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

TEMPTING TASTY CHRISTMAS TREATS!

With the average adult consuming between 6,000 & 7,000 calories on Christmas Day alone it's worth cutting back in other areas without compromising on taste. With a little thought & preparation you can serve delicious treats that will not pile on the pounds or leave the family feeling bloated and stuffed! Here are my favourites.....in no particular order.....
1. Fresh fruit dipped in chocolate - use a high % cocoa dark chocolate - it satisfies more than the milk variety.
2. Olives - less than 10 calories each!
3. Breadsticks instead of crisps - make a tomato salsa dip to dunk.
4. Medjool dates - big, plump & juicy - so much nicer than the little sticky ones.
5. Smoked salmon & prawns - wrap the prawns in the salmon for a canape idea.
6. Celery, grapes & soft cheese - about 1/4 the calories of hard cheese & biscuits!
7. Filo pastry mince pies - around 100 calories less than a shortcrust pastry pie.
8. Hummus with raw vegetable crudites to dip.
9. Edamame beans or wasabi peas - Whitworths are scrummy - from large supermarkets.
10. Single Baileys & cup of coffee rather than an Irish coffee - save about 250 calories!
11. Dark high cocoa content chocolate - decadent!
12. Champagne of course!

I wish you all have a very happy healthy Christmas & thank you for taking the time to read my blogs & posts.

Bev.

Sustainable weight loss Manchester.

EAT BEFORE YOU SOCIALISE THIS CHRISTMAS!

Skipping meals during the day, because you are going out to eat in the evening, is not a good idea if you are watching your weight. Starving yourself inevitably leads to binging. So if you're going out for a meal, or to a party, & you don't want to overeat.... have a snack before you go!
Now I know the hardened dieters among you will be screaming "but that means more calories in the day & less for later!"
But my point is, that if you have a healthy snack about an hour before you go out, you'll be less likely to be ravenous when you arrive. Being really hungry means you won't be in control of your eating. You'll be desperate for the bread basket, & may make poor menu choices because of your hunger - or, first in line for the buffet, filling your plate with anything & everything!
A healthy snack will enable you to make better food selections throughout the evening. So consider having
one of the following: 2tbsps hummus & a mini brown pitta, 1/2 medium avocado & 1tbsp prawns, 2oz lean chicken & 2 rice cakes, 1/2 pot cottage cheese & 2 oatcakes, 2oz feta cheese & 8 olives, 2oz unsalted nuts, or a bowl of homemade lentil & carrot soup.
By eating sensibly throughout the day, the chances are you won't go mad when you're out, & consequently not feel stuffed & bloated, & more importantly not gain weight!

Healthy eating is for Christmas time too!

Bev
Personal weight loss Manchester

IT'S ADVENTURE TIME AGAIN!

 I'm off on another adventure soon. It'll be my 3rd time working for Racing The Planet ... this time in the Sahara Desert where it's currently 37 degrees! People ask me if I'm running the race? Do I look mad? 150 miles self supported through the desert? No thanks! Volunteering is enough hard work for me & I'm really excited to be going to help, support & cheer the runners on. The photo is one of the checkpoints that will be home each day as I clock times, give out water & generally encourage some awesome people to get to the next camp each day!

Those of you who follow my blogs will probably recacll that as a volunteer you are also self suficient for 7 days. I'll be eating freeze dried food as hot water is provided for meals, but there is no water for washing - so we all hum nicely together! I'll be keeping my hat on till I can get in a shower to wash my hair, although strangely it's never too bad. Bed is a tent in camp each night with a sleeping bag & mat.

I consider myself very lucky to be chosen again to work on another desert race - it's a priviledge to watch people push themselves to their limits each day & achieve something truly amazing .

I'm looking forward to seeing the Valley of the Whales, & of course The Pyramids at the finish line.

So enjoy your healthy eating everyone while I'm away & think of me - I'll be craving fresh food like mad!

Bev :-)

FRESH OR DRIED FRUIT......?

We all know fruit is good for us, but which should you choose: fresh or dried? Good question. Fresh comes as nature intended, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & phytochemicals - all of which are required for good health. Unfortunatley much of the vitamin C is lost in the drying process.... but, dried fruit is considerably higher in fibre, which is a great aid to weight loss!  Dried apricots contain around 20g of fibre per 100g, whereas fresh have less than 2g.  Another advantage of fresh fruit is that it holds a lot of water & is relatively low in calories... so you can eat a greater volume... eg. 100g of grapes has only around 60 calories, but the dried version - raisins - has about 275 per 100g. 

The water content of fresh fruit adds to your daily water requirement & helps keep you feeling full - a great plus again if you're trying to lose a few pounds. That's not to say dried fruit isn't good for you... the remaining nutrients are concentrated into smaller volumes so a little amount is perfect as a snack between meals & helps to regulate your blood sugar levels.

So include both in your daily diet, but my tip is to make sure you eat more portions of vegetables than fruit each day - that way you should be having the right amount!

Happy healthy eating!

Bev