- Cut out the fruit juice. A 150ml glass of apple juice contains the same amount of fructose as four large apples. A litre of fruit juice has about the same amount of sugar and fructose as a litre of soft drink. Processed sugar is sucrose, which is made up of fructose and glucose. So in 1kg of sugar you have 500g of fructose and 500g of glucose. The natural sugar in one glass of unsweetened fruit juice per day for a year is enough to add more than 2.5kg to your weight.
- Eat smaller portions. Super-sized serves have changed the way we see food. What was once a standard portion now constitutes only an entree or snack. A US study found portion sizes are now two to eight times larger than they were 20 years ago. A key to weight loss is to reduce the amount of food you eat.
- Start a food diary. When most people record exactly what they eat they are often surprised at what sneaks in. It also makes it easy to identify weaknesses and address them. Keeping a diary over a two-week period is best. If you decide to give it a go, be sure to be honest.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables. Apart from the health benefits, most fruit and vegetables increase the feeling of being full without adding kilojoules. A balanced diet should contain five serves (or two cups) of vegetables a day.
- Get rid of the junk. Take your wheelie bin into the kitchen and throw away all the food that holds you back. Soft drinks, frozen pizza, cakes, biscuits, chocolate - all of it.
- Eat a good breakfast. It means you won’t feel like snacking mid morning, and it gets your metabolism moving early.
- Eat six small meals a day. Portion sizes are one of the main reasons for our nation's growing waistline. We simply eat too much food. Eating six small meals a day keeps you full all day. It cuts back your snacking, speeds your metabolism and you won't find yourself going home and eating an enormous dinner.
- Deal with cravings. If you find yourself craving chocolate, have one or two pieces. By doing this you are satisfying your hunger. Let it linger and you will often end up binge-eating.
- Eat more low-kilojoule foods. Foods such as wholegrains, fruit and vegetables are the key. They are low in kilojoules, but keep you feeling full.
- Cut the fat you eat. Eat as little saturated fat as you can. Saturated fats are the main fats in milk, cream, butter, cheese and some meats. By choosing leaner cuts of meat and low-fat cooking methods, you can cut back on your fat intake.
- Share the love. If you’re planning on eating some junk food, or having some lollies make sure you buy just enough to share.
- Big breakfast. Make breakfast the biggest meal of your day, at least that way you give yourself all day to burn it off.
- Eat slowly. If you eat fast you tend to finish and start looking for something else to eat. By eating slowly you are giving your body a chance to register what you’ve eaten, you’ll find you cut back on those after dinner snacks.
- Have alcohol free days. Alcohol is full of sugar, so not only does drinking too regularly do damage to your liver, it does just as much damage to your waistline.
- Go veggie for the day. Try a day without eating meat, you’ll be surprised that you can actually feel full just eating vegetables. And then in the future go for smaller cuts of meat and stock up on the vegies.
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