# What diet "tricks" have you found to work well for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 5, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480 "2006-08-05T19:24:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/41 "2006-08-07T14:57:12Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] A diet takes yummy foods out of your life. A lifestyle change adds more yummy foods into it. Deprivation vs a lifetime of yummy foods? Pass the spinach! [/QUOTE] Good point - I’ve made all kinds of good stuff that’s healthy that I never would have found otherwise. And now that I’ve discovered Alton Brown, I actually know how to cook it :D. E. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/42 "2006-08-07T15:02:04Z")
[QUOTE=Glory] I quit dieting. Over 20 years, I managed to diet my way from a 140 lb 15 year old to a 200 lb 35 year old. I would restrict calories and lose weight but because I never made any permanent changes, I always gained the weight back and more weight with it. In July 2004, I decided to completely change the way I eat forever with a goal of long term weight loss, I started planning how I would maintain my weight loss before I even lost 1 lb. I lost about 70 lbs which I have kept off since Feb 2005. [/QUOTE] _HIGH FIVE_ **Glory** , you are an inspiration on how to do it right! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/43 "2006-08-07T15:05:07Z")
[QUOTE=Glory] I quit dieting. Over 20 years, I managed to diet my way from a 140 lb 15 year old to a 200 lb 35 year old. [/QUOTE] This would be a great quote for a nutrition book! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/44 "2006-08-07T15:55:16Z")
Here’s one that worked for me in the past, and which I must now enforce upon myself again: **Never eat anything out of the package it comes in.** You want a cookie? That’s fine, we all deserve the occasional cookie. But go to the pantry, get a cookie, **close the package and put it away** , then go sit in the living room and enjoy your cookie. You want some chips? Great idea, chips are tasty. Get a little bowl, put some chips in the bowl, **close the bag and put it away** , then go sit down and enjoy your chips. If you eat out of the package, there’s no clear line that tells you where to stop. As a result, you won’t. Stop, that is. So, get a portion of what you crave, put the package away, and enjoy. You’d be amazed at how much less you eat when you don’t eat out of the bag. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/45 "2006-08-07T16:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=Max Torque] You want a cookie? That’s fine, we all deserve the occasional cookie. But go to the pantry, get a cookie, **close the package and put it away** , then go sit in the living room and enjoy your cookie. [/QUOTE] That’s an excellent idea. Even better, put the cookie on a plate. When you’re done, wash and dry the plate and put it away. If you want another cookie, you have to get another plate. Of course, one could simply empty out the entire package of cookies onto a giant plate. That wouldn’t be as good a thing. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/46 "2006-08-07T17:00:29Z")
This one sounds silly, but it works pretty well: Use smaller plates. Most people will keep putting food on a plate until it looks full, regardless of how hungry they are or how big the plate is. Many people will also eat until their plate is empty or almost empty. I use a salad plate for most meals at home. A normal portion looks huge on a salad plate. Also, it will cut down on food waste if you’re only filling your plate with as much as you really need. Regarding wasting of food: I’ve taught myself to realize that it’s far more wasteful to gorge myself on food than it is to throw it away. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/47 "2006-08-07T17:24:18Z")
[QUOTE=badbadrubberpiggy] This one sounds silly, [/QUOTE] No it doesn’t. A lot of experts recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/48 "2006-08-07T18:32:02Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] No it doesn’t. A lot of experts recommend it. [/QUOTE] Yeah, it’s not actually silly, but when you try and tell people to do it, many will say that it won’t work because they’ll just go get another helping when they’re done the first one. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/49 "2006-08-07T19:22:51Z")
I came up with a great way around that. Don’t make seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/50 "2006-08-07T19:38:25Z")
[QUOTE=Gail] 1. See any changes you make in your eating habits as permanent. 2. Eat whole foods—fruit and veggies, non-processed meats, whole grains. 3. Fruits and vegetables should be the main staple in your diet. 4. Gradual change is good. Challenge yourself. Say this week, I’m only going out for fast food 5 times instead of 6…slow cut down the number. 5. If you eat in a restaurant, only eat half your meal and save the rest. 6. Eat when you’re hungry. Not because the clock says it’s time to eat. 7. Portion control…take one serving…no seconds. 8. Weigh yourself daily. 9. Avoid processed and fried foods. 10. Enjoy life…you can have small portions of foods you like. (I’d wait a while after starting a program to follow this…will power builds after you see some success.) 11. If you crave something that’s processed, salty, fried, imagine what eating that will do to your body. [/QUOTE] I really like these tips. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/51 "2006-08-07T21:07:08Z")
One little game that I like to play with myself: I know that I burn roughly 10 calories per minute jogging. I know that I hate jogging. For junk food, I look at the number of calories in an item that I am considering eating, and I convert that into minutes of jogging that would be needed to “burn” the item instead of “wearing” it. One Snickers bar = one half hour of jogging = not worth it. I have to admit though that with some snacks I try to stay blissfully ignorant of the number of calories. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/52 "2006-08-07T21:24:37Z")
I work at a movie theater concession stand, and the number of people who get a diet Coke and then get extra butter on their popcorn is ridiculously huge. I know popcorn is a good diet food, because it’s full of air and is pretty tasty, but that “butter” has 120 calories of fat per tablespoon (not just 120 calroies. 120 calories of FAT). ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/53 "2006-08-07T21:39:32Z")
[QUOTE=Mirror Image egamI rorriM] I know popcorn is a good diet food, because it’s full of air and is pretty tasty, but that “butter” has 120 calories of fat per tablespoon (not just 120 calroies. 120 calories of FAT). [/QUOTE] Air-popped popcorn is a decent choice, but movie theatre popcorn - even without the “buttery” topping - is NOT. It has tons of calories/fat even without the fake butter because of the oil it is popped in. [Large, UNBUTTERED AMC popcorn tub - 1100+ calories, 77 grams of fat](http://www.dietfacts.com/html/nutrition-facts/amc-movie-theatres-popcorn-large-sized-popped-in-coconut-oil-unbuttered-23661.htm) Basically, for me, there are no healthy choices available at the movies, I am reduced to smuggling in trail mix or dried fruit. The second point is interesting, a tablespoon of olive oil would also have calories derived purely from fat, but I don’t consider that a bad thing. Type of fat (saturated vs. monosaturated vs. polysaturated vs trans) is the determining factor for me. For me, the fat in salmon, natural peanut butter, avocado is good, the fat in margarine, packaged baked goods and red meat is to be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/54 "2006-08-07T23:42:39Z")
Weight Watchers works wonderfully for Razorette and I. She’s lost over 20 pounds, and still falling; I lost 20, then got busy doing heavy landscaping construction, and need considerably more fuel for the work than WW allowed. While my waist has continued to shrink ever so slightly over the summer, I’m stuck at the same weight because I’m converting fat to muscle. That’ll end next week with the completion of our last yard project, so I have to transition back to the “hard core” Weight Watchers regimen. But it really works! ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/55 "2006-08-07T23:51:45Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] Weight Watchers works wonderfully for Razorette and I. She’s lost over 20 pounds, and still falling; I lost 20, then got busy doing heavy landscaping construction, and need considerably more fuel for the work than WW allowed. While my waist has continued to shrink ever so slightly over the summer, I’m stuck at the same weight because I’m converting fat to muscle. That’ll end next week with the completion of our last yard project, so I have to transition back to the “hard core” Weight Watchers regimen. But it really works! [/QUOTE] Kudos on the WW success, but a slight nitpick: you [cannot “convert fat to muscle”](http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_n6_v10/ai_12933576) (or vice versa) any more than any alchemist ever converted lead to gold. This is one of those FBM’s (Frequently Bandied Myths). What you are likely doing is losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time – the best outcome of any diet/fitness regimen! ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480/56 "2006-08-07T23:59:40Z")
[QUOTE=Mirror Image egamI rorriM] I work at a movie theater concession stand, and the number of people who get a diet Coke and then get extra butter on their popcorn is ridiculously huge. I know popcorn is a good diet food, because it’s full of air and is pretty tasty, but that “butter” has 120 calories of fat per tablespoon (not just 120 calroies. 120 calories of FAT). [/QUOTE] That’s a very good point - but then don’t be so quick to condemn (even though they’re eating junk). I’ll often buy a diet coke or a coke zero, even when I’m not watching my weight. It doesn’t mean I believe that the diet drink negates what I’m stuffing into my face, it just means that I prefer the flavour of the drink to the normal coke/pepsi syrup stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-diet-tricks-have-you-found-to-work-well-for-you/367480.md?page=2)