So you’ve noticed that your favourite pair of jeans aren’t feeling quite as comfortable as they did before, or perhaps you’ve decided that it’s time to lose those extra few kilos you have been carrying around for too long.   Don’t despair!  Losing weight doesn’t have to mean a super-restrictive weight loss program, just making some simple diet and lifestyle changes can make a huge difference. 

What can you do? 

To lose weight you need to balance energy intake and energy output.  Put simply, if you eat more than your body requires, it will be stored as fat. 

• Reduce energy intake – reducing the amount of fat in your diet is essential to weight loss as fat has twice as many kilojoules as protein or carbohydrates.  How do you do this?
• Reduce intake of saturated fats e.g. full-fat dairy, desserts, cakes, pastries, butter, margarine, skin on meats, fatty fried foods, fatty meats
• Opt for low-fat dairy products, grilling, boiling and steaming meats, lean meats, using non-stick pans and reducing use of margarine/butter and oils in cooking.
• Limit your intake of sugary foods and drinks as they are high in calories and low in nutrients e.g. lollies, soft drinks.
• Drink lots of filtered water throughout the day.  Often we mistake hunger for thirst.
• Slow down when you are eating and chew your food well.  Enjoy the flavours and textures.  It takes a good 20 minutes for our brain to tell our stomach we are full.
• Learn to stop eating when you are just full, not so full that you feel bloated.
• Eat small, regular meals.  This keeps your metabolism high and reduces the chance of you feeling like you are starving and wanting to binge.
• Be wary of low-fat food products as they are often in high in sugar or starch.  The calorie count of these products is almost the same as the high-fat version and you may be tempted to eat more.
• Eat plenty of fresh foods i.e. fruit, vegetables, seeds, raw and unsalted nuts.
• Cut down on refined and over-processed carbohydrates i.e. white bread, white flour, white pasta, white rice and opt for low glycaemic or high-fibre carbohydrates.
• Keeping a food diary can be an effective way to keep track of what you are eating throughout the day.  This can be a good way to make you think twice before you eat something also! 
• Get active – exercise burns the energy from the food you eat.  Exercise also increases your metabolism, which in turn speeds up the rate at which your body burns energy throughout the day.  Exercise is a great stress reliever, can improve sleep and increase your sense of wellbeing.  Aim for at least 30 minutes, most days of the week.   

And remember to think long term.  Plan to lose weight over weeks or months, not just days.  Your excess weight crept on gradually and that is the best way for it to come off.