1. Drop that sandwich! Yes you.
After spending a year living in Japan where the only bread available was hideously thick, processed white sandwich loaves, bread has pretty much been cut out of my diet. Yeah, I missed it at first and spent most days craving sandwiches, but now my body has adjusted to the change I'm really thankful that it's been cut out from my diet. An 'empty carb', bread often leaves you unsatisfied and bloated compared to some of the much more fibrous, nutritious carbohydrates such as quinoa and bulgar wheat. By switching from sandwiches to grains, it gives you a chance to increase your protein and veg intake and reduce your carbs, meaning you're satisfied for longer and will lose those pounds. Yeah, it may take slightly more effort to knock something together than just grab a sandwich, but what would you prefer - 5 more minutes spent making your meal or 20 minutes extra working off that BLT flab in the gym? Thought soooo.
Make sure to always eat more protein and veg in your meal than carbs (my ratio is usually protein 50%, veg 30%, carbs 20%). Lots of fish, eggs and chicken breast if you eat meat. Protein fills the body up much quicker than carbs, meaning it's virtually impossible to overeat. Google the Leptin effect if you need more convincing - protein is rife with this fabulous 'fullness' hormone. Berries and bananas, green veg such as spinach, kale, broccoli etc are also great meal fillers - fibrous fruit and vegetables will keep you satisfied longer, plus the best bit; even if you eat an absolute sh*tload, it's pretty much calorie free. Less carbs, more protein and fibre and you're sorted.
The paleo diet - i.e. eating like a caveman - actually has some grounding to it. Although it may be costly and frankly ridiculous to get every single thing organic, have your own chicken and care for your own vegetable patch conditioned with your own excrement or whatever, by sticking to the simple rule of 'one ingredient' food, you can benefit your body, increase your metabolism and will have much more energy. For example, instead of eating those 'diet biscuits' which contain a huge amount of ingredients (most of which I'm often doubtful of being real words), have a handful of walnuts and a banana. They contain much more nutrients and none of the nasty additives which keep your body hooked to those processed treats, no matter how "healthy" they are marketed as. Think natural! Your body will thank you for it.
That brings me to my next point - don't shy away from natural fats! Fat has had a bad rep in the media in recent years, but actually "low fat" products often contain more sugar and chemicals, which in turn will increase your cravings and go straight to your thighs girlfriendddddd. What's more, foods like avocados, nuts and eggs contain 'good' fats which actually speed up metabolism and replenish your body with vital vitamins and nutrients. Just because something has a high saturated fat label, don't panic and run back to the low fat, sugary processed crap. Think logically - if it's a natural, one ingredient product, it's most likely to be good for you. Cavemen didn't have an obesity problem.
Fat and calories have been marketed as the bad guys for a while now, but sugar has somehow escaped the media grasp...dunno why though, cos that stuff is EVIL. Ever since sugar imports began to Britain in the 18th Century, we were all hooked on the sweet stuff aaaand things have gone downhill ever since. Sugar is the reason that you diet yourself silly but still don't appear to lose any weight - it sticks to your wobbly bits like glue. It's everywhere - in those delicious "low fat" yogurts you think help fight fat cells in your tummy and will turn you into Beyonce, in those "vitamin water" drinks that you think will cleanse your system of impurities and give you skin like Gweneth Paltrow, even in your breakfast cereal just waiting to give you bingo wings and a muffin top. Although this is definitely the hardest tip, try to lose that sweet tooth! Gradually reduce your sugar intake and your sweet tooth should adjust to find things like fruit and nuts to be "sweet", and those processed things will soon become unpalatable and too sickly to you. Sugar is literally like a drug, but once you stick with it and ignore those cravings, your body will worship you.
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