1. Say no to junk food. Exchange snacks such as chips, choccies and sweets for carrot sticks, cucumber and celery.
2. Liquid detox: cut down on alcohol, fizzy drinks, fruit juices, tea and coffee (too much sugar is bad for you). Instead, drink at least 1 litre of water a day.
3. Exchange refined carbohydrates such as rusks, white bread and rolls for brown bread, wholegrains and bran. If you increase your natural intake fibre you will boost your metabolism.
4. Don’t eat any carbohydrates after 6 pm – it will leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
5. Replace red meat with lean meat such as chicken and fish.
6. Eat smaller portions of food more frequently instead of three large meals a day.
7. Eat your mouthfuls slowly; chew your food 50 times before you swallow. By the time you have eaten half your meal, you will be full. (And your jaw would have gotten some exercise too.)
8. Don’t eat a lot of salt; it makes your body retain water and you will end up feeling bloated.
9. Exercise, exercise, exercise; you need to be doing at least 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training 3 times a week. You don’t need a gym membership – go for walks and swim instead of just lounging on the beach.
10. Use this dieting spell from The Good Spell Book
“Take a piece of cake, cookie or whatever you are craving, bury it in a pot or in the garden, plant three cloves of garlic on top. The cloves will supposedly cleanse you of all your cravings by the time the garlic has grown.”
(There is no money back guarantee on this one.)
If all else fails here are some handy hints for the beach:
What are your slimming tips or tricks for the bikini season?