10 Cardinal Rules of Healthy Weight Loss ...

The old saying is true. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Eating a healthy breakfast provides you with slow release energy throughout the day that will make it easier to avoid snacking between meals.

Make sure that every meal includes a portion of lean protein. Protein takes longer to digest in your body, which means more calories are used to do so, and it has also been proven that protein leaves you feeling fuller for longer.

For many people, it’s not about what they eat, it’s about how much they eat. An easy way to trick your brain into simple portion control is to invest in a set of smaller plates. This way you can still fill them while eating less food than before!

I mean come on, it’s not rocket science! The more vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants that you get from a large range of fruit and veg, the healthier your body is going to be. And the low fat content is obviously a positive!

We all focus on cutting back, but you also need to make sure that you aren’t starving yourself. If we don’t eat enough, our bodies go into panic mode and metabolism slows down massively. This will not help you to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

There is an entire industry based on specific diet foods that claim to be low in everything and ‘free’ of everything. Generally, these products are not the healthiest way to lose weight. What they take out, in most cases, also removes flavour, so they have to put it back in some way. This might mean hidden sugar or fats or lots of E number additives. You should instead be changing your diet to include more naturally lean meats and fruits and vegetables. It’s all about that calorie deficit!

Many people consider hunger pangs to be a sign that they are losing weight, but it just means that your body isn’t getting what it needs in that moment. By all means, snack when you are hungry, just make sure that the snacks are healthy!

Diet and exercise are a match made in heaven, there’s no getting away from it! If you want the best results, you need to be committing to at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. That could be anything from a light walk to a session in the gym. It’s up to you!

It is vital to your weight loss journey that you maintain a regular sleeping pattern. You are putting your body through positive changes, but these changes mean that you need time to rest and recover in between workouts. Regular sleep can also prevent unhealthy eating patterns.

The more stress and anxiety you put on yourself regarding your weight loss, the more likely you are to crash and burn and binge eat for comfort. Keep a breezy attitude and don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day. It’s all about the bigger picture!

You’re losing weight to be more healthy – so lose weight in a healthy way. Win, win!