The alpha to lambda of losing weight in the New Year

One of the good things about getting older is you tend to wise up to your youthful, immature ways.

Like how I would drink and eat myself silly through most of November and December, and then resolve to lose weight in the New Year. Enter diet/gym membership/gadget bought from telemarketing channel at 2 in the morning. Generally, my resolve would be strong for the first few weeks in January, start to slow down in February -- then I would return to my wicked ways come March. And so the excessive eating cycle continued. It was okay when I was younger – my metabolism forgave me. Not so as I got into my thirties and forties. I racked up a few kilos each year – and before I knew it, I was tipping the ‘obese’ side of the scales.

In Australia, we are spending many billions of dollars each year on gym memberships, diets and ‘superfoods’, yet our waistlines are still expanding. Within the next ten years, it is estimated close to four in five of us will be overweight or obese.

Many of us are trying to fight it. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around 2.3 million Australians 15 years+ were on a diet during 2011/12.

It doesn't help that we are surrounded by high calorie, cheap and negligibly-nutritious food everywhere we look – in our supermarkets, on television and on every shopping strip. While it may not be our fault that we are getting fatter as a population, it doesn’t mean we should take it lying down.

It’s easy to understand the appeal of the instant fix diet/latest pill/light-meals-delivered-to-your-doorstep solutions. But the problem with these is that they cost money, aren’t generally in keeping with our lifestyle, and are based on deprivation. And so, it’s no surprise they fail.

So what have I learnt as I’ve gotten older and wiser about the weight thing? Here's my alpha to lambda guide on managing weight and enjoying food...

Obsessively counting calories, going on fad diets and eating only ‘lite foods’ is well and truly a waste of time – if anything these things lead to weight gain over time.
Weight gain is generally about simple maths - if the amount of energy going in is higher than the energy going out, the weight goes on – so if I indulge a little in December, I need to go back to my more balanced eating ways soon after – on most days, for most of the year.
Movement is key – I mindfully move as much as I can throughout the day, doing things I enjoy with people I like to be around.
If it’s okay with grandma, it’s okay with me – and so I mainly choose foods my grandma or great grandma would have recognised as real food – that means avoiding stuff that comes from a packet/has too much added sugar/fat/salt or that has a stack of ingredients grandma wouldn't recognise. Vegetables, pulses, wholegrains, fruit and nuts – these make up the bulk of my daily diet.
I try to minimise how much I eat out - and when I do, I try and have smaller portions, and stick to 'grandma' food
I try to listen to my hunger and eat accordingly. I'm still working on this one.
My snacks of choice are fruit and nuts. It's surprisingly easy once you get into a routine.
I'm mindful of my emotional eating triggers (boredom, hormones, mindlessness...). I don't always overcome them, but I'm at least aware of them.
Water is my drink of choice. I have tea and coffee daily. Wine in moderation. That's it.
I try to enjoy food in company most of the time.
I’m learning to accept my body (lumps, bumps and all) as I get older – the best weight for me is when I feel comfortable in my skin, I can move easily, and I have enough energy to keep up with my life.