11. Plan ahead
Our lives are very hectic and we are rushing about just to ‘stand still’. Well that’s how it feels sometimes. Many of my clients say that they don’t have time to prepare anything before they leave the house or they say that they don’t have time to eat properly. In order to lose weight you have to change what you do, you have to plan ahead. If it means getting up a few minutes earlier to prepare something then get up earlier. You have to make time in your schedule to eat regular during the day. So plan ahead and see the weight come off.
12. Don’t try, do it
Watch my video to see why trying is an excuse for not doing. Tell me what you think.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XwF_Dnw5cVc
Hand Clasp Stop – how to stop comfort eating Do you want a method to help you stop comfort eating? In this video I show you a method that I have used with many many clients to help them lose weight and …
13. Thinking about it won’t achieve it
Imagine wanting to walk from Lands End to John O’ Groats. You could spend all your life thinking about doing it but until you take that first step on that journey you will never get there. So stop just thinking about losing weight, take that ‘step’ towards your ideal weight right now and keep going even when it gets tough. It’s a long walk from Lands End to John O’ Groats. But imagine how you will feel when you achieve your goal, what a sense of achievement. Remember many many people have made that journey, so can you.
14. Leave something on your plate
I’m sure that you or your parents have said to eat everything on your plate. I remember my parents saying that ‘you’ll get it for your breakfast if you don’t eat it now’. If you eat everything on your plate then the chances are that you will stay the weight you are or get bigger. However, if you were to leave something on your plate then you won’t get bigger and may even lose some weight. So get into the habit of leaving something on your plate every time and watch the weight come off.
15. Eat, don’t starve
It may sound strange to say that you have to eat and not starve yourself to lose weight. However, if you starve yourself your body goes into survival mode and will store some of the food that you do eat as fat, therefore you put weight on. If you eat the right amount of good healthy food your body does not need to go into survival mode and can let go of the fat. Eat good healthy food.
16. Slowly exercise more
As you start to lose weight you will begin to feel as if you have more energy, especially as you will be eating good healthy food, so you can slowly increase the amount of exercise that you do. I mean slowly, an extra 10 steps is more than no steps at all. You could walk to the end of the street and back and slowly increase that to there and back twice, three times, four times extra. Do not push yourself too far. (Check with your GP if you have any concerns about doing more exercise) If you can get yourself a personal trainer, they will monitor and advise you on your new regime. You will be amazed at how much you can achieve if you build up slowly.
17. Think differently
It can be easy to start losing weight, but after a while it gets a little harder. When you only lose a pound or you don’t lose any you begin to think that it will never happen, that you will never get all the weight off. It’s true if you think that way then the likelihood is that it will happen that way. To overcome this negative thinking start saying to yourself (and everyone around you) “it may only be a pound or I may have not lost any weight this week, but it’s better than putting weight on”. By thinking positively you will continue to be motivated to achieve your goal. As the saying goes (I think) if you are in a hole and you don’t want to be there, stop digging and do something different. So start right now and think differently about losing weight, stay positive, a pound is a pound. Two pound is like a bag of sugar, be aware of how good it is not carrying around a bag of sugar.
18. Eat some chocolate!
If you are a chocoholic and used to eating lots of chocolate each day; which is not good for weight loss, giving up chocolate will certainly help you reach your target weight. However, chocolate can be like an addiction and you may suffer withdrawal if you give it up completely and too quickly. What I suggest to my clients who have this issue is to eat a small (one or two squares) of chocolate when they get a craving. They find that by eating a small amount it satisfies their craving but they know that eating a full bar, for instance, is not good for their weight loss. Many clients who try to fight the craving become more and more frustrated and end up eating too much chocolate and feel as if they have failed whereas the ones who recognise that if they allow themselves to eat a little bit find it a lot easier. So have some chocolate is my tip of the day, and enjoy it.
19. Keep a food diary for a month
By keeping a food diary you will be able to see exactly how much you are eating and drinking. Many people are surprised when they keep a diary at how much they do actually consume. I ran a training course a few years ago where I got the students to keep a food diary. After a week one of the students brought his diary back and he was amazed at what he had been consuming. He thought that he only drank 2 – 3 cans of coke a day. He was drinking 10 – 12 cans a day. So without being aware he was drinking far more than he thought he was. So keep a food diary for a month and see how much you are eating and drinking and remember no one puts on weight (unless they have a serious medical condition) by not eating to excess.
20. Change your habits
Many people eat their food in front of the TV with plates on their laps. Get out of this habit and start to eat your meals at the table.