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1) Get your mindset right
Mindset is so important for successful weight loss.
😊 You are not on or off the wagon, you are just eating for health, to feel good, to safe guard your future, and live a long, healthy, happy rewarding life! With this, comes a healthy weight.
👍 It’s not about restriction or never eating your favourite food again. It’s about balance, eating in a way that supports your body to be healthy, energised and full of vitality. The 80/20 rule is a good example of this. Eat well 80% of the time and allow yourself a treat 20% of the time. 🥰 Concentrate on the habits, because that is what impacts your physiology and your biochemistry, and will help nourish your body at cellular level to support its function, helping you become strong, healthy, lose weight and feel 100 x better, NOT the number on the scales.
🥳 Doing this correctly will help improve gut health, brain health, mood, and energy levels, which will all have a positive impact on your weight.
2) Increase the real, whole unprocessed foods
🥦 Keep it simple by increasing the natural, single wholefood ingredient foods like quality meat, fish, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. 🌶 Eating these kinds of foods will help to regulate appetite and metabolism, helping with cravings and overeating.
These are also the foods that will provide all the nutrients to help your body function correctly.
🍠 Go for simple dishes such as salads, soups, casseroles, stir fries, fish fillet, chicken breast, lean steaks, along with steamed or stir-fried veggies with herbs and spices for flavour. It doesn’t have to be boring. It may just take a habit change!
3) Increase your protein intake.
🍗 Studies show increasing protein to around 30% of total energy intake per day can help with fat loss. Protein also helps fill you up, keeps you full for longer, regulates appetite and balances blood sugars so helps with overeating and cravings. Not eating sufficient protein is a sure fire way to succumb to those afternoon or evening munchies.
Aim for a good palm sized amount (length and thickness), or ¼ of your plate at each meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
4) Make sure you eat enough.
🍇 Not eating enough will only make you crave the foods that will hinder your weight loss. Ensuring you eat plenty at each meal, so you are 80% full, including enough protein, healthy fats & carbs, will stop you wanting to nibble later on.
🥥 Chronic undereating also increases levels of stress hormones, which may promote fat and weight gain.
🍍 Not getting enough nutrients long term may also reduce muscle tone, strength and affect your metabolism and fat storage.
5) Find the correct fat and carb ratio for you.
🥑 Take a look at the ratio of fat and carbohydrates in your diet. The ratio of these are very individual and dependent on your current health, activity levels and carb tolerance.
Fat was demonised and we were told it would cause weight gain or heart disease, but we now know this is not the case! Fat is very beneficial!
As part of your meals, fat can help fill you up and keep you full. It also influences hormones in your body to tell you to stop eating, so adding olive oil, nuts, seeds to your salad, or butter to your vegetables, or full fat yoghurt can be a good way to manage your appetite and stop you snacking or overeating.
It’s also where the flavour is so makes meals tastier!
The amount and intensity of the exercise you do is the key factor to determine your carbohydrate needs. 🍌 If you are generally sedentary and do not or cannot exercise, a low-carb diet, keeping starches and sugars low, may help you lose weight. 🍊 low carb diet or low GI diet may also be beneficial for a number of chronic health complaints. 🍑 Fill up at each meal time on the fat burning four – Fibre, protein, fat & vegetables
🌽 The old age advice of calorie counting usually makes people reach for low calorie refined foods. Although energy intake is important, it is the overall amount eaten in 24 hours not the individual calories in each foods. It is far better to reach for nutritious foods that regulate appetite and prevent overeating.
6) Consider other areas of your lifestyle!
🍆 Diet and physical activity are the cornerstones of successful weight loss, but other lifestyle factors are also crucial.
🥒 Getting stressed or anxious over your diet, health and lifestyle will only be detrimental to both your health and weight loss.
🧀 Sleep and stress levels will hugely impact your ability to lose weight and keep it off. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night and research and put into place strategies to help you achieve better sleep such as a bed time routine, calming teas, supplements, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
🥕 Practice regular stress management such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, reading etc.
🍏 Know your weak points and enlist or put in place strategies to help overcome them.
🍓 Maintain commitment in the face of peer pressure.
🍐 If you don't have time to plan or prepare yourself simple healthy meals, or find time for relaxation or exercise you most probably need to revaluate your lifestyle if you are serious about changing your health.
7) OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
🍉 The type of bacteria most prominent in your gut is shown to play a part in hormone regulation, weight control and lots of other factors that may hinder weight loss. Taking steps to promote your beneficial bacteria may help.
🍣 If appropriate try prolonged fasts. You can try a whole day or 16 hours from your dinner in the evening until lunch the next day. This would be sufficient to help reset your insulin levels and to rest and rejuvenate your gut bacteria. This is not appropriate if you are diabetic, suffer extreme anxiety, stress or hormonal imbalances.
🥝 Look at reducing inflammation – Eating an anti-inflammatory diet can help bring the immune system back into balance and aid fat loss.
PORTION GUIDE
As mentioned above, it’s very difficult to overeat on a simple, wholefood diet but portions should roughly look like this per meal;
🥘 Protein – a palm-sized portion 🍝 Fat – about 1–3 tbsp - you will find that fat often goes hand in hand with protein however. (i.e salmon, eggs, whole yogurt) 🍋 Veggies – as many non-starchy vegetables as you can but at least 2 cups/ ½ your plate with every meal 🍑 Carbohydrate – Small handful amount - this might be a piece of fruit or small portion of rice, potato or squash.
I really hope these steps help and if you need any support putting any of these in place or addressing a chronic condition be sure to get in touch. I offer a free 20 minute chat to discuss your requirements and decide whether my programmes are right for you.
Julie x
Helping you live a healthier, happier life
Julie Hodgson
BSc (Hons), PgDip, DIP ION, mBANT
CNHC registered Nutritionist & Health Coach
1-2-1 Health & Well being consultations and packages
T. 07971 862324
Click here for your NEW YEAR WEIGHT LOSS 7 DAY PLAN PLUS RECIPES