Spring is in the air and the baggy jumpers and oversized coats will
soon be banished to the back of the wardrobe. If only it were that easy
to be rid of your winter flab! You would go on a diet but you always put
it straight back on again plus a little more for luck. It's not your
fault: weight loss triggers hunger - more than 95% of dieters regain
their lost weight within five years.
No need to panic though, there is a way you can slim down and stay
that way without the need to count calories, embarrass yourself at a
slimming group, starve two days a week or develop a taste for quinoa or
pomegranate seeds.
Short term faddy diets are not the answer. They almost always lead to
rebound weight gain because your appetite remains raised until you have
maintained your new lower weight for at least six months. The key to
becoming slimmer is to adopt a lifestyle diet that helps you permanently
change your eating habits.
Choose wholefoods and home-made meals, rather than buying takeaways,
ready meals, puddings, cakes, biscuits and chocolate. Sugary, fatty
foods stimulate the appetite and are energy dense, and soft drinks add a
lot of calories to your diet. Drink water instead - that's the stuff
that comes free out of the tap. Cut out sugar in tea and coffee and
reduce your intake of alcohol as excessive drinking makes you fat.
Favour meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, beans, nuts, heavy bread,
potatoes and wholegrains. These are the foods your grandparents ate when
obesity was rare and convenience foods didn't exist. If you look very
carefully you will find real food in a far flung corner of your local
supermarket. You may not have eaten this way since you were at primary
school, but only by going back to basics will you have a realistic hope
of achieving the body you desire.
Three protein rich meals a day help you resist the temptation to
snack. Eating more protein makes you feel fuller which compensates for
the increase in appetite caused by weight loss. Include some starchy
carbs with your meals. They prevent the food cravings that sabotage
many diets. Vegetables provide bulk, so don't just leave them on the
side of your plate. A piece of fresh fruit after a meal provides
sweetness now you are no longer eating desserts.
