These six simple changes could help you lose weight with less effort

17 February 2020, 06:00 | Updated: 19 February 2020, 11:29

Promoted by WW

Losing weight is a process, and these tips can make it easier. Picture: WW

Overhauling your lifestyle - and dropping a size or two in the process - can seem like a daunting task, but these small tweaks of your daily routine can help get the ball rolling.

Whether you want to drop a dress size, boost your energy levels, or just regain control of your health, we all have our reasons for wanting to change.

But regardless of how long the journey ahead is, when you're starting out or have hit a plateau, it can seem overwhelming.

The experts at WW weightwatchers Reimagined have shared six tips for edging you closer to your goal - and they're so simple that you'll barely notice the difference in your daily routine.

These small changes can help add up to a big difference.

Have fruit out and grabbable

Grab grapes or berries from a bowl on your coffee table when you’re watching TV. All fresh fruits on the WW diet have zero points, including apricots, apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, plums, pineapple and grapes - you'll never get bored!

Tracking meals and snacks will help you monitor your calories and points intake for the day. Picture: WW

Prepare a healthy breakfast the night before

How many times have you claimed you were in 'too much of a rush' to enjoy a nutritious and healthy breakfast?

Well that excuse can be a thing of the past if you prepare the most important meal of the day the night before.

If you're not an early riser, arrange your breakfast ingredients - chop up veggies ready to go in an omelette - at the front of your fridge, and leave out your cooking tools before you go to bed.

Eating on the go or at work? Prepare a week's worth of breakfast frittatas you can grab on the way out, or dice fruit at the start of the week that you can put in a reusable food container or enjoy served with yogurt.

Breakfast from home is always a lot cheaper than buying on the move, so you'll be saving pennies and calories. And if you do the same for lunch, you'll be quids in!

Make snacks less accessible

Stash unhealthy snacks in cupboards you don’t usually open, or that can’t be easily reached, and keep your go-to snacks at eye level.

Give your fridge a makeover, and put your ‘trigger foods' - like cheese and chocolate - out of sight towards the back of the fridge, and bring the salad veggies and low fat yogurt to the front.

Remember that snacks aren't off limits, just pre-portion nibbles to reduce decision making later, and to stop yourself from having too much.

WW encourages members to bring their snacks along to weekly meetings so that they can discuss their nutritional values - and share recipes and ideas.

Have a food diary

Track your meals in an app or notebook to make yourself accountable - and remember what you’ve eaten! The WW app lets you track your meals and snacks, and helps you keep an eye on your daily points allowance at a glance.

We are all guilty of mindless snacking or having second (or third) helpings.

By getting in to the habit of making a note of every morsel that passes our lips, we can check ourselves before reaching for that second sugary biscuit, or nibbling the kids' left over fish fingers.

If you start keeping a note of how much water you've drunk every day too, you're really on to a winner. Dehydration can often be mistaken for hunger.

Weigh things every so often

Weigh things every so often - to get to know portion sizes by eye, to avoid portion creep (and therefore tracking the wrong SmartPoints) and also to make sure you're not serving yourself short!

Preparing ingredients before bed and keeping healthy snacks at the front of the fridge can help you make positive changes. Picture: WW

Focus on how you feel after exercising

If you focus on that endorphin buzz rather than feeling flustered about getting to the gym or exercise class, you'll be counting down the minutes until it's time to get your trainers on.

You don't need to break out too much of a sweat to feel the benefits - a brisk walk around the block or local park during your lunch hour will also get a smile on your face.

Soon you’ll be finding excuses to up your steps whenever you have a chance - keep your trainers in your car or under desk for when the mood takes you.

Everyone is different, so the new myWW is a flexible plan than helps to make eating better easier for you, so you can feel more confident this year. Click here to find out more.