Ready to drop some weight? The good news is small changes are easy to work into your routine and can add up to make a big difference.
Think baby steps, like swapping milk in your morning coffee for skim milk. There are lots of little changes you can make — in your diet and your daily routine — that will add up to healthy weight loss over the long haul. Take a look at our 20 tips below and take one on board each week.
Eating tips
Good things come in small packages. Cut high-kilojoule foods, such as hard cheese and chocolate into smaller pieces. It will seem like you're getting more than you actually are.
Don't give up dips. If you love creamy dips and sauces, don't cut them out of your diet completely. Just use low-fat sour cream or low-fat mayo instead of full fat.
Get water-wise. Make a habit of reaching for a glass of water instead of coffee or soft drink. It will help your overall health as well as your waistline. Add some zest with a twist of lemon or lime.
Herb it up. Stock up your spice rack and start growing a small herb garden in your kitchen window. Spices and herbs add fantastic flavour to foods without adding fat or kilojoules.
Doggie-bag that dinner. At restaurants, ask the waiter to put half your meal in a doggie bag before bringing it to your table. Putting the food away before you start your meal will help you practise portion control.
Ease your way into produce. If you're new to eating lots of fruits and vegies, start slowly. Just add them to the foods you already enjoy. Chop up fruit and add it to your cereal, or add a few vegies to your favourite pasta dish.
Don't multitask while you eat. If you're working, reading or watching TV while you eat, you won't be paying attention to what's going into your mouth. Every time you sit down for a meal, actually sit down, chew slowly and pay attention to flavours and textures. You'll enjoy your food more and eat less.
Taste something new. Broaden your food repertoire — you may find you like more healthy foods than you knew. Try a new fruit or vegetable (ever had bok choy, dragonfruit or papaya?).
Get to know your portion sizes. It's easy to underestimate how much you're eating. Don't just estimate things — make sure. Ask how much is in a serving, read the fine print on labels, measure your food. And learn portion equivalents: one serving of pasta, for instance, should be around the size of a tennis ball.
Bring lunch to work. Packing lunch will help you control your portion sizes. It also provides a good alternative to restaurants and fast-food options, where making healthy choices every day can be challenging (not to mention expensive).
Have some dessert. You don't have to deny yourself all the time. Have a treat that brings you pleasure, but this time enjoy it guilt-free. Make sure you're practicing portion control, and compensate for your indulgence by exercising a little more or by skipping your afternoon snack.
Ask for what you need. Tell your mother-in-law you don't want seconds. Ask your partner to stop bringing you chocolates. Speak up when your co-workers are picking a restaurant for lunch. Whatever you need to do to succeed at weight loss, ask for it. Make yourself a priority and assert yourself.
Fitness tips
Improve your treadmill technique. When walking on a treadmill, don't grip the rails. It's fine to touch them for balance, but you shouldn't have to hold on. If you do, that might be a signal you should lower the intensity level.
Make the most of your walks. If your walking routine has become too easy, increase your effort by finding hills. Just be sure to tackle them at the beginning of your walk, when you have energy to spare.
Shop 'til you drop. Add a workout to your shopping sessions by parking your car as far from the store as possible, so you'll have to walk further. And try walking up the escalator — getting to your destination faster will be an added bonus.
Walk an extra 100 steps at work. Adding even a little extra exercise to your daily routine can boost your weight loss. Today, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or stroll down the hall to talk to a co-worker instead of sending an e-mail or calling.
Lifestyle tips
Brush your teeth after every meal and snack. This will be a signal to your mouth — and your mind — that it's time to stop eating. Brushing will also give your mouth a nice fresh taste that you'll be disinclined to ruin with a random potato chip.
Clean your closet! First, it's great exercise. Second, it's an important step in changing your attitude. Get rid of all the clothes that make you look or feel bad. Throw out anything that's too big — don't give yourself the option of ever fitting into those clothes again. Move the smaller clothes up to the front to help motivate you.
Walkie talkies. Instead of meeting your friend for the regular coffee and banana bread catch-up, meet at the beach or a local park and go for a walk together. You'll be surprised how much further you can walk when you're not thinking about it.
Take your measurements. You might not like your stats now, but you'll be glad you wrote them down when you see how many centimetres you lose. It's also another way to measure your success, instead of just looking at the scale. Sometimes even when the numbers on the scale aren't going down, the measurements on your body are.
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