Well….the answer is EGGS!

Yes, it’s now official.

Eggs are definitely a ‘superfood’. Recent research has shown that eggs provide a variety of essential nutrients , particularly protein, essential amino acids, selenium, choline and vitamins A, D and B12. It is one of the most nutrient-dense foods around and very low in calories. It is also known to help with weight loss!

It is thought that at least one egg a day will give you the optimum benefits.

Now, you might be thinking that you should avoid eggs if you have high cholesterol. But this is no longer the case because studies have shown the the cholesterol from cholesterol containing foods don’t effect your blood cholesterol as much as saturated fats. Only 50% can be absorbed.

The main groups of people that woudl greatly benefit from a regular egg dose a day are children, adolescents and older adults. The high quality protein and amino acids found in eggs helps with skeletal muscle development and proper growth and repair of the body.

So go ahead and have an egg a day! Preferably, boiled, poached, scrambled or microwaved – avoid frying too much!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

When it comes to eating more fruit and vegetables, people often struggle to eat enough on a daily basis. In the UK, we are advised to have at least 5 portions a day, in France it’s about 7 portions a day and last I heard, in Australia they aim for at least 9 portions a day.

Firstly, do you know what a portion is?

Well, it’s simple- a portion is anything that fits in the palm of your hand.  So, for example, one medium apple, a small orange, 3-4 chunks of melon, 6-10 grapes (depending on the size), is a portion. When it comes to vegetables, it’s approximately 3 heaped tablespoons.

Now, most poeple can’t seem to get more than about 3-4 portions of a mixture of fruit and vegetables a day.  Some people also don’t even include any fruit – not even one! Lots of excuses include; the fruit doesn’t look nice, it goes off quickly so I don’t buy them etc.

The good news is that nowadays there really aren’t any excuses left because we now have tinned, dried and frozen fruit and vegetables to choose from and use. And yes they are just as good as fresh versions. Just imagine this – fresh fruit and vegetables first have to be picked/harvested at the site they grow on, then they get boxed up and put onto trucks to then travel long distances to get to the supermarkets. Once there, they gat ofloaded and then stacked up, to then be placed onto the shelves of the shop on display by the time the shops open.  Then customers come along and pick what they want to purchase later in the day – usually lunchtime onwards. This is hours later. What you have to bear in mind is that nutrients start to deteriorate as soon as the fruit/vegetable is picked.

Now when it comes to tinned, dried and frozen foods, they get picked at their optimum nutritional state and usually immediately frozen, or go through a quick heating/drying process. The latter two processes will cause slight vitamin deterioration, but also increases other nutrients such as ?- carotene and iron levels. With the tinned fruit, however, you must buy those in natural fruit juices, and with dried fruits you have to be careful not to overeat on these (which is very easily done!).

So take a look at your intake, and find ways to increase it – no excuses now!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

Have you noticed that some people tend to put on weight more around the abdominal area? Especially in men. You may have heard of the term ‘apple’ and ‘pear’ shaped. Well, abdominal weight gain means you’re apple shape. If this is you, it’s important to know that you are at a much higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as it will lead to greater insulin resistance.

The fat which you can see, that lies just under your skin, is known as subcutaneous fat. This is the bits that everybody wants to try to reduce and get rid of. But there is another place where ‘apple’ shaped people also gain more fat, and that is actually within your body and builds up around your organs. This is known as visceral fat.

More and more studies are showing that it is this fat that you need to shift to help reduce the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This can be done easily through a healthy lifestyle – watching what you eat, keeping to a low fat diet, and exercising more. Even exercise alone can help lower the amount of this visceral fat mass.

So, you have been warned! If you don’t do anything about your wide waistline – then you’re heading for a shorter life with lots of health problems. Do something!

If you need more advice and tips of how to lose weight and burn fat, then I suggest you take a look at The F.A.B. Diet. It will really help you get started onto the road of good health.

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

The word ‘diet’ is often associated more with the female of the species. This, I find, is also true of weight loss groups like Weight Watchers, Slimming World etc. It’s evident in the fact that a lot of the fizzy/soft drinks that are sugar free have had the word ‘diet’ or light’ taken off and replaced with words like ‘max’ and ‘zero’ etc. (I think you’ve probably guessed which ones I mean, by now!)

I often wonder if men actually are aware that they do need to lose weight if they notice that they are starting to get a beer belly? Or do they know, but feel that they don’t need to do anything about it? Maybe, they want to do something but are uncomfortable with the idea of seeking help and guidance, and so suffer alone? If you’re an overweight man out there, I would be interested to know about your views on this and what you feel you might need to help you.

I think that the idea of ‘dieting’ and ‘calorie coutning’ will forever have feminine connotations, and that health professionals and companies need to think of other terms to use to gain a male audience to use the services and products. Maybe we should stick to the term ‘healthy eating’ or ‘living a healthy lifestyle’?

Anyway, just a few thoughts for now.

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

It’s true.

You know the story of the hare and the tortoise. Well being slow is the best thing to be when it comes to making changes in your lifestyle to get healthy and lose weight.

Basically, take things one step at a time and you’re more likely to succeed.

Think of one change you want to make to your lifestyle.  For example, it could be to have breakfast in the mornings.

Make this change and do it for about 1-2 weeks. Don’t make any other changes. Simply accomplish this one.

Once you manage to eat a healthy breakfast every morning, decide what the next change should be, and again do this step by step.

You get the picture?

By doing this, you are forming goof habits that you can then maintain forever!!! Hence you’ll be healthier and fitter forever!!!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

…That is to your weight lifting dumbbells, of course!

Yes, it’s true ladies.

If you are after a quicker and more effective fat loss, and muscle definition, you need to start lifting much heavier weights.

By doing so, you will be working your body and your muscles much more. You’ll be gaining more muscle mass, which in turn will lower your fat mass. So don’t be shy of using the heavier weights at the gym or at home. Don’t just use the baby dumbbells. Go for over 5kg, and do lower repetitions. With time, you’ll notice the difference.

So ditch the baby bells or at least use them for a warm up) and go for the big ones!!!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

Hi again.

Did I mention that I am also a diet therapist? I love trying to help people achieve their health goals. This was an article I wrote recently and I hope that it may be of some help to you:

Have you started to notice that your clothes are feeling tighter? Is everything you do taking more effort? Are you feeling low about how you look?

Maybe it’s time for you to look at your diet and lifestyle and try to lose the weight, for whatever reason.

The best way to get started is to write down all the reason as to why you want to lose the weight. This is going to be your ammunition for motivation and you should always refer back to this the next time you get tempted to go ‘off the rails’.

Being overweight can have a big impact on your health e.g. increases the chances of diabetes, heart disease, painful joints, snoring, high blood pressure, infertility and so on. By losing weight, even as little as 5-10% of your current body weight, you will be drastically lowering the chances of suffering from these conditions, gaining an extra 9-10 years of your life. You will also gain benefits psychologically i.e. better self-esteem and confidence.

So if you feel the time is right for you to lose weight, here are some top tips to help you get started:

1.    Keep a food diary: write down the time, the food and drink and the amount of everything you consume everyday, and keep this information in a handy notebook. At the end of the week, you can then go back through and see what has been happening. You may be surprised what you find. You must be honest with yourself. You may even wish to record the emotions you were feeling at the time of consumption e.g. depressed, sad, happy, stressed etc.

2.    Eat regular meals: very important and is the key to successful long term weight maintenance. Aim to spread out your meals evenly (every 4-5 hours at least). If necessary, plan to have healthy snacks like fresh fruit or vegetables or a diet yoghurt. This should help you avoid being hungry and then eating the first thing that comes to hand, which tends to be biscuits, crisps, chocolate, take-aways etc. And try to avoid eating too late.
3.    Have at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables per day: this is much easier to do than people think. A portion is the equivalent to something fitting in the palm of your hand e.g. an apple, small banana, small bowl of salad etc. You need to make sure you include these at every meal – at least half the intake should come these. Make smoothies with fresh fruit to help you get your portions in.

4.    Cut down on fats and sugars: simple really. Go for low fat/diet products and avoid too many take-aways and eating out. The can be tasty but are very high in calories and often don’t fill you up for very long.
5.    Be organised: plan you meals ahead so that you are always prepared to make a healthy meal/snack. Try not to keep foods that you are trying to avoid in the house.
6.    Exercise: activity goes hand in hand with healthy eating. You need both in order to life a long and healthy life. So get moving! Aim for 45-60 minutes of physical activity everyday in order to see significant changes. Remember, if you are not used to exercise, you must build up to this slowly. Start off with 20 minutes 3 x a week and build it up week by week until you achieve your goal. You can anything from dancing, running, yoga, swimming, cycling, the gym etc. Also, try to increase you daily activity by avoiding the use of cars, buses, tubes, lifts, escalators etc. as much as possible. If you can walk – WALK!

If you feel you need more help and support then there are plenty of products and information on the internet. Here is one of the better ones I’ve seen which focuses on getting rid of all the ‘junk’ in your body to help you get healthy and one the best way to exercise to burn fat efficiently.

Take a look at these site that I have come across:

Top Secret Fat Loss Secret

Turbulence training

Burn the fat feed the muscle

So what are you waiting for? Get started!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta