1. Eat from a smaller plate. Some plates are being made bigger now to accommodate our large appetites. We often feel compelled to fill our plates, regardless of the size. So if you start with a smaller plate (use a salad plate instead), you can usually get plenty to eat without consuming more calories. Also, try using smaller ice cream bowls for dessert.
2. Cut out drinks. Opt for water. Other drinks add calories to your diet and leave you hungry.
3. Make your snacks count. A handful of almonds (unsalted) is a really healthy and filling snack. You can make whole wheat couscous and add craisins, almond slivers, green onion and cinnamon. Oatmeal, apples, bananas, or Greek yogurt with granola and a touch of honey are other healthy options.
4. One Dove Dark Chocolate. Buy a bag of these and eat just one (I know, hard to do) to satisfy your craving for sweets.
5. Save dessert for after dinner. Try sticking to one dessert (or none) a day and wait until after dinner to have it. This keeps you from indulging in cookies or other snack foods periodically throughout the day.
6. Don't cut out everything. If you cut out all "treats," it will likely leave you more frustrated than motivated to stick to your diet (I use this term loosely). Enjoy the foods that you like, just enjoy them in moderation. While cutting down, start slowly. You could plan to eat dessert every other night instead of every night or you could plan on having dessert only on the weekend.
7. Exercise. Next week I'll devote an entire post to this, but make sure that you're making time for exercise. Don't just pick one or the other - diet or exercise - being healthy requires both!
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