You buy the books, you sign up to the classes and you even fill your cupboards with the lemongrass and bulgar wheat, but the second a colleague offers you a cupcake, that’s it; diet out the window. Surely there’s a better way to lose weight than going the whole hog and falling at the first hurdle? According to Marissa Lippert, RD, author of The Cheater’s Diet, making a few tweaks here and there, rather than taking the all-or-nothing approach, ‘can lead to more weight loss than you ever imagined.’ So, which of our dieters’ slim-down secrets can help your weight loss wellness in a real-world way?
1. Eat in a little more: Kerri Butler, of Joplin, Missouri, notes, ‘I used to eat out at restaurants up to nine times a week! By cutting back to just once a week and ordering a grilled chicken salad instead of a large bowl of pasta, I’ve lost 20 pounds in one month.’
2. You can buy salty snacks, just not at the supermarket: ‘I reached my goal weight after I stopped routinely buying snacks at the grocery store’ says Heather Del Baso, Worcester, Massachusetts. ‘If I wanted a bag of chips or a candy bar, I had to walk to the store to get it. That inconvenience usually made me ignore my cravings.’
3. Never skip breakfast: Bo Hale, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, explains, ‘I used to skip breakfast, but now I never go without. I always eat about 300 calories of a healthy mix of protein and whole grains. My go-to meal: a sandwich with natural peanut butter and apple butter. It keeps my hunger down so I snack less throughout the day. In a little over a year, I’ve shed 65 pounds.’
4. Run, Forrest, Run: ‘When I wanted to fit into my skinny jeans again, I started running 20 minutes a day during my lunch hour,’ says Lauren Castor, Anniston, Alabama. ‘In two months, I’ve lost 20 pounds, have tons of energy, and just finished my first 5K. Those jeans? They’re too big now!’
5. Just quit: Leila Fathi, Memphis, Tennessee, asserts, ‘I quit smoking, and right away joined a gym and started working out with a personal trainer. There was no way I could exercise and feel healthy if I kept lighting up. I’ve already dropped 37 pounds in three months!’
6. Purge your sins: ‘I totally cleaned out my pantry,’ Lori Feldman, Coconut Creek, Florida, remembers. ‘Once I replaced the foods I used to overindulge in, like ice cream, with lower-cal snacks, such as roasted sunflower seeds or Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal, I began making better choices automatically. Now, I’m slimmer than I was before I had my two kids!’
7. Turn happy hour into healthy hour: ‘After work, my colleagues and I always grabbed dinner—and it was usually deep-fried,’ admits Ellen Setzer of Cleveland, Ohio. ‘Then we changed things up. Instead of nights out, we started walking and running around a local track. A year later, I’m down 40 pounds.’
8. Let the music take control: ‘I loaded my iPod with jams that make me look forward to going to the gym,’ Kara Marshall, York, Maine, comments. ‘They energise me, allowing me to pick up speed on the elliptical—and because I want to hear my entire playlist, my workouts are longer now. Two months later, I’m down 13 pounds and have killer legs.’
9. Add a few veggies into the mix: Janessa Mondestin, New York City, New York, asserts, ‘By adding vegetables to the foods I love—like eating pizza topped with arugula and green peppers instead of pepperoni—I became so full so quickly that I no longer had room to eat things like chips or super-rich desserts. I said good-bye to four dress sizes!’
