11 small tricks

I've been trying to lose weight lately. To many of you who have seen me recently, you may not think that I need to, but I'm carrying around an extra 20 lbs and that is beginning to hurt my frame. When I stopped dancing so much every day, that is when the weight began to pile on. I'm trying to get back into dancing, so that should help in the long run.

But I've been--pretty successfully--to stay away from the overly processed foods and I've seen a little bit of weightloss that way and I am exercising everyday, but a friend of mine just sent me this article about 11 small tricks that you can do to save you a bit of weight. I already do most of the tricks--or at least a variation of the trick. Most are really easy to do.

1. Blot
Use a paper napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off a pizza slice. At a slice a week, that's more than a whole cup of fat you won't eat—or wear—this year.

2. Drink more milk.
Consuming 1,800 milligrams of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories. Fill your coffee mug with skim or 1 percent milk, drink it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pour in your caffeine fix.

3. Buy cut veggies.
They cost more, but they'll pay dividends later—because you're more likely to snack on them than on some other, less healthy food. (or if you do like I do, when you get home, just chop them up and put them in plastic containers and have them at eye level in your fridge)

4. Get watered down.
A recent German study showed that drinking water burns calories. Drinking about two cups of cold water—no warmer than 72 degrees—used up roughly 25 calories. Drink a liter a day and you're talking five pounds a year. (plain, filtered water is great. You do not need designer water to make a difference. Also, if you drink a glass of really cold water before you go to bed, you are less likely to wake up during the night and want something to snack on.)

5. Go smaller.
Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. Studies show that putting your portions on smaller dishes means you'll end up eating less at a meal.

6. Dilute juice.
Add water to your fruit juice to reduce calories. (I am not a big fan of watered down juice considering most of the juice you buy in the store already has a lot more water than juice. Instead I juice or puree the fruit, then add water to it. Much better than store bought.)

7. Make your drinks count.
Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke. (If you aren't a big fan of V8, then try the V8 fusion. It masks the taste of the veggies with fruit. But be careful because there can be a lot of sugar hiding in the drink. I still like to just puree the actual fruit and veggies together, add a little water or 100% orange juice and you've got a great drink. Bolthouse Farms is a great fruit/veggie puree juice. It is already really thick, so if you'd like to water it down, you'll get normal store bought juice.)

8. Have a power snack prepared.
Mix three different kinds of beans and sprinkle in some low-cal Italian dressing. Have it as a snack all week.

9. Think about eating.
Eat without doing anything else—no TV, no reading, no working. (studies have shown that when you really watch what you're eating, you tend to eat less. Also, having conversation and participating in the conversation (by putting down your fork while talking) while you eat, you tend to eat less because your brain can register how much food you've eaten. It takes 15-20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full)

10. Stop mindless snacking.
Chew a strong-flavored sugar-free gum like cinnamon while you're cooking. Sneaking a taste of the food will be less appealing.

11. Tighten your belt.
When you feel a craving and temptation to gorge, tighten your belt a notch—as a reminder of the size you'd like to be. (I'm not a big fan of this one, but you certainly shouldn't loosen your belt when you're eat.)

No, I'm not doing a fad diet. No, I'm not doing this because I have to. I am doing this to please me and because I want to. I think the most important thing is you should be happy with what and where you are. If you aren't, then fix something. I'm happy, but sometimes experience pain because of the extra weight on my frame. 20lbs may not seem like much to many people, but to my frame, it is a lot. Don't worry, I'll still be in the healthy weight range for my height and frame.