A weighty issue
Every year I start my diet on January 3 and by January 10 I’m fed up and have given up. My weight yo-yos all year – how can I make it different this year and keep off the excess?
First, stop approaching your diet as an event, with the start date circled in your diary. Ditch the fad diets – they may seem OK at the time, but in the cold light of day they are never that good. By following a series of diet plans that don’t fit with your life, your weight not only yo-yos, which can increase health risks, but you are also establishing a template of failure. Instead, you should build a template of success, so the weight comes off and stays off.
To do this, you need to adopt some small, simple strategies based on increased physical activity (the energy you use daily getting from one point to another), structured exercise (when you put on your trainers for more intense bouts) and what you eat. Keep these strategies simple and easy enough so they fit with your life. Being consistent will not only help you lose weight, but will also boost your confidence, encouraging you to sustain your efforts.
Increased physical activity should be your foundation: studies show that for long-term weight management, this is more important than diet alone. Ten thousand steps a day measured with a pedometer is the widely recognised amount for health improvements, but it is not enough for weight loss. I have great success with my clients setting targets working towards a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, plus short timed brisk walks, starting with 15 minutes a day.
With food, I suggest you get real about the actual quantity going into your mouth, and do not eat carbohydrates after 5pm. This carb curfew helps you cut down your calories, boosts energy and helps decrease stomach bloating.
ě Joanna Hall is a fitness expert (joannahall.com). Send your exercise questions to: Weekend, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER ([email protected]).
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