Our Clinical Manager, Dietetics, Michelle Butler has provided a few simple tips on how to lose weight without the undesired effects of extreme dieting and weight loss.
Tip No 1 ….. Record everything you eat for one week. This may be time consuming but will reveal a lot and can sometimes be very surprising.
One of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted revealed that your chances of losing weight are increased by simply keeping a food diary. It appears that the simple act of writing down everything we eat encourages us to consume fewer calories and hence lose weight. Amazing right?
There’s no need to get totally bogged down with this process, it doesn’t have to be formal. However I would encourage you to write as you go, as more often than not reflecting at the end of the day will not give us very accurate results. We are more likely to omit that sneaky bar we had mid-morning, or couple of biscuits. Reflecting in action helps us to become aware of our habits as they happen; and will hopefully change our future behaviour and promote weight loss.
Every day people are looking for solutions for weight loss. Most people can lose weight if they have the right tools and support. Recording food intake in conjunction with a weight management programme is the ideal combination for getting results. You can download a template food diary from our website here.
Remember you do not have do this this alone, working with a Spectrum Health Dietitian on a weight loss programme will increase your chances of success exponentially.
Keep an eye out for Tip No 2 on how to lose weight next week
Thanks to Michelle for writing this very useful blog post. Michelle works in our IFSC and Temple Bar clinics.
Practical Tips for weight loss….
Get into the habit of doing your shopping weekly. This will help ensure that you have the right foods to hand, at the right times, and will prevent shopping on an empty stomach and buying everything in sight.
Eat slowly, concentrate on and really taste what you are putting in your mouth.
Watch your portion sizes, especially when eating out.
