Eat…..Ten Steps to Healthy Eating

The balance weight loss programme is made up of four easy-to-follow stages:

• think

• eat

• live

• move       

Of these, one that many people want to know more about is eat.

 

We believe in educating you to understand about healthy eating and empowering you to make your own choices in your diet. After all, you're going to eat every day for the rest of your life so it's vital that you don't have to rely on us or someone else to tell you what to put in your mouth.

Instead we help you to make simple changes, one at a time if you wish, to your eating habits in order to help your body function better, improve your health and energy levels, and as a result, reach a healthy weight too.

We do this through our 'Ten Steps to Healthy Eating', taking the ten most important aspects of any healthy diet, giving you a simple questionnaire to assess how you're doing in each, and then providing you with the tools and support to make changes to any of the steps that you wish. It really is a case of 'one step at a time.'

                                          Image courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

To give you an idea of what our Ten Steps look like, we've included a short extract from our book, due out soon that works alongside the questionnaire to help you identify what you need to change, why it is important, and most importantly how you can make the changes in a way that you can stick to forever. We hope you like it and find it helpful.

Step 1: Timing is everything – when to eat

This is a good place to start. It helps you to realise that healthy eating is not only about how much you eat, when you consume food is also important.

You’ll have heard many things about when to eat foods, possibly including:

                          Never eat carb’s after 4pm.

                          Don’t consume carbohydrates and fat together.

                          Make sure that you every three hours on the dot regardless of the type of food that you eat!

To date science doesn’t strongly back up any of the above statements. Whilst they may work for some people, this is most likely because the first two will restrict the amount of food that can be consumed, limiting calorie intake and leading to weight loss. The diet that the latter point is based on also limits the calorie intake allowed.

So what evidence and common sense advice is there out there for when to eat?

Start the day right

The number one message from the scientific literature at present appears to be to eat breakfast. Various studies have reported benefits of consuming breakfast (Wyatt et all, 2002, Berkey et al, 2003, Elfhag and Rössner, 2005, Schlundt et al, 1992). Eating breakfast is likely to:

   Balance blood sugars.

   Prevent unhealthy snacking later in the day.

   Regulate mood, which can affect eating choice.

   Be part of a set eating routine, which has been shown to be effective for weight loss and maintenance.

   Increase metabolic activity, increasing the rate of calorie burn.

So what is a ‘good’ breakfast? This is a great time to get rid of the idea of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods. A food that may be good for one person may well be bad for another, and a food that might be bad at one time may be great at another, even for the same person. Take a Mars Bar for example, sat on the couch in the evening having done no exercise all day and having just had a big dinner, a Mars Bar may be considered a bad food. If you’ve just run 20 miles though in training for a marathon and are feeling a little shaky from low blood sugars, a Mars Bar becomes a good food. It’s all about balance! Finding the right foods at the right time for the right purpose.

Of course, in general terms, some foods may be considered better balanced and healthier than others, so rather than tell you a food is good or bad, we prefer to use a balanced scale to show you examples of foods that may well help you lose weight and be healthy, and others that most likely will not. Everyone is different so you may need to play around to find your balance but hopefully this serves as a handy tool for you. Generally, the least healthy foods are ones that some would argue aren’t even foods at all, heavily processed and full of refined ingredients, whilst the healthiest tend to be closer to their natural state.

Out of balance	Better balance/room for improvement	Well balanced
Missing breakfast or just having tea or coffee	Having a small snack on the go	Making time for a proper breakfast
Fried foods e.g. fried bread or fried eggs Processed sausages or bacon	Baked beans on toast	Boiled eggs Scrambled eggs Poached eggs Unprocessed, organic, local meats e.g. steak, sausages or bacon fresh from the butchers Oily fish e.g. sardines, mackerel, salmon, pilchards
White toast	Wholemeal toast	Dark, wheat free breads like spelt or rye
Margarine and processed spreads Shop bought jam or marmalade Peanut butter made with added sugars	Marmite, honey, homemade jam or marmalade, or non-organic butter	Natural organic butter Unrefined peanut butter e.g. Whole Earth Unrefined almond butter
Breakfast cereals (e.g. Coco Pops, Frosties, Corn Flakes or similar) Cakes and pastries Breakfast biscuits or cereal bars	Muesli Bran muffins	Porridge
Heavily sweetened or sugary yoghurts	Flavoured natural yoghurt	Low fat plain yoghurt Natural live yoghurt, organic where possible
Juice from concentrate or shop bought smoothies Sugar or sweeteners in hot drinks Fizzy drinks (sugary or diet) Meal replacement drinks Stimulant canned drinks Milkshakes	Homemade fruit smoothie Tea/coffee (not as a replacement for food) No added sugar squash Protein shake	Vegetable juice Herbal or fruit teas Water Milk
Chocolate Sweets	Dried fruit	Fruit Vegetables (e.g. asparagus with eggs and smoked salmon) Nuts and seeds

If you want to know more, or find out about the other nine steps, please do get in touch, we're always happy to answer questions and you can have a free face-to-face, telephone or Skype consultation.

info@balanceweightloss.co.uk

0775 200 1203

balance on...barriers

                                              Image courtesy of ddpavumba at Freedigitalphotos.net


Barriers, obstacles, challenges, problems, hurdles, difficulties, road blocks, impediments, hitches, snags or drawbacks. Whatever you call them, we all face them in many aspects of life and they often appear when we attempt to achieve our weight loss, health and fitness goals.

So what can you do about them? How do you get over them? Or round them, through them or even under them! What happens if you moved them out of the way instead, or got someone else to help you push them to one side?

The truth is, there are many ways to overcome the challenges you face and achieve your goals. Hopefully this blog will provide you with a few ideas to help you get past yours and onwards to what you want.

First things first, you need to identify what the challenges will be, or may be when working towards your goals. How can you know this? You're not psychic, you don't have a crystal ball or a time machine, well it's unlikely you do! So how do you identify these barriers?

          1) Think about things that have got in the way if you have tried to achieve the same or similar        goals in the past, what were they?

          2) Think about your life, what things take up your time? This doesn't make them bad things, it just means that they may limit your ability to focus all of your efforts on you and what you want.

          3) Look forwards. Imagine yourself doing your new exercise routine, eating more healthily, getting to bed early, drinking plenty of water. What situations, scenarios, times and places might make it challenging to do these things?

Hopefully now you have a list of at least a couple of things that may get in the way. These may be common barriers like lack of time, work or family commitments, financial constraints, motivation and times of temptation or something more personal to you.


Failing to plan is planning to fail

Now you have your list of likely barriers, you've taken the first step towards overcoming them already! Just knowing that they might happen means that when they do you can say 'I knew that was going to happen.' Maybe you are psychic after all?

But the best thing about knowing what could go wrong is that you can plan in advance some methods for getting around, over, under or through these obstacles and challenges. And now is as good a time as any to start planning so you will need:

• A piece of paper and a pen (or an iPad, laptop or you're phone if you're more technologically minded).
• Lots of positivity and creativity!
• A cup of tea.

The three things method

For each of the barriers that you have identified, write down at least three ideas for how you can overcome them. They can be absolutely anything at all, it really doesn't matter. If you have more than three ideas then fantastic. If you struggle to think of anything, ask yourself if you have ever had a problem. What did you do to overcome it? What skills or tactics can you take from it that you may be able to use here?

Once you have your methods, number them in order of preference as to which you think is best. If you have more than three that's fine, just keep numbering them from favourite to least favourite.

You are now armed with a raft of solutions, so when those challenges come this is exactly what they will be, not problems, as you already have solutions. You have the ladder to get over the wall or the sledgehammer to knock it down. You have the raft to get across the river and you have the rope to climb your mountain.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

It's important that your perception of challenges changes to. You can see it as a threat, something that will come along and defeat you or you can see it as an opportunity, something that will make you rise to the very best you can be, performing amazingly in the face of adversity. A sportsperson may see a big event as a scary thing where they could get beaten, or they can see it as the chance for them to show just how good they are on the biggest stage. It's time to find your very best you!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

Enjoy the journey.

balance your life, balance your scales

balance on…..Brussels Sprouts

Love them or loathe them, there's no denying that Brussels Sprouts are an incredibly healthy addition to any plate. At balance, we're determined to get them on the dinner plates of Great Britain in less than two weeks' time, and also controversially, on days other than Christmas Day!

So why do we want to 'shout about the sprout'? There are so many reasons!

                                                                             

Image courtesy of -Marcus- at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1) They may prevent against cancer.

Sprouts contain Glucosinolates, organic compounds containing sulphur and nitrogen which may offer protection against carcinogens, those substances that cause cancers. It appears they may be particularly effective in protecting the organs in the body but more research is being carried out to find out why. All of the Brassica vegetables, broccoli, cabbage and sprouts convey these benefits so be kind to the sprout and don't leave it out.

2) They lower cholesterol.

Because they are high in fibre they are an excellent foodstuff for controlling cholesterol levels in the body. Given that Christmas tends to bring with it a lot of substances that do the opposite like alcohol, cake, milk chocolate etc, the sprout is definitely worth adding to those Christmas dinners.

3) They're anti-inflammatory.

Sprouts contain Omega-3 and other specialist Glucosinolates that help decrease inflammation in the blood vessels, whilst other research has shown that they may even protect our DNA from damage. All this means in the long-run they may form part of a great team of foods that'll help you to enjoy even more Christmas dinners!

4) Special K.

Sprouts are rich in Vitamin K which has numerous important roles in the body, helping blood to clot properly when required, looking after bones and acting as a strong antioxidant.

5) They taste great!

If you're not a fan of the sprout on his own, then get inventive this Christmas. Steam enough sprouts for a handful per person, chop them finely and add them into a pan with your choice of chopped walnuts, roast chestnuts, cubed pancetta or bacon, and even grapes or slices of satsuma orange. Cook in a little bit of butter or duck fat to get the pancetta nice and crispy and then serve with your Christmas dinner and for the rest of the winter.

Hopefully we've persuaded you that this little green fellow is worth adding to your shopping basket, so we'd politely ask you to:

Shout about the sprout!!!

The balance advent calendar day 2: Surviving the Christmas Party!

At this time of year, party season kicks into full swing. Friends, work, family, another work do, sports clubs and a whole host of other groups get together to celebrate.

And celebrating can mean food and more often than not it means copious amounts of alcohol!

So here's 10 ideas that are absolute crackers for surviving the festive season and not eliminating all of your good work to achieve your goals.


1) The Water Chaser Method - a tried and tested method for limiting the effects of alcohol. For every drink consumed order a glass of water with it. Ok so you'll spend more time in the loo, but hey that's less time at the bar!

2) The Small Plates Method - this is backed by scientific research. Smaller plates means two things, firstly smaller portions and secondly, it means that even a small portion looks bigger and more filling.

3) The Scrooge Method - take only the amount of money you intend to spend. Alright, you can sponge a few drinks off others, but every little helps.

4) The Grinch Method - don't feel obliged to say yes to absolutely every invite. Choose your celebrations wisely, arrange to meet at times and locations that are unlikely to turn into epic eating and drinking sessions.

5) The Eat Before You Go Method - control your food intake by eating before you go. This method can be used with buffet affairs where the temptation to consume at least one of absolutely everything is hard to resist. By eating at home and choosing something healthy and filling, appetite is reduced later on. It also means that the alcohol you consume won't have as large an effect on you.

6) The Pre-Booked Taxi Method - arranging for someone to pick you up at a specific time can prevent nights from rolling on, and on, and on, until they become day!

7) The Support Crew Method - everyone knows that there's power in numbers, so team up with someone equally determined not to let Christmas send them off the rails and offer each other support across the evening (or evenings) in question.

8) The Big Night Out Method - ok so you won't find us recommending bingeing sessions very often, but for some people recognising that they are going to go out, relax and enjoy themselves can be a good way of preventing post-party guilt. All you've got to to do is get yourself back to your normal routine afterwards and the damage can be minimised. And remember, life is about balance after all.

9) The Day After The Night Before Method - one of the biggest dangers of a big night out is often the food consumed during the hangover period. Plan ahead like you're planning a military operation. Get food in that you know is healthy and make sure you don't have the junk food you know you'll crave. Drink plenty of water when you get home and have healthy fluids available for the next day. Get lots of rest and try a gentle bit of exercise, a walk for a little fresh air is a good idea, a big circuits session is not!

10) The Public Confession Method - many of us don't like to tell people just how bad we've been. So resolve to confess your sins publicly and post all of the food you ate and alcohol you drank on your social media feed.


Above all, as we've said, life is about balance. So it's up to you if you want to use December as your month to enjoy yourself or you want to find a method that allows you to be that little bit healthier. Whichever you choose, make sure you enjoy yourself, it is Christmas after all!