Losing weight can be as difficult psychologically as it is physically. It can become a struggle if we have to make family meals; eating our own meagre diet whilst still having to prepare tempting fare for the others. How can we improve our lot, and continue to please the family?
First off we need to tackle the amount we eat. Whatever food we consume, if we take in less of it we’ll lose weight. It’s pleasing to see a plateful of food at the beginning of our meal – so eat from one that’s smaller than everyone else’s. Eat your food very slowly, chewing every morsel at least twenty times before swallowing. You won’t always finish your meal ahead of the others then, but you will feel more sated.
Basically you can often eat the same food as your family is eating, but cut down on the amount of rice, pasta, potatoes and fatty meat. Eat more veg to avoid getting too hungry. Just don’t be tempted to fill up on bread rolls! If you have a sweet tooth, take care not to go overboard. A portion of stewed apple from the crumble is one thing, but treacle sponge and custard is quite another.
But you can get much cannier than that. Serve reduced calorie meals a couple of times a week to everyone – if they’re done well they won’t have a clue! Add garlic and herbs to macaroni, and bulk it out with plenty of veg. Then use a tin of tomatoes to enrich the sauce. Leave out the oil, but maybe add a touch of Greek yoghurt for creaminess.
Pick your meat and dairy items carefully when you shop. There can be a big difference in the calorific value of different beef products for example. The rest of your family will profit from less saturated fat, even if they don’t have weight issues. For a low-cal high-protein meal, serve turkey or chicken and stick to the skinless breast for yourself. Potatoes can be nice and filling for slimmers – just buy ones with a creamy texture. You won’t need to add butter before serving then.
Be careful when you buy cereals as some have a really high sugar content. Again, breakfast bars might look like healthy food, but most are highly sweet and calorific. The sugar content in a lot of drinks is also far too high for dieters. If you love your drinks, stick to sugar free varieties. If you like juice, dilute it with water and add ice!
Alcohol contains a lot of calories, so when you’re socialising it’s good to find some alternatives. Try drinking tomato juice with ice or spring water. Watered down apple juice makes a passable wine lookalike if you don’t want to be different from the crowd.
It’s obvious that we’re not going to lose weight if we continue as we are. But it’s amazing how a small shift here and there can dramatically help along the way.
