Tag: diet

Nutrition Basics for Weight Loss

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Making wholesome and nutritious food choices for most of your meals and snacks can have a profound effect on your weight and health. All too often we are bombarded with confusing and complex messages about diets and nutrition products, from the internet, friends and even fitness coaches.

So the secret is to keep it simple, you don’t need a lot of exotic ingredients or off the wall diets. Fill your fridge with vegetables, lean meat, eggs and lower fat dairy, and your cupboards with wholesome carbs and tinned fish, tomatoes, nuts, seeds etc. Frozen vegetables are just as good, and often better nutritionally than fresh.

What does a healthy meal for weight loss look like? Try this:

veggies

  • 1/2 plate: salad/vegetables/fruit
  • 1/4 plate protein: chicken, pork, beef, fish, beans, lentils
  • 1/4 plate starchy food: potatoes, rice, pasta, quinoa, cous cous, wholemeal bread
  • use oils and oily dressings sparingly

Most people have far too much starchy food eg. big plate pasta, and not enough veg.

How does this translate to real life? Here are some examples…..

Breakfast:

  • Berry Banana Breakfast Bake
  • Granola with milk
  • handful porridge oats, water, milk, berries/raisins

    Nag's muesli

    Homemade muesli

  • 1 wholemeal toast, little bit of butter, 2 boiled/poached/dry fried eggs
  • Natural yoghurt & fruit, 1 toast
  • Homemade muesli
  • Summer oats
  • Shake: milk, spoon of yoghurt, banana/berries, honey
  • 2 Weetabix, milk, banana

Meals:

  • 4 no effort meals
  • Spaghetti bolognaise: 1/4 plate spaghetti, add extra veg to bolognaise (grated carrot, extra tin tomatoes). Serve with side salad or Deidre’s coleslawimage
  • Meatballs in tomato sauce with extra veg & pasta
  • Rice, salmon, carrots & broccoli
  • Wholemeal pitta, tuna mixed with natural yoghurt/light mayo, chopped pepper, spring onion & lettuce
  • 1 wholemeal toast, little bit of butter, 2 boiled/poached/dry fried eggs
  • bowl of salad leaves, grated carrot, peas, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, chopped up chicken or flaked salmon

    image

    wholemeal bread, tuna with light mayo & yoghurt, carrot, spring onion, pepper

  • Super food salad with some chicken/fish
  • Lentil & tomato soup

Snacks (hunger often confused with thirst, so first have a glass water/cup of tea or coffee):

  • Apple & handful almonds
  • Rice cake with peanut butter/quark & small dollop of pesto
  • Homemade flapjack
  • Yoghurt & strawberries image
  • Humous and carrot sticks
  • Glass of milk and banana/raisins
  • Skinny latte & apple

Tips:

  • stick to 1 portion of meals, if still hungry fill up up more veg/fruit
  • avoid creamy sauces, choose tomato sauces/vegetable based ones
  • be aware that oils (yes, even olive oil) has 100kcal per tablespoon. Use but don’t over do it. If eating out, ask for dressing on the side.
  • Be aware that sugary drinks (including pure fruit juice) can add significant calories to your diet. Go for water, tea, coffee, herbal teas, diluted cordial, or diet drinks instead.
  • Drink a large glass of water before a meal
  • Don’t put pot of food on table, serve up in kitchen to avoid picking at extras
  • By all means have ice cream, but not everyday and just a few scoops, not half the tub. Same goes for biscuits, crisps, chocolate, wine, beer etc. Not everyday and control the amounts.
  • Be aware that ‘light’, ‘lite’ or reduced fat doesn’t mean low in fat, just that it is 25% lower than full fat version.
  • Use natural yoghurt instead of mayonnaise,  or mix half yoghurt with half reduced fat mayo
  • If you are at work with limited access to appropriate food choices, bring your own food from home.
  • more tips28d3c13686b38426ee21fff84fe238a7.jpg

I hope some of these ideas may be of use to you. If it all seems a bit too much, just pick one or two ideas each week. Gradual changes that become habit are more likely to be of long term benefit than making massive changes that can be overwhelming.

Mark Twain: Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.

In the fridge today……

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Yesterday morning, a mum at the school gates dared me to post my fridge contents (she didn’t think I’d do it, so haha Ye Of Little Faith!) I promise that I’ve not removed or added anything. From the top…..

Photo on 2013-07-02 at 07.15

  • Boots Omega 3 Children’s supplement
  • Natural Yoghurt (full fat)
  • Kinetica Omega 3s – these ones for the grown ups
  • BBQ left overs (chicken, lamb)
  • Gatorade Ultimate Hydration (6% carbs, for exercise > 1hr)
  • Heinz Tomato Ketchup – lycopene & flavour!
  • Cherry Diet Coke – errrr, 2 bottles, a glass few times a week 😉
  • Butter – a little saturated fat ok
  • Bacon – processed meat 😦
  • Cheese – calcium
  • Left over Super Food Salad
  • Eggs – amazing nutrition powerhouses (don’t raise blood cholesterol)
  • Lavazza Coffee
  • Variety of veg: spring onions, broccoli, pepper, red cabbage, lettuce
  • Alpro Almond Milk – just for variety and to use in this and this
  • Kinetica High Protein Shake – used as quick snack or to bump up protein in these
  • Semi Skimmed Milk – good for protein, carbs, calcium – great post exercise refuelling.

Not a bad selection, plenty of nutritious things, some not so good. But like I always say, everything in moderation. Any comments gratefully received!

8 essential tips for weight loss (and feeling fab!)

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 The key to a healthy weight and feeling fabulous: 8 essential tips………

  1. Aim for small changes that you can sustain longterm, rather than a quick fix diet for a few days or weeks. Think “where do I want to be in a year”, rather than, “I want to lose a stone in 2 weeks”
  2. Listen to you body. Don’t starve…..low blood sugar levels will affect your concentration and make you grumpy. For most people, this would mean eating at 3 meals a day, with a snack in between. Eat until satisfied, not stuffed.
  3. Nutrition Basics – get the foundations of your meals right, and the rest shall follow! Always try to have protein at each meal, a fist full size of wholegrain carbs, and 1/2 a plate of veg or some fruit.
  4. Eat Breakfast– if you don’t feel like eating first thing in the morning, have something with in an hour or two of waking.
  5. Have Healthy Snacks to avoid becoming ravenous. Don’t skip meals to try to cut calories. It may make you feel virtuous at the time, but you are more likely to snack on high calorie foods or overeat unhealthy choices at your next meal.
  6. Be aware of what fluids you are drinking – frappacinos, non-diet fizzy drinks, fruit juice etc. can add 100s of calories to you daily intake. Replace with low calorie drinks eg. a cup of tea, americano, small skinny latte herbal, tea, water.
  7. Choose wholegrain carbohydrates ie. wholemeal bread, brown rice, oats. These make you feel fuller for longer. They also blunt rises in insulin (insulin promotes fat storage).
  8. Plan ahead, so that you know that you will have access to something healthy to eat. If you are not at home, always have a healthy snack with you in your bag or in your desk drawer at work.