- Effective weight loss essentially boils down
to us reducing the total energy we consume
so that calories in are less than calories out,
and, therefore, managing to implement that process
into our daily lives that allows us to be consistent
and that is the key to weight loss.
Today, I'm gonna suggest some simple hacks
that can help you shed some pounds.
(jazzy music)
The trick here is to use smaller plates or bowls
at meal time.
For example, I love my cereal in the mornings,
but I've got a terrible tendency
to fill that bowl to the brim no matter what the size.
In fact, I'm pretty sure if you gave me a bucket,
I'd give filling that thing up a pretty good go.
So, by simply using a smaller bowl,
I'm not simply filling it up for the sake of it.
(jazzy music)
If you're spending a lot of time commuting in the car,
then be sure to have a simple stash of snacks
like say some cereal bars that'll do the trick
to help stave off those pesky urges
for something more unhealthy.
(jazzy music)
When I was at university,
I used to spend quite a lot of time in the car
driving backwards and forwards to swim training,
both in the mornings and in the evenings,
and to stop me getting home an hour or so after training
and absolutely demolishing the fridge,
I would keep a small supply of cereal bars
in the glove compartment
just to make sure that I didn't have the urge
to stop and pick something up more unhealthy,
but do remember to keep your supply topped up.
(jazzy music)
It's really tempting to finish off
the extra food at meal times,
but do you really need to.
I mean, it could be your favourite pasta dish
or even your favourite sandwich,
but try and hold off loading up your plate
with that extra serving of food.
Let your stomach settle,
digest the food you've already eaten,
have a glass of water,
and chances are you'll probably find you're perfectly full.
(jazzy music)
Try to get into the habit
of having some easily accessible healthy snacks
like some fruit or maybe some assorted fruit and nuts
that you can have in the office, in the car, or whatever,
because often it's just about boredom
and us wanting to eat for the sake of eating.
(jazzy music)
Meal times can be good place to load up on extra vegetables
rather than say the likes of pasta or chips
full of those refined carbs and fats
which we're really trying to steer clear of.
This is simply because fibre is more filling.
(jazzy music)
When you wake up in the morning,
rather than having a breakfast,
simply have a cup of coffee
because the caffeine suppresses your appetite
and it also makes your body more alert
and ready for your commute into work.
If you are riding or running into work,
this acts as a good fat-burning opportunity
before having something more substantial
later in the morning.
(jazzy music)
Aim to avoid too many carbs late in the day,
and ideally those that we do have will be low-GI foods.
Carbs are the body's preferred source of fuel,
and carb-rich foods can be related on a scale
called the glycemic index.
This GI scale rates carbs accordingly to how quickly
they raise the glucose levels in our blood.
High-GI foods give us that unwanted sugar spike.
Low-GI foods include the likes of lentils, fruit, veg,
brown pasta and rice, whole-meal bread, and porridge oats,
all of which prolong digestion
due to their slower break time.
(jazzy music)
Assuming you are a meat-eater, of course,
try and include some grilled chicken
or white fish in your diet
rather than perhaps fatty cuts of meat or processed foods
that have been covered in a rich and creamy sauce
as this really negates the whole purpose
of trying to eat healthily.
(jazzy music)
We're all keenly aware of, or certainly should be,
of the need for good hydration throughout the day.
It goes without saying
whilst we're doing our training sessions,
but we shouldn't neglect our day-to-day lives either.
A water bottle shouldn't really ever be too far from hand
so that we can sip on throughout the day,
but one thing I like to try and do when I'm at home
is to fill up on fizzy water as it can stave off that urge
to grab something that you probably shouldn't really eat.
(jazzy music)
If you're like me and have an incredibly sweet tooth,
then you really enjoy having your dessert after dinner,
but we need to find something to stem that craving.
When I was a younger athlete,
we had a coach who absolutely wouldn't allow us
to have any dessert,
and so he would suggest that we have a hot chocolate
which at least gives you something sweet,
and you can have after food.
Hopefully you find these hacks interesting
and are able to include at least some of them
into your daily routines
and find out what works best for you.
But like I said from the outset,
this is all about consistency,
so if you can make some of these hacks stick,
they will help you lose some pounds.
If you've enjoyed this video,
give it the thumbs up,
click the globe to subscribe,
and if you want to see Heather's videos that she did
on top superfoods for triathletes, click here,
and her eight tips triathlon weight loss, click here.