Rosanna Davison’s Top Tips For Sustained Weight Loss From 'Eat Yourself Beautiful'

The countdown is on to the highly anticipated release of Rosanna Davison’s new book, Eat Yourself Beautiful, on August 28^th!

Rosanna’s delicious recipes and expert advice are sure to help you look and feel amazing, as she explains how we really are what we eat when it comes to making the most of our looks. Excess weight, puffiness around the eyes, spots, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, poor sleep, low energy, even wrinkles and fine lines can ALL be remedied by moving towards a more nourishing and healthy way of eating.

In this exclusive sneak peek inside the book, we reveal 10 of Rosanna’s ‘Top 20 Tips for Successful and Sustained Weight Loss’:

ROSANNA DAVISON’S TOP TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL AND SUSTAINED WEIGHT LOSS

It’s really important to remember that you can only lose one or two pounds of body fat per week. Any more than that is stored glycogen, muscle mass and water. Losing a little water weight is perfectly okay and will naturally happen when you begin eating a diet rich in nutrients and fibre. But it’s crucial that you don’t lose your muscle mass by crash dieting or depriving your body of enough amino acids, because your body will start to break down muscle fibres to be used for energy. Muscle at rest burns far more calories than fat at rest, so maintaining and even building your muscle while focusing on losing extra fat is the best way to ensure a healthy and manageable weight for life.

1

FORGET DIETING

The diet industry has surged by 200% in the past eight years, and its success is based on the fact that diets are designed to fail us. It’s inevitable that weight will return when you begin to eat normally again after a restrictive or crash diet, as they’re simply not sustainable. When restricting food, your metabolism may slow right down because it sees the decrease in energy as a famine state and will try to preserve calories. This will hamper weight loss efforts and cause fat to pile on when the diet comes to an end. The only way to achieve real and sustained weight loss and glowing health for life is to overhaul an unhealthy diet and lifestyle with nutrient-dense foods and regular exercise.

2

EAT LITTLE AND OFTEN

Eating six smaller meals or snacks every three to four hours throughout the day can really help to keep your blood sugar stable, which in turn means you won’t reach for high-fat or high-sugar snacks.

3

NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST

If you’re in a rush in the mornings, make a green goddess smoothie (page 220) the night before and pour it into individual bottles to take with you in the morning. You could also make a quick jar of chia pudding or overnight oats to grab from the fridge.

4

ELIMINATE SUGAR AND REFINED CARBOHYDRATES

Simple carbs like sugar, fruit juice, soft drinks, alcohol and white flour raise blood insulin levels, leading to impaired fat burning, weight gain and even insulin resistance over time. Stick to pieces of whole fruit, vegetables, starchy veggies, gluten-free oats and grains instead.

5

EAT PROTEIN WITH EACH MEAL

Add high-fibre protein to each meal or snack, such as a spoonful of nut butter, a handful of almonds or hemp seeds, a serving of nutritional yeast or a few tablespoons of quinoa, sprouted beans or lentils to maintain steady energy levels for the whole day and to ensure you get all your essential amino acids.

6

EAT FATS IN MODERATION

Healthy fats are essential, but it’s important not to go overboard with them. Protein and carbohydrates each have 4 calories per gram, but there are 9 calories in every gram of fat, so it can be easy to eat a lot of energy without realising it. Avoid adding oils to food, use low-fat cooking methods like steaming and baking, and be mindful of the quantities of the whole-food fats that you’ve eaten, like avocado, nuts and olives.

7

SLOW DOWN WHEN YOU EAT AND CHEW YOUR FOOD PROPERLY

Taking the time to chew your food properly and allowing it to mix well with saliva will help it to digest much better in your stomach. Eating slowly also gives your body and brain a chance to register when you’re full, which helps to avoid overeating.

8

LIQUIDS COUNT TOO

Fruit juice, soft drinks and creamy cappuccinos all add up throughout the day and can upset appetite-hormone levels. Stick to plain water, herbal teas, green vegetable juice and smoothies or try adding fruit and mint to a jug of chilled water.

9

STOP EATING WHEN YOU’RE THREE-QUARTERS FULL

This is my favourite tip for portion control on a plant-based diet, and it means that counting calories isn’t necessary. Low-fat plant-based meals are nutrient dense but low in calorific energy, so you would have to feel seriously stuffed before you overdo it on excess energy. Listening to your body and appetite signals, eating from a smaller plate and finishing when you’re three-quarters full will ensure that your weight will stabilise to what is ideal for your body type and height.

10

DON’T EAT WHEN YOU’RE NOT HUNGRY

It’s easy to get into the habit of eating out of boredom, or emotional eating. Slowing down, being present in the moment and developing your awareness around food, snacking and the relationship between food and your body make all the difference in achieving your ideal weight.

For more tips on eating for beautiful skin, hair and body, plus delicious recipes, you can pre-order your copy of Eat Yourself Beautiful on Amazon now.

About the Author

In 2003, at the age of 19, Rosanna Davison was crowned the winner of the Miss World competition in Sanya, China. She went on to become one of Ireland’s most successful and recognisable models. This work taught her a huge amount about health, body image and our relationship with food, inspiring her to qualify as a nutritional therapist with a special focus on plant-based nutrition.

Through her work, Rosanna has encouraged countless people to realise their health and beauty potential. Her website RosannaDavisonNutrition.com was launched in Spring 2015 and within a month had attracted readers from 121 countries worldwide. Rosanna lives in Dublin with her husband, Wes, and two dogs, Ted and Leo.