She has also had 16 wellness books published by major publishers including the bestselling Easy GI Diet, The Macro Method, Quit Alcohol (For a Month) and Eat 5. Her books have sold over one million copies.
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There’s nothing like a healthy challenge to get you started when it comes to making a change – and, the ‘one no’ challenge is a great one to try if you’re trying to improve your eating habits, lose weight or improve your fitness. Here’s how it works…
What is the ‘One No’ Challenge?
Every day for a month, you simply say no to (at least) one thing a day you know isn’t going to help you reach your goals.
It doesn’t have to be the same thing every day; it might be saying no to chips with your burger one day, saying no to night out when you have BootCamp in the morning, saying no to the bottle of wine with friends, and just sticking to a glass – whatever choice you don’t think is going to serve ‘future you’.
Or, if there’s just one thing you know is affecting your ability to successfully achieve what you want or if you have a habit you need to break but you can’t entirely quit cold turkey, focus on saying no to that one thing at least once a day every day for a month. Next month, you’ll find it easier to say no more often.
Why Bother
It’s a good way to ease into making new healthy habits rather than trying to quit everything immediately. Not only does every time you say no take you one step closer to your goals,, it also builds your self-belief that you can make changes – and, this power, called self-efficacy by psychologists, is one of the most important things that helps you stay motivated and succeed at your goals.
Even the smallest change, done time and time again, can have a significant effect in making it easier for you to face obstacles and stay focused.
Changing one thing is also the principle behind the Japanese idea of Kaizen. This sees you analyzing precise, specific, small areas where you need to improve things (and then doing so) so you can trigger change with what seems like minimum effort.
This might sound slow and ineffectual, but as psychologist Robert Maurer says in his book One Small Step Can Change Your Life, we’ve been so conditioned to think big and supersize and to demand big results fast, we’ve forgotten the power of slow and simple changes.
It’s like that old adage how do you eat an elephant…one bite at a time.
What Will Your ‘One No’ Be?
To decide this, you need to know your goal, then look at some of the things you do that hold you back from achieving it – they are the things you should focus your ‘one no’ on.
So, maybe you need to make healthier choices at mealtimes or better decisions about moving more, maybe you need to reduce excess calories, maybe alcohol, late nights or dining out are your downfall so adjusting your behaviour relating to those might help.
Every person’s ‘no’ is different, so sit down and list all the things you might consider. Or, to get you started here is a list of 25 ideas…
1. Drinks With Calories
Just consume plain water, black coffee, herbal tea or green tea for the day instead.
2. Extras With Your Takeout
Having a curry once a week won’t destroy your diet – having a curry with pilau rice, naan, and bhajis might. Focus on the main event, and say no to at least one of the extras.
3. Condiments
This makes a massive difference to me. Not just because I don’t consume the calories they contain, but if I don’t order ketchup, aioli or mushroom sauce with my dinner, I only eat about a third of the chips!
4. The Snooze Button
Get up when you set your alarm – and do something that helps you reach your goals – it might be going for a walk or to the gym, making a healthy lunch, or striking something off your to-do list so you don’t feel as stressed that evening.
Although, check our guide on how to set a morning routine to make sure you’re not making a common mistake when setting your alarm.
5. Drives of Under 5 Minutes
If it’s safe for you to walk, then walk all your short journeys.
6. Crisps With Your Lunchtime Sandwich
Get crunch from carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes or even dill pickle slices instead. If you’re looking for more innovative ideas, check out our post on 23 healthy swaps for potato chips and crackers.
7. The Event You Don’t Want to Go To
Chances are, if you do go, you’ll eat or drink too much to cheer yourself up, so just say no!
8. Sugar in Tea/Coffee
If you have a sweet tooth, take a look at our guide to natural sweeteners instead.
9. The Lift
Take the stairs instead.
10. Pints
Drinks halves, schooners or bottles instead. Ditto large glasses of wine – choose a smaller measure instead. For every three drinks where you choose 125ml compared to 250ml, you drink a half a bottle of wine less. Ditto swapping pints for halves – if you drink four drinks a night, that’s two pints less – and it adds up over the weekend.
11: The Next Episode
If you’re staying up late binging on the latest must-watch series, eating well and exercising the next day will be harder – switch it off and go to bed when you planned (or even early!).
12. The First Alcoholic Drink of the Night
Drinkers can be divided into starters and stoppers. If you’re a starter, you’ll find it hard to switch to water later in the night, so, instead, say no to your first drink and have a soda or a non-alcoholic version of your favourite tipple. I find that if I do this at a short event, I don’t bother with actual booze at all.
You’ll find some other ideas for cutting back on the amount you drink in our Dry January tips guide.
13. Snacks After 8pm
Do you really need them? Admittedly, evenings can be the hardest time to resist temptation, so check out our guide to staying focused on healthy eating goals at night.
14. Dinner Out
Not always, but if you had planned to go to the gym or your exercise class, don’t change your plans. Raincheck or meet your friends after your workout.
15. The Closest Bus Stop
Walk to the next one instead. And ideally, the one after that!
16. Painful Shoes
Again, not always. A good pair of heels always has its place, but it will be a lot harder to get your steps in if your feet hurt!
17. Anything Eaten Standing Up
How often do you head to the fridge and grab something like a bit of cheese, a cracker or a swig of milk daily? If you work from home, as so many of us do, chances are it’s a lot.
If you’re not sitting at the table, don’t eat!
18. White Carbs
Not only do they contain fewer nutrients, they tend to be processed more quickly by your body, so you feel hungry again faster.
19. Wind Down Wine
If you get home, kick your shoes off and reach for the Chardonnay, say no for a week. Come up with another way to transition from work to home, like taking a shower, listening to a podcast or reading a chapter of a book.
20. The Treat at the Supermarket
It’s a lot harder to eat biscuits if they aren’t in the house in the first place!
If you have to buy snacks for hungry teenagers, at least buy ones you don’t like. And, no, the occasional treat isn’t a bad thing, but as one trainer once told me – ‘it’s no longer a treat if you’re eating it daily. It’s part of your diet and you have to account for it.’
21. Frying in Oil
Invest in an air fryer to avoid adding extra calories to dishes. When you need to fry in a pan, use an oil spray instead of pouring oil.
22. Your Phone Within an Hour of Bedtime
The screen’s blue light can disturb your sleep, plus it can send you to bed with a whirring mind. Switch off and do something relaxing instead.
23. The Last Two Bites of Your Meal
Most of us serve portions far higher than suggested (our guide to a proper serving is quite shocking!); try leaving the last two bites on your plate and see how you feel afterwards.
If you realise you don’t need them, start shrinking your portions going forward.
24. Dessert
Again, not always – special occasions deserve ice cream or cheesecake – but if you’ve fallen into the habit of having something after dinner every night – even something seemingly healthy like low-fat yogurt, just say no and see if you really miss it.
My problem is my snacks have increased from a nightly yogurt – to a nightly yogurt with fruit, or from a banana, a handful of cashew or a glass of milk to all three together! My no would be to at least one of those extra items.
25. One TV Show a Week
If you’ve come to the end of a series, don’t find a new one – do something more active with that hour. Sitting and watching TV is one of the least metabolically active things you can do – even reading a book burns more calories! It’s also better for your brain.
Hopefully, that’s given you some ideas of things to say no to get you started, but start thinking of your own list – and then, pick one thing every day to help you toward your goal.