Nutrition Guide: Weight Management
In my experience everyone’s weight loss journey is different. We all have different beliefs, different learnt behaviours, different advice over the years and enjoy different flavours and textures.
Advising you individually, I will consider your current diet and habits before prescribing changes. Changes will be positive, manageable and realistic.
Be excited for nutritional changes. Flip your self talk and changing your approach is much more rewarding and sustainable.
Focus on the new recipes, foods, flavours, textures and tastes that are out there for you to explore.
Plan your meals in advance. Maybe start investigating recipes that inspire your taste buds and culinary skills.
Shop for the ingredients. Stick to your plan and don’t let the food retailers’ marketing sway you to buy something you have to spend days not being tempted by.
Keep your home and work environment ‘nutritionally safe’. Hide any treats from view. Or if you find it easier - don’t buy them in the first place.
Allocate meal prep time. I like to have meals prepped in advance to stop me grazing when I’m hungry and waiting for a meal to cook.
Cook and prepare meals yourself. They don’t have to be complicated meals to be healthy. It’s hard to buy foods ‘on the go’ that are filling, healthy and aren’t overly calorie dense.
Read all ingredient lists on packaged foods. Aim to avoid emulsifyers, chemical and artificial sweeteners.
Eat foods in their whole, natural form. Aim to have minimal UPFs in your diet.
Eat at least 8 portions of vegetables a day: 1/2 your plate lunch and supper. My top tip is to decide what veg you fancy eating and then add the complimentary proteins and /or grains, flavourings etc. Not only are they full of great carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals, but they are also brimming with fibre and keep us full and out digestion healthy. And all with sustainable slow releasing energy. What’s not to love!
Eat wholegrains such as pearl barley, buckwheat, Rye bread, sourdough, bulgar wheat, spelt. Remove refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, rice, couscous etc.
Switch some of your protein intake to include legumes, pulses, nuts, tofu, peas and beans. These are less calorie dense, will fill you up and are brimming vitamins and minerals.
Have at least 12 hours with no calories. Time restricted eating can be adapted to suit you. But ideally do not have any calories after 7pm. Our body takes 5 hours to digest food and we need a period of ‘fasting’ to repair and restore many of our essential bodily functions. We don’t need energy to sleep.
Have a glass of water before each meal.
If you have a tendency to graze or snack between meals, a great way to change this habit is to only allow yourself vegetables or tea, coffee or water. Gradually the urge to snack snack will become less appealing. Especially if you are eating more real unprocessed foods at meals as they sustain your energy for longer.
Make meals a Five Star experience:
look forward to your meal
Enjoy new recipes or flavour combinations that appeal to you
Sit down and take your time eating
Enjoy feeling satiated but not bloated or sluggish at the end of the meal
Keep alcohol to a minimum
It’s ok to say ‘No thank you, I am full’. Don’t eat or drink to please others. Put yourself first. If you feel rude declining something, ask to take it with you for later.
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