The New Year is traditionally a time to make resolutions, and Sirona’s Healthy Lifestyle team and dieticians have pulled together their top tips for those wanting to lose weight in 2016.
Dietitian Rachel Cooke and Health Improvement Service Manager Sarah Button say the advice will help people shed pounds and the first one is don’t diet – but eat healthily.
Rachel, who is also spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said: “There are many varied fad diets available and any weight loss that occurs is simply due to the user eating less calories than they were doing previously; but with these diets individuals aren’t making lasting changes to everyday eating behaviour.
“It may not sound the most exciting way to lose weight but healthy eating, activity and long term behaviour change not only works but helps you maintain weight lost too.”
Sarah Button, Sirona’s Health Improvement Service Manager, said “The New Year is a great time to look at ways of improving our health and after overindulgence at Christmas, many people see the New Year as an opportunity to lose weight by eating healthier and becoming more active.”
Here are their top tips:-
1. Don’t Diet! Diets do not work – you may lose weight in the short term but usually go back to old eating habits very quickly and the weight goes straight back on often plus a bit more! Fad diets can also lead to poor nutritional status in the long term. Don’t think diet think healthy eating!
2. Everything in moderation – small changes can lead to big health benefits. Don’t deprive yourself of all your favourite foods try to include a variety of foods and that includes the occasional treat. This way you are more likely to continue healthy eating rather than wanting to binge on old favourites. Remember this is thinking long-term changes not quick fix.
3. Size does matter. Portion sizes vary so much from person to person, what one person thinks is a huge slice of cake others would happily eat two of. Also the traditional meat potatoes and veg, should now be turned on its head and we should eat more of the veg, a smaller portion of starchy food e.g. potatoes and the smallest portion on the plate should be the meat or fish. Aim for half your plate being vegetables (this doesn’t include potatoes).
4. Realistic targets. Aim to lose one to two pounds weight loss per week – this is realistic, achievable and healthy and also soon adds up to that all-important stone! Any more weight loss than this and you will not be losing fat but muscle and fluid.
Remember this also applies to physical activity, achievable targets build up gradually and choose something you enjoy not dread doing or you will soon be making excuses.
To keep the weight off activity needs to be embedded into your daily lifestyle and also has many other health benefits
5. Don’t miss meals! The mistake many people make is to cut out or skip meals often breakfast thinking they are reducing calories and so will lose weight far quicker – what usually happens is that they get so hungry they snack on high fat high sugar foods or just eat far more at the next meal.
Sarah added: “We understand that making changes to improve our health can be difficult to start and even more difficult to maintain. But people don’t need to do it alone, we are here to help.”
Sirona runs a number of free programmes and to find out more call the Healthy Lifestyle Hub on 01225 831852 or email [email protected].
Find them on Twitter: @sironalifestyle or on Facebook: Healthy Lifestyle Service.
