Tip Number 4. Stay Motivated.

What is motivating you to lose weight? Really carefully consider this question. Are you really motivated or is this a half hearted attempt? Is there something stopping you losing weight? If you have tried lots of diets previously without success you really need to consider the following questions.

1. Why do you want to lose weight?

2. Have you tried lots of diets in the past?

3. Can you imagine being thinner? Consider you, looking your best with a trimmer tummy, firmer bottom, firm upper arms. Lie back, close your eyes and imagine you at your best, looking amazing, receiving admiring glances, looking essentially like you but so much better...

4. How do you feel? Imagine the sounds, the smells, the taste..

5. What are the benefits of being slimmer? Not just how you look but how you feel, think and act.

6. Are there any disadvantages? Answer this question really honestly. How would you being slimmer change things within your family, your daily life, your love life?

7. If you have answered yes to the above question then carefully consider how you might deal with any of these disadvantages. For example, some of your friends may start to feel threatened, or one of your relatives. You may receive more attention from the opposite sex. How will that go down with your partner or friends?
8. Again lie back and imagine yourself slim and beautiful. Imagine wearing those clothes you long to wear, doing those things you can't do. Make the images really bright with sound, smell and taste. Hold on to that image. You are nearer there than you thought.

Tip Number 3: Keep on moving!

How are you doing with your habit changing? Have you managed to sustain some change  at least some of the time? I hope so but if not it's time to refocus and concentrate again on whatever habit you picked ie drink more water, eat more fruit and vegetables, decrease unhealthy fats etc. 

The next thing we are looking at is exercise but the sort you have within your daily life. If you have been monitoring your steps with a pedometer and making a note of amount you have done each day, what conclusions have you drawn? How many steps have you taken? When did you do the most? 

If you are like most people especially those with sedentary type jobs you may find you do as little as 1,800 during a normal working day but 3-5000 when at home. The bad news is that you need to build up to 10,000 to lose weight. However, this is not as bad as it sounds. The key is to build up to that level and try to incorporate this into your normal everyday life. For example, parking at a car park further away from where you need to be, walking to the shops rather than taking the car,walking the dog a bit further, gardening, doing housework or using a stepper will do much to up your steps and overall level of  fitness. Ideally you need to be doing a minimum of 5,000 and working up to 10,000. This will not only improve fitness but increase your metabolism and assist you in losing those pounds without you hardly noticing. Even the busiest person can squeeze in some extra steps if they try.Why not give it a go? 

Tip Number 2. Reviewing your food diary.

Well, how did you find your food diary? Ok, boring or interesting? Next have a look through and ask yourself the following questions. It may be easier to write the answers under three columns. What is working well, what isn't working so well and what needs to change. Here is an example from a client.

What is working well.             What isn't working well.                  What needs to change
Good, high fibre breakfasts.    10x chocolate elevensies                                  Healthier elevensies            
Ok lunch.                                               Pkts Crisps x four                                                   Swap lower fat crisps
Some fruit and veg                        Several biscuits whilst cooking                  Carry healthier snacks,fruit
Didn't crave foods                          Cream cakes x2 and 5 glasses wine            Limit alcohol to 2/3 glasses
Drank some water                          Drank high calorie hot chocolate                wine
                                                                                                                                                                       Drink more water
                                                                                                                                                                       More fruit, veggies and dips                                                                                                                      

Of course, all of our eating patterns will be different but but you need to think about where the extra calories are coming from.  Is it the elevensies, snatched snacks whilst busy, bored, angry or  otherwise? Is there a pattern to late afternoon being a low spot when you reach for the chocolate bars?  If we were honest most of us will have an idea where the calories are stacking up. Even with alcohol it may not be the amount but the relaxing effect that sends us heading for the peanuts and chocolate and conveniently forgetting about it!
Next you need to make a plan and make sure you actually buy more of the foods required in column three. This may sound obvious but you'd be surprised at the amount of people who buy the same things every week almost on automatic pilot. Make sure you have healthy snacks to hand. Write down your meals for the week and pick off one item in the last column to change within a week. Consider each aspect of the planned change ie do you need substitute items either healthy snacks or smoothies for drinks. Imagine buying and eating or drinking your substitute. Review your progress on a daily basis.
For the next week, I'd like you to monitor your exercise in a similar fashion. The easiest way is to buy and use a pedometer as this measures the number of steps you take very accurately . Make a note of your activity and the numbers of steps every day for the next week along with your progress towards your planned change.  Remember much of what you are doing is going to be fine. You are simply fine tuning your eating and drinking patterns and developing better habits. Good luck and check in again soon.!

Tip Number 1. Keep a food diary.

Keeping a food diary sounds dull and boring. However, by analysing the results it can really help you see what you are eating and can assist you in deciding what changes you need to make in the future. Is it the vending machine, snack box at work, treats eaten watching the t.v with the kids, snacks grabbed whilst waiting for tea to cook,  scoffing leftovers or alcohol that is the key to your weight gain? You will probably have some ideas but a food diary will really assist you in pin pointing these areas. You must be as honest as you can,though and not forget that handful of peanuts, midnight snack of biscuits you have had. This is a key task so complete this for a week.

Diets don't work!

Does this look familiar? Are you always trying the latest diets, maybe enjoying short term change only to find yourself gaining even more weight when the diets is over? Well, you're not alone. Dieting is big business and millions of people in the affluent western world are constantly trying the latest diets because the last one didn't work. There are a huge number of diet plans out there and even more individuals cutting out fat, carbohydrate and living off grapefruit, smoothies and protein shakes only to find that when the diet stops the weight piles back on so that you weigh more than you did before!  You might even end up with an eating disorder, an obsession with food or certainly with mild depression and a  sense of great frustration. We advocate a sensible, longer term approach. Do log in to share our top tips.