"Ate" tips for eating<--see what I did there?

A few of you have asked about my weight loss tips or motivation or whatever.
I am going to list a few things that worked for me.

Your weight loss journey is going to be different from mine, so what strikes a chord with me, might not do anything for you.

For instance, at Weight Watchers they had this ridiculous quote on the wall.
"Nothing tastes as good as thin looks."
Well, I don't know about you, but I can think of plenty of things that taste as good as thin looks. That quote was stupid to me, but obviously someone liked it.

So take my advice for what it is worth.

1-First of all, I have no willpower. I know I have mentioned that before, but an open bag of Doritos WILL get snacked on until is is crumbs, and then I will drink the crumbs from the bag. This goes for cookies too. So the 100 calorie packs have been great for me. When I eat the whole dang bag, I know it is only 100 calories. And if I do get a bag of Doritos, I make sure the kids eat them all. It is dangerous for me to have those kinds of treats in the house.

2-This sort-of goes along with number one. I don't buy or make things that I like. I will buy Chips Ahoy for a treat, cause they aren't even tempting to me. Or I will buy Bubble Gum ice cream or make cake mix cupcakes. None of those are worth eating to me. The kids are happy, and I am not tempted.

3-I found good snacks that I do like. I really like Craisins. They are low-fat, and they are sweet and chewy. I also like these crackers:

Kelloggs All Bran Crackers
You can have 18 of these crackers for two points. They are tasty and filling I like them with this soup:

Progresso Zero Point Soup.
I think there are four or five varieties of the 0 point soup. If you eat 1/2 a can it is really 0 points. I like this for in between meals when I am hungry.
I like fruits and vegetables if they are easy to eat. I won't generally peel an orange and eat it, but if I buy them all ready, like those fruit cups from Costco, I will eat them. I am embarrassed to be so lazy.

4-During Thanksgiving, in one of my WW meetings, we talked about avoiding pigging out for Thanksgiving dinner. The leader said something that totally stuck with me. She said food and treats are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We do not need to feel like we "have" to eat that pumpkin pie just cause it is the "season." We can have anything, anytime we want to. I think that helped me get over the mindset of "not being able to have any, cause it will all be gone, I MUST EAT IT NOW."
I can make pumpkin pie in June if I want it. I don't have to eat it just cause it's there.

5-You all know I hate exercise. But I found a tape I like. I know I have mentioned it before, but here it is again:

WORKOUT VIDEO
I like it because it is non-impact, requires no coordination, and uses only a couple of hand weights. It is a butt-kicker. Sam does it with me and is impressed with her "super sets" she does lifting weights. I think he is also impressed with her "super set" of chesticles too, since that was the first five pounds I lost.
I like to put her on wide screen. Makes me feel better about my thighs.

I also run. We have a treadmill, and I use that. I usually watch Everybody Loves Raymond. Or Good Things Utah. It distracts me from the fact that I am sweaty and want to quit.

I exercise in the evenings.
Mornings don't work for me.
When I have worked out in the mornings, I feel like all the energy I was allotted for the whole day just got burned off. Then I drag butt all day.
I hate to get up early anyway, and to pair that with exercise was a sure failure for me.
I have way more energy at night.
I exercise after the kids are in bed, and then get in the tub and read trashy magazines. And since my bishop reads this, by trashy I mean "People" but sometimes I also read "The Ensign."
It's a nice wind-down for me.

6-I try to drink a lot of water. I buy those Crystal Light mix-ins like they are going out of style. One quote I did like from WW was this: "If hunger is not the problem, food is not the answer." I eat sometimes when I am bored, or when my mouth is lonely. That is when I try to drink a mix-in, and see if that does the trick. Most of the time it does. My mouth just needs something to do. Or gum. I like gum. You have to learn when you are truly hungry, and need food, not just something to eat.

7-Buy a pair of pants that is tight, or doesn't even fit yet. Then gauge how those feel. When I wear my tighter pants, I don't want to eat as much, cause I already feel like a lard-a$$. That worked awesome for the holidays especially. I wore some mighty tight pants to every Christmas party we had.

8-Portion control. Dish up what the reccommended portion size is, and eat that.(It is usually 1 c. for casseroles and stuff) Then take a break, drink some water, and see if you are truly still hungry. Remember...food is always available, so you don't have to eat like a concentration camp resident at dinner.

There you are. A few tips.
And I need to hurry and post cause we have a pretty cool lightening storm here, and I don't want this to go down.