Weight Loss & Fitness Helpers: {Tools & Tips}

Are you motivated to lose weight this year or exercise more and live a healthier lifestyle? Here’s an assortment of free printables, tips and good-to-know graphics that you can use to help keep yourself on track.

serendipityfactory.com

Weekly Fitness Goal Tracker: There’s a column for each day of the week (Sunday – Saturday) listing areas of the body you worked on, has check boxes and spaces to note amounts.

Fitness & Food Journals: Two separate downloads, each (pdf) available in color or black & white.

fitsugar.com

amybayliss.com

Charts: A health journal, exercise log, water log and weight record (two sheets), freebies are in .doc format.

Diet Journal: Document food items, activities, daily water intake, notes and more with this handy chart (via pdf download).

naturecanopy.typepad.com

organizedhome.com

Daily Diet Tracker: Documents food, serving sizes, calories and servings by food groups. Also space to note the date and miscellaneous info. Free pdf download.

Food/Exercise Journal: Tracks breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and water intake. Also has spaces for the date, daily points, weight and goal.

skinnytaste.com

prevention.com

Handy Portion Control: To make controlling portion sizes super easy, here’s a guide to print and carry with you until you’ve committed it to memory.

How Your Plate Should Look: The bottom half of the page explains the portions (leafy greens & vegetables, whole grains and/or legumes, healthy protein).

onemedical.com

doctoroz.com

Dr. Oz’s 100 Foods Chart: Dr. Oz covers everything from produce to desserts to keep your kitchen stocked with only the healthiest foods. Print and take it on your next trip to the supermarket.

Weekly Exercise Plan: Sections for each day of the week (noting Activity, Place, Time, Muscles Worked and more) along with tracking a variety of exercises (squats, leg press, leg curls and more).

lifeonpaperco.com

Good To Know:

Easy Healthy Recipe Substitutions: Use baby prunes instead of butter when baking brownies or dark quick breads, low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese instead of sour cream (for dips and salad dressings), marshmallow creme instead of butter (for frostings) since it has no fat or cholesterol, and more interesting tips.
Quick & Easy Menu Guide: One side is “Skip It”, the other is “Pick It”…Examples: pick broiled, steamed, blackened…skip fried, buttery, cheesy.
The Great Diet Comparison: An infographic that lists the premise, pros, cons and whether or not a particular diet is healthy. Included: The Belly Fat Cure, LA Weight Loss, Atkins Diet, Nutri-System, Jenny Craig, Skinny Vegan, Slim Fast, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers and lots more.
20 Sweet Snacks for 50 Calories or Less: Here’s how to indulge (and maybe even sneak in some extra nutrients) without falling off the diet wagon.

Flavor Boosters:
*First published January 6, 2009 and moved to this page for better organization

Cider Vinegar & Herb Infused Vinegars (See Multipurpose Herb Vinegar: Recipe). Watch commercial flavored vinegars for sugar content.
Herb Seasoning Shakes (See Spice & Herb Blends: {Recipe Cheat Sheet} that includes recipes for No Salt Seasoning Shakes and Salad Seasoning Shake Recipe).
Red Pepper Flakes (or powders like cayenne, chili and paprika).
Salsa (Watch salt & sugar in commercial brands).
Horseradish (Just a little dab will do ya).
Hot Sauce (Tabasco, etc.)–Watch for hot sauces that contain a lot of sugar or salt.
Fresh Lemon, Lime, Orange (Juice or Zest).
Garlic (Fresh or Powder).
Dill (Fresh or Dried).
Pepper (Invest in a Pepper Grinder if you don’t have one, really. Freshly ground pepper is divine!)

Healthier Eating Tips:

Want to lose weight and eat healthier without buying a bunch of books, packaged foods, special diet councilors, meal plans, and all the rest? Here’s a great tip: the NO S Diet. It’s quite simple and no special education or products necessary. There are three simple rules: No Snacks, No Sweets and No Seconds…Except (sometimes) on days that start with ‘S’.
Veggie Boosters: If boiled veggies are too blah for you, toss one of these flavor enhancers in the pot: Garlic cloves, celery, bay leaf.
Meats: Marinate meats or add spice/herb rubs before cooking.
Vitamin Boost: Add fresh parsley to your dishes for an extra easy vitamin boost that won’t interfere with flavor.
Fruit Boost: Fruits are sweet and tasty on their own, but an added sprinkle of cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant.
Get Hydrated: Skip the pop, see How To Beat The Soda Pop Addiction. Also try Homemade Herbal Teas for an extra health boost.
Easy Fiber: Wake up to an oatmeal breakfast or take a thermos full to work for lunch, easy way to fill up on fiber and it’s darn cheap too! See How To Make Crockpot Oatmeal & Oatmeal In A Thermos.