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And Lifestyle |
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Food
And Lifestyle
Agency:
Slim Gym
Before you embark on another attempt at weight loss,
take a minute to review your current attitude towards
food, body weight and exercise. The 'big picture'
boils down to lifestyle. For example, 80% of the time,
or on most days of the week, how do you eat, how much
do you move around, how do you manage your stress
- and most importantly, how do you enjoy life?
If you truly believe that a change in your body fat/shape
will make a positive contribution to both your physical
and mental health, you may need to reshape your thinking
first.
FOOD
AND YOU
Improve
Your Relationship With Food
- Eating
IS pleasurable.
- Food
is fuel.
- Food
is health.
- Eating
is not a MORAL issue.
- There
is no right or wrong way to eat, and no 'good'
or 'bad' foods.
-
End
The 'Diet Mentality'
Diet is the sum total of everything
you eat and drink .
Do NOT diet. Do NOT go 'on' or 'off' a diet, a
practice that can backfire into food obsession,
binge eating and depression.
Get
Moving... Sit Less
Make physical activity and exercise a part of
your life. Don't use it just to burn calories.
Get stronger. Swim faster. Hike higher. Get away
from the desk. The best activities are those you
can sustain for a lifetime. Choose physically
active hobbies and leisure time activities for
fun and relaxation. Build activity into your day.
Avoid the escalators, elevators and moving walkways.
Set
REALISTIC Short And Long-Term Goals
Assess health vs. societal norms for body shape
and weight. Consider genetics, lifestyle and personality
type. Fulfill your potential. Say farewell to
an unattainable shape and size, and most importantly
a lifetime of misery trying to achieve it.
Make
One Small Change At A Time
For example, eat an orange and dark-green leafy
vegetable on most days of the week. It is the
small changes that can be sustained that will
make a difference in the long run. Spartan diets,
grueling exercise programmes and a lackluster
social life are not conducive to lifetime maintenance.
Stop
Feeling Guilty!
-
A
sweet tooth is OK... plan for it!
-
Processed
convenience foods on occasion won't kill you.
Some selections can actually make a healthy contribution
to your overall diet.
-
A
skipped meal is not the end of the world. Eat
normally at the next one.
-
Overeating
occasionally is not a fatal character flaw. Don't
beat yourself up over it. Get back on track the
next day. DON'T get on the scale to punish yourself.
-
Holidays
and celebrations are special times to enjoy special
feeds in moderate amounts
-
Eating
lean red meat is an excellent source of protein,
vitamins, iron and zinc. Combine with fish, poultry
and vegetarian meals
YOUR
LIFESTYLE
In
order to see and feel changes in one's health, energy
levels and physique, one needs to make changes that
can be sustained
and maintained throughout a lifetime. Changing habits
takes effort and can be hard work. However, making
small changes over a longer period of time promotes
formation of new habits. This is success. Listed below
are some guidelines for optimising the nutrition aspect
of lifestyle to enhance health, as well as encourage
permanent fat loss
Make
an attitude adjustment towards:
- Nutrition:
Think positive. Build up the body's defense system.
Think in terms of food and drink as boosting the
body's immune system, making it better able to
fend off the ravages of the environment, pollution
and again. Avoid the negative thinking of 'I can't
eat this, can't eat that' etc.
- Diet...
is the sum total of everything we eat and drink.
Diets don't lead to the formation of new habits.
- Food
as the enemy: Stop the guilt, the greatest
barrier to improving eating habits. Food is and
should be thought of as pleasurable.
- Treats
and sweets: There are no 'good or bad'
foods; small amounts of anything can fit into
a healthy diet.
Regulate
your energy intake by establishing
healthy eating patterns. Eat and drink according to
hunger, fullness, cravings and the body's inner signals.
Eat at least three meals per day OR eat smaller meals
plus small snacks. Choose snacks NOT as extras, but
as bits and pieces of nutritious meals you would not
eat all at once (yoghurt and fruit, whole wheat bread
and jam, raw vegetables and low fat dip or salsa sauce,
air-popped popcorn, whole grain crackers and so on).
Distribute
the calories as evenly as possible throughout
the day. Avoid the 'coffee for breakfast/lunch/dinner/late-night
snack' syndrome.
Eat
slowly... sit down at a table and take
at least 20 minutes to eat a meal. Physiologically,
it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register satiety
or a feeling of fullness
Enjoy
the meal and focus on it. This way it is
easier to monitor your total food intake. When watching
TV, it is very easy to eat a bag of chips or carton
of ice cream.
Eat
a plant-based diet.
In other words, most of what you eat should come from
a plant. Meat, poultry and fish can and should be
viewed as a side dish.
Increase
your intake of:
- Vegetables:
Aim for 5 different vegetables
in one day, especially dark green leafy, orange,
and yellow-coloured vegetables.
- Fruits:
Aim for 3-4 different fruits in one day, especially
orange, yellow and red fruits.
- Whole-grain
products: Including breads, cereals, crackers,
oats, barley, etc.
- High
calcium foods: Skim milk, plain/low fat yoghurt,
soya products, fish with bones, at least 2-3 per
day.
- Water:
Drink the equivalent of 6-8 glasses per day (water,
fruit, diluted fruit juices are preferred over
beverages)
Monitor
(don't eliminate) your intake of:
- Fat,
especially the saturated fats: Eat cheese,
creams, oil-based sauces, gravies, coconut based
curries, fatty meats, butter, chips and dips,
cakes, pies, pastries as special treats, not as
the norm.
- Grill,
broil or steam your foods. Use small amounts of
oil.
- Alcohol:
Drink in moderation or not at all.
- Learn
to eat real food and get comfortable with portions
that will satisfy you for 3-4 hours.
- Eat
foods as close to their natural state as possible.
Measure
progress and success by monitoring changes in:
- Energy
levels.
- Formation
of new habits.... maintenance IS success!
- Health
parameters.
- Self-esteem
and self-efficacy (belief in one's ability to
complete a given task).
- Quality
of sleep.
- The
belt notch and fit of clothes.
In
Summary, focus on...
- Gradual
changes, not punishing regimens
- Habits,
not your body, not the scales.
- The
process, not the end result.
- Today:
Eat well. Move more. Enjoy it.
- Moderation
and balance in all aspects of life.
- The
really important people and issues that matter
in life.
- The
big picture.... the total lifestyle.
- The
positive... I am, I will, I can.
Courtesy:
FabWoman .com
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