It’s not the big cakes that you eat that cause you the most damage. Of course these are probably what really bring home the guilt and what you beat yourself up over, but in reality they are the lesser of the myriad evils that stand in the way of weight loss. Rather, the more serious issue is the way you eat the rest of the time – your general diet and the things you sustain yourself with. It’s the smaller factors that add up to cumulative damage, that become habit and that go unnoticed.

Fortunately though, these are also the things that we can most easily change. The very fact that they are minor aspect of our daily routine, means that we’re less likely to notice any major changes when we remove them from our diet. Here we will look at some of the tweaks and alterations you can make to your general eating habits that you may not really notice – but your waistline most certainly will.

Butter

Butter is essentially just lard. That’s right – pure fat that you willingly spread onto your food in order to increase moisture. Unsurprisingly, it’s also not terribly good for you, so if you’re searching for a way to dramatically decrease fat in your diet you can do so by just avoiding butter – as well as margarine and everything else – on your toast. After a while you get used to eating ham on your bread dry, or having spreads instead like tuna paste.

Oil

Likewise you should also keep oil away from your frying pan – and you should definitely keep oil away. While oil can prevent sticking, the reality is that if you heat the pan up slowly and use a little water, there is more than enough oil in your meat and moisture in your sauce to do this job for you.

Sugar

If you can avoid adding sugar to any of your foods – whether that’s a cup of tea or a bowl of fruit – then you’ll find this completely changes your whole diet. Not only is that a huge amount of carbs now removed from what you eat, but it’s also a great way to start getting used to ‘blander’ tastes and to remove your sweet tooth.

Deserts in Restaurants

Having meals out from time to time isn’t all that bad, but the insanely indulgent deserts most places serve up are. You can avoid this occasional problem by asking for a cup of coffee or latte when everyone else has cake. You’ll feel much better for it, but the coffee (and the usual free chocolate) will help you to avoid feeling left out or unsociable for not joining in.

Soda Drinks

If you drink Coca-Cola or Pepsi then you are doing untold damage to your teeth and your weight – consuming the equivalent of two Cadbury’s Cream Eggs in sugar. Don’t think that sugar-free versions get a free pass either – they trigger an insulin reaction that can leave you craving sugar. Avoid soda drinks altogether then and instead drink water, milk and fruit juice.