I Can't Eat Alfalfa Sprouts!

I was reading a friend's blog--she's a personal trainer--and she was giving her weekly menu. On there it had alfalfa sprouts...and I thought to myself, I just can't do this. There's got to be another way to lose weight besides eating grass. Soooo, this is what I came up with...

Below are some suggestions of things to try to implement in your life. And it has to be a lifestyle change because diets don't work as far as I've observed. Just try doing ONE of these and little by little the weight will come off. Implement more of them and more dramatic results. I'm going to be doing these as well. Good luck!
Cheers,
Elena

1. Water, water, water. Drink water before eating. Often times when we think we're hungry, we're really thirsty. (Tip: Sometimes I add those flavor packets, about 20 calories each, and they make drinking water very yummy. I get my "sugar fill" without the guilt.)

2. Don't drink soda... not even the "diet" stuff. It's not only unhealthy, but some studies have shown that it makes you crave eating more. (See #1.)

3. Eliminate chips, especially potato chips. Think of all the grease they're cooked in. Now imagine that grease and fat on your thighs and tummy. Eww! Mentally talk yourself out of liking them. Tell yourself how gross they are and use the greasy fat imagery. (I did this and now I can't eat chips anymore. They seem so digusting.)

4. Don't eat fast food. Most fast food is LOADED with calories. Sure you can order the healthy stuff, but do we really have the self-control to do that? And yes, I know it's quick and convenient, but try avoid it as much as possible.

5. Lose the sweets. This one is hard for me, but getting rid of sugar (for the most part) will seriously slim a person down. All the candy, cookies, cakes, brownies, ice cream etc. just keep adding the pounds.

6. Eliminate dairy products. Ok, if you do this one completely, you'll have to add calcium supplements. Things like cheese, ice cream, milk (yes, even in cereal), etc. doesn't help us to lose weight. When I was in S.Korea teaching English, I hardly ever ate dairy products. (Koreans have different foods.) And ya know what, I couldn't keep my pants on...because I kept losing so much weight!

7. Add more veggies to meals. This can be an easier one. Raw veggies are hard to get used to, especially at first, so... add non-caloric or low-caloric flavorings like spices, lemon/lime juice, BBQ sauce, mustard, salsa, etc. Asians are especially known for yummy, savory veggies. Try looking up Asian veggies (Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc.) for some ideas.

8. Don't eat after 8:00pm. Ok the REAL rule is eat for 12 hours, then take a break for 12 hours. For example, if you start eating at 8:00am, finish eating at 8:00pm. I just recently started doing this, and the pounds are coming off...yay!

9. Exercise. You know I couldn't forget this one. Yah, sometimes it's a drag, but think of how good you'll look in your skinny jeans. And if exercising gets boring, as it often does, here are a few tips: exercise with a friend, use Wii Fit, buy an exercise video (or even cheaper, borrow from the library)... there are some really fun dance ones out there too (hip-hop, belly-dancing, Dancing with the Stars, etc,).

GOOD LUCK! And I'd love to hear your suggestions for this list.