You’ve lost the weight, toned up and as a result, you feel fantastic. But the 50-million dollar question is – how do you keep the weight off?
One of the best methods I use is keeping a food diary. I plan my meals every weekend so I know what I am eating in the week and then write down every little thing that passes my lips. It’s all to easy to forget what you’ve eaten and how much, which is how those sneaky calories add up and result in weight gain.
Portion control is also a biggy. It’s all very well eating healthily but if you are eating too much of the right things, again those pounds will creep on. For example, a balanced meal should be based around low GI grains like brown rice or wholemeal pasta. To make sure you’re not eating too much, measure this out using one cupped palm. You’re vegetable intake should cover half your plate, the more variety, the better and your protein source like steak, chicken or fish should be the size of a deck of cards. These visual cues should make it a whole lot easier to manage your portion sizes, as this is where a lot of people go wrong when trying to keep the pounds at bay. Dairy and fat should be part of your balanced meal too. Good fats like nuts or olive oil should never be more than a tablespoon’s worth and dairy, like cheese should be the size of a matchbox.
As ever, avoid fatty and sugary foods such as crisps, creamy dressings, sweets and cakes as they are extremely calorie dense and add up very quickly. They also have very little nutritional value and although the sugar monster inside you won’t agree, they aren’t good for you. That said, never say never.
When you’ve reached your goals, you can follow the 80-20 rule. You don’t have to be perfect all the time! I always tell my clients that if you eat well 80 percent of the time, then you can relax the other 20 percent of the time. Just enjoy your treat and get back onto the healthy eating wagon on your next meal. A good strategy is making sure you eat well all week and then at the weekends allow yourself that sneaky glass of wine or piece of chocolate. Just don’t forget to enjoy it and remember it is a treat. There’s nothing worse for the sole than working so hard to ditch the weight and then see it creep on pound by pound. Get it under control now and make healthy eating and exercise a habit.
Lucy Miller
Lucy Miller is a fitness and nutrition advisor (www.lucymiller.me.uk), and Fitness Editor at Health & Fitness Magazine. She holds fitness qualifications from NASM Training and Premier Training International.
