Small changes, big difference

We've got 10 tips that'll make you healthier in just one month.

1. Count your change
It might sound like some serious digits, but "if you cut out 420 to 520kJ each day over the next month, you can lose up to half a kilo," says nutritionist Kristen Beck from beckhealth.com.au. Simple ways to do this, include: stripping the skin off chicken; using oil spray instead of butter; downsizing to a mini Milky Way; and having pizza without cheese.

2. The drink switcheroo
Apply the above approach to your beverages of choice. Swap your latte for a green tea (we recommend Tetley), and fizzy drinks for the diet variety.

3. Fill up on fibre
Loading up on lots of fruit and veg leaves little room for hunger pangs because, according to Beck, fibre-rich foods are "bulky, take a long time to actually chew and eat, plus fill you up, so you end up eating less overall". And it's easier than you think – just add some frozen peas to your spaghetti bolognese, or skip your ready-made fruit juice for a piece or two of the real thing.

4. Sweat during a break
Watching Gossip Girl tonight? Squeeze exercise into the ad breaks. For example, jumping rope burns about 42kJ a minute, so, with roughly three 3.3-minute ad interruptions per episode, you can whittle away 416kJ while waiting to see if Chuck and Blair eventually get back together.

5. Get a lot on your plate
Just make sure it's a tiny one! Eating from a smaller dish tricks the mind into thinking you're consuming much more. Exercise this rule with caution, though, as it becomes pointless if your little plate is piled so high with fried chicken that it begins to resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

6. Don't fast, just eat slowly
We have a sneaking suspicion that our stomachs are actually male: How else do you explain their slow reaction times? In fact, it takes the gut 20 minutes to relay the message to the brain that you're full. According to Beck, "By taking your time over your meals and not going back for seconds until after 20 minutes has passed, you're likely to eat less in the long run."

7. Ask for a doggie bag
When you receive your meal at a restaurant, immediately request half be packed away for tomorrow's lunch.

8. Avoid crumb-ychores
The mere effort involved in re-brushing your teeth should be enough to prevent late-night snacking. We bet that brownie slice suddenly isn't so enticing, knowing you'll have to walk allll the way to the bathroom, spread toothpaste allll over your brush, and scrub those crumbs allll from your teeth (you get the idea).

9. Chew can do it!
Okay, so a piece of Juicy Fruit is never quite going to compare to a juicy steak, but if you follow your main meal with a wad of gum, you'll be less inclined to order the white choc and hazelnut puff rolls.

10. Sleep it off
As well as the guarantee that you won't be nibbling on anything for at least eight hours, a night of deep sleep helps keep your appetite regular and reduces your tendency to binge on bad foods the next day.

By Cleo Staff