm
Tired of paying all outdoors for the equivalent of "Snickers on Steroids"...me too!! We hope you enjoy this recipe hand-tailored especially for YOU! XOXO

2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup peanut flour, dry (such as Trader Joe's)
1 cup (4 scoops) vanilla protein powder
1 cup water
2 T. calorie free caramel dip (such as Walden Farms - I find mine at Market Basket)

Mix first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until well combined; Add water and stir until mixture is well combined; Stir in caramel dip; Pour mixture into a square pan, lined with wax paper; Freeze for one hour, cut into desired size, and wrap individually; Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition information:

Snack size (cut bars into 8 portions)
Calories:190
Fat: 4
Carbs: 19
Fiber: 4
Protein: 23
Sodium: 30
Sugar: 3

Meal-replacement size (cut bars into 6 portions)
Calories:235
Fat: 5
Carbs: 25
Fiber: 5
Protein: 30
Sodium: 40
Sugar: 3