Losing weight can be as difficult psychologically as it is physically. It can become a struggle if we have to make family meals; eating our own meagre diet whilst still having to prepare tempting fare for the others. How can we improve our lot, and continue to please the family?
Let's start with portion sizes - whatever's on our plate, if we want to lose weight we should eat less. So find yourself a plate that's about two-thirds the normal size. You won't feel so deprived, because you can still fill the plate when you serve up. Wait until the rest of your family or friends have started eating before you start. Then slowly savour every mouthful you take. (Not only will this prevent you from finishing much sooner than the rest, it will also leave you feeling more replete.)
Basically you can often eat the same food as your family is eating, but cut down on the amount of rice, pasta, potatoes and fatty meat. Eat more veg to avoid getting too hungry. Just don't be tempted to fill up on bread rolls! If you have a sweet tooth, take care not to go overboard. A portion of stewed apple from the crumble is one thing, but treacle sponge and custard is quite another.
But you can get much cannier than that. Serve reduced calorie meals a couple of times a week to everyone - if they're done well they won't have a clue! Add garlic and herbs to macaroni, and bulk it out with plenty of veg. Then use a tin of tomatoes to enrich the sauce. Leave out the oil, but maybe add a touch of Greek yoghurt for creaminess.
When you're shopping for food, always pick out lean cuts of meat. Remember also that fish can be a lower fat alternative. Whatever the rest of your family weigh, it's still advantageous for them as well to eat lean meat. Roast chicken is a good all-rounder, just make sure you remove any skin and eat breast meat where possible. Select potatoes that have a naturally creamier texture, such as Vivaldi or Maris Piper. Then you can feel fulfilled without loading them with butter.
Be careful when you buy cereals as some have a really high sugar content. Again, breakfast bars might look like healthy food, but most are highly sweet and calorific. The sugar content in a lot of drinks is also far too high for dieters. If you love your drinks, stick to sugar free varieties. If you like juice, dilute it with water and add ice!
Alcohol contains a lot of calories, so when you're socialising it's good to find some alternatives. Try drinking tomato juice with ice or spring water. Watered down apple juice makes a passable wine lookalike if you don't want to be different from the crowd.
Clearly, we can't keep consuming the same things and expect to drop the weight. Although the odd bit of fine-tuning can work wonders to help things along.
Let's start with portion sizes - whatever's on our plate, if we want to lose weight we should eat less. So find yourself a plate that's about two-thirds the normal size. You won't feel so deprived, because you can still fill the plate when you serve up. Wait until the rest of your family or friends have started eating before you start. Then slowly savour every mouthful you take. (Not only will this prevent you from finishing much sooner than the rest, it will also leave you feeling more replete.)
Basically you can often eat the same food as your family is eating, but cut down on the amount of rice, pasta, potatoes and fatty meat. Eat more veg to avoid getting too hungry. Just don't be tempted to fill up on bread rolls! If you have a sweet tooth, take care not to go overboard. A portion of stewed apple from the crumble is one thing, but treacle sponge and custard is quite another.
But you can get much cannier than that. Serve reduced calorie meals a couple of times a week to everyone - if they're done well they won't have a clue! Add garlic and herbs to macaroni, and bulk it out with plenty of veg. Then use a tin of tomatoes to enrich the sauce. Leave out the oil, but maybe add a touch of Greek yoghurt for creaminess.
When you're shopping for food, always pick out lean cuts of meat. Remember also that fish can be a lower fat alternative. Whatever the rest of your family weigh, it's still advantageous for them as well to eat lean meat. Roast chicken is a good all-rounder, just make sure you remove any skin and eat breast meat where possible. Select potatoes that have a naturally creamier texture, such as Vivaldi or Maris Piper. Then you can feel fulfilled without loading them with butter.
Be careful when you buy cereals as some have a really high sugar content. Again, breakfast bars might look like healthy food, but most are highly sweet and calorific. The sugar content in a lot of drinks is also far too high for dieters. If you love your drinks, stick to sugar free varieties. If you like juice, dilute it with water and add ice!
Alcohol contains a lot of calories, so when you're socialising it's good to find some alternatives. Try drinking tomato juice with ice or spring water. Watered down apple juice makes a passable wine lookalike if you don't want to be different from the crowd.
Clearly, we can't keep consuming the same things and expect to drop the weight. Although the odd bit of fine-tuning can work wonders to help things along.
About the Author:
(C) Scott Edwards. Browse WeightLossDietWar.com for in-depth ideas on fat lose diet and 10 pounds to lose.
0 comments:
Post a Comment