How To Be On A Diet Without Knowing It!

The season is turning at last.  This winter felt very long on some days. I really missed the sunshine and the warmth or even heat that Perth in Western Australia is known for. The other day I saw an advert in a fitness  magazine with the slogan, ‘Beach Bodies are made in Winter.’  I couldn’t help but chuckle. I know of quite a few people dreading their spring and summer wardrobe at the moment.

Many will lament, “How does it happen? I did not do anything different in winter than I normally do.” And they may actually believe it, but the truth is that they fell victim to the dreaded mindless margin.

What is the mindless margin? It is when you consume a few calories too many on a daily basis. You are unaware of it, or you may be thinking that it won’t make a difference, but it does. A mere 20 calories extra a day can result in a kilogram of weight being added to your body in a year.

How does 20 calories look?

20 Calories = 4 skittles / 2 gummy bear / 5 jelly beans / 2 peanut M&M’s / 2 shoestring fries / 6 grapes / 6 cherry tomatoes.

Think about it, if you are eating without thinking about it, would your body really miss it when it did not get it? If you are not thinking when you put the food in your mouth, your brain is tuned in to what you are doing and you are not even enjoying the process.

The good news however, is that this process can also work in the opposite direction.

If you know what your daily calorie allowance is you can marginally decrease the calories that you consume without your body realising that it is in fact taking in less than it needs.

A reduction of 100 calories is all that it takes to start a downward trend in your weight-loss journey.

Here are a few ideas:

Replace a glass of soda with a glass of water.

Dish up on the inside part of your plate and don’t pile it high. Dish up 20% less than you would normally do.

Split your dessert with a partner. (They will love you even more.)

Have fruit, vegetables and nuts available in your office.

Don’t go back for seconds.

If you consistently eat about 100 calories less per day the margin will shift down. Success does not happen simultaneously, it happens sequentially. Just keep doing the right thing day in and day out and you will reap the rewards.