How to lose weight WITHOUT going on a diet

The word 'diet' is a turn-off for most people. It sounds hard, unpleasant and unpalatable. Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard AND it doesn’t have mean sticking to a 'diet'. You can forget Paleo, Keto, Vegan and Raw, Gluten-free and Intermittent Fasting. To lose weight, you don’t have to follow any specific diet. What you need is simple, healthy, nutritious food and a few tips and tricks.

My strategy to help you lose weight WITHOUT going on a 'diet'.

Good recipes are a great help if you have no knowledge of nutrition! The Foodwatch website has an amazing array of healthy, tasty, easy, and nutritious recipes. You’re sure to find some that you, and your family, will love. Take a look in our recipe section. 

Also, try my 7 easy tips and see if they help you to feel healthier and lose weight without resorting to a restrictive diet plan. After all, life is too short to be constantly on a diet. Take a look:

1. Eat mindfully

 Consciously slowing down your rate of eating automatically decreases your food intake by about 10 per cent and maximizes your satisfaction. It allows your body to tell your brain that it’s had enough. So, here are a few hints to help you do just that:

• Take small bites and chew well.
• Eat with a fork and knife, not your fingers: Put the fork and knife down between each bite.
• Halfway through your meal, have a one-minute pause.
• Don't eat in front of the TV or read a magazine or your smart phone. This only becomes mindless eating and distracts you from ‘listening’ to your stomach.
• Eat with your non-dominant hand or use chopsticks instead of a fork.

You can read more about Mindful Eating here. And get into yoga as it appears to help boost mindful eating.

2. Pay attention to your stomach

Listen to your feelings of fullness. It takes your stomach 15 minutes to signal your brain that it's full. If you rush your food down, you'll find you've often overeaten before you realised you were full. Slowing your eating also aids digestion and de-stresses you. Download my Hunger-Fullness Log for rating your stomach hunger here, it will help you recognise the signals.

3. Eat more filling fibre

High-fibre foods like grainy breads, bran cereals, salads, lentils, beans and fresh fruit take time to chew and digest. They fill you up BEFORE you've overeaten so you feel satisfied without overdoing the kilojoules/calories. Best of all, fibre actually blocks the absorption of a percentage of the food in your digestive system so you eat well but don't end up taking in all those kilojoules. Also fibre feeds those good gut bacteria.

Download my free Fact Sheet on fibre here.

4. Don't cut out any one food group

Eat some whole grains. Eat some meat or fish. Eat some dairy  such as cow’s milk, cheese, or yoghurt.

5. Allow yourself the odd treat

Eat one treat a day. Save it till you really feel like it. The anticipation will make it more enjoyable and eat it slowly to enjoy it to the max! This helps prevent binge eating.

6. Serve your meals on a smaller plate

Use an appetizer or bread plate - 24cm (9”) in diameter - instead of a larger dinner-sized plate which can be 32cm (12”) across. The food will automatically look more which makes you think you’re eating big.

Studies also show that using tall, slender glasses instead of short, wide ones can reduce the amount of liquids you pour yourself: This strategy can help you limit alcohol, fizzy drinks and milk-based smoothies. Even professional bartenders with an average of six years of experience poured 20 per cent more into short, wide glasses than tall, slender ones. Paying careful attention reduced this effect, but did not eliminate it.

7. Manage your cravings

Have you ever:

• waited in line for a train that's late and thought a chocolate bar would take the edge off?
• had a difficult problem at work and “used” a biscuit to help the creative process?

We've all been there, done that. Cravings can undo even the strongest will power. You can download a whole ebook on how to cope with cravings. See here.

The bottom line

You don’t need to follow a set regime to lose weight. Try implementing my 7 tips and see if it makes you more aware of what you put in your mouth and helps you to shed those unwanted kilos easily and without the counterproductive stress of a “diet”!

Also, you might like to download my free fact sheet on how to fool your stomach.