LOSE YOUR OTHER HALF & LOSE WEIGHT!

Don't get me wrong - I'm not for one minute suggesting anyone splits up! However I have come to the conclusion that it's much easier to eat really healthy meals & shift a few stubborn pounds when you're only looking after yourself. My wonderful husband of nearly 30 years has gone to China for 2 weeks & evening meals have become incredibly simple. He's very fit & healthy but quite partial to steak & chips or lasagne, followed by some cookie dough ice cream! How do you resist that? So yes, when clients tell me it's really difficult to eat healthily because your family want something else, I understand. Like you, I sometimes find myself cooking 2 different meals. It isn't always easy.
But now my fridge is running at bare minimum - only what I need, so no temptation. I've planned my meals, been shopping & am totally organised. Tonight I'm having a pearl barley & butternut squash salad - also throw in some peppers, sun dried tomatoes & broccoli. Toss in a little virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Simples!
So whether you are cooking for 1, 2 or the whole family, take advantage of this lovely warm weather & create some tasty salads. If others want more than that, serve up some meat, poultry or fish with it - but at least you're only making one big bowl of delicious, filling salad.

Happy #healthyeating everyone!

Bev

Sustainable weight loss Manchester / Cheshire

BUT I DON'T LIKE CARROTS!

I'm amazed at how many adults actually say they dislike a huge array of vegetables. Everyone has somewhere between 2,000 & 10,000 taste buds on their tongue, which detect sweet, salty, sour, bitter & umami (the 5th savoury taste). Luckily your preferences aren't set in stone - you can change the foods you like if the desire is there. It takes an average of 14 days to 'accept' a new taste. I know someone who went from 3 tsps of sugar in his coffee to none. Just stopped. After 2 weeks he tried it with only 1 tsp of sugar & really hated it - his taste buds had adapted. The same can be done with an 'unhealthy' diet.
We all know vegetables are good for you - full of vitmains, minerals & fibre. Eating at least 5 portions a day means you'll have less room for the unhealthy stuff. Eat as big a variety as possible for maximum nutritional benefits.
Yes ok, there may be some vegs that you find totally gross (sprouts spring to mind), but I just don't believe that you can't learn to love carrots! Try them raw with dips, grated onto salads, in a juice, roasted with parsnips, diced & mixed with peas, or mashed with sweet potatoes. Incorporate them into your meals regularly & you will start to develop a taste for them.
Sadly, if you eat a diet high in sweet, salty, fatty foods your taste buds will take some time to change, but
there's nothing like feeling good on the inside!
It's never to late to learn.

Happy Healthy Eating,
Bev
Sustainable Weight Loss Manchester

HAPPY EASTER!

The average Brit will spend approx £65 on Easter eggs, which experts reckon equals 53,000 calories - that's a lot of 'eggstra' calories being consumed!
Just one standard size Easter egg can easily add up to 1,000 calories, and of course those calories are made up of mainly sugar and fat - not ideal if you are watching your weight!
So here are my top 3 tips for not gaining lots of unwanted pounds this Easter......
1. Choose or ask for a dark chocolate egg. It will satisfy your taste buds much more than milk chocolate, so you will probably be happy eating less at one time.
2.  Break your egg into 100 calorie portions. You can do this by checking the nutritional information on the packaging. Then put the portions into small food bags & store at the top of a cupboard, out of easy reach.
3. Don't just mindlessly nibble your egg, and especially avoid eating while watching TV - it will be gone before you know it! Plan when you will eat some - maybe after dinner, so you have something to look  forward to. Then eat slowly, savour, taste and enjoy.

The beautiful photo is of some real eggs I saw in Harrods Food Hall last week. Aren't they lovely? Why not paint your own eggs, so you can have a pretty egg for breakfast on Easter Sunday? If you have children I'm sure they'd love to paint their own eggs in a box - get creative!

Hope you have a very happy healthy eating Easter,

Bev

Sustainable Weight Loss Manchester

LENTIL & RICE CASSEROLE

Oh the Great British weather! It's trying to snow again & is bitterly cold whilst I type this. So I thought a lovely warming & healthy casserole would be just the ticket.
This is one of my favourite recipes when I want a hearty, comforting meal that is also full of great nutrients. Why not give it a try.....

Put 8oz red lentils & 4oz brown rice in a large saucepan. Add 2.5 pts of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil & then simmer for 15 mins. Meanwhile chop 1 leek, 1 red pepper, 4oz broccoli florets & 2oz green beans & then add to the lentils & rice. Also add 14oz tin chopped tomatoes, 1tsp cumin, 1tsp chilli powder & 1tsp garam masala. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 mins or until the rice is cooked. Finally add 1-2 tbsp tomato puree (depending on taste) & a handful of shredded basil.
You can add any vegetables you like really - these are my favourites. This amount will serve 4-6 according to appetite! But it's also a dish that you prepare in advance & freeze, or try reheating a portion for lunch the next day.
The men in my house usually eat this as an accompaniment to chicken or pork chops - you don't have to serve a vegetarian meal to those who don't want it.

Enjoy!
Happy healthy eating,

Bev
Sustainable weight loss Manchester

START DROPPING HINTS GIRLS!

February is famous for Valentine's Day. According to an article in the Daily Mail, British men will spend around a staggering £611 million on their loved ones! Women spend less than half of that - about £269 million. And the most popular gift after flowers is - yes you've guessed it - chocolate!
So if you don't want to undo all that great healthy eating you've done since New Year & pile on the pounds again it's time to drop some serious hints. If you're other half is likely to buy you chocolates it needs to be the right sort - namely DARK HIGH COCOA CONTENT CHOCOLATE. The higher the cocoa content the better, anything above 75% is good. And RAW CHOCOLATE bars are just divine - sold in many health stores. A LITTLE dark chocolate has been proven to be beneficial to your health - the flavonol antioxidants help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol & improve blood flow to the brain & heart.
Milk chocolate has approx 25% cocoa - the rest is mainly fat & sugar, & it's extremely addictive. Can you really have 2 chocolates & put the lid back on the box? Or do you keep eating till you feel sick? Been there & done that! Smaller amounts of dark chocolate will satisfy you because of the higher cocoa content.
So, delicious decadent dark chocolate & a bunch of flowers sounds ideal - then you can melt the chocolate & dip some strawberries in it for the perfect romantic treat.

Happy healthy eating Saint Valentines Day everyone!

Bev

DID YOU DIET AGAIN?

 Well the average person stays on a diet for 19 days. Are you that person? All your good new Year 'diet' intentions disappeared?
It's now widely accepted that dieting just doesn't work - in my opinion it's beacuse people don't change their eating habits when they are 'on a diet' - then they have a setback, feel like a failure & revert back to the unhealthy eating habits that made them gain weight in the first place! So then any weight lost is regained - and possibly more.
To lose weight, and keep it off, you have to make life long changes.
 

When you go food shopping make a list of the food you need for the meals you intend to cook over the next 2 or 3 days. Add healthy snacks to the list & anything else you need. Then STICK TO THE LIST when you go - do not be tempted by the clever supermarket sales pitches for foods high in sugar, salt, saturated fat & calories. Junk food is addictive - the more you eat, the more you'll want, so be warned! You know it's true.... can you eat just one biscuit?
Which shopping basket does yours look like?

Happy healthy eating!
Bev
Sustainable Weight Loss Manchester

ARE YOU READY TO CHANGE?

There is no magic formula for losing weight. If there was, don't you think it would be the biggest news story of all time? Faddy diets usually make your bank balance thinner - not you. Don't believe all you read in magazines & the tabloids. The main stream 'diet' clubs will help you lose some weight whilst you attend their meetings, but once you stop going....? Over 90% people pile it all back on again. So what should you do if you are serious that this is the final time you struggle with your weight?
You have to make changes to what, when, how & why you eat - today, tomorrow, next week, next month & forever! It's not that difficult, & involves changing the basic foods you may have in your fridge & cupboards. So that whenever you eat food at home, it's the 'right' sort of food, ie. food that will keep you feeling full, & is packed with nutrients to fuel your body..... not 'junk' food that's devoid of nutrients & doesn't fill you up. When you eat out you'll pick the best food choices off the menu, but also allow yourself a few treats. It's about learning to have treats in moderation.... & once you've cracked that....!

A very happy healthy New Year to you all,

Bev
Sustainable weight loss Manchester