When you choose to lose weight, you have to choose to make a lifestyle change. Although a quick large lifestyle change typically does not stick, it is best to make small gradual changes. Take into account a few of these tips and begin to transform your body and your life!

1. When picking up milk in the grocery store – grab skim or 1% instead of the whole milk. Another great alternative for those who enjoy it is replacing milk with almond milk when it goes well.
2. Begin using smaller plates to help you stick to the smaller portions. Use the small glasses for your juice and those large glasses for your water!
3. Stuff your sauces and soups with lots of vegetables. When loading your pasta sauce with the veggies rather than meat, cut the pasta and fill yourself with that hardy veggie tomato sauce!
4. We all love our mayo and as much as we don’t want to get rid of it, try grabbing the low fat jar instead. Or a great substitute is hummus! There are so many different flavours to choose from!
5. When picking up tuna at the grocery store, take home the tuna packed in water rather than packed in oil.
6. Ice Cream is the best comfort food out there. Take it a step deeper by cutting your serving in half and adding berries to fill the Sunday out. Your next step would be replacing your ice cream with a delicious sorbet or frozen yogurt. And if you typically have it in a cone, trade the cone for some of your favourite fruit.
7. When you are in a setting and temptation is all around you, take half a slice of cake, or grab your favourite dessert, eat half now and save the other half in the fridge for a couple days later!
8. Eating out, they like to fill you up with bread before you even get your meal. Ask them to remove the bread dish, and perhaps add a salad as an appetizer to fill you up a bit more before receiving your main dish.
9. Trade your sandwiches in to a veggie stuffed wrap. Trade your white wraps with whole wheat wraps, and then if you are feeling need for change, pick up some flax seed wraps, they are delicious.
10. Eat your meals slower. The slower you eat the more time you are giving your stomach to receive the food, and tell your brain that you are full.

Remember, keep yourself motivated by trying new things and making small changes! Change is a lifestyle, not a sprint.

When trying to lose weight, most of us can handle the cravings during the day – put once we get home from work, relaxation takes over. Do you have trouble eating at night? Do those late night comfort foods keep you from loosing the pounds? Try out these tips to trick your body away from the foods.

Pamper Yourself

One of the biggest reasons we want to eat at night is because we want to relax after a long day of work. So we run to those comfort foods like chips, popcorn, cereal or dare I mention ice cream! Rather then relaxing with food – keep yourself occupied with pampering yourself. Give yourself a mini manicure or pedicure, take a warm bubble bath or pick up a good book or magazine. There are so many more things we can do to pamper ourselves rather than turning to food. Besides, we all know it is a lot harder to dip your hand into that bag of greasy potato chips when your nails have that new clear coat on them.

Grab a Tea

While watching our favorite T.V. shows before bed, we often want to settle our stomach with some satisfying food. Instead, next time your in the grocery store, pick up some new teas, or even grab a few of your favorites. A couple cups of tea are nice to help you relax at the end of the day, and keeps your tummy from thinking about cravings.

Brush Away

Choose to brush your teeth right after your last meal. It will trick your body into thinking your finished for the night. Not to mention the minty taste that is left in your mouth should help hold off those cravings.

Phone a Friend

Take time to call a friend. Sometimes we can get caught up in our own lives. Take some time to catch up with an old friend. Or call up a recent friend and ask them about life. It not only helps us keep from the cupboards, but everyone loves an unexpected call from a friend, just to say the are thinking about you.

Workout

Invest in some at home workout equipment or weights. Working out actually puts you in a better mood, although it is better for you to do in the morning – if you are worried about it keeping you up. But some people find it a great way to distract themselves from the food and burn off those calories from earlier. The treadmill is a great substitute for for food when watching T.V. Or if it is nice weather, and not to dark out, go for an afternoon walk.

Basically find something that helps distract you. Do you have hobbies or things that you love? Take those and run with them in the times you like to munch out the most.