Healthy Weight Plans – Where to begin?
Your body needs food regularly to keep your blood sugar levels from plummeting, and avoid binge eating and cravings. Eating 5 to 6 meals a day of relatively small equal proportions increases your metabolism and the breakdown of fat. On the other hand, going hungry will slow your metabolism causing your body to store what little energy you do consume as fat in order to help your body survive. God created our bodies to survive, and they know how to do it so very well!
A healthy meal plan includes all the foods we love. Avoid any meal plan that excludes any one food group entirely. Our bodies were created to absorb nutrients from all the colourful vegetables, grains, meats and fruit that God created. Excluding one food group often leads to an imbalance and only increases the likelihood of binging.
Good weight management not only considers calorie intake vs. expenditure, but also the habits that we have made that have also encouraged weight gain. Eg, do we feel the need to nibble on something at night when we sit and relax infront of the TV? Hmmm, something to consider!
What might an example of a healthy meal plan look like?
Meal 1: Rolled oats with milk, or any reputable wholegrain cereal. Add some blueberries or cinnamon to taste
Meal 2: A piece of fruit and rice cakes with cottage cheese
Meal 3: Mixed salad with lots of greens plus a fistful size of complex carbs like basmati rice and a palm size portion of protein (chicken, salmon or tuna)
Meal 4: Low fat yogurt with 12 almonds
Meal 5: Loads of vegetables or salad with a palm size portion of lean meats (fish, chicken or red meat). Roast, bake, grill, steam or boil to create different interesting healthy night-time meals. Flavour with herbs and spices.
Meal 6: A boiled egg or protein shake or a piece of fruit.
Drink lots of water. Average rule of thumb is 2 litres a day. Think about it as the fuel for the body to maintain optimal health. But also remember, “the more you drink, the more you shrink!”
BMI – Body Mass Index is a rough guide to measure body fat percentages, which can be used in the absence of body fat scales or callipers (but remember this is only a guide!)
Categories:
Underweight = <20
Healthy weight = 20 – 25
Overweight = 26 – 30
Obese = >30
How to calculate your BMI = weight in kg / (height in m)2
Eg. Karen weighs 60kg and is 160cm tall. Her BMI would therefore be:
60 / (1.6)2 = 23.4 – healthy weight range.
Handy Health Tip #1:
Did you know that Green tea is loaded with nutrients and vitamins? It is very low in caffeine but also aids glucose regulation, as well as assisting in the lowering of fat and also cholesterol levels. It’s a win, win win situation. Drink UP! *
Handy Health Tip #2:
A couple of weeks into your 50km walk training schedule, consider doing some body weight exercises to increase muscle tone and strength. Remember, the more muscle you have on your body, the harder the body needs to work just to maintain every day functioning and therefore the more fat it will burn for energy! That’s why boys lose weight faster!! Soooo not fair!
Handy Health Tip #3:
Fibre aids in weight loss by making us feel full on fewer calories. Adults should aim for at least 25 grams of fibre daily. In light of enhancing weight loss efforts I recommend 35 to 40 grams of fibre daily. **Legumes and seeds here I come!
Handy Health Tip #4
Consider low GI foods. Low Glycemic Index (GI) foods make us feel fuller for longer by releasing regular small amounts of sugar from our foods into our blood stream. High GI foods on the other hand, release large amounts of sugar rapidly, causing a huge spike in our sugar levels, and massive drops shortly after. These lows leave us craving another sugar fix, increasing the excess amount of energy in our body that is then converted to fat for energy storage. Consider eating Rye bread instead of white. A few small tweaks’ like these in your meal plan can make all the difference!
Diet plan based on article pg 78 Women’s Health & Fitness
* Kiss dieting Goodbye - Young Elliot
** Kiss Dieting Goodbye – Young Elliot
