Diet enemies
Spouses, best friends and even your own children could push you off the healthy habits wagon
Sticking to a diet is tough at the best of times, and no matter how good your intentions are, there is always someone else trying to knock you off the calorie counting wagon by making you eat naughty treats.
Recognize the diet-busters in your social circle and resist their tempting offers. Here's how:
The diet spoiler: Your Friend
Sticking to a diet is tough at the best of times, and no matter how good your intentions are, there is always someone else trying to knock you off the calorie counting wagon by making you eat naughty treats.
Recognize the diet-busters in your social circle and resist their tempting offers. Here's how:
The diet spoiler: Your Friend
It sounds brutal but if you want to slim down then choose your friends wisely. Research shows that if you hang out with heavyweight friends, you're 57 per cent more likely to pile on the pounds yourself. The weight and eating patterns of the people we're closest to subconsciously influence what we see as 'normal' over time.
But this can put your diet in the danger zone if your friend's idea of a catch-up always revolves around boozy nights out or creamy cakes. If you can't take part because you're counting calories then it could feel like you're losing your friends, as well as losing fat by being on a diet.
Limit the damage:
Although unhealthy socialising habits are contagious, studies show healthy ones are too. So team up with a mate and make a pact to lose weight, and keep it off, together. Failing that, take the lead when it comes to where you meet. Book restaurants such as Japanese or Thai, which offer lots of healthy options but doesn't specialize in desserts.
Swap a large glass of wine for a small one and you'll save 100 calories a round. Top-up cocktails with extra ice — it slows down the rate you drink at and means you won't look like a party pooper in front of your friends.
The diet spoiler: Your Man
Although they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, it's actually women who pile on the most pounds when they get comfortable in a relationship.
According to research the average woman puts on a seam-splitting seven kilos and more when she settles down due to cosy nights in and man-sized helpings at mealtimes. Loved-up women tend to relax their eating habits in a relationship because they don't have to compete on the singles scene any more.
But this can make the incentive to lose those love handles even more difficult — especially when you live with a man who has a big appetite and hates eating ghaas-poos.
Limit the damage:
Him man — you woman. Remind yourself of that, and stick to the portion sizes you had when you were single. Women need 500 calories less a day than men. As a guide, make sure your plate's 20 per cent smaller than his. If it looks empty, then fill the gap with vegetables or salad instead of rice or potatoes.
If chips and sitcoms together are your weakspot then shop more strategically. Swap chips for popcorn, gulab jamuns for chikki and ice cream for frozen yoghurt. Alternatively, only buy snacks your man likes so that having them around isn't such a temptation.
