What tips do other people have?

Weekly Tips - Archive

February 2009

Cilla - Darwin NT

Don't throw out your over ripe fruit - Freeze it. Strawberries, banana, pineapple etc are great frozen. I keep a plastic container permanently in my freezer to store my fruit. I can make tasty, healthy and refreshing smoothies whenever I like...(Hint: your smoothies will be smoothier and creamier with frozen banana)

Alexander - Labrador QLD

Share a meal when eating out. One main meal in most restaurants is usually enough to feed 3 people. Decide if you are still hungry after sharing an entre' and main rather than struggling to finish a huge meal because you've paid for it.

Ed Curtain - China QLD

The key to weight loss success is to set a goal and give yourself a timeframe. If you say you wanna lose weight this year, it isn't going to happen. If you write down a goal like you will be able to wear your favourite jeans again by your birthday, then it means you have a realistic goal and a deadline to achieve it. Then you just need to make steady incremental progress towards your goal each day. Think about changing your lifestyle rather than losing the weight and it makes it much more enjoyable.

Marion - Rockingham WA

If taking your lunch to work fill a wholemeal roll with low calorie fillings eg. cottage cheese spread, tomato, cucumber,spring onion etc. Cut roll in half. Eat half for morning tea and other half for lunch. Keeps hunger at bay through the morning.

Brian - Black Rock VIC

Substitute chick pea paste for butter or margarine in sandwiches. When made to the right consistency it spreads either thinly or thickly to absorb the juices of things like tomatoes or cucumbers to prevent bread becoming soggy by lunchtime. Soak 250 grams of chick peas overnight. Drain and cover well with fresh water, boil gently in fresh water until soft, remove from heat, allow to cool a little, drain reserving cooking water. Blend or puree chick peas to a paste gradually adding some of the cooking water until the desired consistency is achieved (other ingredients can be added to taste such as mashed garlic (1 or 2 cloves), ground cumin (1 to 2 teaspoons), salt, pepper and lemon juice).

Rod - Mosman NSW

When you go to the gym for the first time, the environment can be a little intimidating, to say the least. Don't let this put you off, after all, everyone is there for basically the same reason. Just relax and enjoy your time there. It's also good to engage others in conversation and to talk about what you and they are doing, whether it be weight training, cardio or a circuit class.

Ellie - Gippsland VIC

Avocado makes a great substitute for margarine or butter in sandwiches. And it tastes better, too. And don't be too hard on yourself if you feel like you're not getting anywhere. Simply by being active and eating well, you've already made a huge step in the right direction.

Leonie Smith - Strathalbyn SA

Believe in yourself, analize if what you are about to eat is good for you and use your power of positive thought.

Jodie - Osborne Park WA

Keep healthy snacks handy in your bag/car when out and about so your not tempted with the 'bad' stuff. Such snacks could be fruit, crackers or something healthy you've made.

al7amdolilah - Perth WA

if you are big , do not feel shy to join a gyme , be brave because in no time you will be looking good and feel great , after all no one will live your life feeling bad and unhealthy.

Julie Carlon - Uralla NSW

Increased activity and reduced portion servings helped me a lot. I use a pedometre and make sure that I achieve 10,000 steps a day. I also found a thirty minute walk does wonders. I reduced the portions of my meals by simply using smaller plates, as with my evening glass of wine, smaller wine glasses.

BPT - Mount Colah NSW

Riding a bike ( to work ) will change the shape of your day. Then it will change your body shape, you burn fat not oil and your halo is visible ( if only to yourself)

angela - north sydney NSW

I was surprised that although my BMI was in the normal weight range, my waist measurement according to this website was at level of "greatly increased risk." My tip ( and I proved it over just a two week period) is eat no commercial or prepackaged or take away food. Go back to basics, how we ate only a few decades ago. Fruit and vegetables,eggs and small serves of fish and chicken. Limited carbs-high grade eg brown rice, porridge,wholemeal heavy hearty bread.Low fat yogurt. Drink only water. After just a few weeks you will feel so much better that you realise we are all being conned by the modern commercial world to think that what is available in a supermarket is what is healthy and necessary to fuel our bodies.

Sonsa - Barossa SA

When eating, chew your food at least 6 times before swallowing, regardless of what it is. Make a conscious effort to put your spoon/fork down between mouthfuls. When you have finished your meal and you are still hungry, have a full glass of water and wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds. You will find that you are not hungry anymore.

Bec - Chapman ACT

One of the best ways to stick to a daily exercise plan is to buy a dog. A dog must be walked usally twice a day, which means you will have to start walking twice a day. If you walk the dog twice a day for 30 mins that is already an hour of excercise everyday.

Natalie - Mooroolbark VIC

Make one positive change for three weeks, before make the next positive change. For example, walk up the stairs at work each day for three weeks, and just that addition alone. After 3 weeks this new change should be habit, so then you can ADD the next change. Its better do take on one small change at a time rather than trying to change everything all at once. That is just not sustainable

Rae - Sunshine Coast QLD

1. When you begin to loose weight, or reach your goal, continue to monitor your weight and if it starts to rise, make a little extra effort then, rather than having it creeping up and needing a large committment. 2. I measure my weight on a daily chart first thing in the morning, in 1/2 kg increments so each downward movement seems bigger, and I don't record gains unless I can't loose them within the week.... Big psych help. A physical job means you can tone or loose weight without thinking of it as excercise. Mussle weighs heavier than fat so if your toning, it might now show straight away on the scales, let your cloths or your tape measure tell you. Achieving anything, including weight loss gives confidence. Good luck, and keep at it.

Glen - Brighton VIC

Many people think that you have to punish yourself when training to get the benefit. But, your much better off to take it slowly, and ENJOY it. Its more important to get in the habit of trainging frequently. Consistancy is the answer and you can make it harder when your goals get BIGGER. Your training must becomne something you look forward to if you want consistancy and long term habit change.

Troy - Preston VIC

Fill your second drawer at work with healthy snacks: some fruit, low fat muesli bars, nut and dried fruit, sesame snaps, rice cakes and tuna cans. This makes it easy to grab a snack at any time of the day that is healthy, and low G.I, thus keeping you fuller for longer.

TheSkinny - Mosman NSW

Take 'Liz Hurley' test: Do I want to be thin more than I want this dessert?

Troy - Preston VIC

NEVER skip breakfast. In fact, a low G.I breakfast will keep you going all morning. This could be oats or untoasted muesli, toast and low fat spread and big glass of water. Get up a bit earlier and make the time to enjoy it.

CAROL - DEE WHY NSW

LAST THING TO DO BEFORE GOING TO BED EACH NIGHT - PLACE YOUR JOGGERS AND WALKING GEAR IN EASY REACH FOR WHEN YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING, THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO THINK TOO HARD, SIMPLY SLIP INTO YOUR JOGGERS AND CLOTHES AND OUT THE DOOR YOU GO, A PERFECT START FOR THE DAY.

Andy - Hawthorn East VIC

Flying regularly I see a lot of overweight people who always take the esculators or the travellators. Try the stairs and using your own legs.

Jen - Wahroonga NSW

Plan your meals at least the day before so you know what ingredients you have to buy so you're not stuck with the decision as you're leaving work, that way you're not tempted to just grab take away.

Mimi - Gold Coast QLD

Drink a glass of water before you start a meal and you'll feel too full to finish off a plate and go for seconds. This works with hunger pains too. Whenever you are hungry, drink a glass of water. If you need something sweet, how about a glass of freshly squeezed juice? Takes some effort and keeps your hands busy. Chewing on some gum instead of endlessly snacking is another alternative.

Ange - Cherrybrook NSW

Your body is your temple like an engine is to a car so charge it up with high energy foods to sustain your physical and mental health. Learning to listen to your body and what it needs is the key to feeling light on your feet and outwardly positive.

Eve - Craigmore SA

When having to shop at a shopping centre or mall, I always park my car at the farthermost end of the car park allotments which means I have to walk further. I usually park at the opposite end of where I need to go which increases the distance. It's simple exercise, it's easy exercise, but over a week or fortnight, many more walking kilometres are clocked up.

Melanie - Narrabundah ACT

Remember the tortoise and the hare - the moral of the story was slow and steady wins the race. You didn't gain your excess weight overnight, you won't lose it that quickly either. Make little changes each day and be patient. The aim of the game is long-lasting, healthy results.

Bec - sunnycoast QLD

Buy fresh food instead of packaged and proceced foods, and don't send your kids to school with packaged food in there lunch box's, all those preservatives are contributing to diabeties and other problems.

Victor - Newtown NSW

Go to sleep and wake up at a regular time. Change stresses the body and mind and so lowers your engergy levels. Keeping a regular sleeping pattern could fix alot of your health problems.

ambie-marie - toowoomba QLD

buy foods that are good for you..because you cant eat what you dont have..go out for a family picnic or do something you enjoy

Pat - South Brisbane QLD

Make an effort to bring your own lunch. Keep a stash of small tins of tuna, baked beans and soups and healthy crispbreads at work so you won't be tempted to buy unhealthy foods. Take fruit at lunch. Make your own yoghurt without sugar( I use low fat greek) and wean yourself off diet factory yogurts which are sickly sweet and only make you hungry. Most important it is OKAY to be getting hungry an hour or two before a meal. Think back to your childhood and chances are your mother didnt shovel food into you every two hours so dont do it to yourself.

warren - geelong VIC

This is for every body,not just office workers. start an activity being runing ,walking or going to the gym,it doesnt have to be every day of the week,start off slow with say one day a week and then bild it up slowly till you reach say 3 days a week. make it fit in with your life styile with out takeing over your life to much as you still have to enjoy your life as well. do this and i am sure you will see a change in your self.

Stan - Avalon NSW

Think like a fit person. If you need a snack, think what would a fit person have, the piece of fruit or a tub of icecream. When you need to duck into town, think, do i take the car or could i ride a bike ? It works.

cushla - townsville QLD

If you think hungry....you ALWAYS will be. I am obese and have managed to lose a fair bit of weight by drinking cold water(heaps of it)whenever I know I don't need any extra food/snacks. I also walk a bit faster....no exercise program needed or wanted. I hate the thought of exercise so I just make myself more active in ANY of the every day things that I do....

SkinnyGenes - Civic ACT

As a woman I aim to make my serving size 2/3 of what the guys around me are eating, except when I am doing more exercise than them. I also look at each glass of wine as a slice of cake. Would I eat three slices of cake in an evening? No.

Robyn - Werribee VIC

To help keep the weight of now the holidays have gone. I brought a blender and I make boost juices from fresh fruit and juices to fill me inbetween meals instead of snacking on junk. It is a healthy idea of fresh fruit and to keep cool at the same time with the ice. You can get great recipe from your imagination. Just use what juice and frut you like and mix. Experiment and try new things. Fun and healthy for all the family.

Beau Brummell - Leichhardt NSW

If you are a mature age person, find a seniors-friendly gym and read the member testimonials. You'll be inspired by the great benefits to health, energy and enjoyment of life gained from regular exercise.