I can recall when I was a youngster, my parental figures commanded me not to have sweets just before main meals. There were stern warnings that I’d ruin my appetite.  They would also withhold fizzy drinks or water until the plate was clean.

Well, well – it so happens that there is now a good reason to be rebellious. [See also ‘Disclaimer’ at the end]

If you want to lose weight, one of the best things you can do is to ruin your appetite.  A few quick tips follow with brief explanations. Note that I don’t intend to prove anything in this post. The evidence is really out there. Google is your friend.

1. Eat a small amount of something sweet!! Yes – chocolate would do. But don’t go over roughly 150 kcal. How are you gonna work that out. Most chocolate bars these days are labelled with calorie content. So estimate where to cut or break the bar. Use a knife and a calculator. Chyssst!! This is so elementary, really.
2. Bread is not all bad. Your average slice has around 120 kcal. [Yes – I know it varies by slice thickness, square area of each slice,  and ingredients but this is not a doctoral thesis on bread!! Chrysst!!] Whole-wheat bread digests more slowly than plain white bread.
3. Separately or in addition to the above, drink a glass or two of water – probably around 500 ml. It could be water or your favourite low cal fizz.
4. Do the above roughly 30 – 45 min before the time you’d normally go to purchase or consume your main meals.
5. Another good trick is to munch on small amounts of chocolate through the morning. Look – I’m not into an argument today. It could be chocolate, muesli, bananas – I ain’t bovvered!! Just snack on whatever you like – and drink much water.

The effect of the above strategies is to genuinely ruin you appetite, when the main meal time comes around. Why is this a good plan? Well, many people easily consume about 1000 – 1500 cals per main meal. That’s why they’re so fat!

So for snacking on say up 150-200 kcals, if you reduce the intake of main meal food, by 500 kcals – that’s really a good plan (using the above figures). Calorie craving is what is usually satisfied most at main meals. Most people love their potatoes – and hold on to delusions (aka myths) that pasta is the thing that makes um lose weight. As I said, but I’ll say it again, ‘I’m not into arguments’.

But it’s possible using the above strategies to do better at main meals. With calorie craving reduced by snacking, it becomes easier to substitute those potatoes for low calorie vegetables. How do you find that? HELLO!! I said, Google is your friend. And by the time you’ve worked the above strategy to completion of the first main meal, you really won’t be in a mood to have desert. Note carefully, deserts are where people really pack on the calories – anything like around 300 – 1000 kcal. I know.. I know ‘everybody does it’… and you’re ruled by the ‘herd’. However, I’m not here to tell you what to do.

That’s it! You take it or you leave it. You Google some of the above or not. You follow the ‘herd’ or not. I’ll continue to be rebellious against my parental figures!!

[Disclaimer: No liability is accepted if you suffer disappointment, weight gain, or any other adverse effect of following this idea. Seek professional advice from a suitably qualified person if you need a weight-loss plan. ]