by Jed Eane

Created on: May 27, 2009   Last Updated: June 23, 2009

Some people battle for years to outsmart weight gain and get nowhere. It can be depressing not knowing what to do to avoid gaining weight, which in turn only seems to lead to just more weight creeping on. So where does someone start? First, you need to know, or at least have an idea as to why you're gaining, or have gained, weight. Only then can you begin to do something about it. So look at your current lifestyle and try to pinpoint where you're going wrong. Perhaps you're one of those people who has a problem if they're not able to exercise regularly; or maybe you find it difficult to stick to a diet if you have a few weak moments. Whatever your downfall, if you can identify it, then you're half-way to being able to rsolve the problem, and prevent it happening in the future.

Some simple steps you can take in order to outsmart weight gain include the following:

Have a rough idea of the nutritional content of the food you're eating. This will help you to establish how many calories you're consuming on a daily basis and, if applicable, how much exercise you need to take in order to arrive at a healthy balance. Furthermore, if you take an interest in what you're eating you're more likely to choose the healthier options over the not-so-healthy ones.

Try to adopt a structured daily eating plan which includes breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast will keep you going through to lunchtime and you'll be less likely to want to snack. Try to eat three balanced meals every day, with the odd snack in between. While some people swear by "grazing," i.e. having a few mouthfuls of food every hour or so throughout the day, it's wise only to adopt this approach to eating if you can control the amount you eat and have no trouble in snacking on healthy foods. Grazing can be disastrous for people who don't stop at one or two mouthful but continue to finish the entire plate or bowl of food, and then do the same an hour later.

Always be realistic about how much you're eating. It's tempting to tell ourselves that we had only a small bowl of creamy pasta for lunch so therefore need to fill up on whatever we're having for dinner; but while this may fool others, ultimately we're the ones who will pay. And while you may outsmart others with this strategy, you certainly won't outsmart weight gain!

Likewise, always be honest with yourself where portion control is concerned. Eat all your meals on a regular sized plate so you can see how much you're eating. Try to avoid eating on the run as it's difficult to keep count of how much you've actually eaten during the day when you do this.

Try not to get too disheartened if you don't seem to be getting too far in your bid to outsmart weight gain. Persevere with good eating habits, a well-balanced healthy diet, and regular exercise, and you'll be on the right tracks to avoid weight gain, and to shed any excess weight you're carrying.

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