Don't make any more excuses for your weight
As the New Year becomes a distant memory, the initial motivation to stick to our resolutions can be somewhat lost. The summer holiday still seems so far away but with spring just around the corner, it is important to stick to the diet and not lose track of your end goal.
Izzy Cameron, Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist at Diet Chef, believes that there are things even the most sluggish of dieters can do to keep motivated.
Here Izzy gives her top tips on the ‘lazy guide to dieting’ to help you stick to your goals. No excuses accepted!
Keep breakfast simple
Dieting does not mean having to prepare fiddly or intricate food; sometimes the simplest options are the best for you. For example, opt for porridge over sugary cereals for breakfast and make sure you add some fruit so you tick off one of your five a day before you reach your desk. Porridge is easy to make and will also help keep you full until lunchtime, so will prevent your reaching for the biscuits mid-morning.
Be prepared and have a lie in
We'd all rather have an extra 10 minutes in bed in the morning, so prepare a healthy lunch the night before so there's no excuse to give into temptation at lunchtime. Homemade soups and salads are quick and easy to make and allow you to see what is going into your lunch so there will be no surprise calories.
Exercise vs. Sleep
Incorporating exercise into your regime is important for healthy and sustained weight loss; however, experts agree that getting the correct amount of sleep is also important when managing your weight. When we are tired our bodies crave sugar and carbohydrates, and if it's a case of waking up early to exercise but compromising on our sleep then you should prioritise getting up later. However, this shouldn't be used as an excuse not to exercise at all – you should try and find a time that suits you.
Make some simple tweaks to your daily diet
- Switch the morning coffee for a green tea – although most of us crave caffeine first thing in the morning, a cup of green tea will boost your mood and kick start your day.
- Choose low fat popcorn over crisps for lunch – Popcorn needn’t just be for the cinema! It contains an eighth of the fat content that crisps do and you can have fun at home popping your own!
- Drink more water – Don’t confuse hunger with thirst, more often than not, that hungry feeling is simply our body’s cry for fluids. Before reaching for a snack, have a glass of water and see if this helps.
- Switch the late night snack for a peppermint tea – drinking peppermint tea before bed will not only stop any late night cravings but will also help you get a better night sleep by releasing the tension in your muscles.
Satisfy your sweet tooth
For those with a sweet tooth, switch extra sugary desserts for something that will satisfy your taste buds without comprising your waistline. Desserts such as sugar-free jelly or low fat yoghurt will satisfy your cravings but not affect your waistline. On a calorie controlled diet, you are also allowed a snack each day, which includes chocolate treats, meaning you do not feel like you are compromising on your favourite foods and you can still lose weight.
Keep it simple
Soup is a quick and easy meal; what’s more, it's healthy too. With so many combinations of flavours now available, it's easy to expand the taste buds and try new foods whilst also ticking off some of your five a day!
Size Matters
More often than not, portion control can be the downfall for many people. Think carefully about how much food is on your plate and don’t pile it too high. Not only will this help in the short term but is a long term solution for ongoing weight management.
No-prep diets
For those that are time poor and want to take away the hassle of preparing food, diet delivery services are a fantastic way to keep on track. Monthly food hampers are delivered directly to your door and even better, the calorie counting is already done for you.