Last week, we covered the issue of water intake, sugar intake and caffine intake. This week we are going to look at the "right" fats, cutting the carb cravings and balancing your protein intake. Now, if you do decide to take the advice we give, you would be guaranteed to lose weight but I would also have to say that it is vital that you have good eating habits, regular exercise sessions, good motivation and also good will power to get you over those first few really hard weeks.
What is the right fat? There is alot of confusion about fat, there is good fat and bad fat. The bad stuff like everything else, we dont need, and the good stuff we do. The worst kind of fat you could be eating is hydrogenated or partically hydrogenated fat. This is also known as trans fat. These fats you will find in processed foods, cakes and biscuits. So, not only are these foods high in sugar, they are also high in fat too. How on earth could we miss not put weight on if we eat these foods? Not only will it put weight on you, it will also raise your cholesterol and this will lead to clogging up of arteries causing heart disease and strokes.
The message we would like to get across to everyone of all ages and sexes is that no matter if you are on the heavy side or light side, it is the fat you cannot see that needs to be monitored. A good way to keep an eye on your fat intake is to check food labels for the hydrogenated or trans fats. If you eat any of the above groups - processed foods, cakes and biscuits, then you will be assured that these fats are present. As for foods that dont even have a breakdown of their contents, leave them on the shelf.
The healthy fats, known as essential fatty acids, are needed to make your metabolism work properly and also encourage your body to burn more calories. Your body also uses these fats for the healthy upkeep of body cells. Your healthy fats can be found in oily fish like salmon and mackeral plus good quality olive oils.
Carbs are an essential part of our diet but an excess of certain carbs will cause us to be overweight. Like fats, there are good carbs and bad carbs. The good carbs come in the form of wholemeal breads, cereals, fresh vegetables etc.. The bad carbs come in the form of white bread, rolls, bagels, scones, sodas, pancakes, muffins, white pasta, sugary cereals etc... When these foods are eaten, they give you an instant rush which raises your blood sugar levels. When this wears off, the cycle begins again and you crave more of the same food you just eat earlier.
Our advice, is to stick to wholemeal breads and high fibre cereals to avoid this over-eating senario. We would encourge everyone to find out make a good food list and a bad food list. We do out these for all our clients and they take a lot of information home with them on leaving their weekly session.This information will advise them on what to eat for the next week ahead and even the next few months ahead.
Your protein intake is very important. Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products etc ..all contain protein. A serving size of one of these foods should really only be the size of your fist. Fill up on fruit and vegegables.
For those of you who carry all the weight around your middle. This is 70% dietry. Plus a lack of effective exercise. Assess what you eat during your day and week. You could be surprised as to what is causing your weight problem. Recording what you eat is the only way forward. If you suffer from bingo wing arms, wobbly inner thighs, sagging butt, the key to weight loss lies in your eating habits. However, nothing good comes easy and the same goes for weight loss. Believe us when we say, it will over a period of time get easier but initially it will be hard.
