You may think this sounds too good to be true!! 

If you are willing to make some adjustments to what you eat and drink and retrain your mindset so your mind and your body work more closely then you may surprise yourself just how easy the process is.

If you want to know if this could work for you then let’s look at some solutions that make this possible.

Let’s start with food first as this accounts for about 80% of the solution. 

By swapping certain foods and drinks in your diet for smarter choices you will be able to retrain your body to utilise stored fat for energy. This easily beats relying on foods that quickly elevate glucose in your body. (The sugar hit!) 

This will mean saying goodbye to foods such as processed carbohydrates like bread, pasta, biscuits, rice, cakes, in fact nearly everything found in a packet or that has a label on it, even gluten-free labelling. Be careful of foods with labels that look healthy.

Other foods to avoid include vegetable oils, margarine, all junk food and deep-fried fast foods like fried fish, chips and donuts (the worst)!

Drinks to avoid include sugar-sweetened drinks like soft drinks, juices, sweet teas, energy and sports drinks.

As well as losing weight there are many health benefits from eliminating the above foods. 

Most people want to reduce their waistline (and tummy) and get their waist back. Reducing tummy fat, commonly called visceral fat develops over time, and accumulates around your organs. Tummy fat increases health risks such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, inflammation, breast and colon cancer. 

So, what are the best foods and drinks that you can eat so that you don’t have to rely on endless exercise?

Foods that are rich in essential amino acids, nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and probiotics include: animal protein, fatty fish, organ meats, full-fat dairy (if you can tolerate), green leafy and colourful vegetables, nuts and seeds, low-sugar fruits like berries, limes and tomatoes.

Healthy fats are important and help your skin glow. Skin is the largest organ on our bodies. Some great options for healthy fats include: 

• Naturally occurring fats in animal proteins, meat, fish and eggs
• Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• Dark chocolate or cocoa
• Flaxseed
• Avocado

Just remember that fats are much higher in calories so limit your portion size but ensure you include some fat in each meal. If you’re eating fatty proteins in a meal you won’t need to add fat to that meal.

Many people can eat beans, lentils and chickpeas, but if you experience bloating, it’s best to stay away from these foods. Although they include protein, they are also high in carbs. 

Add flavour with herbs and spices like ginger, turmeric, garlic, cardamom, ginseng, rosemary, cinnamon, black pepper, and clove are great to add to foods and drinks. Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink.

When it comes to your body, who’s the expert? Is it you, your doctor, your mother, your coach?

We believe that “your body is the expert”, so listen to your body, and if you suffer bloating or any feelings of discomfort, then perhaps your body is telling you something. 

Monitor how you feel after each meal. You may need to reduce or increase your portion sizes based on how you feel.

For weight loss, calories count. But with smart planning you don’t have to count calories. 

Mindset matters too. Just like you are retraining your body to be a bodyfat burner you need to pay some attention to retraining your mind to take control and stay focused on your new slimmer self.

Accountability can make the difference between weight loss success and failure. Setting clear goals and having a strategy to report and measure what you eat and drink will make you accountable for the best outcome. 

Focus matters. If you have a vision of your future self, how you look, how you feel, how you live, will keep you focused. You will have setbacks along the way but focus on all your small wins then BIG results will follow.

Environment matters. You will need to make environmental changes at home and work, specifically to remove or store out of sight, foods and drinks that don’t support your new eating plan and goals. 

Friends and workmates matter. You may also need to make some tough decisions about who you surround yourself with and reset boundaries as some may try to sabotage your efforts.

This leaves us with how much exercise will you need to do to ensure you get to and stay at your new slimmer you?

This is entirely up to you. Some people find it uncomfortable to exercise initially, but once your body starts using your excess bodyfat stores as an energy source, most people feel they have more energy and start some regular exercise. 

Let’s be clear, exercise has little effect on weight loss, but our bodies are made to move and be active. So as little as 20-30 minutes of walking most days is all you need to do. 

After every meal try a 5 minute walk in any direction and back. This could add up to 30 minutes a day. A great start and doable!

Our intention is that you find the ability to eat yourself to good health and be at a weight where you feel great and want to be active. You will manage and maintain your weight in a way that is easy with no second guessing what you can or can’t eat or drink.

If you can combine the above recommended foods, manage your stress, get good quality sleep, regular daily activity and ensure some sunlight most days, then you will look and feel slimmer and healthier.

Our 8 week online program offers weekly nutrition education through each step to find the right foods and drinks that suit your body. If you would like to join Click on the Lose Weight Now button at the top of the page.