1) If you are feeling, down do not look to food for comfort.  Keep yourself busy by finding an alternative.  Ring a friend, read a book, do some gardening, go for a walk or watch a movie.  Anything that distracts you is great.  We all know that using food for comfort is not the answer and can only make the situation worse.

2) Sit down and set yourself some short term and long term goals.  Write these goals down.  It will help make you a lot more focused on actually achieving what you have set for yourself.

3) Focus positively on your exercise sessions.  It does not matter if you are exercising in the gym or walking outside; physical activity is your outlet.  It is your time out.   Away from all the responsibilities you have, this time it is all about you.  So just enjoy it!

4) Eat in a relaxed environment, take your time and enjoy your meal.  Always eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.  It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register that you are full.  So it’s very important that you eat slowly so as to not over eat.

5) When beginning a new eating plan do not cut out everything.  Over a week slowly start replacing ‘bad’ food with ‘good’ food.  These days there is an alternative for everything available.

6) Drink 2 litres of water a day.  This flushes out your system and also keeps you feeling full. 

7) Don’t deprive yourself completely.  Give yourself a treat once a week, not once a day!  Look forward to it, enjoy it then forget about it.  Feeling guilty about eating bad food is almost worse for you than the food itself!

8) Keep a bowl of fresh fruit and a container of freshly prepared veggies (e.g. carrots, celery, cucumber, snow peas) on hand all the time.  These are the best things for you to snack on.  They will keep your energy up and stop you craving sugar.

9) Steam foods and sauté with water when cooking.  Just cutting down on fat used whilst cooking will really help shift a few extra kilos.

10) When dining at a restaurant examine the menu carefully.  There is always a healthy alternative so take your time before you order.  And don’t be shy to change something slightly.  These days chefs are used to it.

© Kylie Pogson 2004

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