When people start out on a diet they are always looking for that extra bit of support and advice to help them reach their target weight, which is why we have devised our top 10 dieting tips to help you lose weight the healthy way.

Set Realistic Goals:

Fact: Losing weight doesn’t happen over night. So, if you know you’ve got 2st to lose don’t expect to lose all that weight in a matter of weeks. The more pressure you put on yourself to lose weight the sooner you’ll lose faith in your diet and give up, remember one step at a time.

Be Strict:

If you’re going to go on a diet to lose weight you need to be committed don’t think that eating a salad one day then reverting back to burger and chips the next is going to help you lose weight because it wont. Keep your weight loss goals in sight and be strict with your diet.

Treats & Cheats:

Although this may seem to go against the above point, if you allow yourself to cheat or consume the odd treat once in a while you’ll be more committed to your strict diet days. It wont do you any harm to have a bar of chocolate once a week or the odd glass of wine at the weekend just be sensible.

Always Eat Breakfast:

For some obscure reason people seem to think that by not eating breakfast you’ll lose weight faster than if you were to consume food first thing in the morning. Eating a sensible breakfast such as a bowl of porridge is actually good for you, it helps to fire up your metabolism and consistently burn calories through out the day.

Get Active:

Now, when we say get active we don’t mean go out and join a gym simply get moving! Go for a walk, a jog, walk your dog, do some house work just don’t sit around and expect to lose weight because it just wont happen. If you really have no get up and go and need some motivation to get you moving consider working out with a personal trainer for the first month or so of your diet. A personal trainer might cost you within the region of £25-£45 for an hour session (depending on where you live and where you choose to workout) but if it keeps you motivated, helps you lose weight and improves your health then its worth it. After your first few sessions you’ll have a workout tailored to your needs so you can start working out on your own if you cant afford to keep it up.

Hydration:

Keep your body well hydrated. Some people recommend drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day but this theory actually originated from a super model who claimed it kept her skin looking fresh all day! As long as you’re drinking regularly throughout the day there’s no need to set yourself a minimum daily drinking target. If you’re not a water lover see our free diet plan for other alternatives to water.

Diet Tracker:

Keep a record of exactly what you’re eating and drinking on a daily basis. This might seem a bit of an inconvenience to start with but you’ll soon find it easier to cut the bad foods out of your diet if you can see exactly what you’re eating. To keep an accurate record try the Love Life Hate Diets weight loss tracker.

Portion Control:

You might have reduced the number of calories you’re consuming on a daily basis but if you still find you’re not losing weight try adjusting your portion sizes. Eat more fruit and vegetables, in fact fill your plate with veg and reduce the amount of carbs you’re eating especially later in the day. The Atkins Diet is a great way to lose weight through reducing your carbohydrate intake but still eating a relatively balanced diet.

One Step At A Time:

Don’t try to do everything at once! If you’re one of these people who struggle with the concept of dieting simply start by eliminating the bad foods from your diet. Try eating less mayonnaise or dressings, for example or put less butter and marmalade on your toast, once you feel you can cope with this then look at committing yourself to a diet you think you can manage. Remember one step at a time.

Get Planning:

This point is really important and something which most people don’t really think about. It’s all well and good deciding to go on a diet but if you haven’t got the right foods in the fridge then you’re clearly not committed to your new way of eating. Plan your meals for the week ahead and ensure you have plenty of the right foods readily available, don’t start a diet with half of last nights trifle still sitting in the fridge it’s simply an added temptation which you could do without.