1. Drink Water! Many of us don’t consume enough liquids over the course of the day (or our lives) and water is the purest and best liquid for our bodies.  Water is not only vital to our bodily functions, but it is also a wonderful and natural appetite suppressant! Drink water when you’re thirsty, but also between meals, and whenever you think about it.

2. Eat fruits and vegetables for snacks. (This will help you avoid the less wholesome fat, sugar and salt filled snack treats.)

3. If you’re going to eat grains, eat whole grains. (Whole grains have more vitamins, minerals and fiber than grains that undergo more processing). Whole grains include: Whole Wheat, Bulgar, Barley, Whole Oats, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Millet, etc.

4. Exercise! It doesn’t have to be a designated 30 minutes a day where you have to change clothes, get sweaty, take a shower etc. (Though there isn’t anything wrong with that kind of exercise either). If you can, walk as often and much as you can. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther away from wherever you’re going than closer to it. Take a five minute break from whatever you’re doing and walk down the block or around the block. Garden. Clean your house! (Vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing are all excellent ways to move your body!). Don’t get stuck in the “exercise box” where you think it has to be a certain way and you have excuses for not doing it that certain way 🙂

5. Wait 5-10 minutes after you’ve eaten before you serve yourself seconds. There is conflicting advice about whether you should be entertaining yourself while you eat or if you should just focus on eating (what is also called “mindful eating) without distractions. I know from experience that it is really easy to over consume calories and foods when I am entertained by a television. But I also know from experience that if I am reading something engaging while I eat, and I finish eating while I’m reading and I forget to get up and get more, when I’m done reading and I do finally get up, I realize I’m not hungry anymore!

6. Minimize your alcohol intake. Alcohol contains lots of invisible calories that are really easy to drink down but really difficult to lose once they’re embedded in your body.

7. Minimize your consumption of sugary beverages! Oh, these things are the worst for you. You won’t hear me say that about many foods but I don’t really consider beverages with sugars in them food. See the Sweetened Beverages page for a more in depth discussion on sugary drinks. Basically, drinking sugary drinks is like drinking your desert without the deep satisfaction and enjoyment of tasting and feeling that chocolate mousse on your tongue and in your mouth. The sugar goes straight down your throat and into your system and (often) most of what you taste is a factory/man made flavor.

8. If you’re going to eat desserts and sweets, challenge yourself to only eat the ones you make yourself from scratch. Store bought sweets, desserts, and pastries are (often) full of added ingredients that are in place to make the item last longer on the shelf, or taste “better.” In reality, these added ingredients are usually harmful to our health, highly processed, and not needed. When you make sweet foods at home you are in control of the quality and quantity of ingredients. This allows you to know more about the food you are consuming and make better decisions. Additionally, it takes time and energy to make sweet foods from scratch so in their own way they are their own limiting factor. You can only eat as much or many as you have time to make…