6 Dieting Tips To Get You Back In Shape After These Public Holidays

Everyone one appreciates a long break from work every once in a while. This is especially if it is one that does not touch on the annual leave days provided by the employer.

We are just recovering from two such breaks, the Easter break and the May 1st International Labor Day break. And like it is custom; it is always a great time to binge on food and other goodies we might not allow ourselves to indulge in on other days. It is time to socialize and catch up with friends and family allowing us to bend to peer pressure and enjoy our guilty pleasures and sweet treats.

Although it normally is just a couple of days break, we can all agree that a few days is all it takes to get out of shape when we loosen our limits.

That however does not mean that all hope is lost on getting back into shape. Well at least before the next holiday where it all begins again. Instead of going on crash diets, hitting the gym twice a day or taking medical slimming pills and supplements, following simple tried and tested routines could give you the best and quickest results.

Below are six tips on how you can get back into shape after the Easter binge:

Set realistic goals:

If you have or feel like you must have added a kilogram or two after Easter, you might feel a little desperate to lose the gained weight. There is nothing wrong with wanting that but you have to set realistic goals towards your weight loss. Saying you will for example lose 3 Kgs within the first week for example is a tad unrealistic.

According to an article by Readers Digest, losing one or two pounds a week-translates to about 0.9kgs-is doable.

Setting realistic goals also means that you have to plan on how you will do. Your plan could involve both a workout plan and a diet plan and an article on Glamour recommends:

“If you know you are going to be on the go, bring your own food. Carry some fruit or an energy bar when you are running errands so you will not hit the KFC and Pizza Inn drive through. If you get hungry later in the evening, plan for a small post-dinner snack.”

Don’t make the old age mistake, set unrealistic targets, fail to hit or even get close to the targets and then allow the disappointment to turn into more binge eating and poor dieting habits.

Drink Water:

Countless articles have been written about the importance of drinking water and the health benefits the habit has.

Healthy eating gurus swear by this natural resource with most recommending that you drink water to help you with your weight loss journey, afterall the body is composed of up to 60% water.

The article on Readers Digest (RD) points out that people often mistake thirst for hunger and so the next time that craving strikes; grab a glass of water instead of going to pick a snack from the cupboard or some leftovers from the fridge.

“Drinking also helps you feels full and some experts suggest sipping water just before you sit down for a meal. Continue drinking as you eat to add volume and weight to your meal,” the RD article reads in part.

Do not stop eating:

Most of us might be tempted to cut out some meals in day in the hope of getting back in shape faster. Experts however say this a wrong approach and that you should actually continue eating.

According to the article on Glamour, Louis J. Aronne, author of The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry; skipping meals makes you hungrier and makes it harder to stick with a healthy eating program.

Readers Digest on the other hand points out that eating light frequent meals curbs your appetite, boosts your energy, improves your mood and speeds up your metabolism.

Cut down on Sugar:

The Easter holidays are one holiday we loosen our grip on the sugary goodies but as it often widely known and accepted, sugar-especially refined sugar is not good for our health.

It is alright of you went all out on the chocolates and candy of the Easter break but it is time to cut that yummy goodness from your diet if you are to regain control and get back in shape.

An article in the Independent points out that cutting down on sugar has an overall positive effect on the body according to Sarah Wilson, the author of I Quit Sugar.

They quote her as having said, “…eliminating refined sugar from your diet not only helps you lose weight, but also improves skin, stabilizes moods and decreases joint pains.”

Add more vegetables and fruits to your diet:

We are always told that vegetables are a healthy option for those who want to practice what others will call ‘clean eating’.
One article by City A.M. affirms this notion by pointing out that replacing some of your normal foods with vegetables is the way to go.

They say: “...compared to most foods, they have a lot of fiber and micronutrients and less fat and sugar. You will find that you become fuller and have fewer cravings for more fattening types of food.”

Vegetables and fruits can be a great healthy substitute to your unhealthy cravings so instead of grabbing that delicious looking chocolate fudge cake, take a fruit. Stay away from common high carbohydrate foods like ugali, rice, cassava and bread which send those extra pounds straight to hips.

Control your portions:

By now it is clear that one of the vital things to getting back in shape after the festivities is taking control of your cravings in-between meals.

Once you have that under control, an article by Live Strong recommends you starting working on just how much food you put on your plate. Control your portions.

“Use the food label to determine serving size and portion out the recommended amount. If you don’t have a food label, use household items to keep portions in check. A deck of cards is equal to a serving of meat, a baseball is a cup of grains, pasta, fruit or veggies,” the article reads in part.

Live Strong also recommends that you use smaller plates or bowls to stop yourself from over serving.

Before getting used to your new portions, one might feel hungry soon after eating but do not be tempted to serve another portion, instead just go veggies as the article recommends instead of meat or grains.

Another strategy that can be used to control your portions according to Readers Digest is taking one-third off from your normal serving. Even if you are dining out, you do not have to clean out your plate. Instead just eat one-third of what is on the plate and have the rest packed for you. You can have that the following day for lunch as the RD article points out.

So, as you try to lose some extra kilos after the festive breaks, don’t forget to work smart and work right, following these simple tips could you give you the results much faster than taking drastic measures like crash dieting, taking medical supplements.