Diet Hacks

In order to be successful in becoming healthier, fitter, and thinner, you must learn to make long-term lifestyle choices. No, you won't see overnight success, but by incorporating one or two small changes at a time, you will improve your health without feeling deprived.

The following tips are ones I use. When it comes to diet and exercise, I am a lazy person with little to no self-control. If this isn't you, then great; you're ahead of the game. But if you're like me, try to incorporate a few life hacks a week and see how easy positive lifestyle changes can be.

Maybe it's your sister. Maybe it's your girlfriend or boyfriend, husband or wife. Maybe it's a co-worker. A daughter or a son. The goal here is to tell someone who will check in with you regularly about your progress to keep you motivated. This can't just be any ole person. It has to be someone that you love or who you want to impress. Think about your next conversation with this person when you are about to skip a walk or eat the entire plate of cheesecake. That's powerful.

If you are the type that can join a group like Weight Watchers or a running group and your ego alone can motivate you, that's great, but still tell someone close to you. Pride and ego-driven motivation is the goal here and it's far more powerful if it's someone close to you or that you HAVE to see everyday (and can't just skip a meeting on a bad week) keeping tabs.

Dread changing your diet because you'll be hungry? Not true if you can get protein at every meal. Don't eat a salad or pasta without protein in it. Add egg, edamame, or lean chicken breast or fish. If you have cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, sprinkle some protein powder onto it. Make sure your snacks have protein, too. Peanut butter, cheese sticks, yogurt, or nuts are great snacks that will keep you filled up throughout the day.

We all get busy. When we're hyper-focused on work, kids, or emotional upheaval, it's easy to make excuses for not making dinner, or for grabbing McDonalds for breakfast ("just this once!").

Before you get busy, maybe Sunday evening or Tuesday night or whenever you have a few minutes, prepare some healthy, quick dinners and snacks that you and the family can grab throughout the week. These don't have to be elaborate. Below are some of my favorites to get you started.

Snacks ideas:

• Organic yogurt with frozen organic fruit - the yogurt keeps for a few weeks and the fruit for months
• Peanut butter toast - high in protein and quick to prepare
• Organic granola bars for your purse or backpack
• Dried fruit or fresh fruit - I like dried because it keeps longer
• Sugar-free jello with frozen organic fruit added - a low calorie way to satisfy a sweet tooth

Meal ideas:

• Chopped salad. My rule is when I buy salad ingredients, I make a big salad for the week. This way I can't make excuses about the time it will take to chop everything. Be sure to add egg or edamame for protein.
• Soup. It's easy to freeze soup for later or to unthaw it for a quick meal. If you make two or three, you can get some variety going as well. My favorite is Moroccan Lentil Soup.
• Whole wheat pasta with frozen vegetables. This meal does require more preparation than just a microwave, but with a cup or so of your favorite pre-made sauce, this dinner can take as little as 15 minutes. The ingredients don't spoil, so it's perfect for a week when you can't make it to the grocery.
• Organize your pantry and refrigerator by recipe. This will be a quick way to glance in there and see what your options are without scouring for ingredients.

Not sure you can convince yourself to have a salad for dinner when you've got that frozen pizza in the freezer? The solution: don't buy the frozen pizza. Or the brownie "snack packs." Or ice cream.

Eat before you grocery shop to avoid impulses and don't buy the things you don't want to eat. If you buy it, assume you'll eat it. Does it fit into your new lifestyle? If not, don't buy it.

Still want the occasional piece of pizza or cheesecake? Nothing wrong with that. But eat it out at a restaurant so that you don't have 6 pieces of cheesecake left in your freezer beckoning to you. You'll also realize it's more of a treat instead of an everyday occurrence.

Water will flush out your system and prevent you from thinking you're hungry when you're really thirsty. You'll also get a nice boost in weight loss because your body will let go of some excess water weight.