What works for me.

Between the 12WBT, magazines, online articles and the wisdom of others and personal experience, I thought I'd share what works for me.  Maybe it will work for you, maybe you'll have something to share to add to my list.  In that case I'm all ears!!!

1. Salt is not the only seasoning.

  In most of our foods salt is added.  Since excess salt can cause a whole range of health problems, we decided to cut it out as much as we can. ...thereby (so we thought) giving us a lifetime of bland food.
But not so....herbs and spices add so much more flavour!  It makes a dish of boring meatballs into a trip to  Mediterranean, or Marrakesh. So many recipes can be tweaked in flavour to be something totally different...and delicious. Experiment with spices and bring out natural flavour of foods.

2. A cup of tea is just the thing.

  Often I will make a cup of tea and just the act of sipping  that is enough to knock that craving on the head.   If I have a chocolate craving, I'll have a Choc mint tea or a dark chocolate tea.  If it's general sweetness I'm after, I'll go a fruit tea. If it's something a little more substantial and 'meatier', I'll pour a Lapsang souchong.  Nothing like a cup of tea...once I inhale that scent I just automatically relaaaaax. Watch the milk and sugar addition though, try the flavoured ones 'au naturel' for something different.

3. Access denied.

If it's not good for me, I don't bring it in the house. I'm telling you, if I know there is a bag of maltesers sitting in the cupboard, I will fixate on it, I will be able to think of nothing else, I will overeat healthy things in trying to NOT eat the maltesers and then cave and eat them anyway. And then feel like poo because I caved in.  Easier to not bring it in the house AT ALL. 
When I watch TV or sit on the computer, I snack.  In no time at all a whole packet of whatever has disappeared.  I now keep a BIG glass of water beside me and I end up just mindlessly sipping on that.  So now I'm rehydrating, getting those 6-8 glasses of water in and I don't even notice it. 

4. Respect your food and yourself.

I AM NOT A RUBBISH BIN. Idon't HAVE to clean my plate or my kids'/partner's plate. Fastest way to eat way more calories is when I 'don't waste food'. Offer them a smaller serving size, OR (and this links in to my next thing) give them more time to eat.
So I TAKE MY TIME.  Enjoy it.  I will feel full and more satisfied with less food a lot of the time, I'll savour the food and relax, I won't burp because I'm not gulping air when I rush your food.  By taking time too, children will have a little longer to eat because those little tackers can be WAY slow at eating. If I'm still at the table, they are more likely to stay at the table and eat more as well.

5.Rainbows bring smiles

Red and yellow and pink and green.......I make my food COLOURFUL.   A plate full of colour is way more appetising than a plate of brown/beige/white.  The more colour, the wider range of nutrients for my body too.

6. Size is in the eye of the beholder.

Go to an Op shop and get one of those lovely china plates from the 50's-60's.  And compare it to yours at home. It's probably closer in size to your bread and butter plate!  Our plates have become HUGE!  If I put a proper portion size of dinner on there it looks pathetically small and I feel deprived and my mind says, "You aren't eating enough".  But now put that serving size on a smaller plate, and it looks full. Mentally I think I've eaten a big plate, so I'm not feeling hungry and looking for more food.

7. Chew factory

When I'm hungry at snack time, I have raw veg.  Low in calories and takes a lot of chewing so I feel like I've had heaps to eat. Good jaw exercise and nutritious for me too!

8. BYO

I go to a lot of night meetings with dinner provided.  Not ideal for my healthy eating.  So I take my own.  And 9 times out of 10, it looks better and smells better than what is offered.  I have control over how much I eat and I know exactly what's in it. Same with lunches....take my lunch to work and listen to my workmates say" MMM what smells so good?"  Plus I don't waste time lining up to buy lunch.

9. PLAN

 I plan ahead so I don't reach 5 pm and think " Bugger, what AM I going to cook tonight?" and end up getting HJ's because it's all too hard. If I have a meal plan, I have a list of ingredients to buy at the shops so I'm not wasting food or buying over processed crap.  I know when I'm going to gym or going for a run and what I'll do so I'm not wasting time half heartedly doing a class or exercises.  Plan ahead....it's like a map to my health and takes all the faffing about out of it.

10. You are what you think.

This says it all really......keep your thoughts strong and positive. My negative self talk can sap away all my good feelings, promises and motivation. So I feel bad and reach for comfort food to make me feel better.