Now, I know I’m not the only person in the world with a stubborn belly! The main part of my body that is oversized is definately my stomach, and although it’s slimmed a little through exercise, it’s taking it’s time to go away!

I’ve read lots of articles about Green Tea helping to reduce stomach fat when keeping up healthy eating and exercise. I usually have one cup of tea every other day on average, so I’m not a big tea drinker. But I thought to myself that I would try swapping my PG Tips for Green Tea for a while and see how it goes!

So, I’m going to try drinking one cup of Green tea every day or every other day for at least 2 months, keep up the exercise and healthy eating and see what the results are. I must say, I’m excited to see if green Tea will really make a difference some people claim!

I’ve also read many times that crunches and sit ups alone are not going to do the job when it comes to getting rid of those tubby tummies. Of course, they will help to a certain extent, but it’s best to concentrate on full body cardio to shed the fat. So instead of doing 40 sit ups and 10 minutes on a cross trainer or tread mill, go for 10-20 sit ups and then more time on the cross trainer or tread mill. I’ve also started to apply this to my own work out routines. I’ll do 10 sit ups and 30 minutes on the cross trainer in each session after work.

Also, if your tummy is the main area you want to work, but you also want to use weights in your workout routine, do the weights first every time. It’s something I have learned from a lot of trainers and physiotherapists recently that if you do weights after your cardio workout, your natural strength is hindered considerably and you won’t benefit from the weights workout nearly as much in comparison with doing weights before your cardio. You also create higher risk of injury as your muscles are more fatigued after a cardio workout and doing weights will strain your muscles more.

Lastly, one more little tip…stop slouching! I’m terrible for slouching when I’m typing at the computer *promptly sits up whilst typing!* and when sitting in front to the television. When sitting up properly, it really has made a difference to the way my stomach feels and also how it looks! I feel less sluggish and my back feels more stimulated. I’ve also been trying to improve my posture when walking, like not locking my knees when standing and keeping my back straight and relaxed when walking and standing. It has certainly helped to improve aches and pains, but it’s hard to get into the habit!

You have been struggling hard to lose weight for months now. You’ve tried each diet plan and you have struggled with every recommended strenuous exercise. You have been even keeping a close eye on your daily calorie consumption and expenditure and yet… it seems like nothing will ever work for you.

You mind is now being bombarded with unanswered questions like:

• Why can’t I lose weight?
• Why won’t this diet won’t work for me?

Well, take it easy. It’s natural to have questions like those especially when you are putting so much of time, efforts and money to “gain” this “loss”.

The good thing, about the whole problem, is at least you admit it. And remember, “Knowledge” is the key and the first step towards success in your losing weight successfully and permanently.

Therefore, before anything else, what you need to do is “know what’s causing you this failure.”

Surveys, experiences and studies have shown that following are the most common reasons involved in causing a typical weight loss failure regardless of age, race and gender:

1- Failure to Set SMART Objectives

Your weight loss goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. It means that you need to be your own boss in whatever you do. You need to set the target according to your needs and lifestyle without comparing yourself to anyone else. A simple way to approximate your ideal fitness is by referring to a Body Mass Index chart. Be realistic and do not aim too high in the beginning. Similarly, set a deadline to keep yourself enthusiastic and focused.

2- Inconsistent Eating

Eating haphazardly can ruin even your best weight-loss objectives. Your body responds best to a scheduled eating program. Eating a small balanced meal every three hours works best for keeping the metabolism up and warding off sugar and carb cravings. You should, therefore, try to eat the same way on weekdays and weekends. In addition, if you want consistent improvement in your fitness level, never skip a breakfast as eating a typical breakfast (cereal and fruit) increases your metabolism and help you burn more calories during the whole day. For the rest of the day, limit your daily food consumption to frequent small meals instead of a fewer large meals.

3-Consistent Exercising

How to lose weight significantly and for long term actually has a lot to do with your physical activity as well. Performing same work outs every day and for the same time with similar intervals will not help you lose weight. Instead, if you perform different exercises every week, it will surely keep your soul & body from turning off and adapting to the movements. Changing your workouts from week to week means pairing up different muscle groups with each other, using different exercises and performing weightlifting exercises in different orders.

4-Lack of Self-Control

The reason why diet (even the most recommended one) often doesn’t work for you is that you simply give in to temptation. Therefore, even you are on the best weight loss meal plan, your habitual “nibbling” here and there actually disturbs your whole routine and causes a great imbalance between your daily calorie consumption and expenditure. Therefore, watch out for those “extra” irregular munches and sips and be honest with yourself.

5- Lack of Proper Monitoring

Even if you adopt all the “corrective and preventive” measures to lose weight, if you are not actually monitoring and noting the changes, you will not know how much you’ve made it so far. Strict monitoring through various means such as keeping a food diary, exercise chart and noting down even the smallest gains will keep you well-aware of even the minute changes and you will then be able to deal with this change promptly. Likewise, it will also empower you to control your own calorie consumption and you will have a command over how much calories you need to burn daily.

Therefore, if you strictly avoid the above-mentioned common mistake, the issue of how to lose weight should not remain unresolved now. Once you know what works and what doesn’t and then apply this knowledge properly, you too, can easily achieve success.

Last Wednesday was the start of Lent, and every year, I will normally give up some sort of endulgance like chocolate, sugar or cakes.

But this year, I feel at a loss! I hardly eat chocolate, cakes, crisps, biscuits or other treats like this anymore! It’s made me realise how much I’ve changed my diet, as if I were to give up one of these things for Lent, it would actually be too easy or not really make a difference to my normal life as I’m not addicted to them like before!

So this year, I have decided to take up something instead. I’m going to make sure I keep myself positive about going to the gym and my fitness, and not complain about being tired. I realised that I do this a lot, and all it really does is make me feel like I don’t want to go to the gym because of how I’m feeling. I need to learn to accept how I feel, and that it’s best to be out there and doing things when feeling unwell ,as for me it’s rare that I don’t feel unwell.

I know it may sound over the top, but I need to be more thankful that I can actually go to the gym. Although I have health issues, I’m still relatively healthy and I’m definitely getting much fitter! Over this Lent period, I’m going to take time to think about how I think and act when I don’t really feel like doing something, and be more positive and motivated.

I have made a huge change to my eating habits and exercise, and thinking back to a year ago makes me realise that I’m much better off now. Having more control over my health and fitness is a wonderful feeling, even though it’s taken a long time to get there!

So, if you’ve been reading my previous blog, you’ll know that I’ve been going to the gym 4 times a week with my hubby after work for a few weeks now. I must say, it’s been working really well for us!

I’ve noticed that I have been slimming down much more over the last few weeks and it has to be because I’ve started up this new routine.

I admit, it’s been really hard. When I finish at work, the last thing I want to do is get washed, changed and straight back out to the gym. I feel very tired after work, and my health issues don’t really help either; causing fatigue and disorientation.

But you know what? I’m making the effort because of a few things.

The main thought that gets me out that door is my husband. He works so hard all day every day in a very stressful job, and yet he comes home with no complaints, gets himself sorted and is ready for the gym in no time. He’s a great inspiration and it’s made me think more considerately about my situation. I have been trying much harder over the last week or two to just accept how I’m feeling when I don’t want to go because of feeling tired, and then just get myself ready and get out that door. My husband has shown me that I’m strong enough to do it and that he’ll be there for me if I don’t feel well.

Of course, another reason is because I need to go. Plain and simple. I need to be keeping up a routine that really does make a difference, and this seems to be doing it. I’m lucky to live right next to a gym and have the money and time to do it. So whilst the goings good, I’m going for it!

I also need to boost my confidence more when feeling disorientated and tired. I get easily panicked and overwhelmed when very fatigued, and I think that after a few more weeks, my body will hopefully start to get used to it a bit more.

The point is, I’ve made a promise to myself and my husband that I will do my best to go on all the days we decided, 4 times a week. Letting myself down is one thing, I would feel guilty and probably just sit at home moping. But to let my husband down is one of the worst feelings, and I know he feels more motivated and inspired when I go with him, and the feeling is definitely mutual.

Keeping up the healthy diet will hopefully give me more of a boost too, to get the strength to keep on going! The results can only be good!

Well, I’ve been working hard at the gym for a few weeks now, going 3-4 times a week, doing a mixture of weights and cardio each session.

So, I thought I would weigh myself this weekend see how I’ve been doing…

Not the results I hoped for if I’m honest. No weight loss. I was rather surprised and upset as I’d been doing my best with portion control and healthy eating, as well as doing this regular exercise. I know I had a few sessions where I couldn’t do as much because of health reasons, but still, I thought I would have at least shifted a pound!

In my frustration, I spoke to my husband who was also surprised to hear that I had not lost weight, and he commented on how much I have slimmed down. I had not really noticed it much, but my clothes are much looser and I have definately lost inches round my waist, thighs and hips. Also, my arms have slimmed down even more so and I am starting to feel a lot more strength in them.

According to a lot of sources, muscle is heavier than fat. I have certainly be gaining more muscle, so maybe that’s what’s keping me at the same weight at this time?

I’m disheartened to learn that I have not lost weight, but one of my goals is to actually slim down and be able to wear what I want to instead of what I feel I have to wear to cover up!

I’m still going to keep up the gym work and go 3-4 times a week. I know that it can take time for your efforts to show, it just looks like it’s going to take time for me to start losing weight again.

Keeping up the hard work and the routine is the most important thing. Not to get disheartened to the point where you lose sight of what your goal is. I just need to keep on going and I’m sure I’ll see more results soon!

Why lose weight is a question that first comes to anyone’s mind while searching for the suitable rationale to shed all those extra fatty pounds.  The answer is simple. Losing weight can improve your health in many ways. Just losing ten percent of your present weight can make a difference in the way you feel on a daily basis. Here are some other ways losing weight will benefit your health:

It reduces your health risks

Remember, the more extra body fat you have, especially around your waist, the higher your health risks for certain diseases may be. Simply having a higher than normal BMI (a ratio of weight in relation to height) suggests that you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and cancers of the breast, endometrium, prostate and colon.

Losing weight will help you a lot in prevention of angina, chest pain caused by decreased oxygen to the heart by decreasing your risk of sudden death from heart disease or stroke. It also aids in prevention of Type 2 diabetes by improving blood sugar levels.

It gives you additional benefits

You need to burn calories to lose weight and exercise is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories and lose weight fast. Incorporating enhanced physical activity or exercise into your day by walking more, running or exercising to a fitness video can strengthen your heart and lungs and the efficiency of your energy metabolism. This will also help lower your blood pressure, improve your HDL, or “good” cholesterol, and reduce your risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Besides, increased physical activity has been thought to be associated with lower anxiety rates and it also brings peace and calm to your mind and body.

It simply makes you feel good

Losing weight, when done responsibly, definitely benefits your physical health and your emotional and spiritual life as well. One of the first things dieters report is how much extra energy they have after they’ve lost even 5 or 10 pounds.

They also sleep better and enjoy enhanced sex lives.

It helps you rediscover yourself!

And finally, you should definitely lose weight because it’s your “natural” right to get rid of that “unnatural” mass and also because…

• You will be in better health.
• You will feel better physically.
• You will have more confidence
• You deserve to be slim.
• You should live longer.
• You will have to take control of your body & life.
• You will be proud of yourself.
• You won’t feel so self-conscious.
• You will do more things like go to the beach.
• You will be able to dance in public without feeling self-conscious.
• You will feel better about yourself.
• You would not feel uncomfortable when people hug you.
• You would not feel that you are letting yourself down.
• You would not feel ashamed
• You will be less self-critical.
• You will feel more comfortable, especially in summer.
• You will be happier when you look in the mirror.
• You will feel more outgoing.
• You will feel that I have accomplished something important.
• You will have more energy.
• You will be able to get down & play with the grandkids with comparative ease.
• You will enjoy wearing nice clothes.
• You will be more physically fit.
• You will feel more in control.

In short, the main reason to lose weight is for health, not appearance as is evident from the following statistics:

• Nearly 112,000 deaths per year may be attributable to obesity.
• The risk of death rises with increasing weight.
• Even moderate weight excess (10 to 20 pounds for a person of average height) increases the risk of death, particularly among adults ages 30 to 64.
• People who are obese (defined as having a body mass index [BMI] greater than 30) have a higher risk of excess death (they are more likely to die) from all causes, compared to people at a healthy weight.

Therefore, if questions like “why lose weight” ever come to your mind now you should have enough solid, justifiable reason to do so.

All the best!

If you are searching for an answer to why diet can cause drastic reduction in your weight, you’ve come to the right place. In fact, why lose weight through other “artificial” means when you achieve your fitness goals by “natural” means.  There are different kinds of weight loss diet that help you lose weight in different ways. Let’s find out how:

Protein-rich Diet

It is commonly known that a popular weight loss diet is a high protein meal plan. Numerous dieters have been buying and using high-protein diets all across America and Europe, over the past several years. Protein is an essential component in the development of muscles, and it should be noted that your body has to metabolize calories quicker in order to actively sustain muscles. Therefore, the greater the percentage of your body which is pure muscle, the quicker you will burn that fat off and the harder it is to retain fat.

Best sources of proteins include thin, lean meats (preferably white meat e.g. chicken breast, turkey, fish (Tuna), egg white, skimmed milk etc.)

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to starve yourself to lower your calorie consumption. As mentioned above, just take smaller portions of the foods you currently enjoy.

Fiber rich diet

Just like water, fiber rich foods fill you up for longer. Also, as fiber is indigestible, it is discarded along the way and takes fats from other foods with it. According to a study, an average person could lose up to 10 pounds in one year just by doubling his / her fiber intake.

Fiber is commonly found in plant foods e.g. strawberries, apples, figs, chickpeas, broccoli, beans, and nuts. You can also start with high fiber wheat-based breakfast and should also make sure you have baked potatoes and brown rice as part of your diet.

Calcium-rich diet

Data from credible resources has signified the prominent effect of calcium on weight loss. According to the American Dairy Association, those people who have the lowest amounts of calcium have higher amounts of stored fat. For the same reason, overweight or obese individuals who are interested in working toward better health should consider increased calcium intake along with an overall healthier lifestyle.

Foods that are high in calcium include low fat dairy products e.g. skimmed milk, soy milk, low-fat cheese, yogurt and baked beans, dried figs, broccoli, darkest green leafy vegetables and calcium-fortified food like cereals and orange juice. If your diet is not high in calcium, some good calcium supplements e.g. chewable calcium tablets should be considered. Another best source of calcium is coral calcium obtained from fossilized coral reefs above sea level.

Frequent, smaller meal diet

Another way to cut back on calories is to watch your portion sizes. Go for relatively smaller, leaner, pieces of meats, perhaps. Eat as much vegetables as possible as they are low in calories but contain higher quantities of vitamins and nutrients) and avoid deep fried food (cheese burgers, fried chicken, French fries etc.). Doing these easy things will have a dynamic impact on your weight.

Water, water & water

Water is a natural appetite suppressant as it keeps your stomach full and prevents you from dehydration which can lead to false cravings / hunger. Water also helps your body metabolize stored fat by helping the kidneys flush out the waste. When you don’t drink enough water, the liver which works to provide stored fat for energy helps the kidneys eliminate waste and becomes less effective at metabolizing fat.

Natural dietary supplement

Natural dietary supplement like Proactol is an option that offers an extra bonus to get into the diet and fitness routine. Specific herbs and organic, fiber-based extracts present in Proactol have the ability to speed up your metabolism, curb appetite, increase fat burning and boost energy.

Last but not least, the above mentioned diet types should give you an idea of why diet is so important if you want to lose weight. Your diet plan should be an example of a balanced diet, essentially representing the major food groups of whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes. It should also include dairy want to lose, fish, meat and poultry. It is best if you avoid deep-fried foods (fast foods) and reduce the sugar and fat intake.

When slimming, your body is obviously going to change. It will change shape and condition and that’s something to look after during weight loss. Now, I know this sounds obvious, but it can be easily forgotten. Here’s just a few bits to think about…
Skin – this is going to change a hell of a lot when you start losing those pounds! It’s important to lose weight slowly or at a reasonable pace so that your skin keeps up! It’s also very important to moisturise your skin regularly to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks and help tone up.

Keeping your skin healthy by doing these things, as well as drinking plenty of water and eating fresh foods that give you the vitamins and minerals your body needs, will mean that you can show off your new beautiful skin as well as your new body! Elasticity of the skin does reduce over time, so it’s something that just going to happen. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t delay it a bit!

From my own experience, moisturisers with shea butter, honey and/or neroli oil do wonders for stretch marks and helping the elasticity of your skin. The main thing is to actually moisturise at least once a day and keep it up. I’ve had a hard time making myself do it everyday because I honestly forget or don’t have time in the morning. But since I’ve been making more of an effort, the results are showing and my skin looks so much healthier and feels more comfortable too!

Cellulite - I know, that wrinkly orange peely looking stuff that doesn’t seem to shift! As you lose weight, of course the fat in your body is reducing, but cellulite can still be there! When moisturising, take time to really massage it into the areas where cellulite lurks.

The more you massage it, the more it’ll smooth out as you lose weight, but you gotta keep at it! Even if you want to try out one of those wooden or plastic roller massagers, they can feel really nice and relaxing. Great thing is that you can combat the cellulite when you’re watching television at home or even at work if your sitting or standing at a desk all day.

I’ll admit, I have rather a lot of cellulite on the backs on my thighs (shakes fist!) but I’ve noticed it becoming a lot smoother since I’ve started moisturising every day. Every other day, I’ll also use a little plastic cellulite/massage roller as it can be tiresome to use your hands all the time to massage. Again, it’s really handy and has made a great difference!

Shape – This will definitely change! But remember, that doesn’t mean you have to buy those clothes that cover up your shape or make you look like you’re wearing a sack anymore! Enjoy your new body.

At the end of the day, there’s always going to be someone skinnier than you, but you know what…there’s always going to be someone bigger than you too and that’s how it’s always going to be! So it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you enjoy your clothes, you enjoy shopping for them and you FEEL good!

I’m noticing now that I’m considering more outfits that I wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing when I was 2 stone heavier! But that’s because I wasn’t confident enough, mainly because they wouldn’t suit my shape (well, I didn’t think so!). But now, I’m wearing more fitted clothing, still nothing real tight or short, but I feel more comfortable and confident to wear clothes I would LIKE to wear instead feel like I HAVE to wear because of my size/shape.

Exercise - Ok, just because you are starting to lose weight, or have lost a lot of weight already, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! Exercise is a life long commitment. This doesn’t mean you have to force yourself on the treadmill for 3 hours a day! It just means that you need to keep it up to look how you want and also feel like you want.

There’s nothing wrong with having an exercise regime and it’ll mean you’ll stay fit and healthy for the rest of your life.

Find a regime you really enjoy doing, even try out new exercises like tennis that you can do with friends or family.

I used to feel like exercise what a chore, something I had to do to lose weight only. But I’ve come to realise that it’s not just helping me lose weight…it’s helping me keep fit, it’s helping me cope with physical illness that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. So exercise becomes more than just something to do 4 times a week, it becomes a lifestyle to keep you able to do the things you want to do in life.

Healthy eating – Along with the exercise, it’s not something you just do to lose weight and once you have, ditch apples for chocolates! Healthy eating should be a part of your life too. Of course, eat chocolates, crisps, candy and doughnuts!

But don’t do all that hard work and then think that’s that over and done with. Healthy foods and drink will make you feel better and keep your immune system healthy, and will keep you living to the full.

Again, this is something I’ve come to learn that healthy eating isn’t just to sort out my weight issues. It’s there to keep me healthy and active and so I can live the best I can.

I know some of the last new bits sound dramatic, but changing your lifestyle for the better is quite a big thing, don’t you think?

The important thing is that whilst you’re slimming down, keep up the good work! You’re doing so well already and you want it to keep going well. You’ve got yourself into new habits and have new regimes that you can stick to and in turn, will make your life healthier, fitter and happier!

Did you know that contrary to the popular belief, it is possible to lose weight by sleeping more? One of the things that may be slowing the weight loss process is a lack of sleep. Research suggests that getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night will help people lose weight and people can lose between 10 and 20 lbs by getting more rest at night.

How sleep affects our weight?

Simply speaking, getting enough sleep helps people burn more calories at night and during the day.

Studies show that people who sleep less tend to weigh more, and were more likely to gain 30 pounds more than those who get more sleep. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on hormones that control appetite, cravings and the metabolism of fat. Two hormones ghrelin and leptin are important in particular. Ghrelin makes you hungry, and leptin tells you to stop eating when full. Without sleep, these hormones go out of balance.

When you don’t get enough sleep, hormone levels of leptin drop and decrease feelings of feeling satisfied after you eat during the day. Alternatively, not enough sleep causes ghrelin levels to rise, which in turn increase your appetite. Keep your ghrelin and leptin levels stable throughout the day by getting a restful night’s sleep.

During deep sleep, your brain also secretes a large amount of growth hormone that tells your body how to break down fat for fuel. If you deprive yourself of deep sleep, there isn’t enough growth hormone to break down fat, so your body stores it in your butt, belly and thighs, or wherever you tend to put on weight.

More sleep also means more energy, which will help you push yourself to work out longer, do more housecleaning or errands, or wake up at the right time. Not being exhausted every day is a huge contributor to maintaining a regular weight loss routine.

Tips on getting timely & sufficient sleep

• Make sure to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
• If it is hard for you to go to bed early enough to get 7.5 hours of sleep, do it gradually, going to be an hour (or half hour) earlier each night until you reach your ideal ‘bedtime’.
• Drink warm decaffeinated tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Be sure not to drink caffeine at least 3-4 hours before your bed time. Similarly, avoid alcohol three hours before bedtime. Drinking liquor before bedtime tends to disrupt the second part of sleep.
• Avoid working out right before bed as the body releases endorphins that will likely keep you awake.
• Start preparing for sleep an hour before bedtime by doing sleeping rituals each night before bed. Make sure to turn off all your electronic devices like the television, computer, and cell phone.
• Make sure to meditate and relax before going to sleep. Relaxing causes cortisol levels to drop, which will help your body burn more calories. Giving yourself a neck massage, listening to soothing music, or doing some Yoga poses will also help you fall asleep easier.
• Avoid carbohydrates for at least six hours before bed. When the body is low on carbohydrates, it starts using calories to burn fat for energy. If there are no carbohydrates in your system before bedtime, your body will burn more calories to burn fat for energy.
• Drink green tea before bed to burn more calories while sleeping. Green tea is proven to increase metabolism, which helps people burn more calories.
• Burn more calories at night by turning down the heater. Our bodies use more energy to keep warm. By turning down your heater at night, you will be turning up your body’s metabolic rate, which will burn more calories to keep you warm.

As you eat better, you sleep better, and as you sleep better, you eat better. Sleep and eating are interconnected and positively or negatively affect each other.

I know, it’s tough to stay motivated when you are on that mission to lose weight!

I love going to the gym, but sometimes it really does feel like a chore, when I eat fresh fruit and vegetables I really do feel so much better, but sometimes I just want a hug bar of choccy! Thinking these things are normal, but can really have an effect on your motivation and commitment to sheading those pounds.

Mix it up at the gym – I recently realised that the main reason I was seeing the gym as a chore was because I was doing the same routine over and over again with no variety. So, I spoke to one of the trainers and he’s taken me under his wing and now I have loads of exercises to do on all sorts of equipment! I talked to him about what I wanted to focus on, which is weight loss and strength in my upper body mainly, and he gave me a set of exercises that I can do in one long session, or break them up during my 4 days a week at the gym! This has brought a whole load of new excitement and motivation at the gym as I’m using different equipment every day I go as well as doing a few of the same to keep up the routine.

Keeping yourself interested in exercise is a huge key, and learning new exercises and using different equipment will help make it feel new all over again and give you that boost! When you feel like things are getting a bit boring again, have a chat with one of the trainers and see what you can come up with!

Another thing that’s really helped my motivation is my husband. We both go to the gym together after work and that makes a huge difference to both our motivation! We know if one of us can’t go, it will make the other person feel sad they are not going and neither of us want that for each other. Although we are going to the gym for different goals, we both encourage each other and learn new techniques and exercises from each other’s routine that could help our own goal too!

Don’t stop there either! Decide to walk to work instead of driving or getting the bus. I know the weather hasn’t been great recently, but think of all that money you’ll save too, which is motivation in itself! Use the money you saved to a nice treat once a week or once a month at your favourite store or to save up!

Healthy foods can be great snack foods – I know that snacking on an apple isn’t quite the same as having a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps, trust me I know! But there is such a huge range of fruit and vegetables out there that could be your ideal snack food, that one you turn to when you are hungry but need to keep the calories down.

I used to buy bananas because I know they’re really good for you, but I don’t like them much at all. So, I used to force myself to eat them and it put me off fruit a bit. So now, I’ll buy them only if I really fancy them and get fruit that I like on a day to day basis. No more forcing myself to eat things just because I feel like I should, I’m now eating them because I WANT to!

I’m not a fan of apples, but I decided to try different kinds and I’ve found one that makes me think twice about snacking on something naughty! If you don’t like a certain kind of fruit or veg, don’t eat it! If you do, you’ll just be put off all fruit and veg. Instead, find ones that you really like that make you forget about having that packet of cheese and onion crisps. It can be done!

Also, have a look at the back of the foods you buy or eat. I’m not saying you have to study every gram of fat it has in it, or panic about the calories. But what it really does help is your awareness of what you are eating to help you make better choices to help aid your weight loss.

Fitness and healthy eating shouldn’t feel like a chore, but I know it can feel that way when you’re trying to lose weight because you have to do these things to lose that weight. But that doesn’t mean you have to do things or eat and drink things you don’t like. There is such a huge range of exercises and equipment to use that there’s going to be something you enjoy! And you can’t tell me that you have tried every single fruit and vegetable in the world and don’t enjoy one of them?!

Make fitness and healthy eating something you enjoy to keep your motivation going, but to also make losing weight a happy and successful time of your life!