If you’ve tried your share of get-slim-quick schemes, you know they just plain don’t work.  No grapefruit diet, herbal magic potion or lemon juice cleanse can take the pounds off and actually keep them off in the long run.  These unrealistic quick fixes stop working as soon as you veer from that grapefruit-3-times-per-day path.  And each time you yo-yo up and down, it gets harder to lose weight and nearly impossible to keep it off.
Stop the madness!

As any mommy who’s lost her share of pregnancy pounds can tell you, nothing but sheer determination and patience is required to lose weight.  Simply move more, eat moderately and wait.  Well, I’m on my own weight loss journey since baby number two and I’ve been reading, watching, listening and researching even more than usual in my quest for fat loss information.  I know from personal experience that the weight doesn’t come off quickly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference with just a moment out of your busy day.
I’ve collected and distilled a few quick weight loss tricks for you – these are a few 10 second tricks I’ve been trying in my quest to lose the baby weight.  If you’re still hanging onto some of those baby pounds, try these quick fixes to retrain yourself and make lasting changes to your eating habits and your waistline:

1. The Rubber Band Trick.  This is a behaviour modification trick.  Wear a rubber band or hair elastic on your wrist throughout the day.  Every time you have an urge to eat or drink something you are trying to avoid, snap your wrist repeatedly with the rubber band until you’ve distracted yourself.  I like a little pain (guess that’s why I have the job I do...) but don’t self-wound!  Just a light snap to bring you back to reality and clear your mind.  Then, move onto something else.  Idle hands are a Mars bar’s playground!

2. The Water Sandwich.  We’ve all heard it takes about 20 minutes to feel fullness in your stomach and that we should eat slower in order to sense real fullness earlier and quit the clean-your-plate club.  But eating slowly is not natural to all of us.  I’m a practical eater, not a foodie.  If there’s food in front of me, I’ll eat it efficiently, not luxuriate and taste every morsel.  Sound familiar?  Try a glass of water before starting your meal and a glass of water immediately following your meal.  The water will increase the volume in your stomach, plus add a few minutes to your meal time to help you feel fuller sooner. 

3. Spice It Up.  There is some evidence that spicy foods actually spike the metabolism (about as much as a jolt of caffeine or a glass of water will do) but here’s another reason to spice your food: it makes it spicy!  Chances are you’ll slow down when your food has more heat to it and you’ll need less food to feel satisfied when each bite is packed with flavour and spice.  I LOVE spicy food and I take every opportunity to add spice to my meals, especially when I’m trying to drop pounds: cinnamon in my coffee, curry powder in my lunchtime stir fry and red pepper flakes and jalapenos in my marinades and side dishes.  Yum!

4. Jot It Down.  Among those who have lost weight successfully and kept it off, one trick is de rigeur: a food journal.  Now, I’m not going to lie – this trick probably takes 30 seconds, not 10, after each meal, but it is the most effective trick I know and well worth the time.  Not only will you be forced to face on paper all the noshing you’ve done in a day, but you’ll consider and reconsider each snack, stolen bite and meal before you consume it when you know you must be honest with yourself afterward and put it down on paper.  The trick is to write down everything you eat – the cream in your coffee, those fries you stole off your kids’ plates at dinner and everything in between.  Download a food journal form for free from the Fit Family website and get ready to think before you binge!

Asking questions has never caused a sore knee or pulled hamstring!  If you have any questions about the advice above (or any exercise-related questions) please ask first, shoot later.  Email me at dara(at)fitfamily(dot)ca or visit me at www.fitfamily.ca or www.bellybootcamp.ca for more information about exercise for pregnancy, postpartum and every stage of life.  Be well!