Do you love (like seriously love) food? Do you find yourself shying away from trying to lose weight because the thought of eating bland diet foods is enough to make you want to give up on the spot?
Don’t worry, I hear you! But what I’ve recently learned is that successful weight-loss isn’t about starving yourself, and it doesn’t involve cutting out all of the things you love at all – it’s about balance and implementing long-term changes to your lifestyle.
We sought out the help of Karen Inge, Jenny Craig’s leading dietician, to tell you about three very important mantras that could help you to drop those unwanted kilos (and still have fun in the process!).
MANTRA #1: Eat well – have a healthy relationship with food
Don’t skip meals
Inge suggests: “Eat a small healthy snack before going out to parties or functions. This will take the edge off your appetite, making it easier to resist the high fat savouries.”
Avoid too much alcohol
“Alcohol is high in kilojoules,” says Inge. “If you do enjoy a drink try a wine spritzer (½ wine and ½ soda water) for half the kilojoules of a glass of wine.” She also suggests having a refreshing summer drink, sans the alcohol.
“For a zero kilojoule drink, have a glass of sparkling mineral water with a twist of fresh lemon or lime, or a diet soft drink,” she says.
MANTRA #2: Move more – build an active lifestyle
Try and incorporate more movement into your day whenever possible. Whether it be parking further away from work and walking, taking the stairs over the lift or, as Inge suggests: “While holiday shopping, take an extra lap or two around the shopping centre or along your favourite strip of shops. You’ll get your heart going and get some great gift ideas, too!”
MANTRA #3: Live life – adopt a balanced approach to living
Set a realistic goal
If you’re trying to lose 20 kilos in one month, you’re going to wind up pretty disappointed. Set realistic weight-loss goals that will help you to feel empowered and motivated once you reach them, particularly during the holiday period. Inge explains: “Take into consideration your holiday schedule and decide if it is more reasonable to maintain your weight during the holidays or set a more realistic weight-loss goal.”
Focus on yourself once a day
“Relax and focus on yourself for at least 15 minutes each day. Don’t let a hectic holiday schedule get in the way of regular self-care and small daily rewards,” says Inge. She believes it’s important to stop and focus on yourself and your body, listen to what it needs and don’t push it beyond its abilities.
WIN, WIN, WIN!
Do you think a Jenny Craig membership might be the kickstart you need to help shake those extra kilos and get back into shape? We just so happen to a great prize from Jenny Craig to give away, including:
1 year Jenny Craig Signature membership
Pedometer
2 x Jenny Craig Healthy Living cookbooks
(Healthy) snacks
For your chance to win, simply tell us in the comment section of this blog, what is your favourite fitness mantra to live by and why?
Competition closes: midnight 27th November 2012.
