Weight Loss Tips

The My Alli Weight Loss Plan was created by nationally recognized nutrition and weight management experts who understand the challenges of losing weight. One of those experts who has joined the alli team, Dr. Gary Foster. Gary Foster, Ph.D. is a renowned leader in the field of weight management and behavior change.

Dr. Foster is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. He has previously served as Clinical Director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Dr. Foster is a frequent presenter at national and international meetings and has treated overweight patients in individual and group settings for over 20 years. Here, you’ll find resources including meal planning information that can help you fight cravings, survive slip-ups and control portion size.

Has this ever happened to you? You see a chocolate bar in a magazine, so you take a walk to the nearest vending machine. Or you’re in a movie theater, and the smell of popcorn drives you to the concession stand. These triggers are hard to handle. What can you do? Get moving.

Physical activity can boost your mood just like food can — and it uses up calories, rather than adds them If you crave a salty snack, have some salted celery or a lettuce salad with lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt. If you want something sweet, try sugar-free hard candy or a fruit-and-ice smoothie with no-calorie sweetener. If you can do something else for just a few minutes, the craving may pass. Sometimes thirst disguises itself as hunger. But make sure you’re not substituting water for food; you still need nutrients as part of a healthy diet.

Weight control is not like walking a tightrope — one misstep and you’re done. If you slip, don’t fall overboard with bad choices. Here are a few tips for recovering: Accept that mistakes happen. Forgive yourself and focus on what to do differently next time Persevere with your goals. Avoid “all-or-nothing” thoughts of giving up. Try to understand what events or circumstances led to overeating. Anger, stress, loneliness, or the blues are common. Be ready for them.

When you sense a trigger, change direction. If you’re in the kitchen, or near food, go somewhere else. Just walk away. If you want to be sure you have a low-fat diet, count the grams of fat in your daily food choices and compare them to the number of grams of fat suggested for your calorie level. One of the easiest weight loss strategies is to control portion size. Get to know the amount of food you eat. Often, we get in the habit of eating a certain amount of food to feel satisfied. And if we’re served more food, we’ll eat more.

Studies have shown that the more food people were given to eat, the more they ate, regardless of their feeling of satiety. If the full plate is important to you, try using a smaller plate. Or keep portion sizes the same, but cut calories by lowering the fat in your dishes and adding more low-calorie ingredients like crunchy vegetables and leafy salads.

Pay attention to the “energy density” in foods. All foods have a specific number of calories within a given amount (volume). Foods such as desserts, candies, and processed foods are high in energy density. A small volume of these foods has a large number of calories. But some foods such as fruits and vegetables have low energy density. So you can have a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories — and that can fill you up without the downside of calorie overload. Here are 9 quick tips for portion control