Exercise at Christmas Without the Gym

Gyms get pretty deserted around Christmas time. Everyone is so busy with preparations, parties and people visiting that it's hard to fit in getting there, getting changed and going through a routine as regularly as you might the rest of the year.

But don't give up on exercise completely - you'll find it far harder to get back in the swing of things if you do. Make exercise part of the fun and keep yourself ticking over until it's time to get back to the gym in January. Maybe you'll enjoy the alternatives so much you'll never go back!

1. Do less

Just do ten minutes if that's all you can manage. Ten minutes of anything - walking around the house or stair stepping or skipping or rebounding - anything that fits your level of fitness and the equipment you have available at home. You can do it in the morning before your shower and it will energise you for everything you have to get done. If you can fit in 10 minutes later on too, so much the better. You'll keep up your fitness levels and use a few calories which you can probably do with at this time of year.

2. Do a class at home

Fitness videos are great if you don't have much time. There's no getting to the gym - you have everything you need right at home. You can pick them up for next to nothing from charity shops or treat yourself to one or two for Christmas. And it doesn't matter if you don't know the moves or have the latest fitness gear - nobody's watching!

3. Clear Up

No doubt you have to get your home ready for friends and family visiting anyway so make the clear up a workout. Put lots of energy into it! Clear out all that clutter then clean, vacuum and polish everything until it gleams. You'll be ready for guests, keep up your fitness levels and use some calories all at the same time.

4. Active fun

If you have a lot of guests and can't get your usual exercise fix organise some active fun for everyone! You could all go bowling or skating. Or try a game of charades or Twister. If it snows, you can go sledging or organise a snowman building competition. At the very least get them all out for a walk every day whatever the weather. There are sure to be some lights to go and see or a local carol service to attend.

5. Dance the Night Away

Don't be a wallflower. Take every opportunity to dance at parties (it will keep you away from the buffet table too) or just invite your partner to go dancing over the holidays. You'll have fun, get closer and it'll be great exercise. Dancing uses up between 270 and 540 calories an hour depending on the speed.

6. Offer a helping hand

Get active by volunteering your services in your community. You can help serve lunch at a homeless shelter or old people's home. Or just help your neighbours with running errands and snow clearing. You'll get a warm glow from lending a hand as well as from the exercise and feel much better than you do after sitting around all afternoon watching the re-runs of "White Christmas".

7. Escape

And if all else fails, next year book a skiing holiday for your Christmas break instead of staying at home. There's a whole year to save up (and to dodge the rows when you tell your family you're going away next year!) Skiing is fantastic exercise and you'll come back fit, invigorated and without those extra few pounds so many seem to acquire over Christmas.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach and slimming club owner with a no diet approach to permanent weight loss. Subscribe to her FREE weekly "No More Diets" ezine full of tips and recipes and receive a 24 page special report "How to have a Great Christmas without piling on the pounds". Get your subscription at http://www.SimplySlimming.com/Christmas TODAY!

Lose the Excuses to Lose that Weight

The opportunities to overeat are everywhere these days. Someone is always bringing cakes into work to celebrate their birthday, their promotion or their escape. Then there are all the family parties and other social occasions you enjoy (or have to attend). And these days even if you're not in company there's food to tempt you everywhere you go. Fast food places are sprouting up on every corner and supermarkets greet you with the smell of baking as you walk in the door. So it's undeniable that it's harder than ever to avoid tempting food.

Yet we find excuses to eat too much all too readily, saying "I really shouldn't" all the while grabbing the piece of chocolate cake on offer.

If you've ever been on a diet and not reached your target weight, you probably had excuse-making down to a fine art. After all there's a ready-made excuse for eating in any set of circumstances if you want to use it.

* Everyone else was having some
* It was there
* It looked so inviting
* It smelt so appetising
* I was fed up
* I needed a break
* I was bored
* I had a really bad day
* I need something with a cup of tea
* I always have popcorn at the movies
* It's Thanksgiving
* It's Easter
* I had candy left over from Halloween
* I'm on vacation
* It's Christmas
* It's my birthday
* It's your birthday

There are as many reasons to eat too much as there are calories in a double cheeseburger. The question is do you put your energy into finding excuses why you ate too much? Or do you concentrate all your efforts on losing weight?

It's really your decision.

There's no rule that's says you have to eat too much on ANY occasion. You can always choose to do something else: to eat just enough to satisfy and no more. You can decide to change your habits one day at a time until you no longer have the same psychological triggers to eat. And you can do this without being miserable and denying yourself everything.

It all comes down to how determined you are to reach your goal. If you're not really focused on achieving your target weight, the excuses will win out time after time.

But if you are ready this time to lose those pounds and keep them off, you'll find ways to get round the excuses most of the time rather than using them every time.

The difference between those people who lose weight and those who don't is simply how many excuses they make.

Are you ready to lose the excuses and lose the weight?

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Want to lose Weight? Be a good owner!

If you had a dog and didn't treat it well - you starved it on some days, overfed it on others, gave it far too many doggie treats and not enough doggie nourishment or water, kept it indoors in front of the TV and gave it no exercise, berated it for being lazy and fat - how would you feel about yourself as a dog owner?

Would you say you were negligent? Would you expect the animal welfare people to be keeping an eye on you?

You'd feel bad about that, right?

But when it comes to you, how do you treat yourself? Are you like the bad doggie owner?

• Do you give yourself the right food and exercise?
  
• Do you give yourself enough fresh air and water?
  
• Do you get all the vitamins you need?
  
• Do you give yourself enough gentle encouragement and pats on the back?

Would you say your health and well-being are worth as much as any dog's?

Of course they are!

Somehow, because we are responsible for our own health we think it's Ok to be neglect ourselves. At least we think it's Ok until something goes wrong - until we get to the stage where we hate our shape, we have heart problems, we can't get around so easily or whatever.

And then we struggle with changing our diet and our way of life because those old ways have become a comfortable habit.

But you CAN switch to being a "good owner" if you think your body and your health are worth it.

And not just for a few weeks or months while you get in shape but permanently so that you never have to think about it again.

Like a dog, you can't just retrain yourself overnight by switching your routine - you have to relearn new habits so that the whole process becomes automatic and as comfortable as your old way of living. But they can be learnt without too much effort. It takes just 21 days to learn a new habit.

And the rewards are huge - the difference between a happy dog, full of energy with a wagging tail and an overweight snarling miserable dog lying in its basket all day is really just a few new habits away.

Which habits will you start to change today?

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

The Perfect Diet to Lose Weight Fast

There is a perfect diet for you that will give you a consistent weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs a week - the quickest rate you can lose fat healthily. The perfect diet is balanced and has exactly the right nutrients you need. When you eat it you feel great. You're full of energy. Your skin glows.

The perfect diet has adequate amounts of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, nutrient rich fruit, vegetables, oils and seeds. It provides the full range of minerals, vitamins and other micro nutrients without the need for lots of supplements. And it takes into account your food preferences.

You could visit a nutritionist or a registered dietician today and get a diet tailor made for you or you could choose to follow any number of sensible balanced diet plans out there in books and online.

Good idea?

Not necessarily so! If you have the strength of will and determination to follow the perfect diet it may be worth it. But how good have you been at following diets in the past? Most people are far from perfect when it comes to sticking to a diet regime no matter how much they try. And modern life rarely lends itself to following perfect plans.

Plus it can be demoralising to start out full of hope and determination and find out that your willpower is not that great. In fact trying to be perfect can be one of the fastest ways to fail and give your self-esteem a beating. Maybe you give up altogether or maybe you just say to yourself "I'll start again on Monday" but whatever you do it's not the most effective approach.

In fact, I believe the perfect diet is not one which you receive on a few sheets of paper and follow forever more. The perfect diet is one you grow into.

You achieve the perfect diet for your lifestyle when you gradually improve your eating habits, one small step at a time. This way you get a real taste of success to encourage you to continue making improvements until you are eating healthily most of the time yet still enjoying the odd treat and over-indulgence.

The perfect diet feels like something you want to do because it feels natural and that can only come when you give yourself time to change. You lose weight faster in the end simply because it works and the perfect thing about it is that the weight stays off permanently.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan". Her system promotes permanent healthy and automatic weight loss through making small changes to your everyday habits. Get her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Lose Weight with Three Bites

Sometimes life is just too short to say "No"!

When you're eating out or having a special meal and you really want to have dessert, it's not always sensible to deny yourself and feel deprived. You'll only rebel later and make up for those feelings of deprivation with a feast.

On the other hand, when you know that a slice of cake or creamy dessert will be 700 calories or more, which you can definitely do without, you are left with a "should I / shouldn't I" dilemma.

As a compromise, ask for the smallest portion of whatever you really want - at a restaurant you can ask a friend to share. And then take only three bites.

Eat your treat as slowly as you possibly can, linger over it and enjoy the taste in your mouth. Make the very most of those three bites and then cover the rest with your napkin.

You can't do much damage with three bites if you simply have to have something and it means you can enjoy your treat without the guilt.

And far from being a waste of money, it doesn't matter whether bites four to fifteen land in the trash or on your hips - you are spending the same amount.

You can try this with other highly fattening foods too - allowing yourself three bites of anything will mean that no food is forbidden and somehow you don't crave it quite so much when it's on the "allowed list".

Just remember to save this strategy for when you really need it, when the desserts are so delicious you just can't resist or when you really need a treat, because if you do it all the time those bites do add up!

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small
anice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Comfort Food for Weight Loss

When you need comfort what do you reach for? Do you have a particular food you always go for?

Of course it's better to take comfort in something other than food. If you can phone a friend or cuddle your dog or your partner that's great, but chances are you'll often still turn to food for comfort.

Maybe you love the taste and texture of ice cream or chocolate as it melts in your mouth. Maybe you choose pizza because it fills you up and makes you feel warm inside. Maybe there's a food that reminds you of the good times in your life or one which always makes you feel better when you're fed up.

Food can and does evoke lots of great feelings.

But what if your favourite comfort food also

• Uses up half a day's calorie allowance?
  
• Pads out your hips and stomach with fat you don't want?
  
• Clogs your arteries?
  
• Gives you a huge hit of sugar which creates a craving for more sugary/starchy food?
  
• Makes you feel full of regret rather than comfort when you've eaten it?

Is it such a friend to you then? Pretty false friend I would say!

If that's the case how about getting attached to a new comfort food?

Don't worry - it doesn't have to be boring like carrots and celery – no one was ever comforted by a carrot! Choose something absolutely delicious that you can make and keep in your freezer or have available to cook at a moments notice ready to cheer you up when you feel nothing but food will do the trick.

How about keeping some hearty warming soup in your freezer and eating it with crusty bread from ready-to-bake rolls? Or serving up childhood treats like boiled egg and toast or milky puddings made with low-fat milk? How about cooking some potato wedges with very little oil - and enjoying a mini feast without the calories of French Fries. No matter what you like there will be something healthy which works for you.

So forget pizza, ice cream and chocolate. They will always be false friends, making you feel worse after any close encounter.

Choose a new real comfort food that you can get ready at a moment's notice and enjoy something which is better for your waistline as well as your soul.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan". Her system promotes permanent healthy and AUTOMATIC weight loss through making small changes to your everyday habits. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Dieters: How to Avoid Loose Skin Problems

We lose weight to look great and feel good about our bodies. And yet even when we lose a lot of weight and look great in our clothes we can still feel unhappy at how our bodies look undressed.

The problem?

Unwanted loose sagging skin left as a reminder of our former shape. Here are the 5 keys to prevent loose sagging skin when you undergo a weight loss program.

1. Lose weight slowly

Skin has remarkable powers of elasticity and yet it does not snap back instantly into shape if you lose a lot of weight quickly - anyone who has ever had a baby will tell you that one for free!

The more gradually you lose weight the easier it is for your skin to keep pace with your new shape. You certainly didn't put on all those pounds overnight - your skin had time to adapt so don't try to get rid of them all at once either if you want your skin to stay looking good.

Change your habits gradually so that you lose your weight bit by bit and you're far less likely to have problems than someone going on a crash diet and congratulating themselves on losing 100lbs in 6 months.

2. Eat nutrient rich foods

If your meals and snacks consist of junk food (even if you eat it in smaller quantities than before) then you're unlikely to nourish your skin properly and build up its strength.

Choose foods which are high in vitamins and minerals and low in sugar, saturated fat and additives. Include foods high in essential fatty acids such as avocados, olives, oily fish, nuts and seeds and oils made from these and also ensure that you have an adequate supply of lean protein.

3. Preserve your muscle tone

When you lose weight you may find that the skin becomes loose because you have lost some of the underlying muscle which supports it. If you lose more than a pound or two of weight a week then it is very likely you're losing muscle tissue as well as fat and without specific intense exercises to replace that muscle your skin will sag.

In any case, no matter how fast you lose weight (and even just to prevent age-related sagging) it is always helpful to do some toning exercises for all parts of your body including your face to keep skin firm if you care about looking good.

4. Keep skin hydrated

Drink plenty of water to keep skin healthy. If you drink wall to wall fizzy drinks, coffee and tea skin suffers because these drinks cause you to be more dehydrated than ever. And diet drinks full of additives do not help your skin no matter how few calories they contain. Only water and pure herbal teas will do the trick.

You can add lemon or orange slices to your water and you can have it at any temperature you like but drink enough - about 2 litres a day. That's about 8 glasses. If it helps try the rubber band trick and put 8 bands on your wrist or around a pot or bottle on your desk and remove one each drink of water you have.

5. Lose weight sooner rather than later

Don't keep putting off your weight loss program. The older you are and the longer you have been overweight the less elastic and resilient your skin becomes and the more you need to stick stringently to the other guidelines here to prevent skin becoming too loose.

Also don't get too complacent about being able to eat all you want and then lose weight later before you get hugely overweight The constant yo-yo dieting stretching and then loosening the skin will harm your skin's elasticity too.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan". Her system promotes permanent healthy and AUTOMATIC weight loss through making small changes to your everyday habits. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Top 10 tips to Look Great at Christmas Parties whatever your Size

1. Fake it until you make it

If your flesh is looking pale and pasty, get a fake tan to look great for the party season. Somehow golden brown looks slimmer than pale and uninteresting.

2. Have a make-over

Treat yourself to a make-up lesson so your party face looks glamorous and up-to-date, especially if you've been wearing the same tired old make-up for years. The right make-up can take inches off your face and draw all attention to your eyes rather than your size.

3. Beat the bloat

For a few days before any big event avoid alcohol and caffeine, and drink lots of water to flush out toxins. Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and eat only small quantities of other carbohydrate foods, keeping to wholegrain rather than white varieties of bread, rice or pasta. If you can afford it, try a body wrap treatment before a special occasion - although the results won't last for long.

4. Get the size right

Whatever you wear make sure it fits. There's nothing more unsightly than a body trying to bulge out of an uncomfortably tight dress. If you can't easily do up a garment then go for a larger size. Better to have a simple outfit of black trousers or long skirt and an evening top than a designer creation that looks less than beautiful on you.

5. Simply does it

Avoid clingy and shiny fabrics, loud prints and bulky details such as gathering, ruffles, puff sleeves and fluffy trimmings which tend to draw unwanted attention to your size.

6. On a budget?
If you can't afford to treat yourself to a new outfit, update last year's little number with some new fun jewelry or an evening bag. Or you could look around the second-hand clothing stores and pick up a bargain. If you have a really big occasion think about hiring a dress, especially if you're in the middle of a weight loss program.

7. Wrap it up

If the tops of your arms are a bit flabby, drape a velvet or satin stole lightly around them for a glam look. You'll feel chique and elegant. Or choose a dress with long sheer sleeves.

8. Under cover

Remember to wear the right undies so that they support you properly and don't show horribly under your outfit. Get fitted for a new bra (especially if you've lost or gained weight recently). Most large department stores have specialist fitters. And look out for the Bridget Jones type magic knickers that keep your tummy and thighs firmly in check. Wear dark sheer pantyhose or stockings rather than lighter shades and avoid chunky shoes which make legs look heavier.

9. Shady lady

Stay away from light colours which tend to add pounds and choose dark shades. If traditional black doesn't suit you try navy or some of the beautiful plummy tones around.

10. Be You

Make the effort to look the best you can for your party, but don't forget that it's your smile, your posture, your confidence and your whole personality that will be remembered, not your dress or your party shoes. So walk tall, smile and go enjoy the party.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach and author of "The Diet Exit Plan". Get her FREE ezine "No More Diets" and 24 page special report "How to have a Great Christmas without piling on the pounds" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com/Christmas TODAY!

Weigh yourself Daily in December

Nearly every diet advises you not to weigh yourself too often and there's a good reason behind that. Weight fluctuates (sometimes by as much as a pound or two) during the course of a day or from one day to the next and this often has nothing to do with how much fat you've gained or lost.

You may find you weigh less in the morning than you do at night - this doesn't usually mean that your body has been releasing pounds of fat while you slept but that you have lost a fair amount of water! Weight gained or lost from one day to the next is generally due to retaining or releasing water too - either due to monthly hormone fluctuations or because you've been eating (or not eating) foods which are high in sodium.

If you take too much notice of the figure on the scales you can get unduly depressed by a high reading or overly confident by a low one. But you're just registering the differences caused by the amount of water in your body and not fat.

Yet I like to weigh myself daily and here's why.

1. I know that my weight will fluctuate by a pound or two so I don't let small amounts of weight gain or loss bother me. I just carry on weighing myself every morning before I have my shower.
   
   
2. I have a magic figure in my head over which I will not let myself get without doing something about it. This is fixed at 2lbs over my ideal weight (2lbs gives those minor fluctuations a chance to balance themselves out).
   
   
3. I never have to do much to get back to my ideal weight. I just become a little more selective in my food choices, move a bit more for a week or two and that's it. Losing a pound or two is never as much effort as losing twenty!
   
   
4. It has worked for me for the last seven years.....

But what if you have a long way to go to your ideal weight. How can daily weighing help you then?

Well, it's a great strategy whatever your weight to avoid a backslide. And given that the Christmas season is coming up it's ideal to avoid piling on the pounds in December.

Typically people put on between 5 and 10lbs during the party season. You don't have to be one of them!

Just note your weight at the start of the month and don't let yourself get more than 2lbs over it! If your weight slips over the 2lb mark, cut back on treats and drinks and make a determined effort to eat healthily and keep up your exercise every day until you're back to where you were.

Daily weighing not only gives you a reality check when you've started to indulge a bit too much, it also reminds you every day of your weight loss goals and gives you a reason to stay sensible during the season of festive feasting.

And how lovely to wake up in January ready to go forward rather than bitterly regretting how much you let yourself go.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", the system that promotes permanent healthy and AUTOMATIC weight loss through making small changes to your everyday habits. Visit http://www.SimplySlimming.com/Christmas today to get the Simply Slimming FREE ezine full of tips and recipes and a 24 page special report "How to have a Great Christmas without piling on the pounds".

5 tips to avoid a 10lb Christmas weight gain

The average person puts on between five and ten pounds between November and January and it's pretty easy to put on more if you let yourself feast on all the delights of the season. But who wants to be miserable and diet through Christmas? Follow these tips to have fun without piling on the pounds.

1. Have the right attitude

If you go into Christmas with the idea that you'll just eat everything you possibly can and worry about it in January then you will bitterly regret it when Christmas is over. Decide to enjoy the festive season without going plain silly over all the goodies on offer. Choose the things you particularly like and say no to anything which you're really not bothered about.

2. Eat how much you need

At every meal aim for a comfortable feeling of satisfaction rather than getting to the stage where you need to loosen your waistband. Decide to enjoy your meal AND feel great afterwards. This tip alone will save you hundreds of calories every meal. If you want to try all the courses, have small portions of everything you really want.

3. Keep up your exercise

Don't give up your usual exercise routine over the holidays because it will be hard to get back into it later. If you really can't get to the gym, do a few exercises at home or go out walking. It will not just use up some calories, it will keep you in touch with your desire to stay slim and healthy. Also keep as active as possible as you go about your day - don't sit about watching the TV specials, nibbling nuts and chocolate.

4. Put it away

If you have lots of extra treats at home "for guests", get them out when people come and put them away when they go home. Out of sight, out of mind will help a little but if those treats do start calling out to you from the cupboard, put a few on a plate and put the rest away so that you are not constantly nibbling from the packet.

5. Peace and goodwill

Try and keep calm over Christmas. As stress levels rise, so does our tendency to eat for comfort. Just remember that you don't have to make Christmas perfect for everyone else while running yourself into the ground. Do the best you can with the time available and then just decide to enjoy it however much you've done. If others have expectations of how Christmas should be then get them involved in making it so! Have some (non-food) treats up your sleeve to enjoy when it all gets a bit too much. It doesn't cost a lot to tuck away a sachet of perfumed bubble bath, a glossy magazine or a novel you've been dying to read. If all else fails call an old friend for a chat rather than eating the fridge empty.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach and slimming club owner
with a no diet approach to permanent weight loss. Subscribe to
her FREE weekly "No More Diets" ezine full of tips and recipes
and receive a 24 page special report "How to have a
Great Christmas without piling on the pounds".

Subscribe at http://www.SimplySlimming.com/Christmas
TODAY!

Weight loss problem : Portion Distortion

Have you noticed that the amount of food considered a normal portion has crept up over the last few years?

Everything comes in ever larger size packs and marketing offers tempt us to buy (and eat) even more with "30% extra free" or "two for the price of one". We are served far more in restaurants than we need and we are continually encouraged to "supersize" our meals or work our way through "all you can eat".

A standard bagel from 20 years ago was 3 inches in diameter and 140 calories. The norm has now crept up to 6 inches and a button-popping 350 calories. (And when did you ever eat half a bagel and save the rest for later?) To use up those extra calories you'd have to jog for over 20 minutes. If you consider all the extra calories you now consume in a day through bigger servings, you would never be able to fit in enough activity to use them all up.

The result? You may be eating more than you think you are and struggling to lose weight simply because of the size of your portions.

So what can you do to avoid falling prey to Portion Distortion?

1. Measure your food

Weigh and measure everything for a while to get an idea of how much you're eating. While calorie counting long term is a bore, it's good to get a general understanding of just how many calories there are in your normal portions. You'll be horrified just how many there are in that chunk of cheese you might think of as "just a snack"! Where it's not feasible to weigh food (for instance when you're eating out) learn to judge a normal portion size. For example a serving of pasta, rice, cereal and potato should be about the size of a small fist and a normal portion of meat, chicken or fish is about the size of a deck of cards.

2. Buy smaller portions

Buy the smallest portion sizes you can get. Nothing is good value if it ends up in your mouth and on your hips. Only exception? Fruit and vegetables – make the most of any offers on these. If you must eat in a fast food restaurant try the children's meals (just the one!). Buy the smallest skinny latte at the coffee shop etc. Share with a companion wherever you can. Consider ordering two starters rather than a starter and main course in a restaurant and don't feel you have to finish everything you ordered if you don't need it. Better in the trash or in the dog than adding to your weight.

3. Read the labels

Read nutritional panels on food packets and look for the correct serving size. This is rarely the whole container (or even half of it) so beware!

4. Out of sight

Practise portion control at home by serving up the food in the kitchen and putting away any leftovers before you sit down. If you decide to have a TV snack, put a small portion on a plate and take it to the room where you watch TV. Taking the whole packet is fatal!

5. Go for Quality not Quantity

Buy the highest-quality in small quantities rather than a mega-pack deal on cheap food. And remember the quality of a meal is not just about what you eat. Present the food well. Set the table and sit down to eat. Take the time to enjoy your food and any company you have.

6. Use your inbuilt hunger meter

Eat slowly enough to notice when you have satisfied your hunger and just stop at that point, no matter how much you have left on your plate or how much is left in the pan or the packet.

From today start to be aware of how much you are eating as well as what you are eating. Notice how food manufacturers and restaurants subtly persuade you to eat more and decide not to let them get in the way of your weight loss efforts. Think about how much less you could eat and still be satisfied. This may be all you have to do to lose the weight you want!

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan". Her system promotes permanent healthy and AUTOMATIC weight loss through making small changes to your everyday habits. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

5 Ways to Cheat without Wrecking your Weight Loss Program

Healthy eating day after day can get a bit much when everyone around you is enjoying cheesecake and chips.

You know it's worth it in the long run but sometimes you just want a treat.

Instead of gritting your teeth and feeling deprived when the chocolate cake or pizza calls you name, follow these guidelines to have your cake and eat it too.

1. Budget for it

If you're counting calories, allow 100 - 200 calories from your total daily calorie allowance for treats. Try not to use them everyday and "save up" for a special treat once a week.

2. Need dessert?

If you really want a dessert, balance your indulgence with a light main course. Eat something like a large bowl of vegetable soup or a chicken salad so that you're not too over the top on calories.

3. Portion control

Now and again, have whatever you like but just a tiny portion so you get to taste it without a huge calorie consumption. Eat your treat very slowly and enjoy every bit. For example, a single small scoop of chocolate chip ice cream eaten with the tip of a teaspoon will give you every bit as much enjoyment as a whole plateful gobbled down at lightening speed.

4. Work it off

If you really must have something, work out how many calories it is and how much exercise you'll need to do to work it off - then do that exercise and earn your treat. You can do your chosen exercise afterwards but this one normally works best if you make yourself burn the calories first. You may be amazed how much effort it is for a piece of cake and it will put you off cheating in future!

5. Plan it

Once a month allow yourself a day off. Choose whatever you like to eat but don't stuff yourself silly. If you have been on a program which promotes healthy eating (rather than diet deprivation) you may be surprised at how much your tastes change so that after a month you don't even enjoy the junk or want it as much as you thought you would.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

How to Lose Weight without Exercise

Most weight loss programs advise some kind of exercise alongside modifying your diet. And without doubt, exercise does make a difference if you can keep it up.

The trouble is that most of us start out fully committed to an hour long gym program three times a week and then find it's all too much. Either we don't have the time or we don't have the energy or we just can't be bothered with the getting there, getting changed, getting going - not with all the other things going on in our life. It's simply one big effort too far when we're tired and overloaded.

If it's one of those days when you just can't see your way to a full-blown exercise session (and even if every day is one of those days) make yourself feel better and use up some calories with mini-activities. This can be as little as

• a walk around the block
  
• taking a single flight of stairs instead of the lift
  
• spending 5 or 10 minutes tidying your home
  
• walking over to chat to someone in your office instead of emailing
  
• kicking a ball with your children in the garden before tea
  
• making alternate circles with your feet while talking on the phone
  
• holding your tummy in when you're stuck in traffic
  
• getting up to switch over the channel instead of using the remote

Every time you do something, anything at all, you're adding to your fitness bank and burning calories. Try to do something whenever you think about it during the day. And give yourself a pat on the back each time you do it.

Some recent research has shown that slimmer people actually use up to 350 calories more a day than overweight people just in everyday activity - even if they don't do any formal exercise and sit down all day at work. The calories are used up just by moving around a bit more in the course of the day. That's enough calories used to make (or lose) a pound of fat every ten days!

So if you can't or don't want to get to the gym, just remember every little counts and have an active day every day anyway!

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Put your Kitchen on a Diet

Picture this: a beautiful clean and tidy kitchen.

Every surface is uncluttered, every appliance gleaming. You open the fridge. It's full of delicious fresh vegetables and salad ingredients. The freezer has a selection of homemade soups and casseroles ready to defrost at a moments notice when you're too busy to cook from scratch. And you'll find a variety of frozen vegetables and sliced wholemeal bread in there.

Your cupboards are neatly stocked with nutritious foods – wholegrain rice, wholemeal pasta, healthy cereals, pulses and condiments plus a few tins of chopped tomatoes, and packets of seeds and nuts and an olive oil spray.

There are fresh herbs growing in little pots on the windowsill, ready to add flavour to your meals; some basil for your tomato salad and parsley to chop and enhance your soups and vegetables.

All the equipment and recipes you need are at hand ready to whip up a nutritious home-cooked meal for you and your family, just as you planned when you did the weekly shop.

Now switch to another kitchen.

This one has a fridge full of butter, full fat cheese and yogurt. There's a wilted lettuce, some shrivelled mushrooms and a few squashy tomatoes that no one wants to eat. Oh, and then there's the chocolate spread, and gloopy mayonnaise lurking there.

How about the cupboards? Oops! They are full of white rice and pasta, cookies, candy and potato chips. And the freezer is full of oven fries, stuff covered in breadcrumbs and ready meals from the store. No shortage either of burgers, ice cream and fattening desserts.

The surfaces are covered in junk mail and crumbs from breakfast. The sink is full of dirty dishes.

I's too depressing to cook in a kitchen like this and anyway you've no idea what's for dinner - quick - better send out for pizza!

Which kitchen best describes yours? Do you need to put your kitchen on a diet?

It's time to clear out your cupboards, fridge and freezer. That means throw it out or give it away not eat everything until it's gone. Give everything a good general clean too so it feels good to be there, even if you just do 10 extra minutes a day until it's just how you want it to look. Then make a decision to keep it that way. Start to plan your meals every week too and buy those fresh ingredients you need to feed your body well. Make your time in the kitchen a pleasure. Keep it ready for action and it will pay dividends.

Once your kitchen has been on a diet you'll be much more likely to be able to follow yours. Try it and see what a difference it makes.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!