There are a few things i want to talk about today, mainly food related. I have come across a few common pitfalls that may be affecting some of you, and I'd like to share them with you to help you avoid getting tripped up by potentially the most complicated life-changing decision you have made; to get fit and healthy for 2012.
Ok. So, let’s say for the sake of argument that I’m a 28 year old guy who has a predominantly sedentary job working in IT 9 to 5. My diet and lifestyle are terrible, I don't exercise, and fast food is my friend. Let’s also say I'm 5' 8 and weight 95kg/14.9st. I have looked in the mirror and decided I want to make a change. First things first, as always, I need to get myself a nice shiny new gym membership!
This is not necessarily true - there are a lot of good home works out on the internet - this one on YouTube is a cracker: http://www.youtube.com/user/charliejames1975 ...There are some great DVD’s available too, PX90 and Jillian Michaels Shred DVD which I have done - it’s a killer!
One month later and not much has changed. I have been finding time to get to the gym, putting in the effort, but to no avail. Right, I need to look at the other factors in my life, namely my diet. I have a bowl of Frosties for breakfast, a Mars bar and a can of Coke for my break, and a sandwich and bag of crisps for lunch. I have a Pot Noodle when i get home from work and a pizza for my tea. That doesn't look good now I have it down on paper, no wonder i couldn't see my abs! Right, diet starts today - no Mars bar and Coke or Pot Noodle for me!
True, cutting out some of the bad sugary things you eat is a great start to losing weight and achieving your goals, but if the bulk of your food intake is still fast acting carbohydrates and calorie dense food you’re still not doing yourself any favours.
Another month has passed and guess what? Still no change! What the fudge is going on?! I haven't had any chocolate all month! Time to get serious, I’m going to clean my diet up. Oats for breakfast, tuna sandwich on brown bread for lunch with a cup of green tea, and chicken and rice for tea.
So here I would have gone from over eating to under eating. I think this is the most Important point of this blog; If you go from eating unhealthy food to healthy food you will most likely have to eat more food than you were when you had a poor diet. Let’s see if I can explain this more clearly.
Picture A
Picture B
Guess which daily diet is equal to 2000 calories?
The Answer.
Both of them. However, you'll notice that in picture A that, although it's good home cooked food, it's really high in calories. In picture B there is a far wider choice of food groups and it still fits in treats such as chocolate, cheese, wine, coffee and hot chocolate, plenty of snacks, drinks and dessert. That's because in picture B they know the three golden rules of satisfying a healthy appetite without piling on the pounds.
1. Fill up on fibre
High fibre foods such as Shredded Wheat, semi-dried apricots, oatcakes, fruit and vegetables add bulk to food which helps to trigger feelings of fullness without the calories. They also slow down the release of sugars into the bloodstream, keeping hunger at bay.
2. Dilute your drinks
The calories in drinks can soon mount up, and the sugars and alcohol they contain can send blood sugar soaring, resulting in increased appetite and cravings. A great way to reduce both the calorie content of your beverages and the effect they have on your blood sugars is to dilute them with still or sparkling water. Swapping lattes for instant or fresh coffee made with water and just a small amount of milk can also save over 200 calories per coffee.
3. Focus on fats
Nuts, seeds, oils and oily fish such as salmon can all be great sources of essential fatty acids essential for a whole host of functions from a strong immune system through to a reputedly reduced risk of Alzheimer's Disease and many cancers. However, it's important to limit your intake of saturated fats found in cakes, biscuits, crisps, chocolate, pastries, cheese, and fried or processed foods.
You'll notice the dieter in picture A has gone for reduced or low fat dairy foods such as skimmed milk, low fat yogurt, reduced fat cream cheese and half fat cheddar, swapped fatty salad dressings for balsamic vinegar, and (apart from her two finger KitKat) has based most of her snacks and desserts around fruit or vegetables such as apples, oranges or carrots dipped in houmous.
The dieter in picture B on the other hand, despite eating much less, has racked up the same number of calories with far fewer nutrients by choosing high fat foods such as the pastry, bacon, cheese and cream in the quiche and the Caesar salad dressing, followed by the butter, cheese and yet more cream in both the sauce and the potato of the luxury fish pie.
I’m not going to tell you all to count calories, but it is a failsafe way to make sure you're not wasting time. Months could go by, and you could be eating healthily but just too much, or you could start under eating which will eventually be your downfall; your body will crave more food and you will start to eat anything or everything - and quite rightly so, you have been starving yourself. I use myfitnesspal.com - there many other dietary trackers available, but i found this to be the best for me. I have achieved healthy fat loss in the past just by making small changes and monitoring how my body reacts to it - trial and error!
10 Food Rules to Ignore
1. Eating at night will pile on the pounds.
It's the total number of calories you consume over a 24-hour period - and more often, over a week - that causes you to gain weight, and when you eat those calories doesn't matter.
That said, because you may be more tired at night, your resolve may be lower, so you may tend to eat larger portions, or more high-calorie foods, than you would during the day. But as long as you keep an eye on calories and portion size, feel free to set your hunger alarm to the time that suits your lifestyle.
2. It's best to eat at the same times every day.
Eat when you're hungry, not when the clock says it's time to eat, says Somer. While it can help to keep some consistency to mealtimes, forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry (or conversely forcing yourself to wait when you are) will only make it harder to stick to your diet. If you must eat at a certain time, say during a designated lunch hour at your workplace, cut yourself some slack the rest of the day and eat only when your stomach says it's time.
3. Dieting with a buddy always makes weight loss easier.
No one doubts that companionship and common goals can pay off for dieters, but there are some instances which this may not be the case. However, in my experience dieting with someone has always helped as there is someone going through the same or similar experiences to you.
4. Dietary fat keeps you feeling full longer, so you'll eat less.
This was a well-accepted food rule for many years, but new research has challenged its accuracy. It has shown that while fat does take longer to digest, It's actually the least satiating of any food group, so it will not help you control your appetite. The food groups likely to stave off hunger the longest are proteins, followed by carbohydrates, then fats.
5. When you blow your diet, you might as well wait until the next day to get back on track.
Nothing could be further from the truth! Everyone will experience a stumbling block at some point or another, and I’m not just talking about dieting, this can be applied to most things. Every meal matters, so if you ate that big piece of birthday cake at lunch, or someone brought in the world's greatest banana and chocolate chip cake to work and you just couldn’t say no, get right back on track with your next meal. You don't have to have a full day of healthy eating in order for it to count.
6. Refusing food at a party or when visiting is rude.
If you had diabetes or a food allergy to something, nuts for example, you wouldn't think twice about turning down a food if you weren't sure of how it was made. You should feel that same sense of priority in turning down a food that you know will blow your diet. It's your choice what you put in your body.
7. Skipping a meal every now and then will help you lose weight.
Bit of a funny one this. Skipping a meal tends to mean you’re hungry but you’re not going to eat, so as a result you will be much hungrier at the next meal and are more likely to over eat. Not only that, skipping meals can actually help to slow down your metabolism, meaning you'll burn fewer calories. On the other hand, there is skipping a meal if you’re not hungry; f you’re not hungry then don’t eat! I would never recommend force feeding yourself just because some plan says eat every three hours or something. Listen to your body.
8. Bread is fattening, nuts are fattening, pasta is fattening.
For me it’s not what you eat that contributes to weight gain, it’s how much you eat that matters most. Like I have said before, if I want chips I’m having some, but just a few. Whole-wheat bread, for example, is a great source of nutrients, and it won't make you gain weight more than any other food with the same number of calories.
9. All calories are equal.
While it's true that 2000 calories is 2000 calories no matter how you slice the cheesecake, experts say certain foods have a greater ability to fill you up before they fill you out. These tend to be fibre-rich, water-rich foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You'll get more nutrients from a 100-calorie apple than from a 100-calorie portion of white bread. All calories are equal if all you're doing is counting calories to lose weight, but if you care about how you are losing weight, or controlling your hunger, or the health of your body, then no, all calories are not of equal value. I’m trying to promote healthy living, not just weight after all!
10. If you don't clean your plate, you're wasting food (don't forget those starving children Mum told you about).
Tying emotions to eating (like when you feel guilty about leaving food on your plate) sets the stage for emotional overeating. If you've been taught that cleaning your plate is the best way to show appreciation for a meal, instead show your gratitude with verbal praise, by asking for the recipe. I know when I was growing up I was told “finish your food” - I did most of the time, but I was a competitive swimmer so was always hungry. Being a new parent and currently weaning a baby onto solids is a very interesting process. I admit I have done the aeroplane and the choo choo train to get her to eat more food forgetting her little stomach is only tiny and she will let me know if she is hungry.
I hope the this instalment was worth the wait.
-|||----|||-
No comments:
Post a Comment