It’s not uncommon to feel that extra weight ‘sneaks up on us’. The weather starts to cool down, we reach for our favourite jeans and.. eek! The zip just won't go up. 

Despite the temptation of diets that promise rapid weight loss, what the research clearly shows is that when you lose weight quickly, it can be near impossible to maintain and generally people put weight back on as quickly as they lost it, often with a bit extra too.

So, in order to maintain a healthy weight, ditch the old dieting paradigm for incorporating some healthy habits that you can sustain long term.  It’s best to focus your goal on feeling healthy, rather than weight loss. When you focus on the scales it can start taking over your life! Start focusing on making choices that make you and your body FEEL good rather than those which promise instant results on the scales.

Forgiveness and mindset

Changing the way you eat takes time so don’t be too hard on yourself and beat yourself up if things don’t quite go to plan. Learn from the challenges and use the ups and downs to help you move forward. 

If you have learnt unhelpful eating habits over a period of 20, 30 or 40 years, it will take longer than 2 weeks to reprogram them!  

I’m ready to change, what do I do?

Start small and get big results. Try these things:

• When you eat make sure it is at a table with no distractions (magazines/books/screens) this will aid you in enjoying your food and not eating without being present, which can cause you to overeat.  
• Listen to when you are full and stop eating - this can take practice. Check out Claire's book Feel Good for Life here, which has tips to help you tune into your appetite.   
• Keep hydrated during the day, drink plenty of water, enough to make your pee nice and pale throughout the day. The rough recommendation is 2-3 litres, but this varies from person to person.

Move your body

It’s not only great for our physical health to be active, but also our mental health. If you are just starting out, or not sure where to even start, there are some great tips here to get you going.  

If the gym or team sports isn’t your thing, that’s OK. Walking is such a great freedom from daily routine, either by yourself or with family or a friend in your local neighbourhood or at lunch time. Pick a time/day and stick to it each week until it forms a new habit.  Who knows, you could end up feeling like running one day!

Getting outside also awakens the senses to the light, different sounds/smells that can all be very meditative as well, especially beach or bush walking. Get the family involved and make it fun, here are some things to try.

Rest and relaxation 

Relaxing and sleeping are such an important part of health and happiness. Aiming for 7 or more hours a night sleep will help your body to rejuvenate and repair. 

If you find it hard to get sleep at night, being active by exercising for 30 minutes a day will help.  Stress can also hinder a comfortable sleep, so finding ways to cope in stressful situations could be one of your goals. Start to identify what creates stress in your life and look to change some beliefs or habits. Explore a yoga or meditation class - even something as easy as deep slow breathing can help bring your heart rate down and help you to feel more calm! 

Overall, we all want to feel well, happy and healthy.  If you feel it’s always too overwhelming, just go slow. Take tiny steps to start with to gain some confidence, and then step it up and start to challenge yourself - and remember to feel proud about the steps that you do take, no matter how small. 

Need help getting things right when it comes to what your eating? Got questions you need answered when it comes to food and your health? We can help!