So to kick off #WeightlossWednesday I am going to share with you 5 tricks you should follow to successfully lose weight, and with the added bonus of still being able to enjoy your favourite foods!

Let’s face it we all know how to eat healthily. We all know that an apple will be better for your health than a bag of crisps, but the crisps taste better. So what if there was a way we could have best of both worlds? Well there is and I’m going to tell you how. I’ve basically taken the best and most useful bits out of every diet I’ve ever tried and popped a bit of common sense in there.

• Drink plenty of water

This is one tip I will be pushing everyone to make sure they do. Quite often the symptoms of thirst trick the mind and body into thinking it’s hungry. So if you feel hungry, have a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. If you still feel hungry after that then it is hunger and you should eat.

Water is also the best way to keep your body hydrated, which in turn will make your skin glow, your nails longer and your hair stronger.

• Listen to what your body wants.

When you are eating, really notice what your body is telling you. After you have established that your body is actually hungry, you need to retrain your brain and your body to realise when you’re full and need to stop eating. The best way to do this is put your cutlery down between each bite and chew slowly. Once the feeling of hunger has gone then stop eating. This may result in you eating little and often, but this is easier for your body to work off.

But remember – if you’re not sure if you’re hungry, water first, everything else comes later.

• Everything in moderation

You’ve probably heard that a thousand times and probably hate it when someone gives you that advice but trust me, it’s the best way of losing weight and still being able to enjoy your favourite foods. Use the same principle as my last point, only eat your desired food until the feeling of hunger goes. Also remember that you should be putting nutrition into your body. Over time your body will begin to stop craving “goodies” and it will crave more of the nutrition. 

Another good way of keeping things in moderation is to reward yourself for victories along your journey. For example you walked to work instead of taking the bus all week. Having one chocolate bar will not undo all of that hard work you have done to eat healthily, especially if you keep up your activity levels.

Another thing that a lot of people don’t want to hear. People often picture exercise as countless hours in the gym on the treadmill. This is an option but exercise is any form of movement that gets your heart rate up.

As I previously mentioned, walking to work (if possible) will up your exercise massively and you will see those pounds drop off. If you’re stuck for exercising ideas I always browse Pinterest for ideas. Another site I have found inspiration from is http://www.mensfitness.com/training/workout-routines/8-at-home-workouts-to-lose-weight-and-build-muscle

• Use your common sense.

You know that a glass of coke isn’t as good for you as water, you know a chippy dinner is worse than a grilled chicken salad. What I’m saying is use your common sense when making your meal decisions. It doesn’t mean that coke and chips are banned it just means that having them more often than not is a no go. 

Here are some ideas for some healthier alternatives to junk food – https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/healthy-alternatives-for-favorite-junk-foods

If you follow these simple tricks you will lose weight.

Remember to link up to #WeightlossWednesday every week to find out how everyone has done!