Sensible Weight Loss Tips

Dieting sucks! We all know it, but these natural weight loss tips will help you take control of your lifestyle and your health. Making positive, healthy choices can make a world of difference to your life and your waistline.

• When hunger hits, drink some water then wait 10 minutes before eating to see if the hunger feeling passes.
• Try to avoid sugar. Highly sweetened foods tend to make you crave more.
• Water itself helps cut down on water retention because it acts as a diuretic. Taken before meals, it dulls the appetite by giving you a feeling of fullness.
• Support is important, and caring people can help one another succeed in making healthy changes, set your goals with a friend.
• Substitute activity for eating. When the cravings hit, go to the gym if possible; or dust, or go for a walk.
• Try to exercise at least 3 times a week.
• Try not to eat after 7pm. If you’re a late-night eater, have a low GI carbohydrate, such as a wholegrain cracker before bedtime to cut down on cravings.
• If you use food as a reward, establish a new reward system. Buy yourself a non-edible reward.
• Weigh yourself once a week at the same time. Your weight fluctuates constantly and you can weigh more at night than you did in the morning, a downer if you have had a great day.
• Leave something on your plate, even if you are a member of the ‘Clean the Plate Club’. It’s a good sign that you can stop eating when you want to, not just when your plate is empty.
• Avoid finger foods that are easy to eat in large amounts. Keep plenty of crunchy foods like raw vegetables and air-popped fat-free popcorn on hand. They’re satisfying and filling.
• Avoid drinking large quantities of fattening liquids, which are so easy to overdo. This includes alcoholic beverages. Sip Chai Tea throughout the day as well as water.
• Don’t shop when you’re hungry, unless you can bypass the biscuits and buy an apple.
• Make the kitchen off-limits at any time other than mealtime. Always eat at the table, never in front of the TV. Concentrate on eating every mouthful slowly and deliberately. Chew everything from 10 to 20 times and count!
• Try to eat 6 smaller meals during the day rather than 3 big meals.
• Never skip meals. Your metabolism will slow down as your body goes into starvation mode.

Most importantly, lose weight for yourself, your health and your self esteem, not to please your family or your friends.