Top Tip: Use Kitchen Scales Religiously

Use Kitchen Scales Religiously

One of the hardest things for humans to do is gauge things that matter to us, for guys it penis size, for girls its how close to the pavement or boob size, for the weight watcher its food portion sizes. Unlike the other things we misjudge the food one is so very easy to solve with a simple set of kitchen scales.

Digital Kitchen Scales

I would suggest a set of digital scales which can easily be zeroed, I say this because often we want to weigh things in the bowl and / or on the plate we are going to eat from to save dirtying another pot needlessly.

My own personal scales look something like these (right), they are raised about an inch off the worktop so that almost any bowl doesn’t overhang. So what I do for example with my breakfast cereal, I put my bowl or dish on them, hit the Zero button, then I scoop my cereal to about 80% of my limit, then chop my fruit to add in there up to the 100% weight.

You will be seriously amazed what your actually supposed to have compared to what you would normally have actually looks like. You should buy breakfast bowl which matches the portion size your supposed to be eating. This means you can still fool yourself into a full bowl of whatever your having, be is breakfast cereal or pasta.

I would be willing to bet that many people lose weight simply by using this step alone to reduce just how big their portions actually are.

Give it a go and see how you get on….

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Top Tip: Visual Deterrents and Incentives

Visual Deterrents and Incentives

We all know that humans are a very visual type of person, so using Visual Deterrents and Incentives is an excellent way to encourage you not to eat, or to eat healthier. There are 2 distinct types of visual aid that I am going to talk about, I haven’t used this method yet, but its on my list of things to try. I’ll probably post a follow-up to this when I start using this method, so keep an eye out for that.

Fat Tom Cruise

Visual Deterrents!
Visual Deterrents are the first type I am going to talk about, these are the embarrassing fat / chub / overhang / bulge / etc type images that we all have, the photo from the pub with a double chin. That photo on the beach where you look more like Red October the Submarine than Tanned October in the Balearics, pretty much any photo where you look and go and “Oh My Gosh, I need to get healthy”.

These are your visual deterrent images, and stick them on the doors or even on the actual naughty unhealthy items.

Go on… stick one on that box of chocolates you still have from Valentines Day last week, to remind yourself A chocolate is OK, but half a box isn’t. Use the worst in your opinion photos on the worst and most unhealthy items and not so bad images on the just not good stuff to remind yourself.

The more horrid and embarrassing the photo, the stronger the message, so dig deep and be strong in your choices.

Jimmy Choo Shoes

Visual Incentives!
Visual Incentives are the last and best type of visual, these inspire you lose weight for a goal. Visual Incentives can be visual images of you 5 years ago, of holiday destinations you want to go to, of an item of clothing you want to buy that would look awesome on a slimmer you.

It can be anything that makes you want to lose weight, but these in full sight of places you eat, these boost your moral and determination to be healthy and get what you want out of the process.

A good idea is to use these images in places you normally eat, near your fruit bowl,  you can use these to help you to keep your eating to the kitchen, not in front of your computer for example.

Stick things you like into your food diary, so you can be inspired to aim for them.

Must like the more horrid comment above, the more you want an item or something, the strong the boost will be, if for example you say, When I have lost 7lb I will buy myself those Dior Sunglasses for my Holiday, and when I have lost 1 stone, I’ll book my holiday, when I’ve lost 18lb my target its bikini shopping time.

You’ll be on your way in no time at all!

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Top Tip: Keep Food Where It Belongs

Keep Food Where It Belongs!

Were all guilty of this dietary sin, we all get into the habit of eating on the go, this can be while watching TV, On The Computer, or Reading Something. Experts who have researched this say when we eat while not focussing on what we are eating, such as watching TV we eat larger portions and more than those who are concentrating on properly chewing their food and what they are eating.

So Today’s Top Tip is, sit at the kitchen or dining room table with a glass of water and concentrate on fully chewing your food, taking your time to savour it. Experts say you should chew your food 10-20 times, obviously depending what your eating, a spoonful of Pasta would only need 5-10 but a chunk of steak maybe 20-30 but ensure your food is fully chewed up, and drink plenty of water while your eating.

Just this alone will help you to consume less calories and feel fuller quicker, because your stomach has the time to tell you brain your full.

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Top Tip: Eat Whatever You Like… But Less Of It

Eat Whatever You Like… But Less Of It

One of the biggest mistakes people make is by depriving themselves of the things they like, but that’s a massive mistake since you will end up craving all those good things you usually have. So the trick is, have all the stuff you like but have smaller amounts, I posted about smaller plates last week, this is where those even smaller plates come in.

Get a Side Plate (5 inch), and fill it with the stuff you like, being a smaller place means you don’t need to feel guilty as you have just halved your portion size. Thats what this is all about, better portion control, deny yourself nothing, eat anything but small amounts, and your onto a winner.

A healthy balanced diet or food plan without over-indulging in any type of food is what its all about.

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Tip Tip: Never Go Shopping On An Empty Stomach

Never Go Shopping On An Empty Stomach

You should always have a high fibre meal with carbs before you go shopping. Scientific Research has shown that shopping on an empty stomach will increase your cravings and the likelihood of you buying sugary and/or fatty foods. Where as when shopping after a healthy, high fiber meal with some carbs, people shopped for more healthy food with no interaction. It has been shown that we shop for what our body craves at that point, so if you haven’t eaten it wasnt carbs, sugar and fat to refuel, but if you have eaten it just wants maintenance foods.

Magnetic Shopping List

You should also have a Shopping List and /or Menu Plan when you go shopping. I would suggest buying a magnetic shopping list (Right), which you can write down what you have run out of, what you fancy next time, what your low on and general track your usage.

You can buy these for a few pounds from most stores, I just find if its pretty and stick on the fridge door it doesn’t look messy its not too bad. I also find if its got lined paper its easier to write on and read back while I’m out shopping.

You should also list on it things NOT to buy, so you have it with you while your shopping, this helps you make better selections. The Golden Rule should be, “If  it’s not on my shopping list or meal plan, I DON’T buy it”. You will find that you will eat things because they are there, not because you want them, so don’t buy them in the first place.

I also have some static items that I buy week in-week out, which are like wholegrain cereal, skimmed milk, oranges, apples, bananas, 1.5 liter water bottles, 1 liter water bottles, onions, a selection of soups (I don’t always have time to use the slow cooker) and some other day to day things, so these are not on my magnetic list. I keep these in my little shopping folder, thats not quite the one, but its that idea, I bought mine for £3 off a market stall, All my shopping stuff goes into that folder. Having it all in one place makes it so much easier to stick too, remember to take it and use it.

I always allow myself a single cheat item and nothing more, my usual cheat item a bottle of fizzy drink, or something around 500kcal for the total amount of it. This way if you find you can’t help yourself you can only cheat once, and its not something to beat yourself up over.

So eat a meal, preferable high fiber, a few carbs and filling about an hour before you go shopping but you’ll learn what times are best for you. Take your prepared shopping list and stick to it!

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Top Tip: Find Out What Makes You Eat ?

What Makes You Eat!

I wrote about keeping a food diary last week, so I thought today I would elaborate on something else you should track in your diary. You should think about what makes you, what was you feeling when you went to eat?, was you hungry or just bored ? Nothing better to do ? Feeling Sad? What exactly was you thinking or feeling, write it down.

What Are Triggers?
These things are called Triggers, when your bored, frustrated, upset or any number of othing things, which lead you to eat when you don’t need to eat. Putting your triggers into your food diary not only allows you to work out what makes you eat but also to take control of them, instead of them controlling you.

How Will Knowing My Triggers Help?
This is possibly the simplest of the things to learn about triggers, if you know for example you eat when your bored or have nothing better to do, than you know when your getting bored you need to find something else to do. Go sort out your recycling, walk the dog, sort some cupboards out, do some DIY, anything that keeps you busy.

How Can I Avoid My Triggers?
The idea is if you know what makes you eat, you can combat that feeling or avoid it. Another example, if you know you eat when your upset, don’t let yourself eat while upset, wait until your feeling better, or work on what upset you and avoid that particular thing.

So there you have it, if you know what makes you eat, you can start controlling it, for me it was bordom and stress. I am far from out of the woods but I’m still working on it.

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