5 Tops Tips to Manage your Weight

Are you someone who has tried just about every diet and can’t seem to find a healthy medium? Or are you someone who finds themselves in a continuous cycle of losing weight and then gaining it back? For many people, it can be very difficult to achieve a healthy weight and maintain it in the long-term. Keep on reading for 5 tips to help you manage your weight and your health!

•  Check your portion sizes

It may seem like a no-brainer, but large portions of any given meal can lead to eating more kilojoules than you realised. Try using smaller plates and smaller Tupperware containers to manage your servings. Additionally, despite what your parents may have told you - no, you do not need to finish everything on your plate! Once you’ve served yourself your portion, try packing up any leftovers so that they are not readily available. Slowing down while eating is one way that you can become more in tune with your hunger and fullness cues and remind yourself to stop eating once you feel satisfied.

•  Change your environment

Is your environment conductive to healthy eating habits and healthy living habits? The more readily available sweets are, the more likely we are to reach for them. Keep your healthy snacks such as fruit in places where you can see them and either keep sweets out of your house, or opt for portion-controlled ones!

•  Watch those non-hunger cravings

Do you ever find yourself snacking when you aren’t hungry? Oftentimes people reach for snacks for reasons other than hunger, whether it’s stress, boredom, or simply out of habit. You may have an activity that you associate with snacking, such as watching TV or scrolling on your phone. These periods of snacking that we engage in on autopilot can lead to eating excess calories when we’re not truly hungry. Try to identify what your “triggers” are and replace snacking with another behaviour that brings you the same benefit such as going for a walk, making a cup of tea, cleaning, or calling a friend.

•  Choose high fibre foods

Including high fibre foods can help you add volume to your plate, keep your kilojoules low, and keep you fuller for longer. Aim to fill half your plate with veggies and/or salad, and choose whole grains over refined grains, such as grainy breads, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, quinoa, buckwheat, and rolled oats. Fruit is also high in fibre and makes for a great snack that may also help to satisfy your sweet tooth!

•  Watch for hidden kilojoules.

Do you ever find yourself going to the cupboard for just a small handful of nuts or chocolate, and perhaps making a few more trips than you realise? Even if you’ve significantly reduced the sizes of your meals, you may be surprised to find out the calories you are consuming in between these meals, especially if you’re choosing higher calorie snacks. Additionally, sugary drinks and alcohol can add a lot of kilojoules to your diet in the span of the week, even if you limit them to the weekends. Aim to make water your drink of choice and ensure that you’re making balanced meals to ward off hunger between meals. You can also plan to have healthy, low-calorie and balanced snacks on hand in case you do need something between meals. Some examples include a piece of fruit, veggie sticks with tzatziki or humus, or Greek yoghurt with berries.

A Final Word

We understand that it can be frustrating when you put in so much effort to achieve a healthy weight without seeing the results you want. Our expert dietitians can help you navigate your weight management goals while managing a busy work schedule, allowing you to create healthy habits that stick!