Here we are in January, Happy New Year!! I am sure everyone has had a little bit of indulgence and why not. A little too many treats for me, although I enjoyed every one of them and I do not feel guilty at all! I hope you all had a great time too.
However, I do have a little bit of extra tummy fat, so its time to get rid of it. If you are feeling the same, then these are my best tips, which I too am going to follow throughout January and probably February too.
I do always maintain a reasonably healthy lifestyle and diet, but it is so easy to get into the habit of snacking on the sugar and trans fats, like chocolate and potato chips and at Christmas definitely mince pies!. Once you start over eating, that is when you start increasing the fat in the body.
We all need an extra push every now and then and although I do not agree with dieting, even I have to cut back a little bit, to ensure I lose the extra weight.
So how do you get there, well its a lot of hard work, dedication and positive mindset. You have to tell yourself, this is what I want to achieve and therefore I will do it, no matter what it takes.
It is so much harder to lose fat, once you get older, I have definitely noticed this, and yet I exercise all of the time. Also if you have a stressful job or are around stressful situations then, this does not help either. Your body tends to hold onto the fat, to help with energy.
However, it is achievable, so clear out most of the Christmas leftovers and chocolate boxes and start planning your meals for the week.
Not only does it save time, if you plan at the beginning of the week, it also helps to keep you focused on eating the right things.
Start with swapping the snacks for good snacks, then have a look at your overall diet. Are you eating too many trans fats? or too many take outs? is it too much sugar, or is it generally just too much food, for the amount of exercise that you do?.
It generally is simply that you are having too much food, to the amount of exercise and the wrong foods.
Too many carbohydrates is another one, so try to increase your vegetables and protein and reduce the carbohydrates. Cut out the bread at lunch, have a salad and add extra fruit. Swap the crisps for the yoghurt.
Swap the carbohydrates for extra vegetables and increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Increase the amount of water that you drink.
It is not about the size that you are, it is about being happy, having a healthy balance in your eating and lifestyle. Eating the naughty bits in moderation and when things get a bit out of kilter, then being able to reign it in and make simple adjustments.
This also helps for food intolerances. I have had a little bit of cheese and milk chocolate over Christmas and my tummy does not like it, back to bloating and sometimes pain. I do not over indulge on the wrong foods too often as it is just not worth it. It is better to change to alternatives, like vegan cheese and dark chocolate. you have to get used to the taste, but your taste buds change over time.
So for me its going to be a little more cardio workouts, less sugary items, less trans fats, less carbohydrates, like bread and pasta and more fruit, vegetables and water.
Hope this helps for you too!!.
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