IT’S that time of the year again. Evening arrives earlier every day. The blazing heat is starting to subside. You can’t even look at another ice-cream without feeling sick. The end of summer is here. For some of us this will be a relief, for others, it means back to the routine again.
During the summer, healthy eating, dieting, daily trips to the gym fall by the wayside. You know what you should be eating, but putting it into practice when you do not have a set routine is harder. This lack of caution and lack of exercise causes many to gain a kilogram or two over the summer months.
Now is the perfect time to start getting back into routine. There is no such thing as a diet. Healthy eating is a way of life. There are four things that you need always to keep in mind whether you need to lose weight, or whether you just need to get back into a healthy eating routine:
If you pay close attention to these four important points you will be able to bounce quickly back from your holiday slump.
1) Three meals and snacks:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s an age-old clich?, but it is a proven fact that someone who is on a weight loss diet and eats breakfast will fare better in weight loss than someone who does not eat breakfast. Eating breakfast allows you to concentrate better; it also gives you more energy and prevents you from over-eating later on in the day.
Even those who are pressed for time in the morning can make time. A bowl of high-fibre cereal with light milk or two whole-wheat toasts with cheese and a glass of orange juice is all one needs to be able to make it through the morning.
If you have lunch at work, avoid buying sandwiches, or ordering food from restaurants every day. As you cannot always control exactly what you are eating, it is best to make your own sandwiches, or salads.
Dinner can be a variety of things. Grills are the best – grilled fish, chicken, pork chops etc. Be careful of portion sizes. A portion size of meat should be about the size of your palm. As a side dish you could have spaghetti, rice, or potatoes for example. A serving of starch should be about the size of one fist for weight loss, and two fists for weight maintenance. You can complete the meal with any vegetables and salads you wish. The more the better!
Snacks are important, because they prevent you from getting too hungry, and as a result eating more at meal time. The right snacks should be chosen however. For example, a fruit, a small yogurt, a couple of crackers with cheese, a handful of nuts, or even half a sandwich. Now that the summer is over, there is no need for those decadent ice-creams, desserts, or sugary coffees.
2) The way food is cooked
We have spoken about portion sizes. However, if the food is not cooked in a healthy way, controlling portion sizes defeats the purpose. It is important to avoid deep-frying foods. There are so many different ways to cook, the options are endless. There is no harm in using a little bit of olive oil in our cooking. For example one or two teaspoons of olive oil per person when cooking is more than enough. This way you can grill, stir-fry, bake or roast in a healthy way.
3) Timing of meals
When you eat is just as important as what you eat. Eating late at night is not the healthiest way of eating. Many of us tend to consume most of our daily calories in the evenings. This is probably the most suitable time for most, but it does not help if someone is trying to maintain a healthy weight, and especially if someone is trying to lose weight.
Spacing your meals throughout the day is the best option. The best option is to eat minimum three to four hours before bedtime. By doing this, your body still has a chance actually to do something with those calories that you have consumed. If you go to sleep soon after eating you will not have a chance to burn the energy you have consumed. Furthermore this might cause other problems like heartburn and bloating.
4) Exercise
Exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand. There is little point in watching what you eat if you do not exercise. One should have at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week to stay healthy. Sixty minutes of exercise may be needed to prevent weight gain. It does not have to be done all in one go. A 20-minute walk after each meal is another way of achieving this goal. In order for exercise to be effective, you need to increase your heart rate. You are at the correct pace when your heart rate is up, but you can still carry out a conversation at the same time.
Exercise is not only important for weight maintenance or loss, it is also important for healthy bones, for posture, for a healthy heart, and it gives you extra energy.
It is not necessary to start doing an hour of exercise straight away if you are not accustomed to exercise. Starting with 15 minutes a day and slowly working your way up to 60 minutes is the best option.
As can be seen, it is not that hard to get back into the “after summer” routine! Focusing on those four main points can help you get back on track. If you need further assistance in losing those extra summer kilograms, a dietician would be able to help you put it all into perspective.
Alexia Stephanou, RD, is a Clinical Dietician at I.A.S.I Medical Centre. 22-441300, 99-884155
