healthier you today

Losing weight can be as difficult psychologically as it is physically. It can become a struggle if we have to make family meals; eating our own meagre diet whilst still having to prepare tempting fare for the others. How can we improve our lot, and continue to please the family?

Let’s start with portion sizes - whatever’s on our plate, if we want to lose weight we should eat less. So find yourself a plate that’s about two-thirds the normal size. You won’t feel so deprived, because you can still fill the plate when you serve up. Wait until the rest of your family or friends have started eating before you start. Then slowly savour every mouthful you take. (Not only will this prevent you from finishing much sooner than the rest, it will also leave you feeling more replete.)

Basically you can often eat the same food as your family is eating, but cut down on the amount of rice, pasta, potatoes and fatty meat. Eat more veg to avoid getting too hungry. Just don’t be tempted to fill up on bread rolls! If you have a sweet tooth, take care not to go overboard. A portion of stewed apple from the crumble is one thing, but treacle sponge and custard is quite another.

But you can also sneak in the odd diet meal for the whole family. Delicious low calorie meals can be created without anyone suspecting a thing! Fresh herbs make a great addition to spaghetti dishes - and add plenty of mushrooms and courgettes. Instead of oil, use tinned tomatoes and olives for juiciness.

Pick your meat and dairy items carefully when you shop. There can be a big difference in the calorific value of different beef products for example. The rest of your family will profit from less saturated fat, even if they don’t have weight issues. For a low-cal high-protein meal, serve turkey or chicken and stick to the skinless breast for yourself. Potatoes can be nice and filling for slimmers - just buy ones with a creamy texture. You won’t need to add butter before serving then.

Watch out for breakfast cereals - some are loaded with sugar so always read the ingredients before buying. Cereal bars are best avoided too - they look like a healthy snack, but most are incredibly sweet. We also probably consume a load of hidden calories in our drinks. Choose sodas with artificial sweeteners, and make them last longer than usual by adding ice.

Wine and beer can be very fattening, so try to limit it where possible. Tomato juice with Worcestershire sauce and ice has a good kick and makes a change. As apple juice is particularly strong in flavour, water it down half and half and serve it in a wine glass for more sophistication!

Clearly, we can’t keep consuming the same things and expect to drop the weight. Although the odd bit of fine-tuning can work wonders to help things along.