If you have ever lost weight, tried to lose weight or a currently in the midst of a weight loss journey you’ll know that it can be hard work.
Food and it’s role within society and our lives is much more than just fuel for our bodies. It’s a part of almost everything we do. We also eat for so many more reasons than just nourishment for our bodies. It’s social, cultural, relational and emotional. I’ll be the first to admit to eating just because I was feeling sad or stressed or because it was put in front of me at a party or social gathering.
It is possible to change your diet, eat better quality food, achieve a greater sense of physical well-being and lose weight in amongst the food crazed culture in which we live. All it takes is a bit of planning, preparation and forethought. Building a good foundation for weight loss is vital if you want to re-gain control over your eating and establish good habits for life.
Goal setting
Goal setting is really important. You may have heard this all before and you may have even found it didn’t work for you, but I’d like to show you how goal setting can help you stay on track and focused if its utilised correctly.
Goals to lose weight or to obtain a certain dress size, can be counter productive. So too are goals that say “I’m not going to eat junk food” or “I’m going to exercise everyday”.
Setting goals to achieve something specific are much more productive. Try setting a goal to run a certain distance by a particular date or compete in a race or sporting event. The practical steps to achieving this goal is regular (daily) exercise to train for the event and an improvement in your diet so your body functions at it’s best. The by-product of exercising regularly and eating healthy food for the achievement of your goal is weight loss.
Meal planning
If I could only give you one sentence to help you lose weight and eat better I would tell you this: “Plan each of you and your family’s meals every week, write your shopping list at the same time and only shop for what’s on your list”. Meal planning will do two things. One; it will dictate to you what is being served at each meal. This saves you from stressing about dinner each night on your way home from work or what to pack for lunch when you’re getting ready in the morning. Two; because you’ve written a shopping list according to your meal plan you’ll have all the ingredients available to cook what’s on the menu. You’ll save so much money by making less trips to the supermarket.
Burn body fat
The type of food that you eat plays an incredible role in determining whether your body is storing fat or burning fat. Metabolism and fat storage is a complex interaction of chemicals, hormones, enzymes and the the types of foods and nutrients that we eat. Part of any good weight loss plan are dietary techniques that get the body into fat burning mode and ultimately losing weight. There’s no point losing weight if that weight is muscle or fluid. Stored body fat is what leads to the associated health problems with being overweight so it’s fat that we want the body to start burning.
Choosing high fibre carbohydrates, low-fat proteins and healthy fats are vital to successful, long term weight loss. Just as important is a high intake of fresh vegetables and 2 serves of fruit. These components must always be a part of each meal time if we want to maintain control over our appetite, feel fuller for longer, have good dietary and bowel health and most importantly get our body burning fat.
Putting it all together
In the end it all comes down to what you end up putting in your mouth. You might know all there is to know about nutritious food but unless you have the tools and knowledge of how to translate that into meals for your family, it’s useless. That’s why I love showing people how easy it is to create quick healthy meals that taste great and the family will love. It’s not something I can write about, all I can do is show you. I run my intensives out of my kitchen, giving you hands on, practical advice for planning, preparing, cooking, buying and serving food for you and your family.
About Kate Freeman
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