It seems that almost everyone has an interest in weight loss ideas. For most of us, it’s a continual battle to stay trimmed, particularly into maturity.

Staying trim enhances a woman’s mature beauty. That’s not to say that a full-figured mature woman can’t be sensational too – just that there are some extra benefits in staying trim.

It’s easier to look good in a wider variety of clothing, a trim figure looks younger, there’s still a “wow” factor when you take off your clothes, and you feel better about yourself if you’re not carrying extra weight around. You also feel more motivated to keep “continuous beauty improvement” going into your sixties and beyond if the raw material you have to work with is within an acceptable range.

What’s the weight that suits you best? That’s the weight where you don’t have spare tires or love handles, but you still have your curves. Do you like the Beyoncé or Kim Kardashian curvaceous look, or the lean Elle McPherson look?

Whatever it is you prefer, it’s good to know clearly what your ideal weight is, in kg or lbs, so you can’t fool yourself into playing with the truth and confusing yourself with a moving target.

Snack food is everywhere and relatively cheap today, restaurant meals are enormous and affordable, and there are unlimited tasty and exciting cuisines to choose from.

No wonder dress sizes have been re-designated to make us feel better! What was an 8 twenty years ago is now called a 6, and a 10 is an 8, and so on. An indication of how we’ve bulked out!

It’s how much we eat and what we eat. If you were locked away and put on a restricted diet for a few weeks you’d lose lots of weight.

So the number one weight loss idea is to eat moderately.

Exercise helps as well, but it’s not as important as eating moderately. Exercise is also more effective for men – they lose fat and build muscle with less exercise than women.

Here are a few reasons that we might overeat:

1. Eating is pleasurable and is linked with pleasant emotional times from our childhood.
2. If everyone around us is overeating, it seems normal, and we do it too.
3. It’s considered polite to eat what you’re given to compliment the host.
4. We get accustomed to a certain amount of food a day, and it’s hard to cut back.
5. We might eat when we’re upset.
6. Food is often viewed as a reward.

Here are the weight loss ideas to maintain a reasonable weight. They’re in order of importance.

1. Weigh yourself every morning when you wake up, naked on the same scales. Compare the weight you see there with your ideal weight and resolve to eat accordingly that day. If you keep a daily diary, make a note of what your weight is each day, so you have a record.
2. Restrict carbohydrates (particularly after you hit 45-50). Cakes, biscuits, rice, pasta, potatoes, and other starchy vegetables – they’re all in the same devil arena and should be treated accordingly. Eat no more than a third of a normal western serving of rice and pasta – eat small amounts of cake and biscuits only once or twice a week at most. Definitely don’t eat carbs at night.
3. Two small meals a day is probably enough once you’re over 35.
4. Check to see if you’re only thirsty when you feel hungry. Have a drink of water first and see if that stops the craving.
5. Choose low-fat protein, salads, and vegetables as your mainstay meals.
6. Walk a lot rather than drive short distances.
7. Take some other weekly exercise if you can – swimming, running, or gym.

Dieting as a weight loss idea? Why not? It can’t hurt. The only problem with dieting is that you tend to put the weight back on quite quickly afterward. Dieting doesn’t seem to result in permanent weight loss, rather it’s a see-sawing kind of remedy. It’s the same with diet pills and weight loss “shake” drinks and so on.

Better to develop some enduring habits which can last you a lifetime.