I’ve been either dieting or maintaining my weight since I was a teenager, and along the way I’ve discovered some tools that will help you on your weight loss journey.
OXO Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
A kitchen scale is the unsung hero of the cooking world. It’s not just about getting those precise measurements (though it totally nails that), but it’s the secret weapon for making your dishes taste amazing every single time.
This little guy ensures your recipes are on point, making sure your meals taste just as fantastic as the last time you whipped them up. This gadget seriously steps up your kitchen game, making everything easier, tastier, and more consistent.
I use it nearly every day. It weighs food up to 11 pounds, and has a pull-out display that lets you easily see the numbers when you have a large bowl on the scale. That one feature makes this purchase worth it for me. I also use this scale with the below vacuum sealer to freeze measured amounts of chicken, shrimp, salmon and more.
Withings Body Digital Wi-Fi Smart Scale
Every morning I groggily amble to the bathroom to weigh myself on this smart scale, and a few minutes later the weight appears on my phone. It’s magic, I tell you!
The display first shows you your weight (natch), but then it displays a graph of how much weight you’ve lost or gained since you last weighed in (I LOVE this). It can even show you your steps, your current BMI, the day’s weather, and wish you a Happy Birthday!
This scale has been instrumental in my weight loss because it is so easy to use. And it is usually around $60 so it is cheaper than other smart scales with the same functions.
Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender
I use this Vitamix 5200 blender every single day for low-calorie breakfast smoothies. Not only does it blend my smoothie to perfection (just like you’d get in a smoothie shop), but it also is incredibly useful in the kitchen in general.
If you’re on a mission to shed pounds and embrace a healthier lifestyle, investing in a Vitamix blender is a game-changer. With its impressive blending capabilities, it effortlessly transforms fibrous veggies, fruits, and even leafy greens into velvety, nutrient-packed drinks that are not only delicious but incredibly filling. The result? You’ll find yourself swapping out sugary snacks for satisfying, low-calorie, and high-fiber smoothies that keep hunger at bay.
Yes, it is an expensive investment, but I got mine on a huge sale at Amazon so watch out for those. They are also sometimes available certified refurbished right from Vitamix or from Amazon.
Plus, the Vitamix makes it easy to experiment with various ingredients and concoct nutritious, whole-food recipes that are tailored to your taste. In the long run, investing in a Vitamix is investing in your health and weight loss goals.
Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro
I love this vacuum sealer!
I can buy chicken in bulk and then freeze it in 1 pound batches for later use. It is so much cheaper this way, and with how expensive groceries are these days this is no small matter.
Vacuum sealing also helps maintain the freshness and flavor of food, making it a fantastic choice for sous-vide cooking.
It’s also great for marinating meat. You seal it all up together and the vacuum makes the marinade permeate the meat much more quickly.
Moreover, it enables efficient meal prepping, allowing you to portion and store meals in advance, ultimately saving time during busy weekdays.
I also find I waste much less food now. I can easily seal up leftovers for the freezer and they don’t get freezer burn. I highly recommend this great piece of kitchen equipment.
6-Quart Instant Pot Duo
For making perfect hard-boiled eggs, stock, easy dinners, and more, the Instant Pot is a workhorse in my kitchen.
I use mine nearly daily. It is so easy to clean (even the lid goes in the dishwasher) and gets food cooked very quickly. This is nothing like the pressure cooker I remember my mom using when I was a kid.
The Instant Pot is a game-changer when it comes to weight loss. You can whip up healthy and delicious meals in a flash, thanks to its speedy cooking abilities. Plus, it’s incredibly versatile, allowing you to prepare everything from soups and stews to steamed veggies and lean proteins with ease.
The best part is, the pressure cooking process retains the nutrients in your food, so you’re getting maximum nutrition with minimal effort. Say goodbye to those calorie-laden takeout orders! Read more about why I recommend an Instant Pot for weight loss and maintenance.
Lose It iPhone & Android App
I’ve tried My Fitness Pal, Noom, and many others, and Lose It is by far the best dieting and maintenance program out there. It is a fantastic calorie tracking app for CICO (“Calories In Calories Out” – calorie counting) weight loss. It connects to your smart scale, or you can enter your weight manually daily, and calculates that day’s calorie budget for you based on your weight and goals.
You can add your favorite recipes for easy tracking. It shows a detailed weight loss progress graph, and every time you lose 5 pounds it gives you a reward! (I won’t spoil the surprise, but it is both fun and motivating.) You can easily track macros, and its food database is very large and accurate.
In short, the only thing I don’t recommend about Lose It is the web version. It has clearly not been updated in years and is clunky and hard to use. But if you have an iPhone, iPad, or an Android device, that’s all you need!
Douglas Laboratories Ultra Preventive 1 Daily Vitamins
These highly-concentrated vitamins are great insurance to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need while you’re restricting your calories. Have you had weight loss surgery? These are a fantastic choice for you once you’re able to take pills again.
My nutritionist loves them, and every time I get bloodwork done, I’m well within range for everything.
“Ultra Preventive 1 Daily comprehensive vitamin/mineral/trace element formula with bioavailable nutrient forms to support optimal health and wellness in a once-daily capsule. This formula features CoQ10 for mitochondrial energy; Metafolin® L-5-MTHF folate, vitamin B12 and choline for methylation support; and antioxidants for immune and cellular health.
I feel great about taking such well-made and powerful vitamins.
Plan to Eat: Meal Planning, Recipe Storage, and Grocery Lists
It’s no understatement to say that without Plan to Eat I would have no idea what to make for dinner every night.
I store all my recipes in it so that every Sunday I can use the calendar function to plan what we’re eating for dinner in the coming week. (You can also plan snacks, breakfast, and lunch if you like, but I’m not that organized.)
For me, Sundays are much less hectic than the rest of the week and I can take the time to meal plan. And when my meals are planned and the groceries are in the fridge I am significantly less likely to sabotage my diet with takeout or high-calorie frozen food.
You can easily import recipes from the web, including those from Shrink Violet, with just one click.
Then I use the grocery list feature on my phone to go shopping for all the ingredients I need. It’s so simple and well done that I’ve been doing this routine since 2014! That’s how effective it is.
The button below will get you a discount.
Instacart Grocery Delivery
After I meal plan in Plan to Eat, I go grocery shopping. And by “go” I mean sit on my couch and poke around on the Instacart app on my iPad. During the peak of COVID I started getting my groceries delivered, and now I’m never going back.
No more junk food impulse buys! It’s so easy to buy only what is on your list when you can’t see the potato chips at checkout.
Apple Watch
I wear my Apple Watch Series 8 about 20+ hours a day. I take it off to charge it, but other than that it is on my wrist. I track my sleep and workouts on it, I read email, I monitor my heart rate, I check the weather, and I keep an eye on my reminders and calendar items.
I have alarms set to remind me to drink water, feed the dogs, exercise, and get up in the morning. In short, it runs my life so I don’t have to. (And with ADHD this is a game-changer.)
Looking for a deal? The SE model is priced well, plus Apple sells refurbished Apple Watches too.
Calorie Counting
And of course, given the content of this web site, there’s calorie counting! I publish delicious low-calorie recipes which aren’t too complicated to make. Check out breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, my favorite: desserts, and more!
Are there any tools or products you love that I didn’t mention? Please share them below – give me the benefit of your expertise.
