(1) You’re eating breakfast too late**
“Breakfast kick starts the metabolism after the overnight fast and gets the body burning,” says Susie. “Ideally we should eat within the first hour of getting up and the earlier the better, by 7am or 8am.”
(2) You’re eating well but having too much alcohol**
“Like anything when it comes to dietary changes it comes down to moderation and what is sustainable,” explains Susie. “Two small glasses of wine with a light meal is no problem but three quarters of a bottle with a large meal won’t do your weight any favours.”
(3) You’re maintaining, not training**
That brisk 30-minute walk you have been doing a few times a week for the past two years won’t cut it anymore. “If you have not changed the type of exercise you are doing for as long as you remember, it is time to mix things up,” says Susie.
(4) You’re being too strict, too soon**
Susie says: “It is difficult to sustain and adopt an ‘all or nothing’ approach which means when they eat or drink one thing they think they should not they throw all improved dietary habits out the window and return to their previous bad habits.”
(5) You’re eating too much later in the day**
“The second half of the day is when we tend to be less active,” says Susie. “It is also when the hormones we release according to a circadian rhythm are more likely to store. We also tend to eat our higher calorie, higher fat foods such as meat, alcohol and carbs at this time. Ideally a light afternoon snack of nuts or cheese at 3-4pm will keep our hunger pains at bay till dinner, then a light 300-400-calorie meal of salad/grilled fish and greens, soup or 100-150g portion of lean meat and vegetables will end our days’ worth of eating and support healthy weight control.”
