It’s the time of year where the gym is slammed with people trying to lose weight and start the ‘new year, new me’ annual ritual and you can already start to see the stragglers leaving defeated.
I for one, am not a person who diets. A lot of the books you see on the shelves of WHSmiths are fad routines that claim to help you lose weight fast, forgetting that you need to actually maintain this to stay skinny and that it isn’t exactly healthy for your body to be put through these gruelling regimes.
For me, it’s all about the little things that add up in the long run and so here are a few small tips that do make a difference for me.
Skip on the sugar
When you’re feeling the need for a tea or coffee throughout the day it might not cross your mind just how much extra sugar your pumping into your body. Skip the extra sugar and you’ll be making a big difference in the long run.
Take it skinny
A latte from Starbucks might seem like a little treat for yourself each day, but there is a small thing they offer that you can take advantage of- skinny style! I changed my milk at home to skimmed milk as well as each time I need a coffee to make it that little bit less calorific.
Ditch the white
Bread is one of my main pleasures in life; give me it for breakfast, toast for snacks and sandwiches galore! Once I decided to try brown bread instead of white, it was even more enjoyable. Now, I couldn’t even comprehend eating a white bread sandwich anymore, it’s so bland and artificial. It’s the same with pasta and tortilla wraps, once you switch your taste buds and waistline will thank you.
Throw out the fizz
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t beat a bottled coca cola on a hot day and I’ll treat myself when my cravings surface, but all in all the fizz just isn’t great. When you compare the flavours you get from them to fruit juice, teas or flavoured water- it really doesn’t come close. The worst of all of them is the energy drinks that genuinely ruin your teeth, make your breath smell and then have you crashing down to earth with a thud once the caffeine wears off. A friend of mine used to drink them daily and ended up with a hole in their stomach- just throw them out!
Limit the take-out
It can be extremely tempting to get take-away when it is as baltic as it is outside at the moment but the money and the calories add up. Last night alone, I must have seen around fifteen Deliveroo bikers around the city centre in the space of about half an hour so they must be raking in the money right now. If you compare the price you’re spending on a meal from there, you could feed yourself for a week at the same cost and be much healthier. Limit yourself to once a week or less and you’ll savour it more and feel healthier.
Wait for it
Something that I used to do was eat out of boredom or because I just felt like I should and this meant feeding my body unnecessarily and normally indulgently. Now I generally get myself a fruit tea or water if I feel like I need something and wait until my stomach gives me the sign that it actually needs to be fed. Let your stomach do the talking and you’ll stop over-eating just because you can.
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