[ Part 1 ]
6. Long term targets: go for longer term targets as they are easier to achieve. Don’t try to lose 10lbs a week as in the first week you’ll be full of enthusiasm but by the third week you’ll probably go back to your old habits and put the weight back on being fed up of starving yourself and depriving yourself of the foods you crave. Just reducing your intake slowly eg one less biscuit a day for the first week, then increasing it to two for the second week, won’t feel so bad. Completely cutting out all the “naughty” food will just have you craving everything and you’ll more easily give up. Also, aim to lose just 1-2lbs a week and think of the long term goal.
7. Take your time: eat slowly, enjoying the flavour and experience of each mouthful of food. Put the knife and fork down while you chew. Why? It takes about 30 minutes for our body to recognise that we are full. If you wolf down a plate of food, the body still thinks you’re hungry so you’re more likely to eat more! Eat it slowly and you’ll probably start to feel full before you have finished. You’ll lose weight without even having to diet!
8. Focus on outcomes: visualise the new, slimmer you; visualise people coming up to you and complementing you on how good you look; think about the new clothes you can buy! It won’t burn the fat off you but it will give you the willpower and enthusiasm to keep going.
9. Tackle cravings: use a therapy such as Emotional Freedom Techniques, hypnotherapy or Neuro-linguistic Programming to reduce those cravings.
10. Root causes: Try to figure out why you need to eat the food that you do. Is it to satisfy something that’s missing in your life? Boredom? Frustration? Depression? Tackle the root cause of these problems and you will no longer treat food in the same way. Again, speak to a therapist who is trained in Emotional Freedom Techniques, hypnotherapy or Neuro-linguistic Programming.
With these simple tips, you should find that you will more likely improve your weight. Even if you only adopt a handful of the above suggestions, you should still see improvements in your life.