I am definitely carrying a few extra pounds around these days that I don’t need. So when an email from Fitsugar hit my inbox with 100 Quick Weight Loss Tips, I clicked. Generally these types of email are gimmicky and full of information I already know like,

“What your portions”

“Don’t drink soda”

“Eat lots of green things”

“Drink lots of water”

We all know all of these things and for the most part, I on the wagon (aside from the portion control thing). But this email actually had some great tips for weight loss.

The article is broken down into ten sections; Fitness, At Home, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack Time, Dessert, Food Swaps, At Work and When Eating Out. What I need to work on – all of them to some extent but Snack Time and Dinner are my biggies.

Here are my takeaways from each section:

Fitness

• Go for kettlebell workouts – I already love KBells, I just need to remember to use them and use them often.
• Add an extra five minutes to your cardio routine – Once I hit the predetermined milage on the treadmill I am usually ready to jump off but most days I could easily add and extra handful of minutes.

At Home

• Follow the 80/20 rule – This is one of my major downfalls. I am really good during the week then when the weekend hits…forget it.
• Put a chalkboard in the kitchen and jot down your weekly meal plan – This is something I have been wanting to do. It will keep me on track and hopefully, get SL excited for certain meals.

Breakfast

• Make pancakes healthier by adding mashed baked sweet potato – I always have sweet potatoes in the house, I need to try this!
• Limit carbs and include a little fat – Guilty, my breakfasts are usually carby and not fatty enough.

Lunch

• Buy fun containers and pack lunch from home – I bring lunch every day but some fun containers might make all of those salads a little more sassy! Love this, this and this.
• Double dinner recipes so you can have leftovers for lunch – This is something I was doing religiously until summer. I need to get back on this train.

Dinner

• Celebrate Meatless Monday – It might take a miracle to get SL on board with this but I think I can do it with these burritos.
• Freeze pureed veggie and add to soups – Why have I never done this? I love making soups this time of year and the extra nutrients from the pureed veggies will make them much more filling.

Snack Time

• Choose wet snacks – Food high in water is more filling. Its science. Usually my snacks are dry and although filling, I know I could do better.
• Always bring snacks on the road – SL and I are good at doing this but bad at NOT buying more snacks when we hit up gas stations or rest stops. Why? We are so weird.

Dessert

• Add veggies to baked goods – I remember seeing Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah about a thousand years ago doing this and I was intrigued but I still haven’t tried it. New goal for 2015 when my baking season really starts!
• When making cookies, bake half the batch and scoop the rest into ice cube trays – MIND BLOWN! I love baking on cold days and when I’m sick (strange but I find it comforting) but I never want my masterpieces in the house for more than a day. This is the perfect solution for my little family of two.

Food Swaps

• Use veggies in place of spaghetti – Yeah, yeah, yeah we’ve all heard this time after time. I will try it.
• Use silken tofu instead of cream – I wonder if this really works. I don’t love dairy so whenever I can omit it, I will.

At Work

• Set a reminder to get up and walk around – I have a desk job so this is so important yet something I don’t do enough.

When Eating Out

• Eat a little something before you head out so you don’t arrived famished – I do this ALL.THE.TIME! I am the hangriest monster when I get to dinner then the roll basket gets demolished before I even know what happened.

Now I just have to put these tips to use! Most I partially do but I need to commit to making them the norm.

Do you have any tips?