Low Calorie Ideas.com

Looking for more motivation to lose weight? Then you may want to start keeping a weight loss journal! Whether you’re looking to start a weight loss blog or an actual journal to write things down the good old fashioned way, you’ll want to read on for some innovative and fun ideas that can work for you and help reach your weight loss goals!

Keeping a weight loss journal is definitely a great way to track your progress and among other things, your goals and feelings. Why? Emotional eating can totally sabotage your weight loss and healthy eating lifestyle. Many of us do it. Just think about it – job promotion? You celebrate with a great meal out on the town. Just broke up with your boyfriend? That carton of Ben & Jerry’s will probably look really inviting to you. By keeping a journal, you can begin to accurately track these feelings and identify the ones that cause you to overeat and rake in added, unnecessary calories.

What is your preferred method of diet or weight loss journaling?

• Blog
• Pen and paper journal or diary
• Word processor
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Other (tell us below!)

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Choosing the Right Weight Loss Journal Format

To start off, you’ll need a free blog website such as WordPress or Blogger. They’re really easy to set up and you can have your first blog post up in minutes. Not ready to start blogging? Open up a new word document and use that. Or, if you’re looking for a more traditional option, find a pretty journal a favorite pen and get started with that.

When selecting a journal format, you definitely want one that will work for you. If you don’t spend too much time on the computer, then a real journal would probably be best. If you plan on logging every single calorie you consume, then you will need something portable, but you can always upload that information to your computer as time permits. Lastly, there are some weight loss journals that are diet specific that may be of interest to you, as well.

Figuring Out What to Write About

Some people find it very beneficial to track every single calorie that they eat while on a diet. If you think this is what you need, then go for it. I might suggest trying it for two weeks to see how it works for you, but certainly don’t feel obligated to do this.

The first post:

Write an entry of why you want to lose weight. This can be for more than one reason (in fact, I encourage you to write as many reasons as possible!) They can be vain, practical or a combination of the two. This is your private journal and you’re doing this for YOU!

The next post:

Try to journal at least once a day. At the very least, always make sure to jot down the emotions that you’re feeling when you “stray”. As cliché as it sounds, getting in touch with your emotions is incredibly important, especially for weight loss!

More post ideas:

Blog about milestones that you have reached; write down your positive feelings so you can return to those pages or blog posts when you need more encouragement. Believe it or not, you can be your best source of encouragement!

Make a list of your favorite activities that you can do instead of emotional eating. Taking a bath, getting on the treadmill, watching a movie, etc. This list will be in your journal and you can refer back to it as needed.

Make a list of your favorite low calorie ideas. Refer to your favorites when you’re looking for a snack that is low in calories.

Write down low calorie recipes or clip them out of magazines and store them where they’ll be easily accessible when you need to cook something for dinner.

Journaling to Your Ideal Weight

Want to track what you eat but don’t want to write it down? Take pictures of everything you eat with your cell phone. Some people claim that this really works for them. You can upload these pictures to your blog. Chances are, you’re not going to want to eat that Twinkie because you’ll have to take a picture of it and show the world what you ate.

Decorate your physical journal with stickers when you make an accomplishment, no matter the size. Lose 1/2 a pound on your weekly weigh in? Hey – you didn’t gain anything!

If you will be utilizing an online blog as your weight loss journal and have other friends who are focused on eating healthy, too, then link your blogs together for a fantastic support network! Create comments and share inspirations as a group.

I’m always searching for delicious, quick, low calorie and if possible, organic frozen items that I can pull out of my freezer at a minutes notice. This organic brown rice is perfect for low calorie cooking!

Let’s face it. It is so much easier to stick to healthy eating when fast and tasty options are available. White rice cooks fast, but it is virtually flavorless and is also nutrition lacking. I love brown rice, but don’t always have the time to cook it. Trader Joe’s offers tons of products to help me eat healthy and one of my favorites is their frozen organic brown rice.

For a little over $3 (I can’t remember the exact price!), you get three microwave pouches, each with 2 cups of brown rice in each bag. I cook one bag for three minutes and it is cooked and perfectly steamed. I throw one cup or 1/2 a cup with 3-4 oz of protein and fresh veggies and have a super quick and nutritious meal. I just thought that this awesome product merited a low calorie food review as I think it’s a great staple item for anyone that likes to prepare healthy food quick and easy!

Calories in Organic Brown Rice

Brown rice has about 160 calories per cup, or just 80 calories for a half cup serving.

Low Calorie Brown Rice Recipe Ideas

I’ve already blogged on two other recipes that I like to use TJ’s organic brown rice with…they’re quick and easy – check ‘em out! 164 Calorie Brown Rice Pudding Recipe and Low Calorie Rice Pilaf Recipe.

I’ll make sure to add some more low cal brown rice recipes soon! Do you have any ideas on how to use this rice in dishes?

Ahhhh. Lemonade and summertime = perfection. Try out my super easy low calorie lemonade recipe that is made from scratch and stevia. It reminds me of the shaken lemonade that you get at the fair with way too much sugar!

I recently wrote an article on my fave low cal lemonade drink mix that I use when I’m in a hurry and on the go, but this recipe is quite simple to make. What I do need to mention before I begin with the recipe is that you’ll need to add lemons and stevia according to your taste. Additionally, some lemons may be bigger or juicier than others, so my ingredients aren’t set in stone. The great thing about this lemonade recipe is that you can just add a bit more water if too tart, or a bit more stevia.

You’ll Need:

• 8-10 oz cold spring water
• 2 fresh lemons (I use organic)
• 1-4 packets of stevia (again, this depends on the brand you use and the strength of the stevia in powdered form)
• 4-5 ice cubes
• Lemon juicer
• A shake-able container with lid
• Optional – lemon wedge and  spring of fresh mint for garnish

Directions:

1. Juice the lemons.
2. Pour the lemon juice and stevia into your shakeable container.
3. Shake really well (stevia needs some time to mix!)
4. Keep shaking.
5. Add in a few ounces of water and shake some more.
6. Add in half of the juiced lemon (if you’d like too).
7. Add in the ice.
8. Add the rest of the water.
9. And shake!!!!
10. Optional – garnish with a lemon wedge and/or sprig of fresh mint.

Variations