110 Weight loss tips

Weight loss Tip 1

When eating out, always choose the smallest portion size available. When we choose larger meals, most of us tend to eat past the point of hunger and in doing so consume more kilojoules than we need which contributes to weight gain. Remember that if you are still hungry after choosing a smaller meal, you can always fill up with something else and enjoy a wider variety of tastes in the process.

Weight loss Tip 2

If we absolutely must eat chips, opting for straight-cut and fatter chips instead of crinkle-cut and thin chips will help minimize fat intake.Straight-cut and fat chips have less surface area than crinkle-cut and thin chips so hold less fat. Extra fat equals extra taste, but if we want to lose weight we have to make some sacrifices!

Weight loss Tip 3

Try drinking a glass of water before a meal. If you tend to overeat at certain meal times (like diner for example), try drinking a medium to large glass of water 10 to 15 minutes before you sit down to that meal. Drinking water before your meal will partially fill your stomach and may reduce your hunger levels, because often when we think we are feeling hunger, our body is actually telling us that it is getting dehydrated and needs some water.

Weight loss Tip 4

Offer to be the “designated driver” more often. If you go out for dinner and drinks with family and friends, offering to be the designated driver will save you hundreds of kilojoules because you can’t drink as much alcohol.In addition to drinking fewer kilojoules, you’ll probably eat less as well because alcohol often makes us “let our guard down” and eat when we are no longer hungry.

Weight loss Tip 5

If you often find yourself reaching for chocolate or lollies in between meals, try eating a handful or two of mixed, unsalted nuts instead. For best results, mix your own and include nuts that you don’t necessarily eat on their own. Eating mixed nuts together means you won’t even notice the ones you don’t normally eat. Although some nuts are relatively high n fat, the fat they contain is good fat that our body needs to stay healthy. And because they are so filling, you will probably end up consuming far less total calories than if you ate a less healthy alternative.

Weight loss Tip 6

Try to break unhealthy food associations. Many of us get into the habit of enjoying unhealthy food and drink while we’re doing everyday things like watching our favourite TV shows, visiting cinemas, going to our favourite club, etc. Every time you go to the movies do you habitually order a large popcorn, ice-cream, large coke, bag of lollies or chocolates before sitting down? Or can you watch your favourite soap opera without a cup of coffee or tea and a few chocolate biscuits? If the answer is yes and no respectively, you could have some unhealthy food associations that could be making you heavier or preventing you from losingweight.

Weight loss Tip 7

If you often fail to go on planned bicycle rides because it’s too windy, reconsider. If it’s windy outside, it does make it harder to ride our bikes, particularly heading directly into a strong wind. But for those of us who want to lose wight, this is actually a good thing because the harder we are forced to work, the more calories we’ll burn each minute! Just be sure not to try to maintain the same speed you were doing with the wind when you’re against it, you may get your heart rate a bit higher than is absolutely necessary. Just slow down a little and enjoy the ride (as best you can under the circumstances!).

Weight loss Tip 8

Get into the habit of carrying a bottle of water with you wherever you go.Keeping water handy will help keep you sufficiently hydrated and will help stop you reaching for the closest thing available when you inevitably become thirsty, such as carbonated drinks full of sugar or coffee, which actually causes further dehydration.It’s a well documented fact that many of us often mistake hunger for thirst and actually eat unnecessary calries when we are actually thirsty. When we are well hydrated, we’re also less likely to overeat when we do sit down at the table.

Weight loss Tip 9

If you’re a weekend food binger, plan ahead to make sure you have plenty of healthier snacking options in the house.For example, pre-prepare some air-popped popcorn, mix up a blend of your favourite unsalted nuts, have some low fat yogurts ready to go in the fridge and try adding a dash of cordial to carbonated mineral water instead of drinking high sugar colas, etc.

Weight loss Tip 10

Opt for lighter choices once in a while at restaurants.Many restaurants have lighter options on their menus these days, some have low-fat options and some have even jumped on the low-carb band wagon and offer low-carb options. Whenever you’re sitting in a restaurant looking through the menu, ask yourself if a lighter option would be a better choice. Where possible choose steamed, poached, boiled or baked foods rather than those that have been fried or deep fried.

Weight loss Tip 11

Try to reduce the Fat, Sugar and alt in your die.Diets high in fat and sugar are typically also very high in kilojoules or calories which when combined with low levels of exercise or activity can contribute greatly to us being overweight.In addition, excessive levels of fat, sugar and salt in our diets have been shown to contribute to a variety of serious health conditions.Foods that are ‘low in fat’ have 3g or less fat per 100g. Drinks low in fat have 1.5ml or less per 100ml.Foods ‘low in sugar’ have 5g or less per 100g and drinks low in sugar have 2.5g or less per 100ml.Foods ‘low in salt’ have 120mg or less per 100g.While all the foods we eat won’t have levels of fat, sugar and salt as low as this, these measures can be useful when we are comparing food options.

Weight loss Tip 12

Join a gym or hire a personal trainer with a friend.Joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer with a friend has many advantages.Foremost among these advantages are that you’ll have a workout buddy, who can keep you motivated and keep you company while you get used to the gym environment and exercising regularly, and you’ll save money because most gyms and personal trainers offer discounts when you join or train with a friend.Just be careful to make sure that both of you are as committed to exercise as each other and be prepared for the time when your workout buddy isn’t able, or doesn’t want to, workout any more or as regularly as you do.Hopefully by the time this happens (if it happens at all), you’ll have made new friends at the gym or enjoy exercising so much that you are motivated and happy enough to do it on your own or find a new workout buddy.

Weight loss Tip 13

Participate in a weight loss chalenge.Getting yourself a diet buddy or buddies and setting yourself a 12 week weight loss goal is a great way to lose weight.Losing weight when you’ve got someone else to compete against will give you extra motivation and help you to stay on track.The members of the Weightloss Forum currently have such challenges which you can participate in simply by registering as a member of the forum, which is totally free.

Weight loss Tip 14

Walk for a ½ hour instead of watching TV.Some people believe that watching TV is a great way to wind-
down after a hard day and doing exercise is often the last thing on their minds.But going for a half-hour or hours walk instead of plonking down in front of the TV can help you de-stress, clear your mind and set you up for a relaxing evening and a great night’s sleep.You can make the walk even better if you take your partner, children or dog with you.

Weight loss Tip 15

Share an entree or dessert with a friend.Many of us put on weight because we make careless or unconscious eating decisions, like automatically ordering an entree or dessert while at a restaurant.Most restaurants main meals are already too big and as well as eating them, many of us eat entrees and/or desserts as well.If this sounds like you, start sharing your entree or dessert with a friend and your waist-line will thank you.

Weight loss Tip 16

Vary your exercise.In addition to helping us avoid boredom, adding variety to our exercise program actually helps us lose more weight and become fitter.When we perform the same exercises at the same intensity, our bodies get used to our routine and stops responding. Muscles only get stronger when they need to adapt. By changing exercises and the order in which we do them, we keep our body guessing and force it to respond and adapt.

Weight loss Tip 17

To get a an idea of your fitness level before starting a new exercise program, try running or walking for 12 minutes and see how far you get.If you can walk or run 1.6 kilometres in 12 minutes or less, then you’re in decent shape. Most beginners won’t make it this far in under 12 minutes, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t.Beginners should start out at a comfortable pace and increase their speed as their fitness improves.

Weight loss Tip 18

Eat leaner red meat & poultry. Fat contains 37 kilojoules (9 calories) per gram while protein and carbohydrates only contain around 17 kilojoules (4 calories) per gram so it makes sense to try to reduce the amount of dietary fat in our diets if we are trying to lose weight. One relatively simple way of doing this is to eat the leanest red meat and poultry available to us. As well as buying the leanest meat and poultry we can in the first place, we can also trim off any access fat from our cuts of meat and remove any skin from our poultry.

Weight loss Tip 19

One of the reasons many of us are putting on weight year after year is that we have lost all sense of correct portion sizes.Because most meals served in restaurants and at home are much larger than we actually need to maintain a healthy body weight, some people use a very simple technique to successfully lose weight and keep it off – they only eat half of what is on their plate! Could this work for you?

Weight loss Tip 20

Walk during your lunch break.For most of us our lunch break is an ideal time to go for a walk but many people miss this opportunity to build their fitness, relieve stress and burn precious extra calories.If you aren’t motivated enough to go walking alone, organise a walking group among your colleagues, you’re sure to find other people who want to get fitter and lose a little weight.

Weight loss Tip 21

Park your car further away from the shops and walk.Increasing the amount of incidental exercise we do each day is one of the secrets to successful weight loss.By parking further away from the shops than you normally would you’ll force yourself to increase the number of steps you take in a day which will help burn off extra calories and help improve your fitness.

Weight loss Tip 22

Set Realistic Goals.Successful weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, it takes months and years, not days and weeks.Concentrate more on changing your habits than you do on what your bathroom scales say and with time what they tell you will start to reflect the changes you’ve made in your life.

Weight loss Tip 23

Don’t Keep Goodies You Can’t Resist In The Cupboard.Keeping chocolates, lollies, soft drink and other tempting goodies in your cupboards makes eating them inevitable.Even people with very strong will power have moments of weakness from time to time and if we’ve got a lot of weight to lose, will power is not likely to be one of our strong points.Clean your cupboards out (including those nooks and crannies where you’ve got an emergency stash of chocolate hidden!).What you’ll find if you do is that when you go looking for goodies to satisfy a craving you’ll be forced to eat a healthier option which in time will become your new habit.And remember; there are plenty of shops full of goodies that will still be there when you’re ready to eat them in moderation again.

Weight loss Tip 24

Have A Support System In Place To Help You Stay Honest.Because dieting is a day to day challenge it becomes easy to feel lonely. At the end of the day, dieting is one of those things that no one can do for you but they can help; particularly if they are dieting themselves or have successfully dieted in the past.Having a support system can take many forms including family and friends you trust, work colleagues or fellow dieters on a weight loss forum like ours.Sometimes having a solid support system is the only way to make it through a tough day.If you’ve been obsessing over a particular food or you’re tempted to eat for reasons other than being hungry, a telephone call, an email or writing a post on a forum may be just the way for you to regain control.

Weight loss Tip 25

Eat More Than Just Three Meals A Day.If you’ve ever dieted before you’ll know that 3 meals a day just doesn’t cut it; particularly when the new diet severely restricts calories.When we restrict calories, our body senses it and slows down our metabolism (the rate at which it burns energy) to compensate. One way of overcoming this is to eat smaller meals more frequently, say every two or three hours or five to six times per day.

Weight loss Tip 26

Pre-Plan All Of Your Meals.There’s an old saying in business “Plan the work – work the plan”.This saying is just as applicable to successful dieting as it is to successful business.By pre-planning and where possible pre-preparing your meals, you’ll find those times when you’re in a situation where you’re tempted just to grab a quick take away and set your diet back weeks will almost disappear.

Weight loss Tip 27

Keep A Food Diary Or Weight Loss Diary.Keeping a log of what you eat, when and why you eat it allows you to look at the big picture and learn more about your eating habits.Be sure to write down as much information as possible and use the knowledge you gain to plan ahead and change your daily eating habits for good.

Weight loss Tip 28

When Eating Out, Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For What You Need.In the future, restaurants are going to be forced to make their mainstream menus much healthier as more and more of us become increasingly conscious and knowledgeable about good nutrition and demand to be offered healthier food choices. Until then it’s going to be up to us individually to speak up and ask for what we want.Luckily, most restaurants are getting used to adapting their food to the dietary needs of their patrons. Most waiters don’t even batter an eyelid when someone requests an entrée sized meal as their main, their salad dressing on the side, or their fish steamed instead of pan-fried.

Weight loss Tip 29

Shop With A List And Shop The Perimeter.Have you ever noticed that in every supermarket you’ve visited, regardless of its banner, that the staple products, like bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy (notice that most of these are unprocessed) are situated around the perimeter while products like chocolate, soft drinks, potato chips, biscuits, lollies and the like are in the aisles near the centre of the supermarket.This being the case, those of us watching our weight should do most of our shopping around the outside of the supermarket and only venture into the inner sanctum for other essential items. We just need to be aware that some of those essential items will be strategically placed right next to the chocolate bars and this is where our shopping list comes in.Once you have your shopping list, only buy things that are on it and nothing else.

Weight loss Tip 30

Look To The Mirror And How Clothes Fit Instead Of Scales.Let’s face it, how we look and feel is what matters most.Don’t get too caught up on what you weigh. Scales don’t differentiate between body fat and muscle (even those fancy ones that purport to do so) and body weight is only one of the measures that can provide us with feedback about our progress.So what if you’ve only dropped a kilo or two, or even weigh the same as you did when you started! The important thing is, do you look and feel better?

Weight loss Tip 31

Eat Meals On Smaller Plates.Getting used to eating smaller portions is often more important that getting used to eating healthier foods when it comes to weight loss.Two simple ways to reduce our portion sizes are to leave some of the food on our plates uneaten or to eat everything on a smaller plate.Because some of us can’t stand leaving food on our plate the best option is usually the smaller plate.

Weight loss Tip 32

Keep Going… Plateaus Happen!Our bodies don’t like dramatic change.Thousands of years of evolution have taught our bodies that dramatic weight loss is a bad thing and it has automatic responses designed to minimise the damage.Most people do notice immediate results when they first start a diet. Inevitably, these results drop off sharply after a few days or weeks.Weight fluctuation is quite normal and sometimes our body just needs to get used to the idea of being at a new weight, even if it is a healthier one.Above all else, persistence and consistency are the most important aspects of any weight loss program or diet. If you experience a plateau, don’t waste your time worrying about it, just stick with your program and try mixing things up a bit and you’ll get there.

Weight loss Tip 33

Tape a picture of your skinny self to the refrigerator for inspiration. To remind yourself what you can look like.

Weight loss Tip 34

To make a delicious low fat mayonnaise, simply combine one teaspoon Dijon mustard or one teaspoon of satay sauce with a low fat yoghurt.

Weight loss Tip 35

When you get a sweet tooth or feel like something you know you shouldn’t, go brush your teeth.Even if you do go ahead and eat you won’t like the taste as much and it may stop you from craving it again in the future.

Weight loss Tip 36

If you’re having problems dropping the kilos, consume Negative Calorie FoodsThese are foods that take up more caloric energy to digest then the calories that are in them.Your body has to expend energy in order to digest and absorb foods, in fact, 10% of your daily caloric intake is used to process foods in your body. So these “negative” calorie foods are foods that take more calories to digest then actual calories in the item of food.

Weight loss Tip 37

If you’re overweight and start to feel tired while walking or you find yourself with a hill to climb, do what I do:Think about what you’ve done to yourself through neglect and bad living. Get angry with yourself, and speed up while you’re going up that hill (don’t run). You’ll find that you get to the top quicker that way.Walk down the other side with your head up high. You did it. Watch out world – nothing can stop you now!

Weight loss Tip 38

Go dancing.Dancing is a great form of exercise because it’s fun and doesn’t feel like exercise at all.Best of all you’ll burn plenty of calories, get fitter and meet lots of new friends.

Weight loss Tip 39

Ride your bike to work.If you don’t have time to exercise outside of working hours this is a great way to get your daily does of fat burning activity.Because you’ll be planning your day ahead on the way there and planning your evening on the way home you probably won’t even realize that you’re exercising and the time will fly.If riding to and from work is a bit much to begin with, catch a train to work with your bike and ride home.

Weight loss Tip 40

Buy some exercise DVD’s to keep at home and use them on rainy days.Exercise DVD’s are very cost effective and are very convenient because you can use them at any time that suits you.

Weight loss Tip 41

If you are going to have a treat, work out how much exercise you need to do to burn it off and only have that treat if you are willing to do the exercise.

Weight loss Tip 42

Stop sabotaging your potential for change.We subconsciously use defense mechanisms to shield us from situations we perceive to be scary or painful. A part of you may want to grow and change, but another part may be resisting because change always moves you into new territory in your thinking and emotions.If you find you are getting anxious, fearful, angry, frustrated, dismissive or unmotivated, then defense mechanisms are at work. Watch for them and know them to be signs of fear that wants to hold you back. Then courageously move through them.

Weight loss Tip 43

Recognizing emotional hunger (as apposed to real physical hunger) is one of the keys to overcoming or staving off frequent emotional eating.Some of the characteristics of emotional hunger include:Emotional hunger comes on suddenly.One minute you’re not hungry at all and the next minute you’re starving.Emotional hunger often craves specific food, like pizza, chocolate, or a cheeseburger.Emotional hunger begins in the mouth and the mind, not the stomach.Emotional hunger often accompanies an unpleasant emotion.Emotional hunger involves automatic or absent-minded eating.Emotional hunger isn’t satisfied when you’re full.Emotional hunger makes you feel guilty.

Weight loss Tip 44

Keep believing in yourself.You are in control and have the power to make changes in your life.

Weight loss Tip 45

Develop new mood regulation strategies.For example, share your problems when anxious and exercise when you’re bored.

Weight loss Tip 46

Try to eat more foods that are high in fibre.Research shows that people who have diets high in fibre typically have lower body weights, lower body fat and lower body mass indexes.Some researchers believe that the high incidences of obesity in the western world is in part due to the fact that our diets are typically very low in fibre compared to other regions of the world such as Africa and Asia, where diets are predominantly plant based.

Weight loss Tip 47

Where possible, eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.Many fruits have most of their goodness in the skin which isn’t always used in making fruit juice.

Weight loss Tip 48

Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole-grain products.These products are less refined than their white counterparts and often have much more fibre in them which is digested slower, keeps us feeling fuller longer and releases its energy slower which keep our blood sugar levels even and helps us avoid cravings.

Weight loss Tip 49

If you internalize hurt and rely on food to deal with negative emotions, don’t swallow your emotions for the sake of sparing others from getting upset.If they’ve upset you, let them know about it and tell them that you won’t tolerate that kind of behaviour in the future

Weight loss Tip 50

Love yourself for who you are and forget about trying to be perfect.

Weight loss Tip 51

Use portion controlled packaged foods to help you get used to eating smaller portions (prepackaged frozen meals and single serve snack packs for example).

Weight loss Tip 52

Gradually reduce your serving sizes over time until they reach the ideal size.

Weight loss Tip 53

When ordering takeaway food, don’t buy super-sized, up-sized or so-called ‘value’ options.

Weight loss Tip 54

When it comes to changing your diet, making small permanent changes are better than radical changes that you won’t be able to live with.

Weight loss Tip 55

When it comes to changing your diet or exercise levels, remember that to make these changes habit you are going to have to continue to practice them consciously for a while (maybe up to 3 months) until they become unconscious.

Weight loss Tip 56

Put your fork or food down between bites.This will give your body time to digest the food properly and recognize when your stomach is full.

Weight loss Tip 57

Don’t eat while cooking – this increases your total serving size, often without being noticed.

Weight loss Tip 58

Begin eating main meals with a healthy soup or a salad with low calorie dressing.This will help fill you up and may provide valuable nutrition not otherwise contained in your main serving.

Weight loss Tip 59

Try to reduce stress in your life and other things that cause you to eat on emotion.

Weight loss Tip 60

Eat the widest variety of foods possible.A healthy diet is a balanced diet and a balanced diet has plenty of variety – occasional fast food meals are OK; just don’t make them the staple.

Weight loss Tip 61

Try to stay happy.When we are overweight, there is a fair chance it will get us down from time to time.But if we want to lose weight and lead a happier, healthier life it’s very important that we try to keep our spirits high and enjoy life.

Weight loss Tip 62

Always eat a healthy breakfast. Breakfast is so important that it is the logical place to begin when trying to improve your diet. Whole-grain, high-fibre cereals with low-fat milk are an excellent choice.

Weight loss Tip 63

Understand and read the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged food.We can’t get away with not eating packaged and processed foods these days. However we can choose to eat the healthiest choices available and being able to read nutritional labels contained on all packaged foods is the first step to making the right choice.

Weight loss Tip 64

Compare the nutritional facts of like products and if possible, opt for the choice with the lowest calories, sugar, salt and/or fat.

Weight loss Tip 65

Be adventurous; try new dishes whenever you can.

Weight loss Tip 66

Remember that the cooking method you use can increase or reduce the calories contained in food.The best cooking methods to keep calories to a minimum are usually steaming, broiling, grilling, microwaving and baking.

Weight loss Tip 67

Buy a new cookbook or food magazine for healthier food ideas.

Weight loss Tip 68

Exchange healthy recipes with friends and family.

Weight loss Tip 69

Alternate alcohol with low calorie drinks (water is perfect).

Weight loss Tip 70

Invite friends over for a vegetarian (or other theme) meal or join them at a new vegetarian restaurant that neither of you have tried.

Weight loss Tip 71

Feel proud every time you say “no” to a problem food.

Weight loss Tip 72

Neutralize food. There are no good or bad foods – all foods are OK when eaten in moderation.

Weight loss Tip 73

Watch your language, especially when talking to yourself.Try to be positive and encouraging and don’t be too hard on yourself. Treat yourself with the same level of respect and understanding that you would a close friend.

Weight loss Tip 74

Change your reward system so that it is not based on food and rewards behaviour modifications, not weight loss results.

Weight loss Tip 75

Be a role model and set a good example for your children by eating healthier yourself.

Weight loss Tip 76

Encourage your kids to eat healthy food by making sure it is tasty, well prepared, and easily available at home.

Weight loss Tip 77

Limit fast and snack food temptations by eating healthy food choices before visits to shopping centres, the movies, etc.

Weight loss Tip 78

Stock your home with healthy foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and bread, lean meats, poultry and seafood, and low-fat dairy products.

Weight loss Tip 79

Prepare meals with your children – kids often enjoy cooking and as well as having fun, they can learn about healthy cooking and food preparation.

Weight loss Tip 80

Don’t force children to finish their food if they are full, they’ll eat more than they need to and will adopt the ‘clean plate’ eating philosophy for life.

Weight loss Tip 81

Encourage your children to drink water and limit their opportunities to drink soft-drinks, fruit drinks and the like which are usually packed with sugar and calories.

Weight loss Tip 82

Start teaching your kids good eating habits as early as possible.

Weight loss Tip 83

As well as doing whatever we can to make sure our children are eating healthy foods, it’s just as important to also make sure they are getting enough exercise and developing a love of being active.

Weight loss Tip 84

Try to help your child get at least thirty to sixty minutes of “exercise” broken down into ten or fifteen minute segments.

Weight loss Tip 85

Be a role model by being active yourself and engage your children in activities like walking, hiking, tennis, swimming, basketball, or bike riding.

Weight loss Tip 86

Make fitness a family affair and get the whole family involved in walks, bike rides, hiking, tennis, basketball, etc.

Weight loss Tip 87

Take advantage of family holidays by making sure they are “active breaks” and not just excuses for laying around and eating too much.

Weight loss Tip 88

Help your kids to develop basic fitness skills by helping them to enjoy swimming, walking, cycling, running, dancing, hiking, skating, etc.

Weight loss Tip 89

Keep your alcohol consumption in check.Alcohol is high in kilojoules/calories. In fact 1g of alcohol contains around 28 kilojoules or 7 calories. In addition, all of these calories are known as “empty” calories because they provide no real nutritional value to our body.

Weight loss Tip 90

Where possible, try to reduce the number of calories contained in alcoholic drinks.For example, use low-cal mixers in your spirits and make wine Spritzers using mineral or soda water and your favourite wine.

Weight loss Tip 91

Ask for Sporty presents.If our partner, family and friends don’t know what to buy us for Christmas or our birthday, ask for something sporty that will encourage you to do some physical activity of some kind, like a new tennis racket, pair of runners, treadmill, exercise bike or golf clubs.

Weight loss Tip 92

Don’t let your exercise routine slip during the holidays.The end of year holiday season may be a time of catching up with old friends and family mixed with a little overindulgence, but it shouldn’t be a time when we have to give up completely on our regular exercise routine.

Weight loss Tip 93

Never eat just to please others – eat only what and how much you want, not as an obligation to others for cooking our favourite foods.

Weight loss Tip 94

It’s not always a good idea to skip meals prior to a dinner out or a holiday feast. Being overly hungry before a meal can cause us to eat a lot more than we normally would once we do sit down at the table.

Weight loss Tip 95

Try not to pick at foods before or after a meal. The things we’re all likely to pick at are those things that will add the greatest amount to our waistlines.

Weight loss Tip 96

Cross Train.Quite often people who want to lose weight rely solely on one exercise like walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, rollerblading, yoga, Pilates, aerobics classes or weight training to meet all of their fitness and weight loss needs.This is a mistake.

Weight loss Tip 97

Make sure your exercise routine includes activities that promote all three aspects of physical fitness – aerobic training for our heart and lungs, strength training for our muscles and bones and stretching for flexibility of ligaments and tendons.

Weight loss Tip 98

Ensure that your exercise routine includes some days of pure rest to ensure total recovery and provide true life balance.

Weight loss Tip 99

Whatever activities you choose to help you get fit and lose weight, always start slowly and build up your exercise time and intensity gradually.

Weight loss Tip 100

Don’t take weight loss too far.An appropriate amount of weight loss can make many of us healthier and happier. But for others who take weight loss too far, eating disorders can lead to very unhealthy outcomes and can even be life-threatening.

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.