The basics: a clear and achievable goal
The most important thing is that your diet goal is achievable. ‘Losing weight’ is not specific enough: determine exactly how much weight you want to lose in how much time. Be aware of why you want this. Write it down somewhere, hang it on the fridge. Then there is a greater chance that you will persevere in difficult times.
Diet and lifestyle
take your time
A strict diet is difficult to maintain. The lost kilos often come back in a short time afterwards: the well-known yo-yo effect. If you have been hungry for a few weeks and have lost weight, your body will store the food you ingest extra quickly as fat. So you will gain weight faster. In addition, there is a risk that you will get a shortage of all kinds of nutrients during strict dieting.
Keep track of what you eat
Only when you know what you eat can you choose what you want to change. Losing weight starts with awareness. Keep track of what you eat every day in a food diary, for example, My Eating Meter (from the Nutrition Center). This will give you a better understanding of what you eat and drink. There are several apps that can help you with that. Be careful not to obsessively count calories.
move a lot
Exercise is an important part of losing weight. Research shows that light, intensive exercise throughout the day is healthy. So don’t send an e-mail, but drop by your colleague. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take the bike instead of the car. The Sports Knowledge Center gives even more tips to get through the day actively. Do you want to start exercising? Build it up slowly.
Eat mindfully
Eating mindfully makes you eat less. Eating in front of the TV or behind the computer is therefore not a good idea. Because of the distraction, you don’t know if you’ve had enough already. Also, do not eat too fast, you will miss the signal that you are full. Taking small bites and chewing well helps to calm down and eat less. Extra advantage: small snacks increase the taste sensation, so that you eat less.
Use a small plate
On a small plate, the same portion appears larger than on a large plate. Your brain thinks you’ve eaten more.
Watch out with avoiding foods
Excluding certain foods is not always healthy. We need some nutrients every day and must therefore always be in your diet. If you have a diet that largely adheres to the Wheel of Five, then you know that you are getting what you need.
Preventing hunger and temptation
Eat lots of protein and fiber
Are you often hungry between meals? Then eat enough proteins at every meal, such as eggs, nuts, mushrooms, dairy or legumes. Proteins stay in the stomach longer than carbohydrates. This also makes you feel full for longer. Also eat a lot of fiber-rich products such as vegetables, fruit, and whole grain products. Fiber-rich food makes you less hungry again. Low-fiber, sweet food has the opposite effect.
Drink enough
Drinking water and tea makes you feel full and helps you eat less. Water is the healthiest thirst quencher. In addition, sufficient fluid is important to keep urine production going and thus to stimulate the removal of waste from the body. On average, your body needs about 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid per day. Water and tea (without sugar) are best. Avoid sugary drinks such as soda or fruit juice, as they are high in calories.
Watch out with alcohol
Alcoholic drinks are not healthy and contain a lot of calories. In addition, alcohol removes the inhibition, so that you can eat more than intended. The Health Council advises not to drink alcohol, or in any case no more than 1 glass per day.
Snacks or no snacks?
For your weight, it mainly matters how many calories you consume in a day. Whether you consume the same amount of calories with 3 meals or multiple eating moments does not matter for weight loss. Eating multiple meals/snacks is less good for your teeth. Recent studies also show that intermittent fasting – with fewer eating moments a day – has a positive effect on weight and health.
Find distraction
If you’re hungry and don’t want to reach for the snacks, provide a distraction. Take a walk, do some sports exercises, grab a book or call a friend. There is a good chance that you will forget the trek or that it will pass.
Keep sweets and snacks out of sight
The temptation is very great if you see sweets and snacks continuously. Better put them out of sight. Or – better yet – don’t get them at all. If you still want to snack, put healthy alternatives in sight, such as snack tomatoes or carrots.
If you would like something different, check how much energy a snack contains on the Calorie Checker of the Nutrition Center.
Tips for the supermarket
Don’t go shopping on an empty stomach
Are you going shopping hungry? Then there is a good chance that you will succumb to all those goodies. So eat before you go to the store.
Make a shopping list
First determine what you really need. Then you can better resist the sales strategies that supermarkets use. So make a shopping list. Then you automatically do much more targeted shopping and you can avoid the paths with chips and candy.
Look on the packaging for the ingredients list
Before you put something in your shopping cart, it is wise to first look at the list of ingredients on the packaging. Are sugar or fats, such as oil and butter, all the way up front? Then those are the main components of that product, so better leave it alone.
Compare products
The nutritional value table gives you more insight into the composition of a product. You can find this table on the back of the packaging. Take a look at the number of grams of sugar, fat or calories per 100 grams. Then compare this with another brand or alternative product. This way you can choose the healthiest variant. You can also use the app of the Nutrition Center ‘Choose me healthy ‘ as a tool.
Ignore marketing slogans on the packaging
On many packaging, there are beautiful slogans about healthy ingredients, such as added vegetables, or a reduced sugar or fat content. Healthy ingredients are also often featured on the front, such as fruits. This often says nothing about the content and can even be misleading. Therefore, do not rely on the appearance of the packaging.
