Top tips for losing weight
Posted by Eamonn Brady on
1 – Don’t go on a crash diet . . . successful slimming is more likely to be achieved by subtle changes in your eating habits and lifestyle.
2 – Eat slowly and you’ll eat less . . . put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls, sip water with your meals and take smaller bites. It takes a while for your body to recognise that it’s had enough food - the slower you can eat, the less you’ll want.
3 – Don’t ban any foods . . . from your slimming plan – especially food you like. Enjoy a small portion from time to time. Banning foods will only make you crave them more.
4- Visualise how you’re going to look . . . when you reach your slimming goal. What will you be doing? How will you feel? What clothes will be in your wardrobe?
5 – Never give up . . . on your goal, it will take time. There is no quick fix so expect to remain focused the long haul.
6 – Keep a food diary . . . preferably calorie counted. This will allow you to focus on which foods you are likely to overeat and when you’re likely to do so.
7– Don’t go shopping . . . when you’re hungry – you will be more likely to buy food, especially confectionary when you are hungry.
8 – Be nice to yourself . . . if you have a bad day, don’t dwell on it. Congratulate yourself on how many good days you’ve had and realise that one bad day isn’t going to spoil it all.
9 – Get some exercise . . .successful slimming requires exercise to be part of the plan. It doesn’t have to be hard – even 20-30 minutes of fairly brisk walking a day will make a big difference.
10 – Reward yourself . . . give yourself a treat for each pound and stone you lose. New clothes make a great incentive when you’re slimming – you could put a few euro per pound lost in a kitty!
Losing more “inches than pounds”
It is important to realise that when you are trying to lose weight, you will find that you will lose “more inches than pounds” initially. This is because you are replacing fat with lean tissue, and lean tissue is heavier than fat. Therefore, you cannot gauge your progress by the weighing scales alone.