If you want to lose weight, you've got to work smarter, not harder, and that's why weight-loss hacks can make all the difference. Just add a few of these into your routine and you'll start seeing results with minimal effort.
DIY Smoothie Packs
The hurdle of having to prepare you protein- and fiber-packed smoothie can make you want to skip it for a scone. So prep all the fruits and greens you use in your smoothies and freeze individual DIY smoothie packs [2]. It not only makes a fast breakfast even faster, but it ensures you stick to a portion-perfect calorie amount.
Skip the Pasta — Bring in the Veggies
Cut carbs and bring more nutrition to your plate by swapping pasta for veggies. Check out these veggie noodle recipes [3] to see how to make best use of your spaghetti squash, zucchini, and more. We love the carrot fettuccine [4] because you don't even need a fancy spiralizer.
Pack (Crisp) Salads For a Full Week
Don't have time to cut up a salad every single night? Here's a way to make all the salads you need for your workweek at once [5].
Bring Beans to Dessert
Considering beans' fiber, protein, and iron content, everyone should include more legumes in their diet. If you're having trouble stomaching a bowl of beans, you can still reap the healthy benefits without your taste buds even realizing it. There are tons of bean-loaded dessert recipes [6], like these chocolate chickpea doughnuts [7], to appeal to your sweet tooth.
Freeze Your Greens
Tired of tossing greens week after week? This ice-cube hack [8] is a must. Pick up some BPA-free ice cube trays or baby food trays, and buy a variety of greens. You can puree them separately in a food processor or blender or puree them together, adding a little water to yield a smooth consistency. Pour the puree into the little wells, attach the lids, and freeze them. When you're ready to make your smoothie, just grab a few and throw them in your blender — it's a great time-saver. You can also freeze greens as is in baggies — just be sure to wash and reuse them.
Bake With Applesauce
Save on fat and calories by subbing applesauce for butter. If a recipe calls for half a cup of butter, simply sub in half a cup of applesauce. Try out this banana apple chunk bread [9] — the applesauce complements the other fruity flavors while keeping each bite naturally sweet and moist.
Freeze Eggs
If you're into protein in the morning to sustain your energy and always seem to be running out of eggs, this freezer hack [10] is for you. Just scramble a dozen eggs, freeze them in muffin cups, and they'll stay good up to six months.
DIY Vegan Greek Yogurt
This two-minute hack [11] turns regular almond, soy, or coconut milk yogurt into a thicker Greek-like yogurt that's totally vegan. Just mix in protein powder and that's it!
Freeze Pureed Veggies
Not just for baby food, freeze pureed veggies [12] like green beans, butternut squash, and carrots and add them to soups and sauces to increase the fiber and other nutrients.
Make-Ahead Overnight Oats
How do you make the quickest breakfast even quicker? Prep your entire week of overnight oats [13] all at once.
Freeze Cookie Dough
If you love to bake but know you can't just stop at one cookie, whip up your cookie dough and freeze the batter into ice cube trays [14]. That way you can pop out one or two, bake those in your toaster oven, and you'll indulge a little without the temptation to keep reaching for more.
Add Tofu to Smoothies
This smoothie hack [15] is a win-win. Adding tofu to your blender not only makes for a supercreamy consistency, but it adds protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied all morning long. If you're not a fan of vanilla, go for this chocolate smoothie [16] instead.
Almond Milk Ice Cubes
Why add plain ice cubes to your smoothie when you can increase the calcium and protein with almond milk ice cubes [17]?
Slow-Cooker Oatmeal
Steel cut oats are lower on the glycemic index than quick or rolled oats, which means they'll stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full longer. They take over 40 minutes to cook though, so make a batch of this pumpkin pie overnight steel cut oatmeal [18] and it'll be ready for you first thing in the morning.
Prep Wet Snacks
We tend to reach for chips and crackers because they're easy and right there. Make fresh fruits and veggies just as easily accessible by washing, cutting, and storing them in containers [19] at eye-level in your fridge.
DIY Ice Cream
Skip the fat and calories of a regular pint and make your own ice cream using frozen fruit and a blender or food processor. This cherry chocolate chip ice cream [20] is made with frozen cherries and frozen banana, and is 126 calories per serving.
Meal Plan
Losing weight is so much about taking time to plan out your weekly meals. If you know you're eating oatmeal for breakfast and mason jar salads for lunch, then you only need to think about dinner. Spend time over the weekend looking over healthy recipes and planning out your week's dinners [21]. Then take a shopping list and hit the grocery store so you have everything ready by Monday.
Prep Dinners
All that meal planning won't do you any good if you don't actually follow through. One way to make each dinner happen is to get a head start on the prep. Sunday night, cut up veggies you'll be using for all your recipes, like peppers for roasting, or carrots, celery, and onion for soups.
Freeze Oatmeal
If you're a fan of steel cut oatmeal for keeping you full all morning long, this freezer hack [22] is a huge time-saver. Just make a big batch on the stove and freeze smaller portions using a muffin tin. Pop the little oatmeal pucks into a freezer bag and a week of healthy, fiber-full breakfasts is ready.
Freeze Grains
Don't stop at oatmeal! You can cook up other grains such as quinoa, rice, millet, and barley and freeze those, too [23]. You can even combine two or more grains, and it's a great, quick way to get some protein and fiber into your meal without having to spend 20 minutes cooking them up each time.
Use Avocado Instead of Butter
For baked goods that are soft and moist, skip the butter and use mashed avocado instead. This pumpkin muffin recipe [24] is living proof that just may convince you to never want to bake with butter again.
Use Tofu in Place of Cheese
For a creamy consistency, save on calories and fat by replacing cheese with tofu. It works perfectly in this recipe for vegan stuffed shells [25].
Veggies in Smoothies
Don't stop at just kale or spinach! Broccoli, beans, carrots, and sweet potato can also be added to your blender. Here's a week of veggie-packed smoothies [26] to give you some ideas.
Hidden Beans
The fiber and protein makes beans a perfect food for weight loss [27], and if you're not into eating an entire bowl of chili, just find ways to "hide" them in your favorite recipes like these mashed potatoes with white beans [28] or this butternut squash soup [29].
Dates Instead of Sugar
While dates aren't calorie-free, they offer fiber that white sugar doesn't. So use them in place of sugar in recipes like these date-sweetened cookies [30]. Cutting down on the white stuff is one way to break your sugar addiction [31], which will help you drop pounds.
Keep Track of Calories
Packing your lunch and snacks for the day is one of the most effective ways to lose weight because it allows you to be in control of the calories you consume. Take your planning one step further by labeling food with the time you should eat it [32] and the number of calories it contains.
Protein Powder Is a Miracle
Protein powder isn't just for smoothies or protein balls. You can add some to any recipe involving flour, such as these gingerbread protein pancakes [33] or this maple-sweetened cornbread [34].
Coconut Water Ice Cubes
Instead of adding plain ice cubes to the blender, throw in frozen cubes made of coconut water [35]. It's a simple way to add more essential electrolytes to your smoothie, but more importantly, it increases the sweet flavor without adding tons of calories.
Zoats
Cut the carbs on your bowl of oatmeal by making zoats — oatmeal combined with fresh zucchini [36]. Think of zucchini bread in a bowl!
