When it comes to loosing weight your ultimate success will often depend on portion control. You’re better off eating moderate portions of all different types of foods including a few treats here and there than piling your plate up with apparently healthy options.
Many of us don’t even know what an adequate portion size should be. Go to any high-chain restaurant and your plate will be piled high of food, sometimes you’ll be served up to 5 portions in one sitting! So just how do you watch your portion size and reduce your waist line?
Eat slower – you’ve heard it before I’m sure, but it’s so true, if you take time to eat your meals your brain will have adequate time to register you’ve had enough. Many of us are out of touch with our bodies and we keep eating until we feel so full we could burst. Try to make the mind and body connection by eating your food slowly and taking the time to enjoy each bite.
The Portion Plate – You don’t need to invest in any fancy plate to help you do this, it’s really easy to do anywhere. Mentally divide your plate in half, fill the first half with vegetables then divide the remaining half in half. One half will consist of a portion of carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, and so on and the other half should consist of a protein such as chicken, fish, eggs or beans.
That’s your new portion rule from now on, one quarter protein, one quarter carbohydrates and one half fresh salad or veggies.
Keep the visual image of what your plate should look like anytime you are about to make a food choice. If you’re just having a chicken sandwich for example remember the chicken serving should ideally fit into that quarter of the plate, add two slices of bread and fill up the rest with fresh salad or veggies.
This is by far the easiest way to control your portion size and if you do this with your three daily meals and replace junk food snacks with healthier options such as fruit and low fat yogurt, you are almost guaranteed to loose weight without having to follow any strict diet regimen. Still not sure, give yourself a few days to try it and see the great results for yourself.
Filed under Health Talk, Healthy Eating by on Jan 2nd, 2007. Comment. 
Pilates is a great new form of exercise that has recently swept the nation. Similar to yoga, it focuses on aligning and relaxing the body while strengthening its core muscles. The best part is that it’s easy to get started, even for total beginners.
The best option for getting an optimal Pilates workout is to work with a professional. The best place to find an expert is at a Pilates Studio. These can be found in many cities. They not only have people that specialize in teaching Pilates, they also have machines specifically designed to give you an optimal workout.
If there aren’t Pilates studios in your area, you should look around for a class. Many health clubs will offer these classes for a lower price than going to a studio. While you probably will be doing exercises on a mat instead of machines, you’ll still be taught by someone who knows what they’re doing and can help you use proper form and attain the maximum benefit.
If you can’t find a class or studio near you, you have a few other options to try. The first is to buy a good book or set of tapes that teach you specific moves and how to do them. These tapes may also incorporate equipment such as a ball or resistance band. This equipment can be purchased at most fitness supply stores.
If you have money and space to invest in this fitness regimen, you may consider buying a Pilates machine. They offer more resistance and can improve the effectiveness of your workout. These can be bought from various retailers and are similar to those found in Pilates Studios. For the best workout at the best price, you should find a machine that offers the ability to do many different exercises all on the same machine.
Pilates can be great to help with strength, balance, and posture, among other things. Just be sure not to neglect doing cardio work as well. While it can’t replace aerobic exercise, Pilates is a great addition to your exercise regime.
Filed under Health Talk, Pilates by on Jan 2nd, 2007. Comment.
The low GI diet is not really just a diet but a very healthy and natural way of eating. This is one healthy eating plan which many nutritionists are happy to endorse.
The basis of the low GI diet plan is to eat foods which have a low glycemic index. These are foods which take time for your body to digest and keep blood sugar levels even throughout the day. In return these steady blood sugar levels help reduce cravings and hunger pangs.
One of the biggest benefits of the low GI diet plan is the increased energy people on this eating plan feel. Instead of the usual afternoon slump where you’re reaching for the coffee and donuts, on the low GI diet plan you won’t feel these sugar highs and dips.
So what Can I eat on the low GI diet?
Tons of delicious healthy food such as whole grains including whole grain breads and rice. You can have new potatoes and sweet potatoes. Lean meats and proteins as well as low fat dairy products, most fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts. In fact you can even have chocolate. Chocolate specifically dark chocolate has a low GI score, which means you can indulge and still lose weight.
There are a few exceptions which at first may not make sense but the idea is that vegetables such as corn and carrots can rapidly raise your blood sugar levels and so are considered high GI. Fruits such as bananas and pineapples also have a high GI score, so you’re better off opting for apples or berries.
And there are also a few non expected foods you can have such as avocado, nuts and red wine.
The diet plan is easy to follow and the one huge benefit aside from feeling very energetic is that you should not feel major hunger pangs as you would on another diet. There are also some added extra benefits such as younger looking skin, reduced facial hair in some women and clearer skin.
One important thing to note is that in order to lose weight on this plan you will still need to restrict your calories. If you eat healthy throughout the day but are having one or two avocados along with a couple of pieces of dark chocolate you will not lose weight. Although these foods are healthy for you they are still very calorific.
Having three sensible low GI meals a day along with two snacks and adequate portion sizes are paramount on the Low GI weight loss plan.
Filed under Energy, Health Talk, Healthy Eating, Weight Loss by on Dec 20th, 2006.
Homemade Hummus With Roasted Vegetables Wrap
For the Hummus:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons Greek natural yogurt
Juice of one lemon
Pinch of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Place the chickpeas, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice and paprika in the blender or food processor and mix on high until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper if desired.
For the Roasted Vegetables:
1 Eggplant, sliced
2 zucchinis, cut into matchstick strips
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Flour tortillas to serve
Place all the vegetables in a non stick roasting tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 45 minutes or until tender and roasted.
Warm the tortilla wraps according to package instructions, then spread with hummus and fill with roasted vegetables, wrap and serve.
* Low GI
Filed under Recipes, Vegetarian by on Dec 20th, 2006.
We can’t say for sure who has invented this diet as there is no one person who claims responsibility for it. There are also several different versions of this diet floating around but here are the basics:
The claims are that cabbage has high fat burning properties. This diet plan claims that you can lose a large amount of weight in a short space of time.
This is a very strict diet plan and the idea is that you can eat as much cabbage soup as you’d like everyday. This will help fill you up and stop you from cheating.
Here’s a sample of the diet plan:
Day 1 – Eat as much cabbage soup and fruit as you’d like (enough to keep you full). The exception is bananas, you shouldn’t eat any.
Day 2 – Unlimited cabbage soup and vegetables. You can also have one baked potato with a tiny pat of butter.
Day 3 – Unlimited cabbage soup and vegetables, but on this day you many not have any potatoes or bananas.
Day 4 – Unlimited cabbage soup plus up to eight bananas and unlimited skim milk.
Day 5 – Unlimited cabbage soup and up to 20 oz of been and six tomatoes.
Day 6 – Unlimited cabbage soup plus as much beef and vegetables as you’d like but no potatoes.
Day 7 – Unlimited cabbage soup plus brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juice, but no potatoes.
This is a quick fix diet that will probably work in the short term due to the calorie restrictions. It is worth to note that many dieticians do not approve of this diet as it is not balanced enough and severely limits your nutrient intake.
Filed under Diet Reviews, Health Talk by on Dec 20th, 2006.