Stay in shape... doing nothing

I'm pretty sure nearly every girl knows all about dieting and the ups and downs of trying to stick to a particular diet. My story with dieting started, I suppose, at an average age of 15 when the possibility of developing another love handle was something I was not able to cope with. That's when it all started. In fact, it was actually a pretty short journey as it ended just after two weeks. But hey, those two weeks were incredibly devastating to my body, mood but above all to my health. As with many things in life, only recently have I come to a conclusion that it is really not that big a deal to be a bit chubby. Going on a diet starts in our minds, not in our appearance. But I'm sure you've heard that one as well :) Anyway, these are my tips I want to share with you that are super-easy to follow and extremely simple. It worked for me, it will work for you too.

• sprinkle some brown or gold linseed (flax seed) to virtually any dish you can possibly imagine (fruit parfais, porridge, baked chicken with some veggies, on top of cottage cheese, add it to your smoothies) - your tummy will be very grateful to you, I can assure you of that :)
• choose raw organic vegetables instead of healthy snack bars, but
• always pick snack bars that are coated either in maple syrup, honey or brown sugar - this is a rule you always have to stick to!
• drink only herbal teas and still water,
• if you have a sudden urge to eat something sweet - grab a bar of at least 70% dark chocolate and eat only a small amount at a time,
• try to avoid sweetening your coffee or tea with sugar, it's better to use honey instead
• treat bread as a sweet-food (example being if you ate a toast for a breakfast do not eat it during lunch again)
• walk to town, walk to shopping centre and carry all the bags with you - a workout you'll never forget :) 
• eat nuts, dried cranberries, wheatbarn and whatever else you fancy,
• don't eat the same thing twice daily (I really easily get bored with food. I'd rather eat half a portion of my dinner and then eat some fruits or drink a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice with yoghurt)

Other than that, enjoy your life to the core and allow yourself from time to time for some unhealthy foods too. It's all about balance!