Follow these rules and you will drop kilos – I promise.
Diet fads come and go. Forget carb-cutting, hypnosis, acupuncture, cabbage-only regimes – the trick is to lasting weight loss is to find a way of eating that is calorie conscious and works with your lifestyle. You need to take in fewer calories than you burn.
Think Your Way Slim. Your brain must be in the game. Remember you are in control and you have to exercise discipline in a land of excess. It is impossible to change your lifestyle in one day, make smaller goals and you will attain them, and the confidence boost will propel you into making better choices and being more ‘mindful’. We eat from boredom, stress, habit or when we are down. Next time you reach for a snack think if you’re actually hungry. Rather than feed your feelings, go for a walk, chat with a friend, or write a journal. Often you need support – someone to talk to!
Downsize your portions. We over consume because we eat with our eyes – if we see it on our plate our brains think we need to finish it. Downsize your dishes to keep your servings in check.
Pump up the Volume. Food’s air, water, fibre and volume content are important.100 calories of raisins is not as satisfying as 100 calories of grapes. Eat a salad piled high with fresh produce rather than thinking about fat, fried and calorie dense. For volume without the calorie hit, opt for fibre rich fruits and veges.
Don’t Drink Calories. Liquids travel too quickly through your stomach for your brain to notice the calorie consumption. Beware of sports drinks, alcohol, sodas – ice water is a negative calorie drink as your body burns calories warming it up!
Snooze More to Lose More. Lack of sleep puts your body under stress, and when that happens it holds on to fat. Skimping on zzz’s causes your body to lose more water, muscle, and other tissue – instead of fat – which slows your metabolism. It can increase your body’s production of ghrelin, an appetite boosting hormone (hello, weight gain!). Hit the hay for 7-8 hours.
Pair Up to Pare Down. Protein, from fish, chicken, meat, eggs, nuts, beans and fibre in whole grains are stay slim staples. When you eat them together, these meal building blocks pack a powerful punch to keep you full. Fibre absorbs water and swells up in your stomach taking up space, and protein sends a hormone signal to your body that makes you feel satiated. The two together are more inclined to lose or maintain weight because you don’t experience blood sugar spikes that can lead to bingeing. Make sure all your meals also contain veges and salads.
Veg Out. No one ever got fat eating too much lettuce, carrots. Cucumbers or tomato!
Front-Load Your Calories. Don’t skip breakfast! Eating first thing revs your calorie burn. Omitting breakfast can slow down your metabolism to conserve energy – and that is never a good thing!
Make Friends with Fat. Fat has more than twice the calories of carbs or protein, but your body needs fat to function. The type of fat matters. Look to plant sources like olive oil, nuts, and fish for healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. Saturated fat and trans in meat, whole fat dairy, biscuits, and cakes can raise the risk of heart disease – so think of these as treats and keep portions small or veer to low fat varieties.
Make Food the Main Event. Australians spend more time eating while distracted. Our stomach don’t recognise when we are comfortably full when our minds aren’t focused on the meal. You should sit down and eat and be ‘mindful’ of you food. You only taste the food when you chew it, when it is swallowed it is just calories – carve out time to enjoy and savour every mouthful.
Go Ahead and Have the Lolly. When you have an all-or-nothing mentality, you are setting yourself up to fail. Don’t let a slipup leave you feeling defeated and cause you to give up. Instead, indulge every once in a while. Knowing you can have a treat and enjoy it takes the D-word out if the picture and makes it easier to stick to healthy choices most of the time.
Be a Food Sleuth. “Reduced fat” or “reduced calorie” on a food label or menu often don’t mean very much. When you see these good-for-you claims – low carb, heart healthy, organic, we think we can get away with eating more. BEWARE!
Move It! Exercise is one of the finest gifts you can give yourself. It burns extra calories, boosts your metabolic rate and has a positive impact on your mood. When you are feeling down in the dumps, head for the treadmill, not for the fridge!