1) Measure
your waist. For women, your waist should be less than 32 inches, for men, less than 37 inches.
2) Have a good look at your eating habits. The best way to do this is to keep a food diary.
3) Eat a piece of fruit before lunch or dinner. This will help you eat a little less and counts as 1 of your 5 a day.
4) Learn to say no. Don't accept every invitation to dinner and drinks. Suggest activities like a weekend hike or dance lessons.
5) Beware! Supermarkets often offer discounts on treat foods if you buy them in bulk. Keep away from these discounts: If you buy more, you will eat more!
6) Careful how you cook! Switch to steaming, boiling and baking to cook food rather than frying or roasting to reduce your fat intake!
7) you take a bus to work, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way
8) Have a clear SMART goal; make it Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
9) Use a smaller plate. Most people use a very large dinner plate, which normally results in far too much food being eaten. Unless you are doing two or three hours exercise every day, you don’t need a big plate.
10) Never fill your stomach when you eat; always leave some room. You will stop feeling hungry long before you feel full. ‘Filling’ your stomach means you are eating too much.
11) Eating out this weekend? Eat a small, healthy snack a couple of hours before your meal to make sure you are not tempted to eat everything in sight.
12) Shop with a list. This will stop you buying food on impulse.
13) Find a friend. Getting support is a huge part of successfully losing weight. A weight loss buddy will help you stay motivated and give you company along the way.
14) Confusing hunger with thirst? Try drinking more water to prevent snacking in between meals.
15) If you have little time to spare, remember that three short 10-minute bouts of physical activity built into your day will all add up.
16) Get the whole family involved; our Little Steps website where you will find a step by step guide to eating well and being active for you and your family.
17) Switch to wholegrain; try swapping white bread and rice to wholegrain alternatives. You’ll feel fuller for longer.
18) Don’t let a rainy day stop you from being active. Put on the rain jacket and get moving.
19) Reward yourself, but instead of indulging in chocolate, sweets or crisps buy a new book or spend some time catching up with friends.
20) Choose low fat alternatives of dairy products wherever possible or use smaller amounts of stronger tasting cheeses.
21) Head down to your local pharmacy and pick up a free tape measure. For women, your waist should be less than 32 inches, for men, less than 37 inches.
22) Learn to read food labels, and take advantage of information that will help you make healthy shopping choices. Compare like for like products and choose those that are lower in fat, salt and sugar
23) Snack on fruit and vegetables between meals. They are naturally low in fat and may distract you from snacking on higher fat foods.
24) Watch what you drink! Drinking sugary drinks has been associated with obesity. Water is the best thirst quencher but if you really want a fizzy drink try unsweetened fruit juice diluted with sparkling water instead.
25) Choose lean cuts of meat and trim off any excess fat before cooking. Small servings of lean meat deliver all the nutrients you need and you save money on the extra weight
26) Keep an activity diary. It’ll make you aware of how much exercise you’re getting and help you to make improvements. Fill in your activity diary for a week and then focus on where you might fit in more
27) Slipping? Don’t lose focus stay positive and find out what went wrong and plan how to get back on track
28) Reassess your goals, every week review your previous goals and make new ones once you have reached your target.
29) Fight the excuses. Here are some great tips to keep you active and stay motivated on the www.getalifegetactive.com website for Northern Ireland and www.getirelandactive.ie for the Republic of Ireland
30) Dining out? see our weigh2live website for some tips on how to make healthy choices when eating out
31) Eat slowly! Enjoy your meal and the company. Give your body the time to give you the signal that you are satisfied. Otherwise you may overeat.
32) Go for vegetable, chicken or fish dishes over fattier meat dishes and avoid creamy sauces in favor of tomato-based sauces.
33) You are more likely to buy treat foods when you are hungry and feel low in energy, so try to avoid shopping on an empty stomach. A good tip is to drink some water or buy a piece of fruit to munch on as you go.
34) Adapt your favorite recipes to reduce fat, sugar, salt, calories and increase fiber without changing your normal diet
35) Choose snacks that are packaged in individual portions to stop you from overeating.
36) Start off slowly building at least 30 minutes of activity into your day and increase this gradually to 60-90 minutes over time.
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