Losing weight: tips for losing weight

 Losing weight using a diet is possible. But you also lose weight if you make small adjustments to your lifestyle. We give you tips to reach your goal weight.

 The basis: a clear and achievable goal

 The most important thing is that your diet goal is achievable. 'Losing weight' is not specific enough, determine exactly how much you want to lose and in how much time. Be aware why you are going to eat differently. Then there is a greater chance that you will be able to sustain it in difficult times.

 Diet and lifestyle

 take your time

 A strict diet is difficult to sustain. The lost kilos often come back in a short time: the well-known yo-yo effect. If you have been hungry for a few weeks and have lost weight, your body will then store the food you eat extra quickly as fat. So you arrive faster in proportion. In addition, there is a risk that during the strict lines you will get a shortage of all kinds of nutrients.

 Keep track of what you eat

 Only when you know what you eat can you choose to change it. Losing weight therefore starts with awareness. Keep a record of what you eat every day in a food diary , for example Mijn Eetmeter (from the Voedingscentrum). That way you get a better understanding of what you eat and drink. There are various apps that can help you with that. However, be careful not to count calories obsessively.

 Move a lot

 Exercise is an important part of losing weight. Research increasingly shows that light intensive exercise is healthy all day long. So don't always pick up the phone, but drop by your colleague. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. The? Netherlands Institute for Sport and Exercise ?gives even more tips to get through the day actively. Do you want to start exercising? Build it up quietly.

 Eat with attention

 Do not eat too fast, you will miss the signal that you are full. Eating with attention ensures that you eat less. Food for the TV is therefore not a good idea. The distraction ensures that you do not know if you have enough. Taking small snacks and chewing well helps you eat less and less. Extra advantage: small snacks increase the taste sensation so that you eat less.

 Use a small plate

 The same portion appears larger on a small plate than on a large plate. Your brain thinks you have eaten more.

 Watch out with food avoidance

 You may lose weight by avoiding sugar or wheat, but it cannot always be sustained. In addition, excluding certain foods is not always healthy. We need some nutrients every day and must therefore always be in the diet. If you have a diet that complies with the? guidelines for good nutrition (pdf) , then you are in the right place.

 Prevent hunger and temptations

 Eat a lot of protein and fiber

 Are you often hungry between meals? Then eat enough protein with every meal, such as low-fat cottage cheese, egg or fish. Proteins stay in the stomach longer than carbohydrates. This also gives you a full feeling for longer. Also eat many fiber-rich products such as vegetables, fruit and whole-grain products. Fiber-rich food ensures that you are less likely to get hungry again. Low-fiber, sweet food has the opposite effect.

 Drink enough

 Drinking water and tea gives a full feeling and therefore helps to eat less. In addition, sufficient fluid is important to keep urine production going and thus stimulate the removal of waste from the body. On average your body needs around 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid per day. Water and tea (without sugar) are the best. Avoid sugary drinks such as soda or fruit juice, these are high in calories.

 Tip : Do you find water boring? Add mint, cucumber, a slice of lemon or ginger. Drinking spring water or mineral water is really not necessary. Tap water is much cheaper and just as healthy.

 Watch out with alcohol

 Alcoholic drinks are not healthy and contain many calories. In addition, alcohol removes the inhibition, so you can eat more than you want. The Health Council recommends not drinking alcohol or at least no more than 1 glass per day.

 Whether or not a snack?

  Research shows that it doesn't matter how often you eat for your metabolism. The main thing is how much you eat. Whether you get the same amount of calories with 3 meals or with multiple eating moments does not matter for weight loss. Eating multiple meals / snacks is less good for your teeth. Therefore, stick to about 7 eating times per day.

 Read more about nutrition and dental erosion .

 Find distractions

 If you are hungry and do not want to grab snacks, make sure you get distracted. Take a detour, grab a book, call a friend, chances are that you will forget the trek or that it has passed.

 Get sweets and snacks out of sight

 The temptation is very great if you see this continuously. Rather put it out of sight or don't get it in the house at all. If you still want to eat sweets, then put healthy alternatives in sight, such as sweet tomatoes or carrots.

 If you would like something different, check how much energy a snack contains on the? Calorie Checker of the Nutrition Center .

 Tips for in the supermarket

 Do not go shopping on an empty stomach

 Are you going to go shopping hungry? Then chances are that you succumb to all those goodies. So eat before you go to the store.

 Make a shopping list

 First determine what you really need. Then you can better resist the sales strategies applied by supermarkets. So make a shopping list. Then you automatically do more targeted shopping and you can avoid the paths with chips and candy.

 Look at the ingredients list on the packaging

  Before you put anything in your shopping basket, it is wise to first look at the list of ingredients on the package. Are sugar or fats , such as oil and butter, at the very front? Then those are the main components of that product, so rather leave it.