Diet Tips and Tricks for a healthy new you

So I've recently fallen into a disgusting habit of not getting enough sleep, falling behind on my exercise regime, booze and reaching for convenience food. This always tends to happen during the wet cold and dreary Winter months where I'm stuck in doors - Seasonal Affective Disorder as I become lazy, unmotivated and eat out of boredom. I don't really suffer from S.A.D I just say I do because I love Summer so much and in Summer I don't need motivation the Vitamin D I've soaked up from the sun just generally puts me in a good mood, makes me want to get up early because who wants to sleep in and miss out on tanning time. I also eat better without intending too, Summer is all about the salads, watermelon slices and ice tea. 

As spring is near which means no more having to wear Winter coats woo, I find there is nothing worse then walking around with unwanted Winter fat and having to hide it away behind a Winter coat even though that season has passed. So I might as well start getting fit now so I can enjoy it when it comes around rather then spending the first couple of weeks battling with the bulge.

Here are just some tips and tricks I use for when I eat great I feel great physically and mentally as looking good on the outside is all about feeling good on the inside.

Breakfast:

 I love starting my day off with Oat So Simple Apple and Blueberry. Some people think skipping breakfast will keep them skinny. When you skip a meal your body goes into starvation mode as it doesn't know when it will next get fed, this slows down the metabolism and stores everything you eat after straight into fat. Its important to eat a proper breakfast as your less tempted to snack during the day and in fact statistics show those that skip breakfast end up consuming more calories during the day  and are twice as likely to become overweight then those who eat a proper breakfast as hunger and cravings attack. Porridge oats not only are they delicious they are a good way to start your day because they release energy slowly keeping you full up until lunch time. 

 Along with porridge oats I will have a piece of fruit to start off my 5 a day. Pink Lady Apples are my favourite and a good way to boost your immune system. Its true when they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. 

I will also drink a cup of herbal tea. Have recently been loving the new Lipton Blueberry Muffin tea. It smells absolutely amazing like I've just baked a fresh batch of blueberry muffins. If your someone who like strong tasting teas I wouldnt recommend as Its very light in taste which is perfect for me as I love light tasting teas hence why Im such a fan of green tea. But it wouldnt hurt to switch as its only 4 calories per bag. I used to love Whittard's instant teas such as Dream Time and Turkish apple, as delicious as they are its not something I can drink everyday because they contain a lot of sugar so not very good for the waistline and dont exactly contain the best ingredients. Herbal teas are pretty much all natural. 

How to trick your brain into eating less: 

Scientists on secret eaters conducted experiments and found that there were certain variables which made people eat more then they should because of how the brain was tricked. Here are just some things you could do to trick your brain into eating less: 

. Eat out of a small bowl/plate. The bigger the bowl/plate the more likely you are to increase your portion of food. 

. Make sure the plate is a different colour to your food. If the colour of the food blends into the colour of your plate you will end up piling on more food without realising as it wont stand out. 

. Drink out of a tall long glass rather then a short wide glass. A tall long glass will give you the illusion that there is more liquid in it rather then a short wide glass where you will end up pouring more liquid. 

. Don't go shopping on an empty tummy. Super markets purposely have fruit and veg on one end and bread and milk on the other end so that when your walking from one end to the other you're in perfect view of fatty food. Fatty food releases energy quickly which is why when hungry people tend to grab it for a quick fix. By going shopping hungry you end up making impulse buys of food you normally wouldn't get if you came on a full tummy. 

. Cravings only last 15-20 minutes so distract yourself by going for a walk. 

. If you do get a craving for chocolate rather then getting a fatty mars bar get something like a milky way or marshmallows as there isn't that much fat and calories in them. 

Other health tips include: 

. Go to sleep at a decent time. Between 10pm and Midnight. Your body repairs itself in it's sleep, this is the best time to get your beauty sleep. Having a decent sleep will make you feel more alert and motivated and you will eat less because you wont have missed breakfast by sleeping in. 

. Drink 3-4 cups of green tea a day. It suppresses your appetite, amazing for weight loss as it helps with fat burning and improves cognitive skills. It's also great for keeping you looking young as it it contains anti oxidants. 

. Drink 2 litres of water a day. It hydrates your body, amazing for weight loss because you're flushing out toxins and bad chemicals and great for your skin as it gives it a healthy glow. 

. Don't eat carbohydrates after 6pm 

. Don't eat food after 8pm 

. Avoid red meat 

. No fizzy drinks that includes the diet ones because the sodium in fizzy drinks blocks the fat from escaping from your body. 

. Avoid alcohol because the calorie content is like pure fat. People make the mistake of thinking its the sugar in alcohol that makes it so calorific. Alcohol is its own fat. The fat in alcohol is equivalent to a fatty lardy roast dinner.