5 TOP TIPS TO FEEL GREAT WHILE LOSING WEIGHT | WEIGHT LOSS

It can be easy to feel deprived and isolated when trying to lose weight. Crash dieting can make you feel you are living without pleasures. Frustration can creep in, the scale wouldn’t seem to budge, and constant daydreaming of foods causes gloomy and stressful thoughts. Weight loss can begin to feel suffocating and you tumble into an endless cycle of food anxiety and yo-yo dieting.

At Weight Matters we believe losing weight does not have to mean you must restrict yourself. Here are 5 health tips to help you lose weight while ADDING to your life!

1. Add More Colour!

Adding colour and variety to your diet can help combat glum feelings and increase positivity towards food. Next time you go to the grocery store try shopping the perimeter for vibrant fresh fruits and vegetables. Don’t be afraid to try something new! The more colours you add to your cart, the wider range of nutrients you consume. Adding more colour will not only brighten your day but boost your mood! Great foods that are in season this summer include strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, coquettes, kales, chard, beetroots, and aubergines.

2. Fill up on Real Foods    

Focus on eating real, whole, plant-based foods. Filing up on real foods can help increase satiety and reduce hunger pains. Focusing on real foods can eliminate the need to decipher confusing package labels and free up time and space in your head. Filling up on real foods will increase the fibre, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats in your diet, while also naturally decreasing your consumption of added sugars, food additives, and hidden salt, sugar and fats!

Here are some great mantras to help remind you to choose real foods: Real Food First! Shop the Outside! Foods Without Labels!

3. Pile on the Volume

We eat with our eyes first! Seeing a smaller portion of food can be mentally challenging and lead to feelings of deprivation. Instead of creating meals with less food, focus on including foods that are high in volume but low in calories, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, watermelon, and cucumbers. Creating meals that include high-volume but lower-calorie foods is a great way to keep your portion size the same while losing weight. Doing so will also increase the amount of water you consume each day!

If you need inspiration try The Telegraph’s Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad. 

Don’t be afraid to use similar techniques when preparing puddings or treats for yourself. Good ideas to maintain meal volume but keep calories low this summer include homemade air-popped-popcorn or iced lollies.

5. Add to Your Community & Eat Locally

Engaging with your community can be a great way to eat clean and build social relationships. Too often dieting can feel isolating and make you feel restricted. Perhaps you have noticed you decline invitations to go out with friends, family or colleagues for lunch or dinners. Maybe you not longer go outside the house as often. It can feel as if weight loss is destroying your relationships with others and preventing you from engaging in activities you once loved. 

Engaging with your community by supporting local farmers can help ensure you are eating the best fresh and in-season foods available. Foods from local farmers are less processed and more nutritious for you! It can also help you build social relationships with others in your community. Helping people in your local community and making socially supportive food choices can increase self-confidence, self-esteem and mood.

Shopping and exploring local markets can also be a fun social activity with family and friends. Try suggesting a trip to a local food market as an alternative to boozy brunch with friends. 

4. Seek Satisfaction

Dieting can lead to unhealthy restrictive food intake behaviours that leave you physically and mentally empty. Learning how to moderate and manage your physical and emotional hunger needs can help you feel in control and empowered. Stop settling for diets that leave you drained, lethargic, anxious, and isolated. Our team at WeightMatters can help support you on your journey to make satisfying lifestyle changes that lead to sustainable weight loss.