Use these 12 household items to help lose weight

The secrets to successful weight-loss are all around you. Use these everyday items to help meet your goals.

Get the right tools

Having the right tools to help with your weight-loss makes taking the steps to a new lifestyle infinitely easier. Luckily, you can support a healthful lifestyle with these 12 inexpensive home essentials—many that you already own.

Sticky notes

Motivate yourself: List five reasons for changing your eating habits (more energy, cuter clothes) on a sticky note or note card. Store it in your wallet or post it on your fridge (or do both!); review it whenever you feel your resolve weaken.

Premeasured serving bowl

Control pasta portions: A 16-ounce box of spaghetti should serve 16 people. If it doesn’t feed that many in your house, join the crowd. To cut back to the 1-ounce (½ cup cooked) serving, try the Classic Measure Up bowl (measureupbowl.com), at left, which has ½-, 1-, 1½- and 2-cup markers, so you know just how much you’re eating.

Small plate

Make meals look bigger: If you hold a potluck and you’re tempted to grab everything on display, use a smaller plate. Eating off a 10-inch dish instead of a 12-inch one can help you consume 22 percent less, according to the Cornell Food and Brand Lab’s Small Plate Movement.

Grater

Eat less high-fat cheese: Rather than slicing hunks of cheese from a huge block or dicing it and eating it as cubes, grate your favorite cheese over salads or into soups or pastas. You’ll get the flavor you love but for far fewer calories per meal.

Oil mister

Add taste without calories: Give seared salmon and Brussels sprouts extra zip with a bit of olive oil and a few grinds of pepper. To save on calories and fat, pick up an oil mister, like the one (prepara.com), and put dried herbs into the oil before spraying your favorite healthful fare. The combo of oil and herbs also can improve steamed vegetables and other simple side dishes.

DVR remote

Skip commercials: The more food you see (even if it’s just in advertisements), the more likely you’re tempted to chow down. To avoid such triggers, record your favorite shows so you can fast-forward through the food ads. If you still have the munchies and are truly hungry, choose a nutritious snack, like low-fat popcorn, unsalted nuts, whole-wheat crackers, fruit or carrot sticks.

Picture frame

Inspire yourself: Look through your collection of family photos, find an image of you at a healthy weight and frame it. Hang the picture in a spot you’ll see often (like your bedroom closet door). Then imagine that slimmer you performing all your everyday tasks.

Water pitcher

Stay hydrated: Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that drinking about 2 cups of water increases your calorie burn by as much as 30 percent for more than an hour. If plain water is too boring, experiment with low-calorie add-ins such as lemon or lime peel, cucumber, mint or a splash of juice.

Nail polish

Calm cravings: Is that carton of ice cream in the freezer calling your name? Before you dig in, wait 10 minutes and occupy your mind with another activity such as painting your nails, playing solitaire on the computer or speaking to a friend on the phone. When you’re done, chances are your hankering for the treat will have subsided.

Food journal

Be aware of your eating: It’s easy to forget all those little extra bites—and additional calories!—you take in throughout the day. To keep track, start a food journal and be completely honest about everything you eat (yes, including those free grocery store samples). Your aim is to determine where your unnecessary calories are sneaking in and why, so you can gradually weed them out.

Tall, skinny glass

Limit calories from drinks: When you’re sipping anything else besides water, choose a tall, elongated glass rather than a short, stout one—you'll drink less without even thinking about it. People typically pour themselves more of a beverage when they use a small, wide glass, according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Opaque container

Conceal junk food: Keep bad-for-you food in opaque tubs on high shelves in your pantry, not in full view or easy reach. Simply seeing snacks can lead you to eat them—workers consumed two more candies per day when sweets were on their desks in clear bowls than if the bowls were covered or opaque, found a study in the International Journal of Obesity.

Pumpkin Lasagne

No need to roast fresh pumpkin for this dish (although you certainly could); using canned unseasoned pumpkin puree is much quicker, and it works just fine. Like most lasagnes, this one is easier to cut if left to set for ten minutes or so before serving.

Our Pairing Suggestion

The sweet pumpkin and rich Parmesan require a powerful white with some sweetness of its own. An Oregon Pinot Gris will be perfect.

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 2 onions, chopped
3. 2 pounds Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves washed well and chopped
4. 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
5. 1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
6. 1 teaspoon dried sage
7. 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8. 3 cups canned pumpkin puree (one 28-ounce can)
9. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
10. 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
11. 1/2 cup milk
12. 9 no-boil lasagne noodles (about 6 ounces)
13. 1 tablespoon butter 

 
 

1. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and add the chard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook, stirring, until the chard is wilted and no liquid remains in the pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups of the pumpkin, 3/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
3. Pour the milk into an 8-by-12-inch baking dish. Top the milk with one third of the noodles, then spread half the pumpkin mixture over the noodles. Layer half the Swiss chard over the pumpkin and top with a second layer of noodles. Repeat with another layer of pumpkin, Swiss chard, and noodles. Combine the remaining 1 cup of pumpkin and 3/4 cup of cream. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the lasagne, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan, and dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

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Recipe: Beer-Battered Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Soak

1. 3 cups buttermilk
2. 2 tablespoons kosher salt
3. 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
4. 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
5. 4 pounds medium chicken wings, thighs and drumsticks

Beer Batter

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 2 teaspoons onion powder
3. 2 teaspoons garlic powder
4. 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
5. 2 teaspoons kosher salt
6. 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
7. 18 ounces crisp beer, such as lager or pilsner (2 1/4 cups)
8. Vegetable oil, for frying 

 

1. MAKE THE BUTTERMILK SOAK: In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk with the salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate for 4 hours.
2. MAKE THE BEER BATTER: In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Whisk in the beer to make a thin batter.
3. Drain the chicken and thoroughly pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Transfer the chicken to the batter, turning to coat.
4. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350°. Set a rack over a baking sheet and line the rack with paper towels. Lift the chicken from the bowl, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Fry the chicken in batches at 315°, turning once, until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 160°; about 18 minutes for wings and 20 minutes for thighs, breasts and drumsticks. Transfer the fried chicken to the rack and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead The fried chicken can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours.

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