Swaps Challenge

While all potatoes are good for you in their natural state (i.e. don’t roast them in lots of oil or mash them with lots of butter and full-fat milk!) if you’re looking to watch your weight a little more, a great and easy swap to make is to swap out your white potatoes for sweet potatoes!
Much like with wholewheat bread, rice and pasta, swapping white potatoes for the higher fibre, sweet potato means you are getting more minerals and vitamins and ensuring you are getting those all-important complex carbohydrates in your diet.

Low fat yoghurts are often very high in sugar or unnatural sweeteners, which boost up the carbohydrates you are consuming and lead to more potential blood sugar spikes and crashes. So even when we think we’re being healthy by selecting a low-fat fruit flavoured yoghurt, it’s often not the best choice. 

Greek yoghurt, however, contains about half the carbs and sugar as regular yoghurt while packing almost twice as much protein, meaning you don’t have to eat as much to feel fuller and get your balance of nutrients.

Whatever yoghurt you select, make sure you’re going for the plain, non-flavoured versions, as these have much lower sugar contents, and you can add your own fruit for sweetness at home!

We know that exercise and activity is an important part of any weight loss journey, but we also know that for a lot of us, the thought of vigorous or strenuous exercise can fill us with dread. 

Have you ever had a bad exercise session that left you feeling exhausted, or perhaps it was an exercise you really didn’t enjoy, that meant you didn’t do any activity for days, weeks, months or even years?

Whatever it was, don’t let it put you off movement and exercise for life, as it can and does make you feel so much better after you have done it.

The key here is to find something you enjoy. Maybe you like walking, or badminton or riding your bike. Whatever it is, start there and start easy. Don’t go shooting out of the blocks, only to put yourself off of that activity too!

Once you have found something you enjoy, do it regularly – a few times a week – and once you have your routine and feel comfortable, start increasing the intensity. Maybe you walk faster, or break into a jog, or maybe you play badminton or ride your bike for longer.

Your focus is to find something you enjoy, so try out a number of activities and see which one you can sustain in your life!

We know that when it has been a stressful day or week, one of the easiest ways we can relieve that stress is to pour ourselves a glass of something alcoholic. 

Whilst this might seem like a good way to blow off some steam, in reality, drinking to relieve stress doesn’t really work and, when we consume a lot of alcohol, it not only adds empty calories to our diet, but also inhibits our judgements when it comes to food, meaning we tend to snack more or make worse food choices.

This applies not only on the day we drink, but the days afterwards where we feel a little worse for wear and hungover and our food choices become less healthy.

So, the idea here is to find a new, healthier way to relieve your stresses. Whilst having a bubble bath might not be the way you choose to relieve your stress, there are bound to be other activities that can reduce stress.

Take time to find what makes you feel calmer and see if making it a positive habit can change your health!

This one is a key when it comes to weight loss. So many of weight loss programmes are focussed on depriving you of the things that you enjoy, telling you to count the points, or ‘syn’ your favourite chocolate bar. 

Whilst cutting out all bad foods will help you lose weight, it doesn’t teach you sustainability and once you reach your weight loss target and go back to eating the things you enjoy, you risk over-indulging and gaining weight again.

At The Slimming Clinic, we promote moderation over deprivation, meaning, you can still eat everything you enjoy, just in moderation! We aim to teach patients that even when you are trying to lose weight, before you reach your target, you shouldn’t feel like you are unable to eat and drink the things you enjoy.

You work with our doctors to focus on incorporating all that you love into your new diet plan, so it becomes your lifestyle!

How many hours a day do you spend in front of the TV? 1, 2, or maybe even more. 

How about if, instead of sitting and watching the telly, try getting up and active while you watch it.

It might sound a bit bizarre to begin with, but if you can get up and move around whilst you enjoy watching your favourite show, you will be adding hours of active time to your week, without really noticing and it will make all the difference to your health, well-being and weight loss.

Try it this week, just a couple of times. Before you sit down to watch TV, stand up and move, however feels comfortable!

We know that sometimes exercise and movement is the last thing we decide to do when we start a weight loss journey, but find out how any movement can help you lose weight better and more sustainably!

Crisps, whilst a potato-based product, actually contain little to no nutritional value and are very high in calories and fat. 

So what can you do when you get that savoury craving? One of the best swaps you can make for crisps to satisfy your craving is to replace it with some salted or unsalted popcorn.

At well under half the fat, gram for gram and full of fibre, popcorn is a delicious, savoury, but also healthier snack for you to try.

Additionally, if you’re not keen on popcorn, there are plenty of lower fat, lower calorie crisp alternatives, such as vegetable crisps, or baked crisps, that provide that same savoury boost, but for much less calories.

So much of a weight loss journey relies on adjusting your diet and calorie intake, but with so much information on dieting, it can be hard to know which advice to take.

Find out more about our dietitians work with you and your currently lifestyle to deliver tailored weight loss dietary advice.

How many times have you done your weekly weigh in after a week of healthy eating, only to see you’ve gained weight? 

How is that possible? You’ve been completely saintly, right?

We know it is not possible to gain weight without there being an element of overeating. So whilst you think you might be eating healthily, there could be any number of factors that mean you’re not.

These can be things like, over consuming on your calories, sneaking a few biscuits or cakes here and there or having higher calorie drinks that we don’t count as calories.

Whatever the reason, there is bound to be one for your weight gain and so, instead of mindlessly eating this week and thinking you are being healthy, why not know you are being healthy and track what you eat in a food diary?

Simply write down everything you eat in a week and see if there is anything that you can highlight that could be the cause of your pesky weight gain.

This one is fairly obvious, but how many times have you hopped in the car to run an errand that could be done on foot, or even bike? 

Too often we find ourselves taking the easiest way possible, but why not change that just once a week and ditch the car for your feet or bike?

If it’s popping to the shops, getting to work or dropping the kids to school, whenever you can, try making it an active journey!

We all know that dark chocolate is much lower in sugars than it’s white or milk chocolate counterparts, owing to the fact it has a much higher cocoa content. 

But dark chocolate of 70% or more is also higher in flavonoids, which can prevent stress that damages our cells and tissue around the heart.

Swapping out white or milk chocolate for dark chocolate, over time could help lower your risk of developing heart disease and other heart-related ailments.

When we aren’t concentrating on what we are eating through distractions such as the watching the TV or looking at our phones, it can often lead to us eating far too quickly and not savouring what we are eating.

When we eat quickly, or distractedly, we don’t allow our stomach enough time to signal to our brain that we are full and this can lead to overeating, or feeling we are still hungry, even after a large meal.

In a study by the British Medical Journey, the speed at which you eat did have a large effect on your weight, with people who eat slowly reducing their odds of being obese by 42%.

It is also said that when we sit at a table, or have a focussed mealtime, we allow ourselves the opportunity to take in what we are eating, enjoy it and really slow down and practice mindful eating.

This week, take the opportunity to sit, undistracted, whilst you eat dinner without phones, TV or otherwise and see if it slows down your eating!

This one is fun!
We know that from lockdown this year, video call quizzes and catch ups were incredibly popular and thanks to this, they are becoming a normal part of our lives, bringing us more in touch with our loved ones than ever. 

However, have you thought about gathering your nearest and dearest over video call and doing exercises together?

Whilst gyms are closed, or your classes are on hiatus, try getting together over video call with those you love and having a great time encouraging each other and getting fit together with some exercises.

Great for all the family from nans and grandads, to kids, mums and dads – you can adapt to you own abilities and requirements!

A lot, in fact, most boxes of cereals, even the ones we consider healthy, like granola and muesli, contain a high sugar content. 

By making a small change to a bowl of porridge oats instead of cereal, you are adding to your fibre intake and, because porridge is a complex carbohydrate, it takes longer to digest, which also means you sustain energy levels throughout the morning and feel full right up until lunch.

Make sure you select natural oats and to make them packed full of flavour, add fresh fruit, cinnamon or a drizzle of honey.

Do you get your regular ‘screen time’ update from your phone and look on in horror as you see how much time per day you have been glued to your device for? 

We know that it can be hard to tear ourselves away from social media and our devices, but why not try taking a 15-minute break from your phone to plan your meals for the week?

We know from years of experience, that planning your meals means you are less likely to stray off your weight loss plan and order high-calorie convenience foods, meaning you are keeping your calories lower and more likely to lose weight.

Planning ahead means that you are making good, conscientious decisions on your food choices and not leaving it to the last minute, when you are potentially very hungry and more likely to reach for fast foods or takeaways.

It takes no time to make a chart and plan in your meals for the week to ensure success – so look up from the screen and plan your successes!

Depending on what milk you use and how much you use, lattes can contain up to 300 calories a drink!
By changing to an americano coffee with a splash of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, you could be saving yourself over 250 calories.
Additionally, if you’ve been feeling bloated, milk could be the culprit, as milk and milk products are one of several gas-producing foods that can lead to bloating, so try cutting down on your dairy to see if it reduces any symptoms.

One of the best ways to lose weight and improve your health, is to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat, overall.
Whilst not sustainable and we don’t suggest cutting all carbohydrates from your diet as they are a key factor in a healthy balanced diet and energy supply, a lot of us are frequently over-estimating how many carbohydrates we need to eat a day.
So, if you’re looking for a way to reduce your carb intake for a few meals a week, then why not try swapping out your carbs for something else?
In this instance, a popular swap is to change your high-carb spaghetti or pasta, for healthy, low-calorie courgetti, made from courgette!
Or, if you’re looking to reduce carbs in any meal, simply reduce the amount of carbohydrates you have on your plate at a meal and replace it with fibrous, healthy veg that will still add bulk to your meal and keep you full, but without the heavy feeling we sometimes get when we over-indulge on carbohydrates.

Do you spend hours scrolling through Facebook and Instagram in the evenings or mornings? 

During the Coronavirus pandemic, with social distancing and lockdown, social media has proven to be a key way that lots of us keep in contact with the world. But excessive use of social media can trigger feelings of anxiety, depression and stress, all of which have a wider impact on our overall health and weight.

When we feel stressed or anxious, we are less likely to make better food choices and can find that we get into a vicious circle of over-eating and gaining weight, which adds to our overall stresses and anxieties.

That’s why, for a few nights a week, why not swap half an hour’s scrolling for 30 minutes of meditation or relaxation?

There are lots of apps out there now that you can download that guide you through the process of meditation, or just help you find calm, and will help reduce the effects of anxiety, depression and stress.

They can help you balance out your mind and keep your mindset and willpower strong.

To get more support for your mindset and willpower, find out more about how a Mind Coach can support you on a weight loss journey!

Fast food or takeaways can be oh-so-tempting when it has been a long day at work, or you’re overtired, overworked or overstressed. 

But we know that eating fatty, greasy foods is not going to help our diet and health.

So, spend 15 minutes looking on the internet for quick, easy meals that take little effort, time and coordination to make, but that are fresh, healthy and good for you.

Once you have found 5-10 meals that you like, print them off, or write them down, and keep them for the days when making a complex healthy meal might be a bit too much to ask of you.

We promise, you will feel much better for eating something healthier and you’ll notch up some willpower points too for resisting takeaway!

This might seem like an obvious one, but make sure you are getting enough time outside in the fresh air! 

As the days are shorter and our precious daylight hours are fewer, make sure you schedule time every day to get outside.

But why should we? How can being outside help out weight loss?

Fresh air has been shown to help you digest food more effectively, improve your blood pressure and heart rate and strengthen your immune system, which all lead to helping with weight loss.

So find time to spend outside, even if it is for 30 minutes a day and boost your weight loss journey!