Dieting? Take your time – and enjoy your food
Just about every woman has done a spot of dieting in her time, in an effort to lose
weight. And probably done it again and again, trying out different methods as the
weight goes back on. Yet the answer to losing weight and then keeping it off is
very straightforward. Learn to eat more slowly, and increase your activity to keep
your weight where you want it. Dieting without exercise could mean you're losing
only water and muscle, not fat.
Make sure you drink six glasses of water a day, and drink one about 20 minutes
before each meal. This helps to dampen your hunger pangs before you start eating.
Go for a variety of food and make it look as colourful and attractive as possible.
Use a plate that's smaller than full dinner plate size. Alternatively, you could
try the Diet Plate (www.thedietplate.com), which will help you to measure your portions
while ensuring you're eating the right proportions of protein, carbohydrates and
fat.
Aim to take 25 minutes over the first part of your meal, and chew your food properly
before swallowing it, says Dr Tom Smith, Women's Health Today's medical adviser.
Make each forkful half the size you usually take in, and really savour the taste
and texture of each mouthful. Finish each one before you start on the next. You'll
soon find that this is much more satisfying than when bolting down your food – you
simply won’t have enough room to eat an awful lot more, and a full-blown dessert
will be out of the question. Try a piece of fruit, yoghourt or cheese instead.
There is a no-no. Do not eat in front of the TV. You'll only find that characters
on screen always seem to be eating and drinking. And avoid the TV food ads, cunningly
timed to coincide with when people (especially children) are likely to feel hungry.
As always, it pays to do a little analysis first before you dive into losing
weight. Take a look at the lifestyle you lead, to see how you can best match your
new programme to it.
Is it possible for you to try the classic French approach to eating – breakfast
like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper? It's a great way of using
up the calories you've taken in as you go through the day. So, for example, have
a full English breakfast – grilled bacon, tomatoes, and mushrooms with poached or
boiled eggs, eat grilled or poached fish or grilled or roast meat with salad or
assorted vegetables for lunch, and have soup with crusty bread for dinner. If you
must snack, choose nuts, fruit or raw vegetables like carrots.
If that doesn't fit in with your lifestyle because you're at work all day and
the family can only get together in the evening, forget the temptation to buy ready-meals
for their speed and convenience. Over-indulging in convenience food could be why
you're putting on weight. Instead, plan to make your own.
First of all, use up everything you can that's already in your fridge and freezer.
Then, get ready for a big cook-up. Writing in Personal & Finance Confidential (Agora
Lifestyles, January 2007), Katie Brake advises making the base for about 24 meals
in one go – it's surprising how many dishes share the same key ingredients. For
example, the same basic approach using mince meat can be turned into dishes like
spaghetti Bolognese, chilli or lasagne.
Start off using a large single saucepan, then use smaller pans to finish off
the individual dishes, adding the appropriate spices and herbs that make the difference.
You can also prepare the accompanying vegetables, and either cook and freeze them,
or just freeze them raw. Use freezer bags rather than containers, to get more into
the freezer. Alternatively, every time you cook a meal, make double the quantity
and freeze half. Then, in the morning, get out that evening's meal, and put it in
the fridge to thaw, ready to be reheated when you get back.
This approach could be a godsend for the many mothers who find they have to cook
three or more different meals each time to suit the variations among family members
– fussy eaters, vegetarians, or those on low-fat diets. And it doesn't interfere
with their own effort to lose weight. Just remember to eat slowly!
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