Never count a ie again’ diet!
Aim for quality ‘real’ foods Watch your portion size Listen to your body Slow down meals Try mindfulness
Put simply, this means buying recognisable ingredients to prepare at home and avoiding processed and packaged foods. Choose fresh, nutritious items such as vegetables, fruits, wholegrain bread, brown rice, fish, nuts, lean meat and dairy products. Start to think of meals as eating food, not calories.
Remember it’s still possible to overeat – even with healthy foods. Common temptations are peanut butter and whole avocados, which are very nutritious but also high in fat so shouldn’t be eaten in huge amounts every day. Stick to our foolproof portion control method below and follow the detailed meal planner to help you get it right.
Focusing on calories while ignoring the quality of the food and how hungry you feel can muddle the natural hunger cues we’re all born with. Whether you’re eating just because you “have calories left” or you’re not eating when hungry because you’ve “gone over” your calorie limit for the day – either way you’re not listening to your body. Trust your body, it knows what it needs better than some calorie counter.
Another way to guard against overeating is to slow down at the table. It takes a minimum of 20 minutes for the brain to register when your stomach is full – signals you’ll likely miss if you’re eating too quickly. Try putting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls to help you pace yourself.
Recent research found that when people did a short mindfulness exercise called a “body scan meditation” — in which you sit quietly for a few minutes and take stock of how you feel inside
– they were better able to pick up on internal cues that signal hunger or fullness. People who are more mindful have also been shown to experience fewer weight fluctuations in the long term. ■■Any single piece of fruit
■■Handful of cherry tomatoes with a matchbox-sized piece of any cheese