Be a weight-loss
champ
Take on our everyday slimming challenges and smash your goals in
Words: Jon Axworthy Illustrations: Ahoy ThereA
re you up for a challenge? Don’t worry, we’re
not suggesting you climb the country’s highest
peaks, commando crawl through fields of
mud, or run a marathon. There are plenty
of new year challenges you can take on that are much more
manageable – and which will launch you towards your
personal weight-loss goal. While we can’t promise a medal
or a commemorative T-shirt, what you can win for yourself
are some great health, fitness and confidence-boosting
benefits. Here are seven ways to rise to the occasion!Challenge
Do something
new each week
Think of this as
a mini bucket
list – it’s all about
setting yourself small
challenges. ‘It could
be as simple as trying
out a new Food
Optimising recipe
and inviting your
mates round
to test-drive it,’
suggests Slimming World nutritionist Jenny Barber. ‘Experiment
with ingredients you’ve never cooked with before, make a veggie
version of one of your favourite dishes, like chilli, or finally give that
showstopper recipe a go.’ While trying new foods is a great way
to keep you excited about your weight loss, it’s good to add things
to your list that go beyond what you eat, too. Maybe there’s
something you would never have been able to do, or just didn’t want
to do, before you started losing weight? It could be going for a walk
in a countryside spot you’ve always wanted to explore, or jumping
into the local swimming pool with your kids on a Saturday morning,
rather than sitting on the side watching them have all the fun. Not
only will it give you a physical boost, you’ll also get a psychological
one. Whether you love new experiences or prefer to stay in your
comfort zone, tackling different challenges builds confidence and
positivity that spills out into other parts of our lives, too.Challenge
Join the team
According to a Slimming World
survey of more than ,
overweight men and women, even
fasting diets and protein shakes
were seen by men as more socially
acceptable ways to lose weight than
attending a Slimming World group. ‘Men
often imagine it’s a woman’s world and that they’ll be the only man
there,’ says Dr Jacquie Lavin, head of nutrition and research at
Slimming World. In reality, she says, there are now an average of
three men at every group – and even if your group’s not average,
that’s by no means a barrier to getting the most from group support.
Actually, it seems that men have the advantage: a study found
that while women lost an average . of their body weight in three
months at Slimming World, men lost an even more impressive ..
This amount of weight loss can have a major health impact, reducing
the risk of Type diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
Matt Boothman, from Surrey, agreed to join Slimming World
to support his wife – and kick-started his own st lb weight loss.
‘It just didn’t seem like my kind of thing. When I lost lbs in my first
week, though, and saw how chuffed everyone was, I was hooked!’Challenge
Fill a third of your plate with veggies
Here’s a challenge you can nail every time you sit down for a meal.
‘Filling at least one-third of your plate with Speed Foods – fruit and
veg that are very low in energy density – means you get a lovely
big plate of grub while naturally
reducing the number of calories
you’re consuming,’ explains Jenny
Barber. ‘Serve up a crisp salad
with your jacket potato, or make
a stir-fry with tons of peppers,
bean sprouts and mangetout.’ You
can even meet the challenge when
you have your cooked breakfast by
including lots of grilled mushrooms
and tomatoes. You’ll help boost
your weight loss and be well on
track to eating the recommended
portions of fruit and veg each day.SLIMMING WORLD max your motivation
Mens Emot_UPDATED VERSION.indd 93 17/11/2017 11:19