Time your meals

Set a timer for 20 minutes & start eating slowly. Pacing a meal allows you to enjoy each bite & allows your body to register that it is full. It is easy to overeat when you rush meals as your body doesn’t have sufficient time to register that it is full.

Sleep more & Weigh less

Research shows that sleeping 1 extra hour per night could result in 6.5kg weight loss per year. Sleep replaces idle activities, cutting the calories consumed by up to 6%.

Less than 7 hours of sleep has also been shown to rev up your appetite & make you extra hungry.

Serve & Eat more veggies

Serving greater variety of veg tricks people into eating more & that’s a great way to lose weight because the high fibre & high water content fill you up on fewer calories. Limit the fat, sauces & dressings you cook the veg in.

Add a soup to drop the weight

Adding a broth based soups to your daily diet to fill up on fewer calories. Minestrone, tortilla soup & Chinese won-ton soups are ideal. Add fresh/ frozen veggies to a broth & simmer. Avoid creamy, thick soups which are high in calories

Go for whole grains

Barley, brown rice, oats, oats, buckwheat & whole wheat fill you up on fewer calories.

Skip the bacon

Avoiding those 2 strips of bacon will save you 100 calories or 420 kJ. Over a year this simple move could help you lose 4.5kg.

Eat it, don’t drink it

Always opt for eating a fruit rather than drinking a glass of juice. One glass of juice contains much more calories & less fibre. Not only does it quickly add to your daily intake but juice also increases your total daily sugar intake.

Choose a tall thin glass

A tall thin glass, rather than a short, wide, tumbler, can cut down your liquid calories by 20-30%. This is caused by visual cues, research shows people pour more into a short wide glass than a tall thin one, even experienced bar tenders.

Skinny outfit motivation

Hang a favourite outfit or goal size outfit somewhere you will see it everyday.This ensures the goal is in sight. Set attainable goals by picking a slightly snug outfit to begin with & once that fits pick the next until you reach your goal.

Choose your pizza wisely

Choose vegetable toppings & avoid the meaty ones. This could shave 100 calories (420kJ) off your meal. Hold back on the cheese & opt for a low fat cheese, if you are making your own pizza. Choose a thin crust.

Sip smart by cutting the sugar

Replace sugar containing drinks with water or no calorie diet options. This should save you 10 teaspoons of sugar per drink. Flavour water with lemon, mint or strawberries. The liquid sugar used in fizzy drinks bypasses the body’s fullness cues. A fizzy drink a day can result in a 1kg weight gain per month.

Read the box

Be aware of what you eat. Foods should contain at least 6g/100g of fibre, nth total fat should be less than 10g/100g; & only 1/3 of that should be saturated, salt/sodium should be less than 400-600mg. Check the ingredients list & if sugar &/ or salt are in the top 5 then its worth reconsidering or choosing a healthier alternative.

Limit the alcohol

Make a habit of following your first alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic, low-calorie beverage. Alcohol contains more calories per grams than carbohydrates and proteins. Alcohol also loosens our resolve which could result in poor diet choices and over snacking on junk food.

Go for green tea

Some research shows that the phytochemical called catechin, found in green tea, could rev the body’s calorie burning. It is also calorie free.

BEWARE: green tea does contain caffeine so if you are sensitive opt out of this one.

Slip into a yoga state of mind

Women who do yoga tend to weigh less than those who don’t, according to a study. Yoga regulars tend to have a more ‘mindful’ approach to eating. Researchers attribute the calm self-awareness of yoga to the resistance to overeat.

Catch the “Eating Pause”

Most people have a natural ‘eating pause’ when they drop the fork for a few minutes. Identify that point, & clear your plate. This is your body’s quite signal that you are full. Its easy to miss.

Chew strong mint gum

Opt for gum with strong flavour when you are at risk of a snack attack. Making dinner, a party, watching TV & surfing the Internet are risks for mindless snacking.

Eat at home

Aim to eat at home at least 5 time a week. A Consumer Reports survey found this to be a top tip of successful losers.

Shrink your dishes

Opt for a 25cm side plate instead of the 30cm dinner plate to automatically eat less, without noticing. Larger dishes lead to serving larger portion & eating larger quantities. Shrinking your plate could shave 100-200calories (420-840kJ) per day translating to a 4.5-9kg per year.

Eat out on your terms

Restaurant meals are notoriously fattening. So make special effort by splitting the main course with your dinner date, order a starter as your main meal & add a side salad, opt for a salad with the dressing on the side, ask for half the meal in a doggie bag before you even start eating.

Try the 80-20 rule

Residents of Okinawa eat until they are 80% full. They call this habit: hara hachi bu.

Get food portions right

Stick to modest food portions at every meal, 5 days a week or more.

Reach for the red sauce

When eating pasta, always choose marinara rather than alfredo sauce. Tomato based sauces have lower calories & a lot less fat than cream based options. A pasta portion is 1 cup or a tennis ball sized.

Go meatless more often

Vegetarians tend to weigh less than meat eaters. Legumes are a big reason for this as they fill you up on fewer calories & are packed with fibre, vitamin & minerals. Eating vegetarian meals often is a slimming habit.

Burn 100 calories (420kJ) more

Lose 5kg a year by burning 100 calories extra daily. Walk 1.5km, about 20min. Do gardening for 20min. Mow the lawn for 20min. Clean the house for 30min. Jog for 10min.

Celebrate!

Monitor your progress but avoid weighing yourself more than once a week. When you’ve reached a goal or even managed the day without over eating, pat yourself on the back. Phone a friend, get a pedicure, buy new clothes… & only on occasion, indulge in a slice of your best cake.

Source: adapted from Web MD

© Tanya Alberts Dietician & Associates