I was talking with a few of our Ladies this morning after the session and the conversation was around ‘losing it and keeping it off’ – weight that is.
I’ve been on the weight loss journey, 3 stone in 12 months and have now maintained this for 8 months, whilst still working to continue reducing my body fat %, so I thought I would share a few of my kitchen rules which helped me both lose weight and continue to help me maintain the new better me.
Get your mind-set right – forget the word ‘diet’ and focus on healthy eating. The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it’s also the place that can make or break you on the weight-loss front.
Make fruit and veg as accessible as a bag of crisps: Wash, cut up, and store in reusable containers in the fridge so they’re easy to grab. Make sure they’re right up front at eye level so they’re the first thing you see when you open the fridge door.
Prepare a big container of salad: Having a salad before dinner is a great way to fill you up so you eat less of the main course, but preparing a salad every night takes so much time that it’s tempting to skip out. Ensure you get a bowl of greens every night by making an enormous bowl of salad at the beginning of the week.
Have measuring jugs, spoons and a set of digital food scales on the counter: Measuring and weighing your food will keep portions in check, since overestimating serving sizes is a huge reason people don’t lose weight. Seeing those scales on your kitchen counter will be a visual reminder not to forget to use them.
Pre-make snack packs: You know what happens when you eat crisps, nuts or crackers out of the box/bag – you end up polishing off the entire packet! Take your favourite healthy snacks and make some 100-calorie or 150-calorie snack packs you can keep in your cupboard or in a box in your fridge.
Freeze fruit and veg: Buy larger bags of fruit and veg and wash, cut, and store them in bags in the freezer. You’ll not only save money when you buy in bulk, but you’ll also have them on hand to add to your smoothies, yoghurt, soups, and omelettes.
Freeze smoothie bags: If you’re in a rush in the morning, prep these fruit and veg smoothie bags and keep them in the freezer. Just empty the contents in the blender, add the extras labelled on the bag, and you’ll have a low-calorie, fibre and protein packed breakfast that’ll keep you full all morning long.
Ditch the unhealthy foods: Your family might be fans of an occasional can of pop, bowl of ice cream, or chocolate bar, but if those foods are within your reach, you’re bound to crave them. Throw out or give away the junk, because if it’s not in your kitchen, you can’t be tempted to eat it.
Plan your meals and order your shopping online so you not tempted by the 2 for 1 offers in every aisle. You’ll be amazed how much your shopping bill comes down by too!
Use smaller-sized plates: When we prepare a plate of food, we feel the need to fill it up completely. If you start out with a smaller-sized salad plate, there’s only so much you can pile on, so you’ll end up consuming fewer calories.
Double or even triple the recipe: Whether you’re making soup, roasted vegetables, homemade veggie burgers, chilli, curry or something else for dinner, don’t just make enough for one meal. Package the leftovers in containers you can easily grab for the next few days’ meals. If your lunch or dinner is already prepared, you won’t have to resort to unhealthy takeaway.
Put food away before you sit down to eat: After you’ve cooked up an amazing healthy dinner, serve yourself an appropriate serving size and then wrap it up and put leftovers in the fridge. If you leave it out, you’re more likely to go back for unnecessary seconds or thirds. Out of sight means off your hips.
Have a great day 🙂
Julie