jan1984 said on 13 January 2010
One of the best tips I have is switch from beef steak to venison - a low fat and tastier alternative. Supermarkets are stocking various venison products at reasonable prices now. 1 venison steak is smaller than a typical supermarket portion of rump or sirloin but fills you up and is delicious without having to worry about cutting fat off.
Satisfy sweet cravings with cherry juice. Pure morello cherry juice is GORGEOUS! and full of antioxidants. It's no substitue for chocolate but it is a start. Like previous comments, stick with the high cocoa %. Try fair trade products which tend to be nicer too.
I found swimming was a great starting point for exercise - you get fit without realising and tone up. Don't worry if you don't lose weight, your muscle will be building up. If you can't walk or run far without being out of breath, swimming gets your lungs in shape too. You will find it easier to walk faster / jog (depending on your starting fitness levels) after a month of swimming 30 mins twice a week.
The best measure of how well your diet is going is how your clothes fit. Weighing yourself is not always the best way of judging how well you've done. Try making small changes, avoid the scales for a month and see how your body shape changes. You'll be a lot happier looking at yourself in an item of clothing you've not fit into for ages than you will staring down at scales that have remained static or even worse, gone up!
Low fat products - beware of salt & sugar levels. Many cheap / healthy processed foods use these to bulk out the product which can leave you craving the naughty stuff!
Finally, don't deny yourself anything if you really crave it. By all means try a diversion. However, you could end up taking the healthier option but feeling denied, so caving in to the treat anyway. Better to just cave in and cut out the excess cals from eating 2 meals or treats!