all the ingredients needed for healthy weight loss

Put on weight, been less active and drunk too much in lockdown? You and so many others! With the change in the weather and nights drawing in, September is the perfect time to review and refocus. It’s a bit like New Year – but without all the tinsel and palaver. And this year in particular, as the kids go back to school and people return to work out of furlough or working at home, it feels as if we’re re-emerging into a whole new life. Yes, it’s the ideal point in the calendar for setting yourself a target to get losing weight or do more exercise. But hold it right there… often the resolutions people make are totally misguided and can actually hinder and keep them further from their goal! We’ve compiled some weight-loss dos and don’ts that will make your resolutions a whole lot more realistic…

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DON’T keep your weight-loss goals secret in case you don’t achieve them

Telling other people about your goals is a great way to help you stick to them. It adds a layer of commitment so they’re more likely to happen. So if you’re serious about making some positive changes, don’t keep it quiet!

DO spread the word – this will increase your chances of success

DON’T swap full-sugar drinks for diet versions

Diet drinks may not contain sugar but are usually packed with artificial sweeteners instead.  Most studies show that artificial sweeteners can still cause weight gain, and are also commonly associated with a whole host of other unwanted side-effects.

DO swap sugary drinks for pure fruit juice diluted with filtered water

DON’T choose margarine instead of butter

Margarine may be lower in fat but it’s a type of fat your body can’t process as well. And your body does actually need the fats found in butter, just in small amounts.

DO stick with proper butter, just use a bit less

DON’T stop eating nuts and seeds, because they’re ‘full of fat’

Nuts and seeds are powerhouses of nutrition; they do contain fat but most often they contain essential fats that are lacking from Western diets.

DO eat more nuts and seeds not less if you want to improve your health

DON’T go zero-fat or low-fat

Zero-fat or low-fat products (like yogurt) are usually packed with sugar and/or artificial sweeteners to compensate for the lack of taste.

DO choose the full-fat versions and just eat a bit less

 DON’T ditch the yoga and do more cardio instead

In our fast-paced Western lifestyle it’s never been more important to plan in a regular time for deep relaxation. While heart-pumping workouts are great for you it’s important to keep stress levels at bay by having a healthy balance that includes more relaxing types of exercise as well.

DO come to our yoga or yogic relaxation… which are starting back this month

DON’T think calorie counting

If you have trouble losing weight, and you’ve tried loads of diets but then put the kilos back on again, it’s extra tough to face a September resolution to shed your lockdown midriff. Often, though, the difficulty is as much about your attitude to food and your relationship with yourself and eating as it is about your dietary intake.

DO think rewiring your brain and whole relationship with food by enrolling the help of our weight-loss mentor/coach Shelley Edwards

For more information about Shelley’s weight-loss programme click here

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