So you love food? The thought of losing weight by eating less probably traumatises you! But take heart. Use these hints to make it all less painful. Everyone knows our diets have to be well balanced. However, a well balanced diet is not necessarily a boring diet. Planning is the key. Consult your favourite low fat recipe books and organise your week's meals on the morning you go grocery shopping. Whatever you do, don't shop when you're hungry, as this will result in you buying more food than you need. Stick to your shopping list and savour the feeling of lining up at the checkout with a trolley full of green stuff instead of bad stuff! Rather than following the current trend of using huge plates, convert to small dinner plates. It will look like you're eating more than you actually are, and this can kind of fool your mind. Don't fall into the trap of eating dinner late: again, organisation is the key. If you eat dinner early in the evening, you can brush your teeth and tell yourself eating is over for the day. You won't be as tempted to munch on late night snacks. If you do want something in your stomach while you're watching telelvision, grab a water bottle from the front of the fridge and sip on that. Five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit: this is what we all need every day. It helps me to put fruit on my cereal every morning because then I've already fulfilled one fruit serving requirement. Later I munch on an apple at a regular time (for me it's when I'm coming home from work every afternoon). Sometimes I eat a carrot around mid-morning, as it seems to take a long time to munch through and makes me feel like I'm eating more! Also it takes care of my first vegetable serving requirement. Eat slowly and savour every mouthful. Think about the texture and flavour of the food as you chew. Enjoy the eating experience more. Drink water with your meals as a habit as it will help fill you up. Chop up your favourite fruit and leave it in a container in the fridge. It's amazing how we're all more inclined to eat fruit when it's already bite sized. It's amazing at a kid's party when you bring out plates of chopped up fruit how the kids won't generally complain and will polish off every last morsel! When we get together with family and friends, it's usually based around food. We meet together for a meal or a coffee. When we picnic we take loads of food with us, and not always healthy food. Think of creative ways you can arrange get-togethers which do not necessarily involve food. For example, you could go for a long walk: this provides great opportunity for substancial conversations, and rather than consuming calories, you're burning them. Double benefit! A danger for people wishing to lose weight is outings. Food is fatty and expensive at sporting and other entertainment events. Far better to pack healthy food and model healthy eating to the kids. Remember, losing weight is about lifestyle change, not a one-off diet. As a safeguard, I make sure my family takes a health supplement every day. It gives me peace of mind to know that we are all getting the required vitamins and minerals even on days when our high dietary standards have been compromised. And realistically, we all have days which are less than ideal when it comes to food intake. After walking or doing weights I always have a whey protein shake, which helps repair and tone muscles. It also serves as a powerful appetite suppressant during the day. If you're exercising, as you should be, you will benefit from a protein based drink straight afterwards. Try it and see the difference. Losing weight is not as arduous as we sometimes think it is. If you can make some adjustments to your lifestyle, you'll never have to worry about fad diets or starving yourself again! Surely that's a motivation in itself!
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