Lose weight the easy way

2 mins to read

If you think weight loss is all too hard, think again. Online personal trainer Andrew Cate shows your some painless ways to strip body fat without even really trying.

Weight management

1. Drink water instead of juice or soft drink

The type of beverage that you choose will have a dramatic effect on your body shape. Any kilojoules you drink will make it harder for you to lose body fat, because they provide virtually no fullness. Swapping a daily can of soft drink for a glass of water will save you around 10 teaspoons (39 grams) of sugar per can. That’s around 14 less kilograms of sugar you’ll consume over 12 months. To burn off 14 kilograms of sugar, you’d have to walk over 1000 kilometers, which is the equivalent of walking from Sydney to Melbourne. Also, a glass of fruit juice has very similar sugar content to a glass of regular soft drink.

Did you know? – One glass of soft drink contains around 10 teaspoons of sugar, which can make it harder to lose weight because the kilojoules provide virtually no fullness.

2. Reduce your portion sizes

Here’s a way of losing weight without even changing your diet: reduce the amount of food you eat a little. Portion size is vital for weight control, because large servings, even of healthy foods, give you too many kilojoules. If you don’t burn off all the kilojoules you eat, you will gain weight or find it difficult to lose weight. We also know that a number of things have changed in the last 20-30 years that make it easier to consume larger portions. This includes larger chocolate bars, potato crisp packets, soft drink cans, plate sizes, fast food restaurant portion sizes, wine glasses and even recipe cook book serving sizes. Reducing your portions will help to reduce your kilojoule intake and accelerate your weight loss.

3. Share the load

With restaurants providing large serving sizes and high kilojoule offerings that may seem hard to resist, there is a solution that allows you indulge while reducing the impact on your waistline. Share it with a friend or partner. By sharing an entrée or dessert, you can halve your kilojoule intake. What’s more, you can share more than just a meal. Why not split the cost of a personal trainer, or hire a two man canoe and go for a paddle? When you work together with someone on eating better or exercising more, you can gain motivation from one another.

4. Eat more vegetables

Vegetables are high in vitamins, fibre and antioxidants, and are low in kilojoules. They are the perfect food for weight control and wellness. When you eat lots of vegetables, there’s less room for fatty or processed foods. And because vegetables are packed with fibre, you won’t feel hungry. Aim for at least five servings a day, and focus more on the water rich variety (capsicum, celery, zucchini), which are much lower in kilojoules than starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn, pumpkin).

5. Have a healthy breakfast

A good breakfast has long been recommended for weight loss and health, yet breakfast is often skipped when you’re in a rush. Skipping breakfast can make you hungry later in the day, and less able to resist junk food. No matter how frantic things are for you in the morning, there are healthy choices available that take little or no time to prepare, and that can be eaten on the run. Breakfast foods such as fruit, cereal, toast or skim milk smoothies are very easy to make and provide fibre with very little fat.