Are you guys into online tools to help you lose or maintain your weight? Tools like diet journals, calorie databases, weight loss calculators, healthy living communities, etc.? Tracking what I ate everyday using Fitday taught me how to balance my food choices (the “good” and the “bad”) and helped me lose 20 pounds. So, obviously, I love online tools like this, so I thought some of you might be interested in checking out Health’s online community devoted to finding your Feel Great Weight.
The Feel Great Weight program is an online plan with menus, shopping lists, cardio and strength workouts as well as a forum to ask questions and get advice and support from other FGW members– even some of the Health staffers follow the plan and participate in the community/forum, which I personally thought was kind of cool since it shows that they believe in the program! As you know, I’m not a traditional “diet” person, but the FGW community is also for people interested in living a healthier lifestyle– just like you guys. It’s also a great tool to jump start your summer weight loss. Bathing suit season is right around the corner!
Breakfast
I listened to my own advice and made a banana-berry smoothie with hemp protein for breakfast this morning. Mmmmm! Smoothies are SO GOOD in warm weather! 
Rumor has it that Boston is going to hit the 80′s today!
I ate my smoothie with a couple of peanut butter “cookies.”
Ok, so it’s difficult to make peanut butter cookies without sugar. Mal wanted cookies, but we were completely out of sugar of any kind. But, I’m not one to turn down a baking challenge. I substituted agave nectar in the recipe, but it just wasn’t enough sweetness for my liking. My cookies were edible, but not delicious, peanut buttery cookies like I had hoped. Instead they sort of tasted like peanut butter biscuits? I dunno. They were a nice compliment to a breakfast smoothie, but definitely not dessert!
I’m going out to lunch with a high school friend and then out to a special sushi dinner tonight, so enjoy the day, guys! 
Question of the Day
What’s the best “dieting” tip you’ve followed that actually worked?
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Best dieting tip…hmm…I would have to say eating every 3 to 4 hrs, although I’ve never really considered it as a “dieting tip.” But I always stick to it because it prevents me from raiding the fridge.
Could you post the recipe for the “cookies” even though you said they didn’t come out quite right? They look like little popovers.
Keeping a food and exercise journal. It helps me see the difference between my plan and actual effort. I especially like the FloggDaily you talked about in your blog a couple weeks ago. I’ve been using it all week and already dropped nearly 2 lbs.
Best diet tip would be to NOT restrict all desserts, that actually allowing yourself a dessert is a healthy part of weight loss.
Ok, now I am craving a smoothie! This past weekend I made peanut butter brownies but was out of sugar so I used applesauce and they were definitely not a sweet treat
But still tasted yummy!
My best tip would be to Know Thyself. You have to be able to do what works for you to be successful. Like if you’re not a morning person, don’t try going to the gym at 5 AM. If you like sweet things, don’t eliminate them completely. That sort of thing.
I thought I would share this recipe that my mom used to make for my brother and I when we were kids. I just made them about a month ago for my peanut butter loving fiance and he liked them & they brought back some great memories for me!
No exact portions here, sorry about that, part of the experimentation:
in a bowl combine peanut butter, honey, and powdered nonfat dry milk (this helps it stick together and adds calcium & protein!). Add enough honey to your desired sweetness and enough powdered milk so you can make form balls. Once you form balls (I usually do golf ball size) roll in wheat germ. Store in the refridge and snack away as needed.
My best “lifestyle change”
tip would be: don’t do anything to lose weight that you aren’t willing to do for the rest of your life.
Oooh what a delicious looking smoothie.
I used to use calorie counting programs (CalorieKing’s program that you keep on your computer) but it became a bit to obsessive and restrictive for me. The best advice I ever got…eat when you are hungry, stop when you are satisfied. SO basic, but it’s what our bodies know how to do!
For me keeping a food journal was the best thing I ever did. I’m embarrassed to say that up until a year ago I didn’t realize that calories really DO count. Exercise and eating healthy foods have never been issue, but PORTION CONTROL was my problem. When I started writing down everything I ate and how many calories I was eating, I learned that losing weight really IS just a math equation. Calories in < Calories out.
This might sound like common knowledge, but for me, “eat when you’re hungry.” I feel like any “diet” mentality also comes with daily calorie count goals. But if you end up hungry, you end up overeating, not to mention miserable.
I don’t use a lot of online tools anymore, but every now and then I will run a day through fitday or something to see my calories in – it’s never completely accurate since I don’t weigh/measure everything, but it’s good to just see where I’m at sometimes.
peanut butter biscuits sound pretty good to me
oh yeah! Best dieting tip that works:
Drink lots of water and keep a food journal. Now that I have my blog, I don’t necessarily need to keep a journal, but I still do since I write down my activity, etc, too.
Peanut butter can do no wrong in my book – those biscuits sound fantastic!
Peanut biscuits sound delightful to me!
My best weight loss tool, just like Brandi, is drinking plenty of water and journaling.
Best weight loss tools: EAT when you are hungry, STOP when you are full & personalize your plan. I for one have to eat enough calories earlier in the day to keep myself from overeating when I get off work.
Counting calories is good too but once I do it for a while it gets easier to keep my portions in check so there’s no need to count anymore.
When I baked cookies w/ agave the same thing happened! They tasted like semi-sweet bread . . .
Best tip I’ve heard is: don’t fear the snack! I always eat too much at meals if I skip out on snacks.
I use fitday on and off and also carry a little notebook to list what I eat – just to keep myself accountable. I also try to eat fruits and/or veggies with most meals.
Another helpful thing I do is to take a bite of whatever I want but only finish it if it’s excellent. I won’t eat a store bought cookie just because it’s there. I’ll wait for the homemade or bakery ones
I really like that you post information like this and get the conversation going. My biggest downfall is still the weekends. If anyone has tips that have worked for sticking to a healthy diet on weekends, I would love to hear them. I easily cave to peer pressure when it comes to eating out and having that one extra drink.
MUFAS and making sure to include all the flat belly foods into your diet. These foods include, almonds and nut butters, oats, berries, turkey, eggs, whey protein…and there are more. Also, making sure to eat a little something every 3-4 hours seems to work
It’s interesting that you say calorie counting worked best for you because I think the best advice I ever heard was to NOT calorie count. Or rather, not focus so diligently on every single calorie that goes into my mouth because then I lose so much of the experience that goes along with eating it. I found myself not enjoying foods as much, but rather analyzing the “healthiness” factor. That stress adds on pounds more than any cookie ever could!
I kind of estimate my calories for the day, and try not to exceed a certain number I have in my head. i’ve always gone by the ‘jeans rule.’ If they are feeling a little tight, i know to hold off on sweets and over indulging until they are feelin’ good again!
I used online tools through weight watchers and calorie king to lose about 20 pounds after college. Now that I’m trying to lose the last 15, I find that using the Flogg journal is helping me more. It’s a lot more practical for me to carry the calorie king calorie counter and my flogg journal with me. I can track anywhere without worrying about having access to a computer. Plus I just prefer pen and paper to a computer. I also like taking a break from a computer at night so this way I don’t have to go online if I don’t feel like it.
The best tip I got was to eat mostly fruits and veggies. My A&P professor stressed that our bodies are designed to mainly eat fruits and veggies so I’ve taken that to heart. I went vegetarian (mainly vegan but not strictly yet) and have never felt better. I try to avoid processed foods. It’s helping me lose weight but the best part is how good I feel now.
I used an old fashioned (hand written) food journal for the longest time but I “supported” it with sites like dailyplate.com and My Pyramid in order to figure out some nutritional values of certain things and to make sure I was getting the most out of what I was eating.
The best diet tip I ever got was not to compare yourself to other people. We all have different tastes, goals, appetites and needs, so every person’s journey is different in their quest to become healthier. I try to tell this to people who want to be just like me.
Eat a big breakfast.
It starts your day off right!
www. HelpMeghanRun .com
I do use online tools! Sparkpeople is free and then there’s Weight Watchers, which I’m ambivalent about as of late.
The best tip I’ve ever used and followed with success is to PREPLAN everything. Plan your whole day in advance and then pack everything and get it all ready so you have no excuse not to follow the plan. Works like a charm.
I just finally had to get committed to losing weight for it to actually work. I initially found tracking my calories online helpful, but only for a short period.
agave is supposed to be great for a sugar sub in cooking, haven’t tried it yet but I’m going to!
I use FitDay a lot because I actually downloaded in on my computer..and I checked out sparkpeople, which I htink is a great community for a lot of folks. just more than I needed
I have noticed that when I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full and later go back and count the calories I’ve eaten, it’s always within the perfect range that my body needs. If I’m in a place where I want to lose weight and so does my body, I notice that it eats less than the calories I’d need to maintain my current body weight. The body’s good like that! Of course, it’s not always easy to eat based just on physical cues, that’s for sure! I have calorie counted in the past, had food journals, eaten only styrofoam peanuts, you know, whatever it takes
to eat alot for breakfast, not just a little bar or piece of fruit. and to never let yourself go hungry…always refuel durng the day so you dont pig out the next time you see food!! this applies very well when going out to eat! if you are starving when you get to the restaurant…WATCH OUT!
Eat a big breakfast!!! I had about 10 lbs to lose in Jan. (The result of a slow gain of 5 lbs. over a year plus the annual 5 lbs. I pick up over the holidays and generally have no trouble losing in the spring)- and I tried for a couple months to just write down what I eat and count calories which usually works for me, but just didn’t work this time. (I was also training for my first 10K and I was HUNGRY!)
I broke down and went to my nutritionist (who I actually saw previously to gain weight after a difficult period in my life a few years ago which lead to a bout of anorexia…but I digress)
She had me really front load my caloric intake for the day, instead of trying to eat as little as possible during the day then save it up for dinner. It worked so much better b/c I didn’t spend all day at my desk feeling lousy and hungry like I did before. And by the time dinner came around, I didn’t have trouble eating a moderately sized meal b/c I wasn’t ravenous. I lost the 10 lbs in 5 weeks.
So eat breakfast! It really is the most important meal of the day!!
Portion control..everything is ok in moderation
Hmm…the best dieting tip that I have ever come across has been to drink a glass of water when you think you are getting hungry. Sometimes your body is actually thirsty and not really hungry. Also, evaluate how long ago you ate. Obviously if you ate 4-5 hours ago, you are probably hungry. However, if you just had a big bowl of oatmeal a couple hours ago, you are more likely to be thirsty.
About the cookies…maybe you should have tried flattening them like discs instead of drops? I think a mixture of agave plus peanut butter combined with whipped egg whites (like making meringues) would make a delicious cookie too…maybe add some chopped peanuts?
My best piece of advice is to not deprive yourself of anything that you desire. Allow yourself to enjoy these food items on occasion! Afterall, you have to be happy! Why shouldn’t you indulge in a cupcake every once in a while? Additionally, eat from ALL food groups! No, eating all fats, WON’T make you fat!!
Enjoy HEALTHY fats…avocado, nut butters, etc. You need these for a well-balanced diet! Eating a well-balanced diet in the correct proportions will lead you on your way to weight loss!!!!
The only “diet tip” that I live by is to not try to do MATH with your food! For that reason, I don’t use any sort of online tools. I believe that when you start counting calories, trying to hit protein-carb-fat ratios, there is an extreme tendency to feel like you can eat whatever you want as long as the numbers add up.
In my opinion, eating whole, fresh ingredients, in reasonable quantities, is so much more important than trying to make the numbers add up the way someone or some computer tells you they should. And isn’t that the way eating should be?
I try to eat every couple of hours (I get weak and cranky if I wait too long between meals!). I also try to go to bed a tiny bit hungry. It’s so easy to mindless-ly eat after dinner, but before I reach for a second or third cookie, I try to remember that I want to wake up hungry for breakfast, and not stuffed from the night before!
The weather in NYC is also going to be beautiful today – wish I could spend all day outside!
Best tip is to not call it a diet, but a lifestyle change. To me “diet” is a four letter word. When I started losting weight I just made healthy changes in how I ate and incorporated exercise into my life and I lost about 30lbs. I have kept this new lifestyle and am now maintaining.
Food journal, hands down. It’s somehow a lot easier to make adjustments when you have a bright light shining on your eating habits.
I try not to eat a lot of carby foods in the evening.
Also, anyone with an iPhone should check out the “lose it” app.
Eat at least one salad a day!
I used Weight Watchers online, calorie king and Dottie’s Weight Loss Zone (DWL.com) and lost 55 pounds! I love online tools!!
I use SparkPeople. And I’m sure I’m not saying anything that’s new (lots of great tips already!) but my best tips are DRINK LOTS OF WATER and plan your meals and snacks – at least have an idea of what you’re going to eat before the day begins – so as not to let yourself get too hungry and have to make hard choices.
The diet tip that I thought worked great but was hard to stick to was not to eat 3 hours before bed.
have a great day today! i made peanut butter cookies once with splenda, although now i’m not so sure about it seeing how it’s chock full of artificial ingredients.
Oh I’m jealous of your sushi dinner tonight – spicy salmon is my favorite!
Two dieting tips that have worked for me is 1) thedailyplate.com, and just getting into the habit of recording your calories eaten on a daily basis. my nutritionist told me about this in 2006 and helped me lose the 27 pounds that I had gained during college! 2) the second tip is to not “diet” at all. Eat like you want to eat for the rest of your life. I’ve cut out dairy/sugar/etc. and it just makes me crazy. Plus I’d just end up putting the weight back on that I worked so hard to lose.
Carrots n’ cake, Women’s Health magazine, and other sources helped me fine satisfying and healthier substitutes for food items that I love.
‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’
The biggest help to me was eating more vegetables. By commiting to eating 2.5 cups of veggies a day, I lost 15 lbs. I didn’t really make any other big changes in my diet, except being more conscious of the food I put in my mouth (making sure they were mostly whole grain, low/non fat dairy, fresh fruits/veggies, lean protein, etc.) If you eat 2.5 C. of veggies a day, which is the recommended USDA guideline, you’ll find you are satisfied with smaller portions of more indulgent foods.
Portion control, journaling, and being religious about my exercise.
keeping a food journal and telling myself that I don’t need to try everything at buffets and parties, I’ll always have another chance to try it somewhere else!
To not drink juices, sodas, etc. Empty calories. I now only do coffee, tea, water, and the occasional alcoholic bev. I swear it’s kept off at least 10 pounds on its own.
I am craving a smoothie now! The best thing I ever did was spend a few weeks counting calories until I became aware of how much I was actually eating and comfortable with portion sizes.
The best thing I’ve learned is to eat little meals throughout the day – so I’m never famished and making poor food decisions just because I’m ready to eat a horse!
My tip is to brush your teeth immediately after eating. It helps curb that desire to just keep grazing and snacking when you’re not actually hungry.
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