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Types of Carb and a simple breakdown of what to eat

SIMPLE CARB BREAKDOWN

We follow a simple carb breakdown when it comes to eating for weight loss.

Carbohydrates are a large group and contain many kinds of food.

We start with –
Eat more – Fruits and Vegetables
Eat enough – Higher fibre foods (30g a day of fibre)
Eat enough – Starchy foods – root veg, grains, pulses, cereals
Eat less – Sugary and refined – junk food basically

We all know what sugary and refined foods are
We all know that we need to eat less of these carbs (crap)
We all know to eat more fruits and veg, and moderate amounts of grains if we want to lose weight and be healthier.

Keep it simple
Eat what you enjoy
Be happy

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What does 50g Carbs look like

WHAT DOES 50g CARBS LOOK LIKE

Whether your low carb or high carb we all need to have an understanding of what carbs look like in our diet.

I am not saying you need 50g a day, if you stick to the
1-3g/kg/day intake your carbs could go from 50-200g a day.

How much you eat is down to your goal, body weight, protein intake, your preference for carbs or more fats and your environment.

I have seen many members lose weight eating low carb, low fat, high fat, a zone diet etc – it was down to being in a calorie deficit, eating enough protein and fat, being smart with their carb choices and being consistent with their nutrition and training.

You can still enjoy carbs and lose weight

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TIPS FOR MEAL PREP

TIPS / IDEAS ON HOW TO PLAN AND PREP YOUR MEALS AHEAD OF TIME

1. Sit down and work out a 3 day menu of meals you like – that fit within your calories for your weight loss goal. That’s 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 dinners – or if you enjoy the same breakfast every day just stick to that.

2. Work out in your week the best time for you to cook and prepare your food and stick to the commitment to use that time to prepare your meals.

3. Go shopping and buy according to your above menu/meal plan – get enough for what you will need for the week – if getting to the shop is hard you can always order it online.

4. Make it easy for yourself – Don’t choose to cook complicated meals that take forever, especially if you are time poor. Keep it simple

5. Find a way that works for you – one option in meal prep is to cook extra at dinner time and eat that for lunch the next day. If you don’t have time to cook everyday then do a big cook on Sundays and Wednesdays for example and prep a large batch of food that you can freeze or will stay fresh in the fridge. This is my preferred way to batch my meals as I work late every night and don’t always have the time to do it everyday.

Whatever method you use, find one that suits your lifestyle and preferences.
One you can stick with and is easy to manage long term.
It will lead to greater success, less stress and give you more time to enjoy life

 

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THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDRATION

Hydration

Is vital for our health and training outcomes
Signs of dehydration
Why being hydrated is important
How to stay hydrated
A quick test to check your hydration levels

Health is more than just fat loss, we have to be aware of the signs that things aren’t right and be equipped with the knowledge on how to correct them.
A simple thing like drinking more water can have a massive impact on your health and wellbeing.

 

 

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BATCHING YOUR MEALS

 

 

BATCHING YOUR MEALS 

 

Following on from the topic of meal prep and planning ahead; this is just one example of how to get ahead of yourselves with your food prep.

 

The biggest key to success when planning ahead is making the time within your life to get it done.

 

This has to fit into your lifestyle and day to day routine.

 

For me its 2 big cooks a week, I prep a cooked vegetable meal and a raw salad. I rotate the protein I eat to create variety and I use different things to accompany my meals such as hommous, avocado, feta cheese etc to again create variety. The above picture is enough to feed 2 people for 2-3 days at least – any longer and the food doesn’t last. For most of you you won’t need to prep on this scale, but it gives you an idea of how you can batch your meals ahead of time.

 

This works for me but it may not work for you

 

This is just one example of how you can make healthy eating and living fit your lifestyle – which will make losing weight or maintaining weight loss that much easier as you have a set structure and routine that you follow day in and day out.

 

I usually have a container with sticks of carrot, cucumber, peppers and cherry tomatoes in the fridge to snack on when I feel like it between meals. This may stop you from reaching for biscuits or other higher calorie snacks.

 

I am a big fan of batching my meals ahead of time but if this isn’t for you have a think about how you can make time to be organised with your meals which in turn will make it easier to stick to a healthy regime, making weight loss much easier.

 

If you need help in this area I am always available for a chat to help you.

 

 

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HOW TO INCREASE PROTEIN INTAKE

How you can increase your protein intake!

Following on from the slides stating the benefits of protein and the different protein sources, here is a simple way to increase your protein intake if you find you aren’t eating enough for optimal health

Increasing your intake of higher protein foods can lead to you eating less carbs and fats and therefore results in weight loss.

However remember that you need to be balanced and have variety in what you eat.

 

 

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PROTEIN – what does 25g look like

Today i want to give you a visual on what 25g protein looks like in the real life.

Below is a slide of what 25g protein looks like. If you were aiming for 100g protein a day then this would represent 1/4 of your intake each day.

If you base your protein intake on 1.2-2.2g/kg body weight you can work out how much you need each day.

Last week we went through the benefits of protein, this week it’s what does a meal with 25g protein look like. In your day you may have salmon and eggs at breakfast, chicken salad with feta at lunch and then red meat with rice and vegetables for dinner.

If you are vegan or vegetarian adding a rice or pea protein powder to your day can help increase your protein intake overall. You can also eat quinoa, soy, seeds, nuts and legumes to help boost your protein intake.

If you need help with finding ways to increase your protein, book in for a chat and we can work it out.

This is just a small list of foods containing protein – there are many other foods you can choose from in order to meet your daily requirements.

After adequate calorie intake our protein intake is next in line in importance to fat loss and body composition.

Don’t just increase protein without making other dietary changes, especially if you want to lose weight. A great place to start is to increase your protein but decrease the starchy carbs (rice, bread, pasta etc) you eat and replace them with more vegetables as these are lower in calories, you can also decrease the amount of processed foods you eat and the frequency of very high fat and high sugar foods which constantly tip you over the edge in terms of calories.

Balance is key

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PROTEIN – How much and why it’s important

WHY YOU NEED YOUR PROTEIN

 

I can’t emphasise enough the importance of eating enough protein in your diet.

Protein is essential for optimal health and making sure your eating enough can also help you lose weight and recover faster from training.

Protein is made up of Amino acids – they have a variety of functions that are essential to us and our health.

Protein consists of Essential amino acids and non essential amino acids. The essential ones can only come from the diet as we can’t make them ourselves.

Protein sources that have all essential amino acids are called complete proteins.

These are usually found in animal products but are also found from vegetable and grain sources

They are important for collagen and elastin, all enzyme function, hormomes, immune function, acid base balance, fluid balance and energy balance

They constitute a large part of muscles, hair, skin, teeth and bones

Below are 2 slides on the benefits of protein and where you can find complete proteins

 

clean eating, nutrition, fat loss, weight loss
Why protein is important
protein for fat loss, clean eating, fat loss, weight loss
Complete protein sources