Weight loss Tip 101

It's all a matter of time. Getting healthier and losing weight takes the same thing as anything else worthwhile; time.

Getting fitter and stronger and eating healthier food takes time and effort and plenty of it.

The good news is that after a while doing the right things becomes second nature and it doesn't feel like you are doing anything special at all - you're just living your new life.

Weight loss tip 102

Say no to soft drinks, and say goodbye to 15 unwanted kilos per year.

Millions of people drink an average of 2 regular soft drinks a day, which adds an extra 1350Kj or 320 calories a day to their dietary intake. When you add these extra kilojoules up over a year, they result in around 15 kilograms of weight gain!

Would you like to lose 15kgs in one year?

Weight loss tip 103

Don't try to eliminate fat altogether, as dietary fat is necessary to maintain a healthy body.

Dietary fat is a vital component for building body tissue and cells, and it aids in the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients.

Many people eat too much of the bad fats, but also eat too little of the good fats required for optimal health.

Weight loss tip 104

Skate your way to good health.

Do you remember rolling around on skates as a child or teenager? Did gliding down the street or around the rink make you feel free?

You probably didn't even notice you were exercising. When exercise is fun it's easy to keep doing. When exercise is too hard and no fun, many of us get bored and unmotivated and stop altogether.

Weight loss tip 105

Let your clothes be your guide.

'Clothes don't lie' is something a friend said to me the other day, and they're right.

They were explaining that their clothes were starting to feel tighter and it was time to up the intensity of their exercise.

Rather than buy larger clothes, they diet and exercise until their clothes fit comfortably.

Weight loss tip 106

Beware of the three elements that most often lead to poor food choices.

Three elements that commonly lead to poor food choices are Habit, Emotion and Opportunity.

Being aware of these three traps may help you avoid poor food choices so that you can achieve your weight loss goal.

Habit leads to poor food choices because it leads to unconscious behaviour, like choosing food which tastes the best and buying more food than we need.

Emotional eating is very common and results in us managing our moods with food. Eating chocolates, cake or ice cream when we're sad or depressed is only one example. Drinking alcohol and eating a five course meal to help us celebrate is another.

Opportunity in the context of poor food choices relates to having poor food choices readily available. An example of this would be to keep potato chips, cans of cola and sweets in our pantry. If this type of food isn't there when we crave it, we can't eat it.

Weight loss tip 107

Make sure there's a bowl of fruit in the office kitchen.

Having a bowl of fruit available in the office kitchen at all times will help those who sometimes need to skip lunch because of meeting.

It will also help those of us who normally make poor afternoon or mid-morning snack choices.

Fresh fruit is a little like cookies or chocolate; if it's there, people will eat it.

Weight loss tip 108

Manage stress and boredom with exercise, not food.

Many of us turn to junk food when we're bored or stressed.

Why not try going for a walk or jog instead, or better yet, pump some iron or go a few rounds on a punching bag, you'll feel a lot better.

Managing stress and boredom with food only leads to more emotional issues, like guilt, self-pity and unhappiness, particularly when we are already overweight and are trying to do something positive about it.

Exercise on the other hand not only helps us relieve stress and boredom, it also helps us achieve our weight loss and fitness goals.

Weight loss tip 109

Always keep a container of cereal and a protein bar in your desk drawer at work.

Whole grain cereal is high in fibre and protein bars are usually high in (you guessed it), protein.

Fibre and protein are great because they keep us feeling full longer, so they make a great snack or emergency breakfast or lunch.

Weight loss tip 110

Understand how the weather affects your food choices.

If you're like most of us, you choose comfort food choices in winter and eat more salads during summer.

By keeping this in mind, you are better able to mix-it-up during the colder months and include the odd healthy soup or meat and salad sandwich instead of the hamburger and fries combo.

Weight loss tip 111

Sushi is now a popular lunch option among those of us who buy our lunch ocassionally.

The problem is that the Sushi we buy is often "Australianised" to suit our Western palates.

When you're choosing between Sushi dishes, choose sashimi instead, or choose sushi filled with Chicken or Tuna instead of fried fillings. Also try to avoid dressings like mayonnaise and use salty flavour enhancers like soy sauce sparingly.