DIETS...DIETS...DIETS...DIETS....DIETS...DIETS...DIETS...DIETS...

CAN’T LOSE WEIGHT, NO MATTER HOW HEALTHILY YOU THINK YOU’RE EATING? IT’S TIME TO IDENTIFY THOSE HIDDEN TRAPS – SO YOU CAN AVOID THEM

By Anita Bean

1. You Skip Breakfast

If you’re in a rush it’s tempting to miss breakfast – but research shows that people who don’t eat in the morning are more likely to overeat later on and pile on the pounds. If you really can’t face food first thing, buy or whizz up a smoothie (half a banana, a yoghurt and a cup of juice). It’ll stop you reaching for that mid-morning croissant and you could save up to 152 calories a day – that’s a weight loss of 1lb in a month!

2. You Have A ‘Healthy’ Snack

You need a sugar rush and think a flapjack might seem like a figure-friendly option, right? Wrong. A Cherry Sultana Flapjack contains 373 calories and 16g of fat – to burn it off you’d need to spend 33 minutes on the treadmill. And a so-called healthy 50g bag of tropical dried fruit has 306 calories – that’s 38 minutes on the rowing machine. If you need a sweet fix, have a banana (90 calories) instead.

 

 

3. You Crave A Coffee

Most of us need an early morning caffeine kick-start – but a medium-sized cappuccino contains a not-so-hot 108 calories. Make it a ‘skinny’ and save 44 calories, or even better, opt for an espresso (6 calories) or an Americano (7 calories).

4. You Food Shop On An Empty Stomach

Roaming the aisles with a rumbling tum is bad news – so have a healthy snack such as a couple of satsumas (20 calories each) before you go. You should also make a to-buy list – and stick to it.

5. Your Healthy Lunch… Isn’t

It’s well-known that pre-packed sandwiches can be full of fat and salt, but even a jacket potato with butter and coleslaw isn’t so great, adding a whopping 650 calories to your daily intake. Have a potato with baked beans and no butter instead and save around 250 calories – and as it’s low GI, you’ll feel fuller for longer, too.

6. You enjoy a drink after work

A ‘quick drink’ can easily become two or three after a hard day at work – clocking up lots of unwanted empty calories. Opt for a wine spritzer and try to make it last a couple of rounds – you’ll avoid a headache the morning after, as well as the extra calories!

7. You take the kids out for ice cream

Get yourself and your family fit by swimming or walking before a treat. And while the kids tuck into chocolate-covered Magnums, opt for a Wall’s Orange Solero and save yourself 254 calories!

 

 

8. You Have Nibbles With Drinks

Peanuts may be nutritious and delicious, but they’re moreish and fattening – just one handful is 300 calories, which is more than an eighth of your recommended daily intake. Their high salt content also acts as a trigger to make you drink more and then eat more. Instead, opt for olives (six large olives equals 30 calories) or snack on pretzels (95 calories per handful).

9. You Reach For A Ready Meal

Ready meals, even the low-fat varieties, are often lacking in nutritional value and loaded with calories. They’re also high in salt, providing up to 60 per cent of your daily maximum intake. Instead, make sure you always have some quick and easy healthy meal options in your fridge. Pasta, peas and a tomato sauce with a few shavings of Parmesan is a quick, tasty and nutritious dish. You could also keep a bowl of chopped carrot, cucumber and celery and a pot of low-fat houmous in the fridge to stave off the munchies while you cook.

10. You Cook A ‘Healthy’ Stir-Fry

Yes, it’s full of vitamin-packed veg. Yes, it’s healthier than a burger and chips. But the oil used in stir-frying is a huge diet trap. Steam, microwave or lightly boil vegetables instead of stir-frying with a tablespoon of oil, and you’ll save 127 calories and 14g of fat. Rustle up a steam stir-fry – put mangetout, broccoli and green beans in a wok or saucepan with a tablespoon of water and a few chopped herbs, put the lid on and they’ll cook crisp-tender in a couple of minutes. Serve with noodles or boiled rice.

 

 

Credits

Photography: Scope, Lancton, Corbis