Are you looking for a weight loss plan that will actually work? Maybe you’ve tried diets in the past, but they just didn’t stick. Or maybe you’re not sure where to start. That’s okay – I’m here to help. In this post, I’ll share four changes that you can make to jumpstart your weight loss journey. So read on and get started!

1. Decrease soft drink and other calorie containing drinks such as fruit juices, smoothies, alcoholic drinks, thick shakes and milk coffee’s. It is a big mistake to assume that a drink does not contain calories, often the drinks contain more calories than the food you are eating with them; a thick shake is more calories than regular fries. The drinks count…water is best. Check out this very cool drinks calculator
2. Don’t eat after 8.00pm or 3 hours before you go to bed. One of the biggest and worst habits of clients that come to see me for weight loss is eating after dinner. Often people associate eating with watching TV or relaxing however this is a sure fire way of taking in extra calories when you are not really hungry. If you have had a satisfactory evening meal the chances that you are hungry 1-2 hours after dinner are low. Rethink your reasons for eating at this time- it’s more likely to be boredom or habit than hunger.
3. Move at every opportunity. Studies show that sedentary time is a bigger problem that not being active. That means that the amount of time we spend just sitting around has to be changed. Instead of sending an intra-office email, get up and talk to the person. Stand up when you are talking on the phone and look for opportunities to exercise – park the car further away, use the stairs etc. Fitness is a better indicator of long life than weight, so being fit is an important investment in your future.
4. Don’t eat snacks bigger than the size of your fist. Portion size of snacks is as important as what type of snack you are choosing. As mentioned above, if you are having a calorie containing drink that is your snack. If you are reading off a food label ideally a snack should be less than 600 kilojoules per serve.

Healthy snack choices include:

1. Fruit
2. Yoghurt
3. Veggie sticks and hummus dip
4. Wholemeal or wholegrain biscuit with thin spread of margarine and topping
5. Milk drink
6. A handful of dried fruit and nuts
7. Small bag of air popped popcorn

Lisa Renn

Lisa Renn | Dietitian | Behavior Change Coach | Author|

Body Warfare: The Secret to Permanent Weight Loss. Lisa Renn by Lisa Renn | Goodreads

Change your bad habits, boost motivation,sustainable weight loss (bodywarfare.com.au)

Lisa is a Dietitian, behaviour change coach, mentor, speaker and author. She has been practicing over 23 years and specializes in holistically customizing diet and lifestyle plans to each individual for weight loss and a healthy relationship with food. Her clientele often report they feel the best they have ever felt and wish they had started sooner, as they have no guilt around eating and have successfully changed the way they look at eating well and losing weight.