12 tips for losing weight

You have to look for a program to lose weight.

1 The best diet is the diet that works for you. It could be the Mediterranean, or vegetarian, low carb diet. Find a way to eat that you like and, above all, maintain it over time.

2 Weigh yourself weekly (and don’t be afraid of your scales!) This will give you a clue. if your food intake is sufficient, too high or too low! It’s so much easier to cope with a small weight gain of 1-2 kg than it is to deal with a greater weight gain.
3 Take a small amount of protein (animal or vegetable) with each meal. Protein foods are digested slowly and help you feel fuller for longer.
4 Watch your portions. Your protein portion should be the size of the palm of your hand and your carbohydrate portion the size of a small, clenched fist. Your serving of vegetables can be as large as you want!
5 Don't be afraid to skip meals if you're not hungry. Intermittent fasting is the latest trend in nutrition and it's all about tracking your appetite with longer periods of time without eating.

If you are not hungry in the morning, you don’t have to eat breakfast. If you've had a big breakfast and don't feel like having dinner, you can skip dinner and just eat at the next meal.
6 Eat at least 50% vegetables during lunch and dinner. Vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, which will help you feel fuller for longer!

 

7 Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and sugars. These are digested more quickly and suddenly increase the level of sugar in the blood which will restore the feeling of hunger just two hours after the meal. Be aware that refined starches, even though they do not have a sweet taste, are broken down into sugar during digestion in the same way as cakes and candies. Choose whole grains instead!

8 Move more. Try to schedule 30-minute exercise sessions at least three times a week. Find an activity you like and follow it on a regular basis! Try to be as active as possible in everyday life - walking briskly, walking up and down stairs, standing rather than sitting, sitting rather than lying down. All of this helps your metabolism to burn calories!

9 Don't drink your calories. Alcohol and carbonated drinks can contain surprising amounts of sugar and calories. Limit alcohol to no more than 6-8 glasses of wine per week. Avoid carbonated drinks and drink water instead!

10 Identify and control emotional eating. Eat when you are hungry, not because you are bored, stressed or depressed! As a rule, physical hunger sets in gradually and will be satisfied with food. Emotional hunger arises suddenly and will never be satisfied by eating anything.

11 Follow the 80/20% rule. Try to eat as healthy as you can at least 80% of the time, and your body and weight will feel the better. Eating the occasional 'bad' meal or eating poorly for a day isn't the end of the world, just get back on your healthy diet as soon as you can!

12 Get organized! Plan your weekly meals and food purchases so that you have a balanced, healthy and varied diet. If it is difficult for you to resist cakes, cookies and crisps then don’t buy them and take them home!

The 'perfect' platter - 2 servings of vegetables, 1 portion of protein (100-150g) and 1 portion of whole starch (100g cooked weight).