Well, maybe not 50, but here are a few tried and tested ways that you can chose from:
1. Work out why – we generally find that weight loss is much more successful if you know why you are doing it. A vague ‘I think I ought to’ doesn’t work – that’s easily dismissed when that cake appears in the office. Sadly, a health scare sometimes works, when your GP says ‘you need to lose weight to control your blood pressure / reduce your diabetes risk / reduce the pain in your knees’. But don’t let it get that bad, manage your weight because you matter and you want to do so you can keep fit, mobile and healthy
2. Eat mindfully – don’t vaguely graze or eat your meal whilst watching the TV. Make eating into an occasion – not something that you barely notice you are doing
3. Break some habits – do you always eat your lunch at 12.00 – because that’s lunch time? Or pick at the children’s left overs (because it’s a waste to throw good food away?) or nibble on something every time you go into the kitchen? Notice when you are eating and why. Eating is about putting fuel into your body and you have a really good regulating system (called hunger!) – listen to your body – eat when you are hungry and then stop.
4. Give yourself time – it takes a while for your brain to register what has gone into your stomach – so if you eat really quickly you will eat more than you need because your brain hasn’t had a chance to register that you are full.
5. Don’t sit about in baggy clothes all the time – it just gives you a false sense of your size. Wear something that fits nicely and keep wearing it – let that be a bench mark for weight management – and take action when it feels tight
6. Don’t put your pyjamas on when you get in from work – apart from the baggy fit it also tells your body that that is it for the day – you are heading for hours slumped in front of the TV. Being active is key to managing your weight and hours of sitting down doesn’t help!
7. Get outside – just go for a walk – if you have a ‘wearable’ – great – but find a way of measuring your steps – 10,000 a day really is a good idea – a pedometer, an app on your phone – work out a few routes and then go for it. Build walks into your daily routine, you know how to do it – park further away from your office – get off the bus a stop earlier, walk the dog. Get up half an hour earlier and walk before work. Something ‘sensible’ on your feet and you’re off!
8. Keep your portions small – hopefully what you are eating is really tasty, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat a mountain of it. You don’t have to ‘eat it all up’, (even if your mother did tell you that there were starving children somewhere) you can keep some for another day. Cut your portions and eat slowly – you don’t have to leave the table feeling totally stuffed!
9. Drink water – drink water when you get up, drink water throughout the day (yes, just plain water) and drink it before meals and during meals. Most adults need between 2 – 3 litres water a day and we often mistake thirst for hunger. If your urine gets dark you need more water – it’s simple.
10. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need – OK – that’s really obvious – but how many of us get tempted in the supermarket – that’s what the displays are for – ‘look’, they scream, ‘buy me, I am so lovely – you know you want me’. Don’t get me wrong – the occasional ‘treat’ is fine – but food is fuel – there are other ways of rewarding / comforting yourself.
11. Make every calorie count – this is one of my favourites – ask yourself – ‘is what I am about to eat going to help me to be healthy?’ I could work out how many calories you need in a day – and you could have these as Mars Bars – see the problem? Food needs to be fresh and unprocessed. Cook from scratch whenever you can and snack on nuts and fruit, not chocolate and crisps
12. Drop the alcohol – yes, I know – there’s 50 ways to need a drink – but its more ‘empty calories’ – its stuff that you put into your body that doesn’t fuel it. I’m not saying don’t ever drink – but a small amount now and again is OK – but 2 or 3 glasses regularly is not
13. Write it down. Try keeping a food diary – write down everything (yes, everything) that you eat – you will be amazed. Show your diary to a trusted friend - do you really want them to see what your eating habits are like?! The next step is to think about writing it down – before you eat it – it won’t be long before you realise what you are doing and don’t want to have to write down yet another bag of crisps / bar of chocolate!
14. Get some sleep – losing weight when you are sleep deprived is tough – nigh on impossible – we need about 7 hours a night – be kind to yourself
15. Be accountable – do what you say you are going to do. Work out at least three things from this list that you are going to do this week – write them down and keep to it - move away from the ‘I’ll go on a diet on Monday ‘ approach to a ‘this is what I am doing to manage my weight’ .
Well – that’s 15 ways – and don’t forget – you could always get a Personal Trainer – a good one will help you to stay on track.
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