“This year I’m going to lose weight.” It would have to be one of the top New Year’s resolutions – and it should be banned! Just the thought that tomorrow you can’t have dessert, chocolate or whatever happens to be your particular weakness is sure to ruin any New Year celebration. And if you are anything like me, thinking you are not allowed something only makes you want it more!

I call it the DIG cycle. You Deprive yourself of the ‘naughty’ foods which leads to obsessing so much about them that you finally Indulge. Even as the first forbidden mouthful passes your lips, Guilt sets in and you resolve to Deprive yourself again.

So how can we lose or control our weight without becoming caught in the DIG cycle? Here are my top ten tips…

How long will you lie there you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber…and poverty will come on you like a bandit. Proverbs 6:9-11

Most cultures have wise sayings about the negative result of being lazy or sleeping too much. But in today’s culture we seem to have the opposite problem – not enough sleep. Stress, computers, television, long work hours and burning the candle at both ends are just some of the habits that steal our sleep – and it’s making us fat.

Sleep is not optional, it’s essential to good health. While we sleep our body releases substances that fight infection, build and repair muscle, control appetite, consolidate memory (remember this if you are studying) and promote maturation in teenagers.

Lack of sleep makes our body work differently. It reduces insulin sensitivity and alters two key hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin reduces hunger so it’s good to have plenty around. But lack of sleep, especially when combined with stress, drops those appetite suppressing leptin levels.

“I don’t know what’s happened but all I want to eat each afternoon is peanut butter on a slice of grain bread,” my friend commented this week.

No, she’s not pregnant. But she has started a new job and hardly eats all day. No wonder her body is hanging out for a super combo of carbs, protein and healthy monounsaturated fat. That’s what you get in a peanut butter sandwich along with 1.5 grams of fibre per tablespoon of peanut butter. Spread it on wholemeal or grainy bread and the fibre could reach 5 or 6 grams – enough to tide a busy working mum through the hectic 4-6pm dinner rush.

It got me thinking about peanuts.

For the past six months my exercise regime has been slashed to a minimum by an annoying stress fracture in my foot. Stress fractures are an over-use injury and my particular one was called a ‘march fracture’ because armies who marched long distances often suffered them. In my case it was vanity – some flimsy, pretty sandals which I teetered around on every day for four or five months. It’s taught me an important fashion guideline. Similar to the number one dietary guideline ‘eat a variety of foods’ my new mantra is ‘wear a variety of shoes’!

[tweetmeme]“No walking or running for at least three months,” my physiotherapist commanded me. I was devastated. How could I cope without even a walk in the fresh air and sunshine? And how would I stop from morphing into the Michelin man? Overnight I cut out 25km of running and 10km of walking each week. All I had left was 5km of swimming and some Pilates. I went through a few months of exercise withdrawal before I finally settled comfortably into slothfulness. It’s been great sleeping in until 6.45am rather than dragging myself into the icy dark streets at 5.30. And the surprising thing is that I didn’t gain any more bulges than I usually do over winter. What was my secret? Don’t eat after dinner at night. It’s easier said than done so here are my top five tips for resisting the after dinner nibble urge.

• 1. Brush your teeth straight after dinner
• 2. Keep your tight jeans or skirt on when you get home rather than slipping into some sloppy, spacious track pants
• 3. Do some exercise after dinner. I would go to Pilates one night and swimming another night. It really helps to do this with a friend so you stay committed. If the evenings are light, walking or tennis with a friend are also great options. I’ll be trying these soon now that daylight saving has started in NZ.
• 4. Eat a reasonable sized lunch which includes protein and ideally a vinaigrette dressing. Protein has lasting power and vinegar lowers the glycemic index which also makes the meal last longer. Yesterday I went out for lunch and had a delicious salad of grilled salmon on baby spinach leaves with a soy sauce, ginger and lime dressing. I wasn’t hungry until 8pm! If you can’t have a decent lunch, have protein mid-afternoon. Try sushi or a handful of raw nuts.
• 5. Go to bed early and read a good book. Compared to blobbing in front of TV with a block of chocolate you’re more likely to expand your mind and shrink your stomach!