Healthy Habits: Beating Diet Boredom and Post-Weight-Loss Fashion

With New Year’s resolutions come new opportunities for “Oh!” moments—those moments when you look and feel confident, empowered and happy. Progresso is excited to announce it’s teaming-up with celebrity news correspondent Catt Sadler to applaud these moments with the ProgressOh! Makeover Contest, now open for entries.

In an effort to help you get 2014 off to a healthy start, Catt is dishing her top tips for beating diet boredom and dressing with style after achieving weight-management goals.

Avoiding diet boredom:

• Focusing on healthier alternatives is an easy way to get inspired and try new, adventurous meals!  If there is a new recipe you’ve been dying to make, go for it! Just make sure you look for opportunities to substitute healthy, lighter ingredients where necessary.
• One of the biggest mistakes people make trying to lose weight is not planning ahead. There are so many tasty options when it comes to healthier meals and snacks but if you haven’t prepared any in advance, you're likely to cave and make poor decisions when cravings creep up on you!  Have a fresh fruit salad stored in the fridge, some unsalted almonds within reach, or have some delicious Progresso Light Soup options stocked in your pantry so you are ready when hunger strikes!
• Sometimes the best way to avoid diet boredom is to make small changes. I enjoy checking out my favorite cooking blogs and websites for variations on dishes. For example, I love pasta so I went to www.Progresso.com and found a great recipe for vegetarian Italian pasta using Progresso Light Italian-style vegetable soup.
• Don’t let a shift in your diet steer you away from the real world. You can still enjoy a meal out, just insist on the healthier options. Try steamed vegetables instead of French fries or a turkey or veggie burger instead of the usual cheeseburger.
• Paying attention to portion size is critical. You don't have to deprive yourself of foods you love, just pay closer attention to how large your servings are. While you're trying to slim down, try using smaller plates for your meals. The illusion of a full plate won't leave you feel unfulfilled. 

 

Fashion tips:

• This is NOT a time to blend in! To show off your new and improved body, choose bright colors and bold prints that help you get noticed and express the strong, increasingly confident person you've become! You can mix and match prints (which is still a fashion trend this year) and play with lots of textures, too. Those days of trying to blend in are O-V-E-R!
• Often when we're unhappy with our bodies we tend to hide in our boyfriend jeans or oversized sweaters and jackets; it's time to tuck these away. Now that you're feeling fantastic, select more fitted silhouettes that reveal just how hard you've been working! It may be difficult to get out of the habit of "covering up," but embrace your slimmed down curves and don't hesitate to show off the goods with streamlined clothes and even sexier cuts that accentuate your body. 
• For the first time in years we've been seeing pastels in the winter time! Don't wait for summer to bust out your pinks, lilacs and baby blues.  Show off the new you by showing you know exactly what's on trend.  Accompany that new pair of fitted jeans with a soft yellow sweater and baby pink lip gloss. Your friends will admire your bold choices!
• Often when we don't feel our best, we're not motivated to dress up. Sneakers and sweat pants can be the 'uniform.' Now that you're looking and feeling great, try dressing up more than usual.
• You know the old saying, ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’? Well, this applies to the way you want to be perceived by your peers and is truly a reflection of how you're feeling inside. Dress for success and you'll continue being successful in most areas of your life, including your new healthier way of living.
• To celebrate the slimmer you, splurge and buy yourself one new piece of clothing. Naturally, the biggest reward of all is acknowledging that your hard work and dedication has paid off, but splurging on one new blouse or a pair of pants one size smaller certainly validates the new, thinner you. Rocking a brand new chic blazer sure says OH! to me!
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The top three ProgressOh! Makeover Contest fans will be awarded with an ultimate makeover experience in Los Angeles. The makeover includes roundtrip airfare and accommodations for four days/three nights, a $1,000 gift card and two tickets to a taping of E! “Fashion Police.”