Marion Freijsen A blog about Sports, Fitness & Health

Healthy foods

My last blog resulted in a number of comments and emails showing that you all do care about WHAT you eat, not just when or how much. In replying to some of you, I talked about food combinations, which can help you lose weight more quickly then just eating or leaving out one staple food item. For instance, if you are losing weight, you will need to make sure that despite the fact that it seems easy to cut out carbohydrates completely – this is not a good thing at all. You need carbohydrates (pasta, rice, potatoes, grains) to actually have enough energy to exercise, and if you don’t eat any at all, you will eventually lose not just the fat you are trying to shed, but the muscle you are working so hard to build.  So if you want to follow a diet, make sure it does contain foods from all different groups – but in moderation.

I personally am not a fan of any kind of diet – generally speaking, they cut out too much and whilst you will find it helps to follow a rule “no carbs”, you will gain this weight almost the moment you get off the diet. Instead, you need to get into the habit of eating things that are good for you instead of things that are not good for you. I see so many people make the wrong choices when it comes to making or ordering food, that it is no suprise that we as a race are heading for obesity being the rule rather then the exception.

First of all, try and go back to basics. Eat nothing that is manufactured, (like cakes, baked goods, pre-made meals, pancakes etc) so no things that are man-made in effect, but instead eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, lean meats (chicken and 1 day a week red meat if you want), eggs. In terms of carbs, eat potatoes and brown rice instead of white rice or pasta and use brown bread instead of white. Drinks – no more then one soda a day (full of aspartame and other rubbish you don’t need), but plenty of water, green tea, white tea and even a few cups of coffee – all fine. If you can, make your own sauces, at least you know what goes into them!

If you do this, you will already start losing weight, almost guaranteed. And not only that, in about 3 weeks you will notice how much more energy you have – which will be your biggest motivator to keep going and find more healthy eating.  I will add some more recipes and ideas over the next weeks to keep you on track!

For another site that can really help you – visit www.biggestloser.com, a US TV Show that has helped millions of people through their program and site. It is a paid service to get a Meal Plan but may be worth it if you are seriously looking to reduce weight and win back your health.