[Fairy Sarah]

Hi there! I got this article from a website I visit frequently! Alot of you probably all know this but I think its always important to reiterate such things!


Lose Weight Without Trying

Want to shed a few kgs? Wish you had more energy? Sick of getting sick all the time?

We hear way too much talk of girls employing dodgy tactics or following warped advice to lose weight. We say skip the fad diets and follow these super simple tips to look after your body the healthy way...


1. Breakfast
It’s true, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Many people think skipping breakfast means they’ll save on calories, but it only makes you more likely to eat more later on. Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism, provides important nutrients and stops your blood sugar from dropping too low.

Here are some great ideas for breakfast:

2 WeetBix with low fat milk and fruit
1 cup cooked porridge sprinkled with cinnamon and vanilla yoghurt
A poached egg on wholegrain toast
2 slices of wholegrain toast with Marmite and low fat cottage cheese
½ cup of wholegrain cereal with low fat milk.

2. Snack Smart
If the afternoon munchies are calling, don’t hit the vending machine. Snacking on chocolate will only give
you a short term sugar rush and leave you feeling hungry soon after. Get organised and swap high fat high calorie snacks for healthier choices. Fruit is a low calorie option for snacking and provides a wide range of nutrients. Vege sticks and salsa also makes a great snack as does a pot of non fat yoghurt.

Watch muesli bars. Some of them are like a chocolate bar in disguise. Check the nutritional information and look for something with less than 5g fat per 100g. Some good choices are Uncle Toby’s Fruit twists and Sanitarium Fruity Bix bars.

3. Smaller plate, smaller portion
Did you know in the past 25 years portion sizes have doubled? Also when we’re served up bigger portions we tend to eat it all. A good way to make sure you don’t eat too much is to reduce the size of your plate. Fill up on veges. They are nutrient rich, low fat and high in energy and fibre. Make sure your plate is half vegetables as not only are they good for you, because they are high in fibre they will help keep you fuller for longer.

Here is a general guide to what equals a portion:

Meat: Should be no larger than the size of your hand, no thicker than your hand
Carbohydrate: Should be no larger than the size of your fist

4. Up the exercise
While you won’t lose weight just by exercising, the combination of a healthy diet and exercise together will get you there.

Try for half an hour of cardiovascular exercise 4 to 5 days a week. Gradually build up the time you exercise. Keep the intensity high. If you’re walking, it shouldn’t just be a stroll, speed it up, get puffed and get sweaty! Your body will thank you for it.

5. Watch your drinks
Don’t drink your calories. Orange juice and fizzy drinks are high in energy. If you normally drink these, swap to having water. Add a little freshly squeezed lemon if you find it boring.

Alcohol is another one to watch. Alcohol is not only high in calories; it also stimulates your appetite and decreases your will power so you’re more likely to stop for a burger on the way home. It might be hard to give up your Friday night drinks, but it's not all sacrifice, try and restrict your intake to 2-3 alcoholic drinks a week.

Following these tips will help you cut down your portions, make better choices and help you lose weight without resorting to fad diets. Give it a little time and a little willpower and you’ll be feeling fitter and healthier before you know it.

http://www.nzgirl.co.nz/articles/7951

[carolineintx]

Thanks for the post, its always nice to remind myself what I need to be doing...like breakfast...I really need to work on that one, I'm not a morning person and its hard to remember to try to eat when I'm running late and still half-asleep. Also, anyone know what the following words mean? weetbix? marmite? muesli? I'm a little fuzzy on porridge too...I know its something the 3 bears ate that Goldilocks was picky on...is it like oatmeal? In my head, thats what porridge is.

[suitejudyblueeyes]

Caroline... your post cracked me up.

I'm not British though I lived with a Brit for a while so maybe this helps:

Weetabix - Just like shredded wheat. I think it's a brand-that-became-a-genre, like how band-aid refers to all adhesive bandages now, not just the brand.

marmite - a spread made from yeast extract. Always tasted like soy sauce to me and is therefore absolutely disgusting in my book. But to each his own

museli - I eat museli all the time. It's usually made with oats, nuts, dried fruit, rice puffs, corn flakes, that sort of thing, all tossed together -- it's like granola without the butter and syrup. I use it to top yogurt.

porridge - I'm pretty sure you're right, that porridge is oatmeal. Maybe there's some subtle distinction, like porridge is soupier? Then again maybe oatmeal is supposed to be soupy and I just don't add enough water....

[carolineintx]

Ah, thank you for the response! I feel more educated, should I ever find myself in a british territory I will be able to navigate their grocery stores a bit easier :-) although I may have to skip marmite (soy sauce is gross to me as well) and the porridge, soupy oatmeal does not sound appealing. In my head that is similar to another food word I don't truly know the definition of: gruel. I don't even know if thats the way its spelled....Today I learn that my knowledge of food definitions is somewhat limited :-)

[jillybean720]

If ONLY those were the only rules we needed to follow! Unfortunately, I eat breakfast every day, don't even like chocolate (so never have it as a snack), don't drink alcohol at all (haven't really since college), don't drink drinks with calories...and here I am at 300+ pounds

I read so many articles that are sort of similar to this--they say, "oh, just make these few changes, and you'll lose weight!" They typically include things like having a nonfat drink instead of a regular one at the coffee shop (I don't drink coffee), exchanging your morning bagel with cream cheese for something healthier (I haven't had a bagel in ages), drinking more water (I drink 3+ liters a day), etc. It gets frustrating to read so many articles that just tell me to do what I'm already doing, and yet here I am

I guess they might help some people, though.

Anyway, it was nice to get a lesson in British foods!

[suitejudyblueeyes]

I agree with you Jill -- I think they assume that you're doing EVERYTHING wrong and oh, look how easy it would be to just switch to diet soda! Poof, you'll drop 20# without knowing it!

I WISH it were that easy. They don't make articles with the word "easy" in the title for people like most of us, who are doing a lot of things right and a few things need to be cleaned up.