Check your portions!

 

This week we have looked at portion sizes.  They key is to spend a bit of time weighing your food so you get to know what a true portion size actually looks like.  You can add a lot of calories to your daily intake without knowing it if you are not careful.  Try weighing out your pasta, rice and potatoes you will be surprised just how many calories there are in a large potato.

Check out the labels on foods you buy and make sure you know the calories per portion  and not just  those in 100 grams. If you are buying food on the go check what is in it.  Some ‘healthy’ options can have lots of sugar or saturated fat.  Only put on your plate what you should be eating and do not go back for more – this is when we lose control.

Portions leaflet

Check out the eatwell website for more information.

Tags: food labels, portions, weight loss

New Year, new you

                                                   

This week you should look at setting some goals for weight loss so that you have something to focus on and work  towards.

  You could also look at some main areas to start considering making some small changes only pick one or two areas don’t try and do everything at once:

• Review the number of calories you are eating – consider portion sizes this is usually were most of us go wrong.
• Log the food you are eating in a diary
• Plan meals before you go shopping
• Start to familiarize yourself with food labels so you know what you are eating
• Find some form of exercise that you enjoy and try to gradually increase this
• Introduce changes gradually so you body can adjust easily.

 

Think about your goals, sometimes it is easier to set small goals so that you can take small steps.  Think about an event that you may have coming up later in the year, think about how you want to feel when that event comes along, is your goal to wear a smaller size outfit, do you want to feel fitter.  Make sure your goal is realistic and measurable.

Tags: calories, healthy eating, weight loss, weight loss classes

Happy Christmas

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

 Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Castle Medical Centre 4th January 7.00 pm

Whitnash Medical Centre 5th January 6.30 pm

Coping with Christmas

Christmas can be a really hard time when you are trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  The key to survival is planning.

If you know you are going to be eating and drinking more than usual you are going to have to try to find a way to balance this out.  Try having some healthy filling low-calorie homemade soups for lunch if you are eating out in the evening.  Cut down on your usual snacks during the day if you know you will be going out for a few drinks. 

Remember you can also do a bit more exercise too which will help burn off those extra calories and will also make you feel a whole lot better.

If you have some time off over the Christmas period this is a great chance to do some exercise and to plan how you are going to continue with your weight loss plans in the New Year.

Have a wonderful Christmas and try to remember it is only one day – don’t blow all your hard work!

Tags: calories, exercise, healthy eating, lose weight, planning

Food labelling

We face many problems when we are trying to eat a healthy diet, not least, trying to understand what is actually in the food we eat.  When you go shopping it is important to familiarize yourself with food labels so you know exactly what is in the food you are eating.  Make sure you pay particular attention to the number of calories, how much of the fat is saturated fat, how much salt the food contains.

Some retailers are now providing ‘at a glance’ nutritional information on the front of packs.  some are using the traffic light labelling system which will show you whether food has high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) amount of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt per 100g. 

Foods with red lights should only be eaten occasionally.  Foods with amber lights are fine to eat most of the time, but those with green lights are the most healthiest choices.

For more information on labelling see the British Heart Foundation website :

  http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/campaigning/food-labelling.aspx

Tags: calories, healthy eating, lose weight, portions, saturated fat

Fats!!!

 

I used to get very confused when it came to knowing what fats I should and shouldn’t eat as there are so many of them out there.

The main one to avoid is saturated fat.  Your body does not need it and in fact eating it increases your risk of heart disease, raised cholesterol and it makes you put on weight.

The British Heart Foundation website has some great facts about fats and how to reduce your intake of saturated fat.

There are some fats that benefit our bodies these include  monounsaturated fats – these help reduce the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in our bodies without reducing the ‘good’ cholesterol.  These oils are good for cooking with and include olive oil and rapeseed oil.

Polyunsaturated fats include omega 3 and omega 6.  Omega 3 which is found in oily fish including herring, salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel helps regulated blood pressure, blood clotting and the immune responses.  Omega 6 is found in vegetable oils such as sunflower and corn oil, these fates are essential for growth, cell structure and maintenance of a healthy immune system.

On the recipe page I have included a recipe for salmon with hot basil sauce – it is really tasty!

Ways to cut down on saturated fats

Tags: lose weight, overeat, saturated fat, weight loss

The 7Lb Challenge

We are now 2 weeks into the seven week challenge – how are you coping?

There are some basic principles that you need to make sure you are applying. 

• Review your portions – get a smaller plate
• Try and increase your exercise
• Eat your 5 a day
• Drink the correct amount of fluid
• Keep a food diary – review it regularly and cut out the sugary snacks
• Keep track of alcohol calories
• Try and ensure you plan your meals in advance so you know how many calories you will be eating.

Good luck

Tags: calories, healthy eating, lose weight, planning

Positive Thinking

When we are not happy with our bodies we can start thinking very negative thoughts.  What we should do is try to think of the positive steps that we have made to get ourselves working towards a healthy lifestyle.

If you have a bad day  or week try to put it behind you and move on, don’t dwell on it.  Remember how much weight you have already lost, or the healthy balanced diet that you are now eating.  Think about the exercise you have managed to do. If you can increase your exercise this will also help you get the feel good factor.

KEEP POSITIVE

Tags: calories, exercise, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, lose weight

Vitamins and Minerals

When we are trying to lose weight we can sometimes cut out certain food groups that we think are causing our weight gain.  Many people cut out bread or dairy products.  This has can a detrimental effect on your health as both of these groups have vital nutrients that your body requires.

Look at reducing your portions and the amount of high fat and high sugar foods rather than particular food groups. 

Vitamins and minerals are key to ensuring you have a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Follow this link for further information: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamins-minerals.aspx

 

Tags: calories, healthy lifestyle, lose weight, weight loss

Breakfast

Getting a healthy breakfast is really important.   Try and get a good balance of nutrients which will help to fill you up.  Include some starchy foods such as bread and breakfast cereals.  Check that cereals do not contain too much added sugar or salt.  Try and fit in some fruit, this can be fresh, tinned, dried or as fruit juice.  Poached or boiled eggs with whole grain toast are also a great way to start the day.

People that skip breakfast tend to put on more weight than those that don’t.  It is a really important meal.  if you find you don’t have enough time to sit down for breakfast then try to have a healthy cereal bar and a piece of fruit on the run.

Follow this link to the Change4life website breakfast guide for more information.

http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Documents/pdf/B4L_Good_Breakfast_Guide_acc.pdf

Breakfast berry pancakes

Tags: calories, healthy eating, lifestyle, lose weight, low calorie