Soon the holiday season will be over for another year. At this time of year a lot of us are unhappy with our weight. This can negatively impact your mood and self esteem, but it can also impair your health. Carrying excess weight can worsen a lot of health problems, and predispose you to new ones. Losing weight doesn’t have to be difficult if you have a good understanding of how your metabolism works.

Here are my top tips:

Cook most of your meals at home

It’s the best way to ensure you’re using the freshest and best quality ingredients. Almost all restaurant and café meals are cooked in unhealthy industrial seed oil, which raises inflammation in your body. Home cooking is also a great way to save money, and teach children how to cook. There are easy and delicious recipes in my book I Can’t Lose Weight and I don’t know why.

Don’t snack all day, but also don’t skip meals

Skipping meals can cause insatiable hunger and cravings that can cause you to have a huge meal later in the day that is high in carbohydrates and very taxing on the liver. Skipping meals also increases your chances of consuming unhealthy snacks to make up for a missed meal. Instead, aim to have three good meals a day, and if you get hungry in between have a piece of fruit, some nuts and seeds or a whey protein smoothie. Synd-X Protein Powder reduces cravings for carbohydrates, reduces hunger, and facilitates weight loss. If sugar addiction is a real problem for you, Glicemic Balance also reduces carbohydrate cravings.

Do some exercise most days of the week

It is likely that during the Christmas and New Year period your exercise routine may have fallen by the wayside, which means it’s more important than ever to get back into a healthy routine. Find something you enjoy whether it be walking, swimming, cycling, yoga, Pilates or classes such as boxing. Mix up your routines by looking up different workouts on YouTube or Pinterest. Increase motivation by finding yourself a friend or family member to exercise with. Not only does exercise aid weight loss, it also boosts immunity, increases energy levels, improves cardiovascular health, and lowers blood sugar and insulin levels. Your clothes will fit better if your body is toned. Doing my 15 Day Cleanse should give you energy and motivation to begin a regular exercise routine. It is a program designed to improve gut, liver and immune health. It comes with an easy to follow eating plan that gives you fast results.

Be careful with alcohol

Drinking alcohol regularly can really mess up your metabolism, mood and motivation to look after your health. I’m sure your liver needs some care after the holiday season. It is recommended to have at least 4 alcohol-free days a week to make you feel more energised, and allow your liver to rest and repair. If you do decide to drink, follow each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water to dilute alcohol and hydrate the liver. My liver tonic Livatone Plus helps to repair inflamed liver cells. It also enables your liver to be a better detoxifier. Alcohol flushes magnesium out of your body in your urine. This can increase anxiety and give you poor stress coping abilities. Consider a magnesium supplement if this is an issue for you.

Make sleep a priority

Not only is sleep essential for rest and recuperation, it’s also beneficial for energy, immunity, healthy aging and weight loss. People who don’t get adequate sleep have high levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone and low levels of leptin, the satiety hormone, which contributes to overeating, cravings and consequent weight gain. If you are lacking in the sleep department, you are more likely to reach for foods that are high in sugar or refined carbohydrates for a quick energy fix. This will ultimately result in a dramatic sugar crash a few hours later that will then cause the carb cravings to return. Ideally, you should be getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night. If you have trouble sleeping, magnesium is a powerful mineral that promotes relaxation and helps to induce sleep.

Drink plenty of water

Adequate water intake is essential and most people should be drinking between 8 and 10 glasses each day. Many people get their hunger signals mixed up and think they are peckish when their body is actually trying to tell them they need water. Water is needed to hydrate our cells, as well as to boost metabolism, support energy levels, and aid weight loss. Our liver needs to be sufficiently hydrated to carry on its many functions such as filtering our blood, regulating hormones and detoxifying and eliminating wastes from the body. Having a glass of water with fresh lemon in the morning is a great way to stimulate your liver and digestive system for the day.

Cut down on sugar and other carbs

Refined carbohydrates include products made of flour such as baked goods, breads and cereals as well as pasta, white rice and sweets. All these foods are converted into sugar in the body, which causes inflammation throughout the body, and promotes weight gain. Sugar also feeds candida and bad gut bugs, and excess consumption is linked to type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, immune problems and arthritis, just to name a few. A good diet should be based on whole foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, protein and good quality fats.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.