41 Ways to be Slim

The divine Ines

Using the Twenty Ideas method, I came up with not twenty, but forty-one pieces of encouragement for when I'm feeling tempted by unnecessary snacking.  I still have my moments, but reading through this list helps me enormously.

I thought you might like to read it too.  Enjoy!

How can I be slim and slender and svelte?

1.       No sugar!  Also very little pasta, bread, potato.

2.      Never go longer than three hours without eating something, no matter how small.

3.      Have protein with every meal.

4.      Make sure I ‘get enough of things’ – get enough water, get enough sleep, get enough protein in my meals, especially lunch, get enough fresh fruits and vegetables every day, get enough exercise.

5.       Keep junk food out of the house – food I cannot go easy on.  It’s easier to say no at the supermarket than when it’s in the pantry.

6.      Eat real food.

7.       Avoid processed foods.

8.      Drink water often – count ten glasses a day or fill a two-litre jug with water.

9.      Go for 80% goodness on a daily basis.

10.    Walk daily.

11.     Do housework for exercise.

12.     Try workout DVDs.

13.     Go to bed early.

14.     Think like a thin person, think thin thoughts, think like I am a person who is naturally slim.

15.     Make it fun and be excited to eat in a healthy manner, love feeling good.

16.     Enjoy exercise as part of my daily life.

17.     Keep good posture to look slimmer and encourage good circulation and muscle training.

18.    Keep a small and stylish wardrobe that will encourage me to keep in shape and enjoy looking fabulous in my clothes.  Get rid of clothing that doesn’t excite me or makes me feel frumpy or dowdy.

19.     Remember that I want my husband to be attracted to me: men are visual creatures.

20.    Declutter my home which helps declutter my body.  Also tidy and keep our home clean.  This inspires me to do the same with my body.

21.     Remember the more I have the more I want, of… salads, water, vegetables, fruit.  Then, if I don’t have them I miss them.  I look forward to a salad for lunch now, which wasn’t the case in the past.

22.    Don’t be tempted by cheap junk food on special at the supermarket.  If 99 cents is a good price for a big packet of Twisties, it isn’t if it makes me fat and feel revolting.  Think about my poor insides not knowing what to do with junk food.

23.    Groom all the time – shaved legs, self-tan, nice hair and makeup.  Look after my body.

24.    Think how quality food will make my skin glow and how junk food will make it awful.

25.    Remember that processed food, even a tiny bit will load my body with toxins which in turn makes it hold onto fat to accommodate/store those toxins.

26.    Use others as inspiration to be slim – both those I want to emulate and those I don’t (mean but useful).

27.    Factor in treats so I don’t feel deprived.

28.    Always remember the reason why I wanted to lose weight and be slim in the first place, that way nothing can sabotage my new healthy life.

29.    Remember I like to feel hungry before a meal – the food tastes so much better.

30.    French girls spend lots of time in cafes, but the difference is they never eat – they drink coffee, tea, water, diet Coke (update: I no longer drink Diet Coke - I replaced it with Lemon or Lime Perrier).

31.     My problem times:  Afternoon – coffee or tea after lunch, chewing gum to clean my teeth after lunch, lots of water, cup of tea around 5pm if I am hungry before dinner.  A 4pm protein shake or a hard-boiled egg works miracles.  After work – Diet Coke or sparkling mineral water in a flute, no snack foods.  After dinner:  herbal tea and a treat, i.e. one perfect chocolate etc.

32.    When I feel like nibbling – drink a glass of water.

33.    Food tastes just as good not adding additional salt and pepper at the table.  You taste the flavours better.

34.    When I get all worked up and think ‘I will never be slim, I will always be beholden to junk foods’, think to myself ‘Just be normal.  I can eat normally like normal people, just relax and be normal.  Eat normal food’.

35.    Stick to the basics – three meals a day with no snacking in between.  It’s a tried and true way to live that has been around for generations.  If I feel hungry in between, drink a big glass of water.

36.    Remember that eating is not a hobby.  Mother Nature made eating enjoyable so we would not die of starvation but that doesn’t mean I can eat all day/eat when I want something to do/eat to make myself feel better etc.

37.    Eat the right foods to fuel and nourish my body and to feel full of energy.

38.    Being in the right frame of mind makes all the difference.  Just by changing my mind, I can change the way I behave.  I can be positive and happy about the future, focused on home, relationships, business, family etc and eating when I don’t need to just falls away.

39.    Make up a menu plan – like I am advising someone else.

40.    Portion control my chosen snack foods.  Gladware containers for potato chips etc.

41.     Declutter something.  It helps with enjoying real food and not craving junk.