The Community Nutrition and Dietetic Service of HSE West offer 12 tips for successful weight loss:
Have regular meals, including breakfast — people who eat breakfast tend to eat fewer calories throughout the day.
Reduce the size of your portions at mealtimes.
Include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables in your daily diet — these are a great source of nutrients and fill you up with relatively few calories.
Fill up on fibre using wholegrain breads and cereals.
Reduce your intake of high fat/sugar foods and drinks — these provide a lot of calories and often very little nutrients.
Switch to reduced fat products, such as low fat dairy products and reduced fat spreads.
Have healthy snacks, such as fruit or low fat/low sugar yoghurts, rather than biscuits or crisps.
Eat slowly and stop eating when you feel full.
Set realistic goals — if you feel confident that you can achieve the goals you set yourself then you are more likely to keep going with the changes you make.
Keep a daily food diary — nothing makes you more aware of what you are eating than writing it down.
Monitor your progress by checking your weight once per week.
Include physical activity as part of your daily routine.
Dieticians use evidence-based guidelines to support people to make changes to their diet that promote health and, if needed, help them to lose weight in a healthy sustainable way. Dieticians can provide one-to-one individual assessments, counselling and advice to people who are trying to lose weight. The Community Nutrition and Dietetic Service of HSE West can be contacted at 094 905 0145.
