by Anne Stone

Created on: March 08, 2010

Can you really lose weight without dieting? It may take a little longer but it is possible and it can be easier to keep the weight off just by making a few lifestyle changes.

Of course if you are going to stuff yourself on a daily basis of fizzy drinks, chocolate and chips then it's not going to work, but you can eat big healthy meals and still lose weight.

First you need to think about what you are eating and the best way to do this is to keep a food diary. You have to write down everything you eat for a couple of weeks, write it as you eat it and be completely honest with yourself. Then when you look back at what you have eaten you can decide where to make the changes.

Try swapping bad foods for good, eat fruit instead of sweets, drink water or no sugar squash instead of fizzy drinks, cut out some of the fried food, find out the bad things in your daily diet and swap as many as you can.

Eat more fruit and vegetables, they are much healthier and will fill you up more.

Make sure you have breakfast, most people know now that skipping breakfast is not good, but they still do, even a banana will make a difference.

Drink more water. Water fills you up and makes you feel less hungry. Drink a glass before a meal and you will eat less and feel fuller. You can even choose flavoured water if you don’t fancy plain.

Use smaller plates for your meals. The larger the plate the larger the portion and you will be tempted to eat more. Choose a slightly smaller plate and you will not feel hungrier but your waistline will know the difference.

Chew your food properly. Some say you should chew each mouthful twenty times. That's not really necessary, just make sure you are chewing properly and not rushing your food, rushing makes you eat more and you will feel hungrier quicker after eating.

Eat an apple before a meal, it will fill you up sooner.

Don't mistake hunger pangs for thirst. Try a drink before reaching for a snack, then if you still feel hungry 10 minutes later, have your snack.

Finally, and you knew it was coming, exercise more. Even if it’s walking when you would have taken the car or using the stairs when you would have taken the lift. Every little helps.

Learn more about this author, Anne Stone.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.