Don’t Take the Shortcut

There are many ‘diets’ out there which promise so much it is tempting to take the easy route and simply follow a specific plan. Easy route? Many of you will be thinking that no diet is ‘easy!’ and you are right which is why they are not sustainable.

Most of these plans will work for a while but are fraught with problems and can make everyday life a real challenge. On the other hand you don’t have to think about yourself and what you like, how you live or in fact anything that is vital to understand if your diet is going to work!

If you are serious about being slimmer for life and not just for an occasion or holiday, then making some lifestyle changes in terms of how you eat and move will be the best way to improve your health and manage your weight long term.

Diets that promise quick weight loss tend to be negative and restrictive which = Temporary

Modifying what you eat and possibly how much you eat of certain foods = Manageable for Life

So how do you modify? Well it means not ruling out your favorites but limiting the frequency of their appearance! If you think of ‘quantity’ as a scale; at the bottom are the chips, at the top are the unlimited vegetables and in between are the moderate portions of meat and beans, whole grains and low fat dairy.

Remember we are always looking to support our health when deciding how to make up our calories.

The bad:

Sweets and chocolate, no shock there! Made from sugar and fat, clearly one for moderation but if you can’t lose this one then stick to fun size and only ONE at a TIME!!

Pastries, again fat & sugar but this time with refined flour. If a Danish contains apples it is no better so does not slip into the ‘good’ side.

Deep-Fried….anything! It might taste great but will not be sustaining and will work hard to prevent you from reaching your weight loss goals.

Chips in whatever guise, even sweet potato ones are mostly ‘empty’ calories with very few nutrients.

White bread. With the fibre removed very few nutrients are left and the ability to fill you up is lost.

How to increase the Good:

Try to eat as many calories from fresh, whole ‘single ingredient’ food as you can e.g. meat, nuts, vegetables.

Some processed foods do have a place in a healthy diet such as wholegrain bread, pasta and brown rice but should be eaten in moderation compared to the above.

Always aim to Eat The Rainbow and keep your food interesting.

Deprivation does not work long term, FACT.

Controlling your diet is definitely more important that exercise when it comes to losing weight, however, in order to speed up the process and sustain weight loss it is essential.

Just as we would not change everything at once in our diets the same applies to exercise.  Start slowly and build up when you feel ready.  What suits you, your body and your lifestyle will not suit everyone so don’t be persuaded to do activities that you won’t enjoy.  They won’t last and you could feel a failure when in fact that just wasn’t your style.

We all have the capability to change our eating habits and improve our health.  Some of us need help, just make sure that help is specific to you.