Losing or maintaining weight can be hard, particularly when every diet out their promises quick results and contradictory rules. Low carb, high fat. High carb, low fat. High protein, high fat. The list goes on.
But diets are not a one-size-fits-all deal. Every body is different and what works for one person might not work for another.
British nutritional therapist Amelia Freer gets this. With more than 10 years' experience, Freer is an expert on weight loss and wellbeing. She's the nutritionist who aided singer Sam Smith's dramatic weight loss two years ago, and her other celebrity clients include Victoria Beckham and Boy George.
Here are her five tips for weight loss and better health.
1. Ditch the diet
This might sound counterintuitive, but Freer urges people to let go of the strict rules around eating and dieting. Instead, focus on a whole foods diet and enjoy treats as treats.
"I am really anti-dieting," Freer told The Huffington Post Australia. "Diets are about deprivation. They cause confusion and misery.
"I don't think that having a load of rules around food is positive. The reason I began this journey is so that I could eat healthily, but still satisfy my love of good food.
"And, of course, I'm human so I accept that I (and my clients) are allowed to stray away from eating perfectly sometimes. I do that less and less as the years go by, so I know that it does get easier."
Depending on the person and their intolerances, there may be certain foods which are off-limits. See a nutritionist or dietitian for a tailored eating plan.
"I almost always work to a dairy-free and gluten-free program anyway, which although may seem daunting at first is actually a pretty simple way to eat, and can actually increase the variety of foods I eat as I can no longer rely on the old favourites like cereal, bread and pasta for most meals," Freer said.
2. Eat the rainbow
If in doubt over what to eat, remember to bring it back to basics and simply eat the rainbow -- not the lolly variety, though.
"Keep your meals simple, fresh, real, colourful and varied and base them mainly on lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, with a portion of protein and some healthy fats at every meal," Freer told HuffPost Australia.
"Cook from scratch and remove refined sugar from your diet."
Need rainbow inspiration? Try these healthy lunch and dinner recipes or these nourishing bowl recipes.
3. Focus on quality over quantity
Instead of mindless snacking between meals, Freer recommends focusing on three nutrient-rich main meals per day.
"Eat three meals a day. And no snacking," Freer said. "Include healthy oils from fish, meat, eggs, nuts, avocados and coconuts, and drink plenty of water."
4. Move your body daily
Whether that's a walk, swim, stretch or bike run, move every day -- for both your physical and mental health.
"Make time for yourself and exercise daily."
Try this awesome thigh workout that requires no equipment at all. And work your whole core with this move.
5. Don't aim for perfection
It can be tempting to make diet rules that completely cut out your favourite doughnuts, biscuits or chips, but aiming for perfection can result in over-indulging later on. Instead, make room for treats, but keep them just as that.
"Be consistent, not perfect," Freer said.
Nourish and Glow: A 10 Day Plan by Amelia Freer. Michael Joseph, RRP: $32.99
ALSO ON HUFFPOST AUSTRALIA
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