Quick solutions and widely used diets might be risky and unsustainable.
Here are some quick, practical, and successful strategies for breaking the diet cycle while maintaining a healthy weight:
1 Keep a food journal
Each meal you consume throughout the day should be noted along with your feelings at the time. Plan ahead to do something else when you see you’re eating more out of boredom or stress or making careless decisions while you’re feeling distracted.
For instance, if you eat out of boredom, contact a friend and have a discussion. If you eat under pressure, try practicing deep breathing instead.
When using a computer or other electronic device, try to avoid eating so that you can lead to mindless eating.
2 Plan your meals
Jot down all the meals and snacks you plan to make and eat for your week and only shop for those ingredients. This will prevent you from having extra food stocked in the house, tempting you to eat more than you need.
3 Remember the perfect plate
Ideally, the meal on your plate should be a quarter protein (such as 150g raw lean red or white meat, fish or tofu), a quarter starchy veg or carbs (such as potato, rice or pasta) and the remaining half non-starchy veg (such as carrots, broccoli or leafy greens).
4 Organise your fridge
What you see first is what you’re most likely to reach for, so store treat foods out of sight, while putting healthy options at eye level in the fridge and pantry.
Cut up raw vegies sticks to snack on, portion out handfuls of mixed nuts and keep fresh fruit and your favourite yoghurt at the ready to make choosing healthier snacks easier.
