We don’t know about you, but we were TOTALLY inspired by Lisa Riley’s incredible six stone weight loss, and even more so by the simple lifestyle changes she adopted to make that incredible transformation.
So we’ve rounded up 20 of the simplest yet effective ways to trim down without being a captive to your gym membership or banishing all your favourite treats from the house for good.
Whether you take them all on board or pick two or three that resonate with you to begin with, take a browse through these tips to help you look and feel your best ahead of summer time.
Cut back on the booze
Not just beneficial for your liver, but for your waistband too. Alcohol is often people’s biggest downfall when it comes to weight loss, as it’s easy to forgot how many calories we’re guzzling down.
And there are several reasons why booze makes our belts tighter. Numerous beverages are laced with sugar (we’re all guilty of enjoying a super sweet fruit cider in the sun, right?) which as we know does our weight no favours.
But it’s the devils water itself that makes us pile on the pounds, too.
As it enters our digestive system, alcohol itself breaks down into fat and acetate. The fat is taken through the bloodstream and stored in the normal places, while the acetate becomes the primary energy fuel. Which isn’t ideal.
If you can’t cut the drink altogether, try swapping our evening beverage for a weight-friendlier option. Go for low percentage drinks and ones with limited sugar such as gin and soda water or vodka and diet lemonade.
Find out more about how alcohol can make you overweight HERE.
Take up Meat Free Mondays
We’re not saying you need to ditch your steak-loving ways, but selecting one day a week to switch out meat can help you unwittingly lower you fat intake.
For example, switching out a pork sausage for a veggie alternative can save you up to 23 grams of fat per 100 grams. Do that for two/three meals a day for once or twice a week, and it’ll soon add up. And it doesn't have to be boring - you can enjoy asparagus and lemon risotto, vegetable & tofu stir-fry or butternut squash and spinach lasagna.
For more easy healthy food swaps, see HERE.
Start counting your steps
OK, so we all know we should be more active, and of course walking about more is a simple way get moving.
But actually monitoring how much you move about is a great motivator. Seeing how many steps you take will help you ensure you’re reaching the NHS’s recommended target – 10,000 steps a day – and boost you to beat your target week on week. You’ll be offering to do the tea run like nobody’s business.
Better still, you can track your steps simply by keeping your iPhone in your pocket – you just head to your health app.
Need more tips for keeping up your fitness mojo? Check out our guide to post-January work out motivation HERE.
Have a glass of water before you eat
Make drink before dine your new mantra, as it’ll stop you over eating.
Our brains (and our sneaky taste buds) often tricks us into thinking we’re on the verge of starvation when in reality we just need to wet our whistle.
… And food shop after you’ve eaten
When we’re hungry we make poor decisions, which doesn’t stop at what we put in our shopping trollies. And when we’re hungry we crave the quickest source of energy – high fat and high sugar food.
Too much good money has gone to doughnuts from food shopping before we’ve eaten breakfast…
So schedule in your weekly shops for evenings just after dinner time when just the thought of that chocolate gateau makes you feel sick.
Oh, and make a healthy list before you head out – and stick to it!
Ditch the sugar in your tea
If it’s good enough for Adele, it’s good enough for us. The singing sensation previously revealed she shed pounds by simply cutting sugar from her hot drinks.
Although you might not be used to a bitter brew at first, it wont take long for you to adjust.
The Hello singer explained that with ten cuppas a day and two spoonfuls per mug, Adele cut 20 teaspoons of sugar a day just by doing this.
Now that adds up to stomach shrinking power.
Find out more about Adele's amazing weight loss HERE, and for more tips of reducing your daily sugar intake, check out our guide HERE.
Buy yourself a new china set
We’re serious. Us Brits are so very polite, that we’ll do the best we can to wipe our plates clean of every last trace. And here’s the problem – we tend to over eat because we fill our XXL plates with food. Most of the time, your average plate will leave you with a meal well above the recommended portion guidelines.
Dishing up dinner in smaller plates and bowls tricks us into eating better servings. And any excuse to buy new homeware, right?
For more about getting your portion sizes right, see HERE.
Get coffee on the go
Spend your weekends sitting in coffee shops catching up with the girls? Get coffee to go instead. Exchanging gossip with your bestie, you won’t realise how many calories you’ve burnt milling around.
Oh, and the caffeine kick can help you shift weight too, as it lowers your appetite and sets your metabolism into motion.
Just make sure you’re not getting a milky, syrupy drink – you’ll be shocked with the amount of sugar in them.
Give up your seat on the bus
We’re usually the ones fighting to the front of the doors to secure a seat on the nightmare commute, but it’s time for a change of attitude.
Standing burns more calories than sitting, so if you’re sat at a desk all day at work, go for the vertical option en route.
Not to mention you’ll be doing a good deed for someone else, too.
Get a good night’s sleep
Possibly the best weight loss tip ever? Yes, yes it is.
Getting a good nights sleep can help regulate your metabolism, and research has shown that those who have longer night’s sleep on average have a lower BMI.
Low energy from lack of sleep will have you reaching for sugary, fatty quick fixes, too.
For help getting in some successful shut eye, check out our good sleep guide.
Who knew we could literally lose weight in our sleep?
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