# Diet tips that actually work **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2012, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860 "2012-09-16T08:22:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/21 "2012-09-16T18:37:46Z")
Just eat less calories , that worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/22 "2012-09-16T18:41:36Z")
I’ve been drinking diet soda daily for 20 years; it does not make me hungry. But I don’t have that much of a true hunger appetite anyway. As far as the studies’ suggesting that aspartame may DECREASE appetite, I suspect that is due more to caffeine in the drinks than the sweetener. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/23 "2012-09-16T18:44:08Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Weigh every single day. Record it. This goes against conventional wisdom, but it has worked really well for me. [Edited: where I stop weighing, the weigh creeps on. When I start again, it holds steady or goes down. I think this is because I’m really competitive and it’s like a daily game of solitaire rather than a Vast Lifetime Project.] Also: eat slowly. The “full” reflex isn’t immediate. If you’re still hungry when you’ve finished your small portion, wait 10–15 minutes and see how hungry you are. Another one that works for me: I can’t manage lighter breakfast or lunch, but I can manage a light dinner. I can fall asleep feeling a little hungry, but I can’t get through the day with that feeling. Best advice I ever got: “Find out what your body knows, and fool it.” ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/24 "2012-09-16T18:46:50Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > This is complete BS. NOT true. > > Anyway, my tip is to consume _large_ amounts of water throughout the day; at least a gallon a day. It may not be true for you, but it is for me and maybe others. Strictly anecodotal, but I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke and had a raging appetite. When I decided to start being more aware of what I put in my body, I switched to unsweetened iced tea. In a few days the raging appetite was gone and has stayed away, except when I have anything with aspartame. People need to be aware and make their own decisions was my point. I do agree on the water. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/25 "2012-09-16T18:51:10Z")
Don’t exercise to look better. Exercise for other reasons instead. I do it because it helps me stay sane. It’s the only time I get to myself from when I wake up at 5:30 until I fall asleep at 11:30. Most other times, so many people are talking to me (whether it’s kids, husband or co-workers) that I feel like I can’t even finish a thought. Exercise has become my haven, which makes me want to do it as often as I can find time to do so. Oh, and when you try to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, take one day a week to do the “heavy planning” so you don’t have to spend as much time thinking about food later. If you’re having willpower issues, you’re probably already obsessing about food anyway. Putting yourself in a position where you’re always planning for the next meal makes obsession an even easier trap to fall into. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/26 "2012-09-16T18:52:24Z")
> [@badger5149](#): > > Years ago I got a new apt and had no cooking set up. Everymorning I headed to the donut shop and picked up a cinnomon roll and coffee. The sweet breakfast seemed to kill my apetitie and I lost about 40# in 5 or 6 months. this has the opposite affect on me: I start the day with carbs and I get a headache and am hungry the rest of the day. protein first! also: the hell with calories, eat more fiber. vegetables & more vegetables. exercise, I mean it. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/27 "2012-09-16T18:58:06Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > This is complete BS. NOT true. No point posting disagreement unless it’s rude as possible, eh? It’s a wonder new posters stick around here at all. :rolleyes: Besides, she said aspartame made _her_ hungrier. I doubt you can provide any sort of cite to prove she’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/28 "2012-09-16T19:03:24Z")
I am NOT a breakfast person. And carbs or sugar in the morning, UGH!! Just…no. Makes me hungry and eating EVERYTHING all day long. But my last job had a cafeteria in it, and when I started eating this little chopped chicken/green peppers/onions mix they would make, eating it at 8:30 in the morning I would be energetic and full and good to go until dinner. So +1 on the protein in the mornings, and skip the sugars/carbs. For me, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/29 "2012-09-16T19:22:31Z")
Instead of trying to cut down on the “bad” food, instead eat more of the “good” stuff. Have a salad or big serving of vegetables with every meal, and eat them first. You’ll get full, and eat less of the other stuff, and you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/30 "2012-09-16T19:46:00Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I am NOT a breakfast person. And carbs or sugar in the morning, UGH!! Just…no. Makes me hungry and eating EVERYTHING all day long. > > But my last job had a cafeteria in it, and when I started eating this little chopped chicken/green peppers/onions mix they would make, eating it at 8:30 in the morning I would be energetic and full and good to go until dinner. > > So +1 on the protein in the mornings, and skip the sugars/carbs. For me, anyway. I hate “me too” posts, but…me too! Toast, cold cereal, oatmeal make me feel crappy and tired the rest of the day. If I eat what I consider more lunch or dinner-type food for breakfast, I feel so much better! ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/31 "2012-09-16T19:55:56Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I hate “me too” posts, but…me too! Toast, cold cereal, oatmeal make me feel crappy and tired the rest of the day. If I eat what I consider more lunch or dinner-type food for breakfast, I feel so much better! Same! I even started a blog \ named Soup4Breakfast, due to my preference for light, savory breakfasts rather than heavy/sweet ones. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/32 "2012-09-16T21:48:29Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > No point posting disagreement unless it’s rude as possible, eh? It’s a wonder new posters stick around here at all. :rolleyes: > > Besides, she said aspartame made _her_ hungrier. I doubt you can provide any sort of cite to prove she’s wrong. Missed this earlier, thanks SA. I’ll be sticking around, Ambi’s post is a love note compared to some I’ve experienced elsewhere. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/33 "2012-09-16T21:56:08Z")
Glad to hear that. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/34 "2012-09-16T23:09:30Z")
I’ll again mention my mom’s diet plan: Eat ten servings a day of fruits and vegetables, and whatever else you want. And of course, like any other diet that works in the long run, you have to stay on it for the long run. If you “go on a diet” to lose weight, then you’ll gain it back when you go off the diet. Not precisely a diet tip, but another thing that can help a lot is incidental exercise. You don’t need to schedule going to the gym on your day planner; you can get a lot of exercise just doing things you’d do anyway. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Don’t drive somewhere if you can walk or bike there instead. Use a muscle-powered lawnmower instead of the gas one, et cetera. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/35 "2012-09-16T23:13:13Z")
Weigh and/or measure your food, especially calorie-dense food (like peanut butter). Get a kitchen scale and a set of dry measuring cups and spoons, and mete out the appropriate portion sizes that way. Don’t eyeball anything; you will always be off. I’ve been measuring my food on and off for two years, and I’ve had to learn the hard way that I simply cannot estimate accurately. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/36 "2012-09-16T23:39:50Z")
Eat smaller portions more often. That and walking is what has helped me. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/37 "2012-09-16T23:47:14Z")
Diet soda consumption can have negative effects on insulin resistance, among other things. Unsweetened tea is a much better choice. > **[Diet drink](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_soda#section_3)** > > Diet or light beverages (also marketed as sugar-free, zero-calorie, low-calorie, zero-sugar or zero) are generally sugar-free, artificially sweetened beverages with few or no calories. They are marketed for diabetics and other people who want to reduce their sugar intake. > Though artificial sweeteners had been known since the discovery of saccharin in 1878, the diet beverage era began in earnest with the 1949 launch of La Casera (also known as Gaseosa) in Madrid, Spain using cyclamate. The prod... ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/38 "2012-09-17T00:45:46Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Diet soda consumption can have negative effects on insulin resistance, among other things. Unsweetened tea is a much better choice. > > [Diet soda - Wikipedia](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_soda#section_3) That is all correlation and none causation. Again, no hard evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/39 "2012-09-17T01:20:37Z")
Diet soda has been [linked to weight gain](http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/01/news/la-heb-diet-soda-weight-gain-20110701), but not because of aspartame; rather, people think they can eat more and end up eating more calories than they did before: > [@](#): > > Mattes has studied how artificial sweeteners affect appetite and food intake. He believes that many studies reporting a link between diet soda and weight gain are actually hitting on a behavioral phenomenon—people think they can eat more calories because they’ve swapped their regular soda for a Coke Zero. Of course, the article also mentions the link between aspartame and blood sugar/insulin levels. However, consumption of other reduced calorie foods ([including zero calorie fat substitutes](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110620151005.htm), and [even “real” foods](http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201105/skim-milk-non-fat-milk-diet-foods); the latter also says that reduced fat diets are no better than reduced calorie diets) have also been linked to weight gain, so the first explanation is more likely. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860/40 "2012-09-17T01:32:33Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Diet soda has been [linked to weight gain](http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/01/news/la-heb-diet-soda-weight-gain-20110701), but not because of aspartame; rather, people think they can eat more and end up eating more calories than they did before. But wouldn’t that only apply to people who _switch_ to diet soda in order to help lose weight? That is not why I drink diet soda. I drink it because I find regular cola too sweet, and because I like to drink it in quantity without worrying about calorie content. I think there’s a key difference between the people who bought into the marketing strategies of the 1970s and the people who drink it today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-tips-that-actually-work/634860.md?page=3)