I Lost 20 Lbs in 6 Weeks With My Non-Diet Everyday Meals

Obviously I did a lot of calorie counting which may sound obvious but actually what we call calorie counting may not work out the way you want it too.

For starters, did you know that adding sweetener to your cuppa actually helps to add pounds? We'll take a closer look later but in a nutshell, apart from counting calories, there are other ways of losing weight without losing the will to live because your craving for sugar is driving you insane!

We will also take a look at the type of exercise that's best for you. I can hear you groan right now!

But don't worry, it's not what you think!

• What to cut down, or out, of your diet.
• How to calorie count the easy way.
• Check out the different styles of exercise.
• Work out the best part of the day to eat, and
• Which snacks are the best?
• And finally how to make it feel that you are not on a diet! Easy!

The most obvious thing to cut out of your diet is sugar. But that's not as easy as it sounds.

Sugar in tea or coffee is easy to substitute. Throw away the sugar and use sweeteners.

Er...perhaps not.

The latest scientific research claims that studies show people who use sweeteners have become obese. Of course, this is new research so it's a good idea to keep an eye on it. And with the controversy around how safe sweeteners are, its best to avoid them.

Cutting down on other food doesn't mean you have to change your diet completely. In fact, studies once again, show that changing your diet is the quickest way to stop dieting and return to your original 'Stuff it all in' attitude!

Now here's the good news.

You can eat that chocolate eclair! One eclair (cake) is 207 calories.

Cheese on toast = 117 calories.

So, I piece of cheese on toast, followed by Jelly and custard is less than 300 calories!

See? Who needs a diet when you can just check the calories!

But there's more!

Okay, let's calorie count.

If like most of us you tend to stick to the same type of food, the first thing you need to do is find out how many calories those food items have.

You may be surprised to find that some of the food you eat that sounds filling, is actually low in calories!

Take cakes for example.

One piece of sponge cake is 187 calories. Now if you are just snacking between meals then 187 calories won't cause too much trouble. But obviously, if you go for the cream and chocolate version then you will pile on the pounds.

But here's one little treasure that I recently found that is very low in calories for what it actually is.

Ready to eat low sugar Jelly in a pot is an amazing 5 calories!

Add a small pot of custard which is 143 calories and there you go. Less than 150 calories and you get a lot of Jelly and custard.

(Jelly in the UK is the equivalent of Jam or Jello in the USA)

If you prefer your lunchtime meal with bread then a small roll with lots of salad is around the same amount of calories!

Forget those silly calorie bars. They taste revolting and have at least 299 calories in them. Just make your own rolls and salad. It's much more filling.

I learned that trick many years ago, working in an office. Lots of co-workers constantly dieted because they were sitting down all day at the computer. But why they were chewing their way through calorie bars, I was eating a very healthy, filling roll, with salad! And yes they soon changed to my way of thinking.

Taking a break from the food for a second, we all know that exercise has to be involved one way or another.

Most of us automatically think of the Gym or Jogging. But before that makes you sigh and think, 'Here we go again,' bare with me.

This is what happened to me to get me off my butt and start dieting. I had gone into a clothes shop to buy a new pair of trousers and a top. After struggling into them, I made the mistake of looking in the full-length mirror.

I was horrified!

I looked like an Elephant. No joke intended.

It was awful. I had no idea that I had got so fat! On top of that, my shoulder had been paining me, so I went to the GP who decided in their wisdom, or lack of, to start me on a physio plan.

Long story short? It was my bra strap digging into my shoulder, trying to hold up two huge boulders in a sack!

Yes, ladies, I can hear the sympathy as you adjust your underwear too.

So That was it. Diet.

But I still couldn't get motivated. Until one day when I was listening to Irish country music on TV.

One song, in particular, Old Maid in the Garrett, by Sabrina Fallon, came on. And up I jumped and danced.

And that as they say, was that!

Dance. Choose any of your favorite songs and just dance, swing yourself around and go for it. Try to keep to around 20 minutes a day.

But if that is too much, space it out during your day.

It worked for me!

I think we all know what is the best part of the day to eat.

Morning.

But if you are like me and hate breakfast, then its a good idea to space it out a few hours at a time.

And not only that, alternate between calories.

For example, around 10 am, I eat a roll with cheese and bacon, or bacon and eggs and so on. Calories will be around 400. Then later, switch to a lower calorie. And so on.

Make your main meal around 5 pm.

For evening snacks, go for toast, a small roll with salad and so on.