10 Tips to keep the weight off post - diet

 

1. Set a realistic goal

Don’t try to reach your target weight loss in one go as this risks the whole lot going back on again after the diet. Aim to lose no more than 3-4kg in stages, maintaining your weight in between.

Don’t slim down drastically at the start of the diet either. The quicker the weight loss, the quicker those pounds will pile back on afterwards! Make sure you stick to losing 1kg a week maximum.

This is the best way of making sure you don’t put the weight back on. If you want to lose more than 5kg, get support from a health professional.

2. Don’t die of hunger!

It is pointless to skip meals and stop eating from one day to the next. A diet that is too low in calories is often the reason for failure. First of all, you will probably give up really quickly. Secondly, if you starve your body, it will store up even more when you begin eating normally again, in preparation for the next famine!

3. Stock up on supplements

Supplements can give you a little boost and make dieting much easier. Think about detoxifying supplements especially to help you flush out toxins. Vitamin supplements can also help you avoid deficiencies.

4. Get moving!

A little bit of physical exercise is essential for a slimming plan that keeps weight off for good. On top of this, numerous studies have shown that people who are physically active while on a diet, put on less weight statistically afterwards. Ideally, you should keep up your exercise regime after a slimming plan as well.

5. Eat fruit and veg

Learn to feel full up on foods with low calories, or in other words, ones which fill your stomach but do not supply the body with too much energy. The best foods for this are fruit and vegetables, and they are nutritious as well!

6. Vary your diet

Don’t cut out sugar or fat, or any other food group from your diet. It is pointless to demonise these products and you risk putting on all those pounds again when you begin to eat normal meals. Your slimming plan should help you balance your food intake above anything else, and you should use it as a model for your normal diet afterwards.

7. Get people around you to help!

It’s difficult to stick to a diet by yourself. Especially if everyone at home is gorging themselves on fattening food around you! Without making your whole family go on an eating plan, set down some house rules for healthy eating so everyone gets a balanced and varied diet.

8. Reward yourself!

A diet that deprives you of all your favourite foods is the surest way of making your crack and start compulsive eating. So allow yourself a little treat every now and again, in moderation. A couple of squares of chocolate, a really good dessert... the choice is yours!

9. Learn how to eat again

A diet plan is not just about choosing the right foods. You also have to look at the way you eat as well, by eating slowly, for example, savouring every mouthful and giving your system a rest between courses. In this way, you give your body chance to register when it is full up. You will see very quickly that this is the perfect way to reduce calorie intake without even noticing you are doing it. Keep up your new good habits after the diet to make sure that weight stays off!

10. Deal with slip-ups

Learn to deal with slip-ups, and even try to anticipate them. Have you eaten a hearty meal at lunchtime? You can compensate for this by eating light in the evening. You can balance out your food intake in a day like this or equally in week. Heavy meals one day can be compensated for with lighter meals the next day. Doing this will help you get the hang of managing your food intake after the diet, especially around festive times of the year...

Reference - Alain Sousa