If you think about it, if we all ate a few more serves of vegetables each day, we would be much fuller, and much less likely to snack on garbage. The biggest mistake people tend to make when it comes to vegetables and salad, is that they do not eat enough of these foods at lunchtime, which leaves you feeling peckish at 3 and 4pm. Simply by making sure that your lunch includes a couple of cups of salad and your dinner plate is half filled with vegetables, you will be well on target with a controlled calorie diet and weight loss. Here are my other top tips for bumping up your intake of veges each and every day.
1) Keep cut up celery, carrot and red capsicum cut up in the fridge so you can snack on them while preparing dinner.
2) Always order an extra side of vegetables for dinner.
3) Add a V8 vegetable juice to your morning routine.
4) Make a habit of adding a bowl of greens drizzled with olive oil to your dinner table.
5) Each weekend make a vegetable soup or massive salad to add to meals through the week.
6) Ask for extra salad on sandwiches purchased away from the home.
7) Keep celery and carrots in your work bag to nibble on the train or in the car on the way home.
8) Pre order your fruit and veges each week so you never run out.
9) Remember, you can add frozen peas, beans and carrots to almost any meal.
10) Once each week, have soup or salad for a light dinner.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Week 4: Time to prioritize
So, you know you want to lose weight, and you know that to do this you need to eat less and move more. Well, it is now time to prioritize this goal in your life and schedule in your training sessions and do a little food planning.
Each Monday morning, I want you to get your cup of tea and mark out a grid style chart of when you will train, and what you will be eating. This planning process will then become a routine part of your week and ensure you will plan each day according to what you need to organise food wise, and alter to make sure you make it to training.
Prioritizing is the difference between those who maintain their diet and exercise regimes and those who do not.
Each Monday morning, I want you to get your cup of tea and mark out a grid style chart of when you will train, and what you will be eating. This planning process will then become a routine part of your week and ensure you will plan each day according to what you need to organise food wise, and alter to make sure you make it to training.
Prioritizing is the difference between those who maintain their diet and exercise regimes and those who do not.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Week 3: When are you most hungry?
Well, 2 weeks into out 12 Week Challenge and you should be feeling a couple of kgs lighter!
This week I want to focus on your feelings of hunger. While many of us are scared of feeling hunger, being hungry is actually a sign that your body is breaking down your food properly and your metabolism is working optimally.
Ideally we should feel hungry every 3-4 hours, or maybe 2-3 hours in the morning when your body is burning more fuel. If you are feeling hungry more frequently than that you are either metabolically blessed or not eating enough carbohydrates and proteins to keep you full for long enough.
This week, observe your hunger and start to differentiate head hunger, where you just want something in your mouth to actually hunger when you need to eat a well balanced meal or snack.
To start off on the right track, try having just a soup or salad for dinner one night so you wake up hungry and can start a day on the right track.
In the meantime, I would love to hear how you are all going so drop me a line this week.
This week I want to focus on your feelings of hunger. While many of us are scared of feeling hunger, being hungry is actually a sign that your body is breaking down your food properly and your metabolism is working optimally.
Ideally we should feel hungry every 3-4 hours, or maybe 2-3 hours in the morning when your body is burning more fuel. If you are feeling hungry more frequently than that you are either metabolically blessed or not eating enough carbohydrates and proteins to keep you full for long enough.
This week, observe your hunger and start to differentiate head hunger, where you just want something in your mouth to actually hunger when you need to eat a well balanced meal or snack.
To start off on the right track, try having just a soup or salad for dinner one night so you wake up hungry and can start a day on the right track.
In the meantime, I would love to hear how you are all going so drop me a line this week.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Week 2: Planning is the key to dietary success
If there is a common characteristic of those people who eat well on a daily basis and control their weight, it is that they always plan their food intake.
Planners never leave their diets to chance, instead acknowledging its importance in supporting them with their health and fitness goals and prioritising it in their daily lives. For example, you will rarely see a dietitian caught without food; a nut bar or apple can always be found in the bottom of their bag which ensures that the munchies doesn't see them become a victim of cheap snacks on the go. To develop this skill for yourself each week, here are the steps you need to take:
Dietary Planning Steps to Success
1) Set aside time to shop each week.
2) Have enough ingredients for 1-2 backup meals in your cupboard at all times - "Steam fresh" veges, tuna and eggs for an omelette's are good options.
3) Each Sunday, plan your first few meals of the week.
4) Always plan your lunch the night before.
5) Pack what food you can the night before.
6) Always have a snack with you.
7) Have food rules for 4-5 days each week, before letting go a little on weekends.
8) Know the best options you can buy snacks or lunch if you have to near your work place.
9) Plan all your food and take it with you when flying and travelling for work.
10) On Mondays at lunchtime, go to a supermarket and buy your fruit and vegetables for work and home so you have them ready for the week ahead.
Planners never leave their diets to chance, instead acknowledging its importance in supporting them with their health and fitness goals and prioritising it in their daily lives. For example, you will rarely see a dietitian caught without food; a nut bar or apple can always be found in the bottom of their bag which ensures that the munchies doesn't see them become a victim of cheap snacks on the go. To develop this skill for yourself each week, here are the steps you need to take:
Dietary Planning Steps to Success
1) Set aside time to shop each week.
2) Have enough ingredients for 1-2 backup meals in your cupboard at all times - "Steam fresh" veges, tuna and eggs for an omelette's are good options.
3) Each Sunday, plan your first few meals of the week.
4) Always plan your lunch the night before.
5) Pack what food you can the night before.
6) Always have a snack with you.
7) Have food rules for 4-5 days each week, before letting go a little on weekends.
8) Know the best options you can buy snacks or lunch if you have to near your work place.
9) Plan all your food and take it with you when flying and travelling for work.
10) On Mondays at lunchtime, go to a supermarket and buy your fruit and vegetables for work and home so you have them ready for the week ahead.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Your 12 Week Challenge - Week
Week 1: 12 Week Challenge
Are your nutrients balanced?
Ensuring you have the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and good fat in your diet for each of your meals and mid meals is the most important thing you can do to support your fat loss goals.
Common mistakes are:
· Eating too much carbohydrate and not enough protein for breakfast
· Not eating enough salad and vegetables at lunch and dinner
· Not eating a protein rich snack such as a Go Natural Nut Bar OR cheese and crackers late in the afternoon
· Drinking too much coffee and tea throughout the morning
This week, to make sure your nutrients are balanced:
1) Choose eggs or baked beans with grain toast for breakfast or a small cup of wholegrain cereal with low fat milk + 1 teaspoon LSA mix.
2) Make sure you have a balanced snack of yoghurt and fruit, cheese and crackers, a skim Latte or a nut bar for morning and afternoon tea.
3) Add a vegetable soup or salad to your lunch sandwich or leftovers.
4) Snack on a carrot or apple on the way home.
5) Stick to plain meat and vegetables for dinner Monday – Thursday.
Your weight loss to do list – July 14th
1) Take your measurements and document them
2) Keep a record for 2 days of all the food you have eaten
3) Make sure you are:
· Eating carbohydrates and proteins together
· Not eating too much good fat
· Eating enough vegetables
· Avoiding alcohol during the week
· Drinking green tea after each meal
· Drink 2L of water each day
Good luck!
Are your nutrients balanced?
Ensuring you have the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and good fat in your diet for each of your meals and mid meals is the most important thing you can do to support your fat loss goals.
Common mistakes are:
· Eating too much carbohydrate and not enough protein for breakfast
· Not eating enough salad and vegetables at lunch and dinner
· Not eating a protein rich snack such as a Go Natural Nut Bar OR cheese and crackers late in the afternoon
· Drinking too much coffee and tea throughout the morning
This week, to make sure your nutrients are balanced:
1) Choose eggs or baked beans with grain toast for breakfast or a small cup of wholegrain cereal with low fat milk + 1 teaspoon LSA mix.
2) Make sure you have a balanced snack of yoghurt and fruit, cheese and crackers, a skim Latte or a nut bar for morning and afternoon tea.
3) Add a vegetable soup or salad to your lunch sandwich or leftovers.
4) Snack on a carrot or apple on the way home.
5) Stick to plain meat and vegetables for dinner Monday – Thursday.
Your weight loss to do list – July 14th
1) Take your measurements and document them
2) Keep a record for 2 days of all the food you have eaten
3) Make sure you are:
· Eating carbohydrates and proteins together
· Not eating too much good fat
· Eating enough vegetables
· Avoiding alcohol during the week
· Drinking green tea after each meal
· Drink 2L of water each day
Good luck!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
People are funny
One of the perks of working with people is being able to observe their behaviour in the name of research. Here, a trip to the gym, coffee shop, football or shopping centre all represent an amazing opportunity to see potential clients in all their glory; emotions, instinct and human nature completely raw and on display. Here are my most recent observations.....
Take a simple run in the morning - why is it that women NEVER stop to let another female runner cross the road while men ALWAYS do?
Why do people go to the gym instead of getting off the train a stop earlier?
Why do people in Melbourne stop to let you cross the road while people in Sydney would run you over rather than stop?
Why do our cars get larger as petrol costs more?
Why do the high tax paying residents of the East put up with paying Waverley council more and more hard earned car parking $
Why is everyone in such a rush to get no where really that important?
Why do people continue to get fatter depsite their being more gyms, health information and diets than ever before?
Why are Australians so obsessed with overpaid sportsmen who behave badly while medical researchers struggle to pay their mortgages?
Why do we spend more time watching others live their lives on TV rather than be living our own?
Why do we spend more and more money on stuff with credit we can't repay?
Why do blokes declare such loyalty to their mates and women such loyalty to their blokes?
Take a simple run in the morning - why is it that women NEVER stop to let another female runner cross the road while men ALWAYS do?
Why do people go to the gym instead of getting off the train a stop earlier?
Why do people in Melbourne stop to let you cross the road while people in Sydney would run you over rather than stop?
Why do our cars get larger as petrol costs more?
Why do the high tax paying residents of the East put up with paying Waverley council more and more hard earned car parking $
Why is everyone in such a rush to get no where really that important?
Why do people continue to get fatter depsite their being more gyms, health information and diets than ever before?
Why are Australians so obsessed with overpaid sportsmen who behave badly while medical researchers struggle to pay their mortgages?
Why do we spend more time watching others live their lives on TV rather than be living our own?
Why do we spend more and more money on stuff with credit we can't repay?
Why do blokes declare such loyalty to their mates and women such loyalty to their blokes?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Getting yourself ready for weight loss
Much of life is spent getting ready; getting ready for work, ready for marriage, ready for children, ready for pregnancy and yet few people get ready for weight loss.
The actual nutrition theory behind weight loss is very simple - you need to eat less then you have been and you need to move more than you are but so many of us fail time and time again to get this balance right.
If this sounds like you, perhaps it is time to get your mind ready for weight loss because this is actually where most the battle is won.
Things to consider if you seriously want to lose weight once and for all are:
1) Is it the right time for your to commit 100% to weight loss?
2) Are you prepared to commit for 3,6 or even 12 months of work work and limited treats?
3) Is the plan you are starting so restrictive that you will be bored after a week?
4) What needs to be different about your thinking this time around to make sure this weight loss plan works?
5) What health professionals do you need to enlist to help support your weight loss journey?
6) What are the small daily habits you can start to change now to help support weight loss without even offocially starting a weight loss program?
7) If you have wanted to lose weight for some time, why is this time going to be different?
8) What needs to change in your life to support weight loss?
9) Are your weight loss goals realistic?
10) Who are the saboteurs in your life and how are you going to manage them?
The actual nutrition theory behind weight loss is very simple - you need to eat less then you have been and you need to move more than you are but so many of us fail time and time again to get this balance right.
If this sounds like you, perhaps it is time to get your mind ready for weight loss because this is actually where most the battle is won.
Things to consider if you seriously want to lose weight once and for all are:
1) Is it the right time for your to commit 100% to weight loss?
2) Are you prepared to commit for 3,6 or even 12 months of work work and limited treats?
3) Is the plan you are starting so restrictive that you will be bored after a week?
4) What needs to be different about your thinking this time around to make sure this weight loss plan works?
5) What health professionals do you need to enlist to help support your weight loss journey?
6) What are the small daily habits you can start to change now to help support weight loss without even offocially starting a weight loss program?
7) If you have wanted to lose weight for some time, why is this time going to be different?
8) What needs to change in your life to support weight loss?
9) Are your weight loss goals realistic?
10) Who are the saboteurs in your life and how are you going to manage them?
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