Why You’re Not Reaching Your Ideal Weight

If you’re trying to lose weight, a reasonable and healthy weight loss should be between 0.5 to 1.0 kg per week. As with any goals, your success will depend on a number of factors, with the most important one being motivation.

Here are some of the more common issues that can impede your weight loss success.

Not eating breakfast or eating breakfast too late

Skipping breakfast might sound like a quick way to cut kilojoules, but this can lead to unhealthy snacking by mid-morning or eating too much at lunch. Studies show people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight. An ideal breakfast should be high in protein and fibre. To get your metabolism firing early, aim to eat your breakfast before 8am.

Eating dinner too late

Eating too close to bedtime can interrupt your sleep (as your body is busy digesting, it can’t do what it needs to do to prepare you for optimal rest). If you’re regularly eating dinner after 8pm, aim to reduce the portion size at dinner and have a larger lunch followed by a healthy snack (fruit, nuts) at afternoon tea. Allow at least 2 hours between your last meal and sleep. Some studies have shown that having dinner too close to bedtime may result in weight gain as your metabolism slows down when you sleep.

Eating too fast

It takes your brain about 20 minutes to register that there is food in your stomach. Therefore, you’re more likely to overeat if you tend to vacuum down your food. Make sure you chew your food properly to help with its digestion. You will enjoy your meal more if you slow your eating down.

Not enough salad/vegetables at lunchtime

Ideally you will need at least 1-2 cups of salad or vegetables at lunchtime to get the bulk and fibre you need to keep you full throughout the afternoon.

You’re drinking everything except water

Beverages (including those that seem healthy like fruit juices) are probably the biggest hidden source of kilojoules in our diets, especially those that are packed with sugars. Some fruit juices actually have more kilojoules than a can of Coke. And a regular cappuccino has more than twice the amount of kilojoules as a skim cappuccino. For more information, read our recent newsletter.

Your plate is too big

If you tend to eat everything on your plate (probably because you were “brainwashed” by your parents to do so when you were growing up), switch to smaller plates. When you have finished eating, wait 20 minutes (see above) and if you are still hungry, then go back for seconds.

Eating out too many times

For people with a busy lifestyle, eating out is no longer an occasional treat. When you don’t prepare your own meals, you have no control over the ingredients and cooking process.

Eating out and an expanding waistline usually go hand in hand but you can limit the damage by:

• splitting the entree with your partner or a friend;
• order an entree as your main and include a side salad;
• go for less fattening dishes, for example, if you are eating pasta replace cream-based sauces with tomato-based sauces (such as marinara or Napolitana).

You’ve got junk food in your pantry

One of the quickest way to start eating more healthily is to do a pantry makeover. While you are “de-junking” your pantry (before you succumb to temptation), throw out anything that has either: too little nutritional value (fibre, vitamins, minerals, protein) or too much fat, sodium/salt or sugar.

About the author: Andrew is the owner and principal trainer of Health Jigsaw. He has trained hundreds of clients of all ages with varying levels of fitness, from beginners to professional athletes and performers.

Contact us if you want to make positive changes to your health, lifestyle, self-confidence and general outlook in life.

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