How I've stayed slim – my top 5 tips for maintaining your results

I get it all the time you don't need eat healthy your already skinny. Or you can get away with eating all that as your slim and so fourth. Yes I believe in eating well and yes I also think it's fine to sometimes just enjoy what you want in moderation. However I'm also like everyone else and struggle sometimes to eat healthy, whether it's because of lack of motivation, stress, money, time or simply I just fancy having junk and loads of it. I'm only human and bad food tastes for a reason. The funny thing is about all these statements though is simply well I'm slim because yes sometimes I do fall of the healthy eating wagon but generally I'm always trying to stay on it. I mean if every time someone said to me go on you can get away with eating that then believe me I wouldn't be the size I am now. I work ridiculously hard on trying to eat healthy because quite frankly I'm fussy and it doesn't come natural to me. I'm working on the terrible habit I have of eating for pleasure instead of for fuel.

I don't think they is anything wrong with letting your hair down sometimes and not worrying about what you put in your mouth. I believe it's just as unhealthy to become fixated on only eating real foods whilst it would be great if we all did this it's not very realistic and worrying about it is certainly defeating the object of living a healthy lifestyle. Most nutritionists say aim for 80% being good and don't worry the rest of the time too much.

So I've kept just over 2 stone off now for 2 years now but since I struggle with healthy eating how have I done it?

Here are my top 5 tips:

1)I'm always prepared for a bad day. Now I don't mean I have some amazing back-up plan for when things go wrong on how I'm going to fight the demons saying what the hell eat me when things are going wrong, to be quite frank I'm pretty poor at this (although great compared to how I use to be) know what I mean is if I've had a bad day I except it and move on. Sometimes it's sooooo incredibly easy to feel sorry for yourself when you've had a bad day and eaten terribly and think what's the point. When in actual fact you've just had a slip up and tomorrow is a fresh start to get it right. A bad day is fine not ideal but fine. A life of bad eating isn't fine. Start over and believe me you will see less and less of these bad days as healthy eating starts to become a habit. I know this as I get better and better all the time.


2)Focus on small gradual changes. I always had 2 sugars in my tea and I gradually over six months I cut down to none. Yes six months is a long time to break a habit but it's better 6 months to quit and it being permanent than a quick fix that doesn't last. I went from 2 sugars to 1¾ waited till my taste buds adapted and then 1½ and down ½ teaspoon a time until my taste buds weren't bothered. Now two years later and I'm still without sugar in my tea, in fact the thought of 2 sugars makes me feel sick, YUCK!


3)Don't waste your treats on drinks! I love food so if I want to have something naughty and keep it in moderation then I have to knock drinks on the head. Anyone who read my very first blog will know I was very badly addicted to fizzy drinks. Even if a drink is low or zero calories think about what nutritional value if has, if it doesn't then it's likely to be having a negative effect on you and stopping you from succeeding in your goals.


4)Be honest about what you can't eat in moderation. For me it's sweets so I gave them up completely about 4 months ago. I simply cannot have one. If I do I immediately want more and before I know it the whole packet has gone (no matter how big the packet is). So now I don't buy them. If I need something a little sweet I may opt for chocolate as I can have a few squares and not be fussed. Clearly that's better than massive bag or sweets! Always focus on what you struggle to eat in moderation.


5)Have a glass of water with every meal or snack. It's easy to forget to drink enough and we all know it aids weigh-loss so get into the habit or pouring a glass of water with everything you plan to eat. Make sure to finish it as it will help to fill you up!