so i think everyone on here who reads it has learnt that different things work for different people. since there is so many of us it would make sense to pool together our tips for what makes it really work for us into one thread for quick reference. so please step up and add your tips, weither its diet, excercise or motivation. whatever gets you going....

heres mine i can think of.

1. instead of grating cheese over everything grate raw carrot. when i turned vegan i started this to give up cheese and now im almost at the point where i am fogetting what melted cheese ever tasted like.

2. if your not excercising enough or drinking enough water. do both together the best thnig for me is to go for a walk. put some music on, thats fast and furious, and step away, while you do this get lost in the music, drink water. once you get back youll feel great. i did this yesterday and walked for 10k and also drank 2l of water. killing two birds with one stone. egg yourself on as you do it.

3. concentrte on mentally loosing weight. this to me is the hardest bit - teaching yourself not to salivate when you see cookies or cake, not eating the whole packet of crisps then eventually not eating any at all. etc. for me the last week i have had a packet of famous amos cookes by the side of the pc. i always look at them and want them but i havent given it yet. train yourself to resist. this is very important for when you visit somewhere and your not the one cooking. learn to say no, and a little bit, learn some reserve.

This is my way of doing dieting and it works very well for me:
I have been practicing a vegan diet solely for the purpose of losing weight. I have been making "green smoothies" which is fruits and green veggies all mixed together for a tasty combination. I have the green smoothies for breakfast lunch and dinner and for my snacks I have a peace of fruit or vegetable. I wake up at 4:30 am every day and go for a bike ride for about 1 hour. ever since I started this way of eating I have felt energized and healthy. It does however take a little getting used to though. The first few days are really tough and uncomfortable. But after that you feel cleansed and healthy. I started this way of eating 10 days ago and I am already down 14 pounds. If you are strong willed and determined enough this diet is a great way to lose weight and feel great.

This tips thing is a great idea,

Here are my tips:
When I'm feeling hungry I'll have a glass of water to drink as sometimes what we mistake for hunger is actually dehydration.

When I'm craving something sweet I have a sugar-free boiled sweet (like aqua drops), yum!

Measure yourself from time to time as well as weighing, as muscle weighs 4 times that of fat (apparently!) so you could be losing inches when you're not losing pounds.

I find if I exercise to music I really like, the time goes by much quicker - also, dancing is a great way to get fit AND have fun and it doesn't feel like a chore.

As foreveryoung said...the mental side of weight loss is very important. When I see foods I used to really love I try and visualise something really disgusting (like a cake with big lumps of yellow fat in it instead of buttercream!) It's gross but it works!!

wow thats loosing weight too fast! be careful! but well done on taking on a vegan diet. remember (sorry if youve heard this before) to take vitamins, especially for calcium and protein. eat lots of beans and lentils and wholemeal carbs. some good smoothies:

carrot kidney bean and melon
celery cucumber and apple

sprinkle mixed seeds into salads and smoothies to boost your protein. drink suguar free soya milk for a morning kick. and if you want any help with being vegan let me know

cathiedee that visualisation sounds excellent. i also use it to visualise my veins and arteries like a tube of youghut. like you see on the british anti smoking ads.

another tip of mine, is to make a massif salad every day. try and eat a slad each day. if you dont like it youll struggle but as a vegetarian for 15 years this is an easy way for me to eat greens. you can put in vegetables 9cooked or raw) fruit, nuts, carbs, even meat. my salads can contain

lettuce
celery
spinach
otjer green leafs
peppers
onion
sweetcorn
beans and pulses
seeds and nuts
carrot
cucumber
quorn (Mushroom veggie protein)
rice

to spice it up i put garlic in (good for the heart) pepper chopped wet tomatos (like for pasta). if you want to use sauce, make the sald twice as big. thats my rule. and eat it all. sometimes i eat it with a wholemeal roll, or some german rye bread. or even put some ryvita on the side. but rotate the food in your salad, grill chicken or meat or even bette,r quorn (veggie food) on top for a dinner. or put in some bioled baby potoatos. salad is a good way to get healthy, fill yourself and loose weight. its cheap and natural and theres no excuses. you control what goes in to the salad, no hidden extras.

another tip of mine is NEVER USE SALT. EVER. it bad for you!! and you dont need it in all your food. weve nnever had salt in my mums house, ive grown up without it. i make curries, pasta, bean chilli, whatever and i NEVER USE SALT yet the food tastes nice. stop with the salt people! you might find everyting taste crap for a while but learn to use alternatives to give yoru food flavour - for rice instead of salt i use chilli power. instead of salt on your chips put on some sunflower seeds with vinega instead. gives it a crunch. after a while youll feel you dont want salt. and now i never eat salt, when i eat out often i have to send things back cos there is too much salt. its bad for your heart :*(