I’m sure you have heard the saying ‘You are what you eat,’ Well, I’d say for the majority of people that is true.
Have you heard of the term – Obesogenic Environment? Have a think about what this might mean for your health and wellness. In Port Macquarie alone, according to the Mitchell Institute from data on overweight and obesity more than 67.6%, that is 42,573 adults are overweight or obese.
All of the time we are surrounded with messages about food. On television, social media, on the radio, and in supermarkets. We are bombarded with messages to try this or that.
And when you visit the supermarket the majority of foods you find on the shelf are highly processed calorie dense products containing an abundant amount of fat, sugar, and salt.
This is something to consider – if the product has a long shelf-life, it’s most likely not good for you. With the exception of tinned fish, vegetables, and milk.
We have become a society who eats too much processed food. This needs to change if we wish to change the statistics and the obesity epidemic.
Food is one thing that is making us fat. But we do have to eat, right! So what can we do to fix this?
- Don’t look at food as a treat. Food should be consumed with pleasure and to nourish the body.
- Eat whole-foods. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruit and vegetables most of the time.
- Limit processed foods to once a fortnight or month (in very small portions). Why undo all the good health you are receiving from whole-foods.
- Consider your portion-size. This is the amount you put on your plate for a meal. Reduce it by a few spoonfuls to start with. You can alway eat any left-over during your next meal.
- Consider your hunger and satiety signals. Eat when you are truly hungry. Eat slowly and until satisfied, not full.
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake. I’m talking bread, pasta, rice, potatoes – any foods high in carbohydrates. And fill-up instead on more protein, and healthy fats. This is a great way to curb overeating and binging.
Your metabolism may be the reason you can’t lose weight particularly if you have been following a low-calorie/low-fat diet, or yoyo dieting. This kind of diet stalls weight loss, reduces muscle mass,reduces energy, lowers your metabolic rate, and puts your body into starvation mode. You’ve probably experienced high levels of hunger and craving on this diet.
One of the best ways to escape the dieting wave is to first re-feed yourself with the non-diet approach to weight loss. What I mean by this, and by the way this could take several weeks or a few months, but simply eat three meals per day that satisfy your hunger, you don’t feel full and at every meal include a portion of protein, veggies, salad, and good fats. You may have noticed there is no bread, pasta, rice, cereal, or processed foods here , just good old whole-foods. This type of eating will help curb deep hunger and cravings.
What you are doing is bringing your body out of starvation mode and into better health. Once you feel comfortable with eating in a more intuitive way – eating when you are slightly hungry and eating until satisfied but not full can you then move to the next phase of losing weight the best way for your body.
Your lifestyle in another article I mentioned sitting is the new smoking. There are so many jobs now that require us to sit for long periods of time. Movement, being active is another way to help regain our fitness and help move stubborn body fat. If you have been inactive for some time and suffer from chronic diseases like type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, or stroke, talk to your doctor first to get an understanding of how much effect you can put into your exercise routine.
The best way to add more movement to your day is prioritising YOU. Start slow but be consistent. There are a multitude of ways you can move but the best type of exercise for weight loss is cardiovascular fitness (walking, swimming, cycling) and resistance training (body weight, resistance bands, machine or free weights). Both have different outcomes but help move you toward health.
A lot of women sidestep weight training but it is one of the best ways to increase your metabolism and your body composition.
Family comes under lifestyle as well. How do you spend time together as a family? It’s hard to get children off their electronic devices but find ways to spend more time together enjoying the beach, walking trails, and playing backyard games.