Ten ToP Tips
The following top tips will help you make the most of your weight loss opportunity:
1. Eat more slowly. When you are having a meal, don't do anything else but eat. Focus on the food, its taste and chewing it slowly and thoroughly to enjoy it. Savouring your food will mean your body registers it has eaten and you will feel full and satisfied. This will reduce your cravings between meals for snacks.
2. Always sit down to a meal and put the food on a plate. Never snack directly from a bag! Buy some new, smaller plates and bowls to serve your food on, subtly reducing your portions in that way.
3. If you feel like snacking or having seconds after a meal, always wait 20 minutes. Better still, drink some water, since thirst is often mistaken for hunger. The craving will most likely disappear.
4. Choose fruits and vegetables to give you your calories wherever possible. They are the healthiest choice, giving you vitamins and nutrients as well as being full of fibre that makes you feel full and satisfied after eating.
5. Shop carefully. Only buy healthy food that you can use to make meals that suit your macros and meal planning. Keep only healthy snacks in your pantry, not junk food or processed food high in sugar and calories. This will reduce your likelihood of spoiling your diet with a quick unhealthy snack.
6. Plan and, if possible, prepare meals ahead of time. This will prevent impulse snacking or rushed meal substitutions for less healthy options. Taking control of what you eat is powerful and having healthy choices on hand lets you keep to your diet plan without any trouble, especially when you might be feeling hungry.
7. Make yourself accountable. Tell a friend or family member about your diet and goals. Better still, do it with them! Support always helps and it also helps you to stick to your principles and achieve what you want to achieve in the longer term.
8. Get enough sleep. The body to repairs and revives overnight, but sleep is also vital to weight loss. The time sleeping is effectively the body's 'fasting' time, but also lack of sleep may cause overeating to boost energy levels. It is very important to get plenty of good quality sleep, especially when you are dieting.
9. Watch out for Stress! Stress is the enemy of a dieter. Not only will it prevent weight loss due to sleep loss, worry and lack of proper functioning, it can also drive you to eat comfort food in the form of additional, unhealthy snacks.
10. Check the labels of what you eat very carefully. Look out for 'hidden' calories, foods that claim they are 'healthier' alternatives and very fatty snacks. Learn what is in the foods you like and choose well. Be aware of which foods make you feel good, satisfied and energetic.