Having a few rules to follow can be really helpful when your trying to get your nutrition on track. Here's what I recomended to Bob.
With all the diet books and health gurus giving us advice, we can find ourselves struggling to piece all the information together in ways that we can apply to our already hurried lives. Eating well shouldn't be complicated or disruptive to your daily flow. It's more about being organized with your menu and preparing food in advance.
Let me share a few tips and insights with you, that I'm sure will be of help in getting your daily meals on track.
My first advice is to give you a rule to eat by. The one that I promote and have had great success with is to simply eliminate a few foods from your Monday to Friday schedule. When I say eliminate I mean make a no exception policy with yourself. I recommend weekdays because we're already in a strong routine and work is a good distracted from food. If you are disciplined and follow fantastic nutrition five days out of seven, your weekends shouldn't undo your weekly effort.
I encourage my clients to be a little freer on the weekend, as we often find ourselves at parties, and family gatherings. These social gatherings should be enjoyed and you don't want to be too worried about your food choices. Knowing you were so disciplined all week you can indulge a bit into some of the foods you can't eat during the week. If you enjoy any alcoholic beverages this is the time to have it. Don't go way overboard with the eating, after all you do make sacrifices during the week and you would like to benefit from them in the long term.
"What are the foods to be eliminated," you ask? We refer to them as, simple carbohydrates (simple carbs).
#1Everything made with flour and/or sugar, such as bread, muffins, energy bars, pasta, crackers, cakes, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, chocolate, and candy. This includes organic, whole wheat, and dark chocolate.
#2 Starchy foods, such as rice, and potatoes.
I recommend steering clear of these foods during the week because they are plain and simply problematic for most people. There are some people whose bodies tolerate simple carbs, but for a better part they make the majority us fat. Don't be fooled by words like organic and whole wheat. Though they are healthier choices, they are not conducive to weights loss. People often tell me that they eat dark chocolate because it has certain health benefits, such as it's good for the heart. I ask you, if someone is overweight do you believe that eating dark chocolate will eliminate their heart problems? If someone has high blood pressure are there not many contributing factors, on which dark chocolate will have no effect? I think in many cases, proclaiming the health benefit is a denial to recognize cravings and lack of willpower as the true motive.
So, we know what we can't have; let's look at what we can have.
#1 Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates (complex carbs). This means, all the vegetables and fruits you want. Complex carbohydrates are full of vitamins and fiber. Yes, some fruits are more fattening than others such as tropical fruit, but we'll worry about that another time. Just don't eat too much fruit in the evening.
#2 Focus on eating more protein. Great sources are fish, beans, chicken, lean cuts of pork, and lean meats.
#3 Legumes are great foods as well. Examples of these are; chick peas and lentils.
We've looked at the dos and don'ts; now let's put them together for meal ideas.
You need to be sure to have your three meals a day with a snack between each meal. (See the previous post for snack ideas)
Imagine your dinner plate divided into tree parts. Your meal will consist of aprox.15% fats, 40% protein, and 45% complex carbs. The fats (healthy fats) would include oil in salad dressing (olive or canola), nuts, and accompaniments such as avocados. The proteins would be your choice from the above mentioned sources of protein. The complex carbs would be in the form of vegetables, salads, and legumes.
People often remark that breakfast is the hardest meal to figure out, so here are some ideas:
-Breakfast smoothie (see previous post)
-Omelet (mix one whole egg with egg whites. Buy the pre-prepared egg white carton)
-Yogurt with mixed berries
-Bowl of mixed fruit
-cottage cheese with blue berries
-2 boiled eggs
Have one of the above choices or have a combination of two choices. Breakfast is important and I want you to eat well. Don't forget to snack before lunch.
Remember, this is about getting started. People who have lots of experience in nutrition will have their own variations on this advice and may have conflicting opinions. I plain and simply suggest this approach because it sure beats calorie counting, and keeps you clear of temptation. Most of all, the rule is clear and though in the beginning you may feel deprived during the week, it will help you to create better eating habits. When you wake up Monday, you know what you have to do. No interpretation and second guessing, just getting to it.
With all the diet books and health gurus giving us advice, we can find ourselves struggling to piece all the information together in ways that we can apply to our already hurried lives. Eating well shouldn't be complicated or disruptive to your daily flow. It's more about being organized with your menu and preparing food in advance.
Let me share a few tips and insights with you, that I'm sure will be of help in getting your daily meals on track.
My first advice is to give you a rule to eat by. The one that I promote and have had great success with is to simply eliminate a few foods from your Monday to Friday schedule. When I say eliminate I mean make a no exception policy with yourself. I recommend weekdays because we're already in a strong routine and work is a good distracted from food. If you are disciplined and follow fantastic nutrition five days out of seven, your weekends shouldn't undo your weekly effort.
I encourage my clients to be a little freer on the weekend, as we often find ourselves at parties, and family gatherings. These social gatherings should be enjoyed and you don't want to be too worried about your food choices. Knowing you were so disciplined all week you can indulge a bit into some of the foods you can't eat during the week. If you enjoy any alcoholic beverages this is the time to have it. Don't go way overboard with the eating, after all you do make sacrifices during the week and you would like to benefit from them in the long term.
"What are the foods to be eliminated," you ask? We refer to them as, simple carbohydrates (simple carbs).
#1Everything made with flour and/or sugar, such as bread, muffins, energy bars, pasta, crackers, cakes, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, chocolate, and candy. This includes organic, whole wheat, and dark chocolate.
#2 Starchy foods, such as rice, and potatoes.
I recommend steering clear of these foods during the week because they are plain and simply problematic for most people. There are some people whose bodies tolerate simple carbs, but for a better part they make the majority us fat. Don't be fooled by words like organic and whole wheat. Though they are healthier choices, they are not conducive to weights loss. People often tell me that they eat dark chocolate because it has certain health benefits, such as it's good for the heart. I ask you, if someone is overweight do you believe that eating dark chocolate will eliminate their heart problems? If someone has high blood pressure are there not many contributing factors, on which dark chocolate will have no effect? I think in many cases, proclaiming the health benefit is a denial to recognize cravings and lack of willpower as the true motive.
So, we know what we can't have; let's look at what we can have.
#1 Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates (complex carbs). This means, all the vegetables and fruits you want. Complex carbohydrates are full of vitamins and fiber. Yes, some fruits are more fattening than others such as tropical fruit, but we'll worry about that another time. Just don't eat too much fruit in the evening.
#2 Focus on eating more protein. Great sources are fish, beans, chicken, lean cuts of pork, and lean meats.
#3 Legumes are great foods as well. Examples of these are; chick peas and lentils.
We've looked at the dos and don'ts; now let's put them together for meal ideas.
You need to be sure to have your three meals a day with a snack between each meal. (See the previous post for snack ideas)
Imagine your dinner plate divided into tree parts. Your meal will consist of aprox.15% fats, 40% protein, and 45% complex carbs. The fats (healthy fats) would include oil in salad dressing (olive or canola), nuts, and accompaniments such as avocados. The proteins would be your choice from the above mentioned sources of protein. The complex carbs would be in the form of vegetables, salads, and legumes.
People often remark that breakfast is the hardest meal to figure out, so here are some ideas:
-Breakfast smoothie (see previous post)
-Omelet (mix one whole egg with egg whites. Buy the pre-prepared egg white carton)
-Yogurt with mixed berries
-Bowl of mixed fruit
-cottage cheese with blue berries
-2 boiled eggs
Have one of the above choices or have a combination of two choices. Breakfast is important and I want you to eat well. Don't forget to snack before lunch.
Remember, this is about getting started. People who have lots of experience in nutrition will have their own variations on this advice and may have conflicting opinions. I plain and simply suggest this approach because it sure beats calorie counting, and keeps you clear of temptation. Most of all, the rule is clear and though in the beginning you may feel deprived during the week, it will help you to create better eating habits. When you wake up Monday, you know what you have to do. No interpretation and second guessing, just getting to it.
