insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 11 - January 2016 | Page 62

HEALTH+WELLNESS
WEIGHT LOSS for

good cont.

off for at least five years all had one thing in
common: they all ate breakfast. But the catch
with breakfast is it needs to be healthy. No sugary
cereals or Pop Tarts here. No big fry ups.
Breakfast needs to consist of whole grain cereals
and breads, oatmeal, muesli, eggs, even tofu. It
needs to be tasty, of course, but it needs to be
good for you too – and there is plenty of choice
in that department. Breakfast can become the
most exciting meal of the day.

CALORIES
Calories… those little blighters that turn up in the
night and sew our clothes tighter are actually not
the enemies we have been made to think they
are. And counting them when on a diet is a
surefire way to get frustrated and begin denying
your body what it needs. Calorie-free or lowcalorie foods sometimes don’t include all the
nutrients our bodies need to keep healthy, which
is why we begin to feel sluggish and generally
out of sorts when we haven’t been listening to
what they’ve been telling us. It’s better to eat
nutrient-dense food such as vegetables, lean
meat, healthy fats, and whole grains rather than
specifically low-calorie meals. Doing this more
often (and for every meal if you possibly can) and
getting more exercise will see you losing weight
safely, sensibly, and for good.

SNACKING
Snacking is a terrible affliction, and we all suffer
from it. In the New Year it’s particularly hard to
keep away from the sweets and treats because
there is often so much left over from Christmas.
Having a clear out on 1st January is a great way
to get your mind into weight loss mode; any
opened packets should be binned, but anything
that is still good could possibly be taken to a
food bank or nursing home. Ask around, someone
will definitely take it all off your hands. Once it’s
gone, you’ll have to make a conscious (and
expensive) decision to go out and buy more
snacks that won’t do you much good. The
occasional hunger pang or craving will happen,
that’s only natural, so to combat those times it’s
a good idea to have pre-cut, pre-washed fruit
and veg in the fridge ready to go. Go for a few
slices of apple instead of a slice of cake and you’ll
feel better immediately.

DRINKS
It’s not just food that can undo our good
intentions; drink carries the same problems. Fizzy,
sugary drinks are obviously bad. Bad, bad, bad.
But oh so good… And that’s the issue with them
– they really do get their sugar-coated claws into
us and it’s hard to make them let go. Don’t go
straight for the diet option when weaning yourself
off cans of pop though; diet soda might quench
your thirst, but because it is still sweet (sweetened
with sugar substitutes such as aspartame) it does
nothing to tame that sweet tooth. Plus, because

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they are labelled as ‘diet’ many people who drink
them think that’s enough, and actually increase
their calorie intake in other ways after feeling that
the diet drinks will do the job… They won’t. And
weight will be gained. Instead, try drinking iced
tea or water (carbonated if you prefer) with a slice
of lemon or lime in it to give it a bit of flavour.
Speaking of drinks, alcohol is so crammed full of
calories you wouldn’t believe it. Plus it’s bad f