Thursday

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Healthy Nutrition

Yay, Fat flush phase complete. Today is what we call a “weight loss” day. MOST of your days will look like this.

Please consume 1.5 grams of carb x body weight kgs + 1.5grams protein x body weight kgs + lots of salad / veg. Note, if you choose really low fat protein source such as fish or beans, then you may need to add some healthy fats to your plan, such as nuts, avocado or olive oil.

If you prefer to “eyeball” it instead of count in grams, you can consume one small palm serve of protein and carb 5 times per day or one large palm size serve of protein and carb 3 times per day.

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Happy Movement

No exercise today, but I do want you to do extra movement today in whatever way you enjoy. Up to 2 hours of extra movement or an extra 10,000 steps on your pedometer. Feel free to break this up into smaller time chunks.

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HOT tip

Choose foods that you enjoy and that feel normal to you. Simply fit those meals into the correct portion sizes.

I cannot stress this enough. The more normal and enjoyable your eating plan feels, the higher the likelihood that you will stick with it long term.

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HOT lesson – Sugar

The world Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no more than 25 – 30 grams of added sugar per day for adults.

When most people hear this recommendation their initial thoughts go to teaspoons of white crystals that they might add to cereal of coffee.

However what we also need to be concerned with (perhaps more so) is the amount of sugar in packaged products. I want you to check the labels of all foods, and see how much sugar is contained.

The sugar total in grams is conveniently listed in the nutritional panel under sugars (of course). Simply estimate the serving size you are about to consume and work out how much sugar is contained.

Please see also Hidden sugars… Or are they?

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Let’s look at the label for sweet chilli sauce.

(We will use the 100ml information for ease of explanation).

This label simply means that out of the total carbohydrates of 73 grams, there are 69.3 grams of the simple carbohydrate form and the rest (only 3.7 grams in this case) of the more complex carbohydrate form.

BUT

All carbs eventually get processed by our bodies as sugar. (Excluding fibre)

The more refined and processed the carbohydrate is (white bread, white rice etc.), the quicker our blood sugar rises. That is why wholegrain choices are better than white. The wholegrain choices also contain more fibre, have a higher thermic effect (more on this later) and can keep you fuller for longer.

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Unrefined sugars

Don’t be fooled into thinking that unrefined sugars are any better for you than refined sugar. Sugar is sugar and should be limited. Clean eating recipes that boast “No refined sugars” can still be full of sugar (and fat and calories).

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All or nothing usually leads to disaster

There is no need to completely quit sugar. There is such a big emotional difference between enjoying a small amount each day (30 grams) from your favourite foods, compared to being so scared and freaked out that sugar is poisonous or toxic and eliminating it completely. This type of all or nothing thinking is not useful, not true and can be harmful in the long run.

In summary

I would love you to avoid thinking of some foods (such as sugar) as “bad” and other foods as “good”.

It is much more helpful to take the emotion out and simply focus on your budgets. Stick to your daily carbohydrate budget of XXX grams per day, out of that up to 30 grams of it can be sugar. Simple, factual, no emotional response.

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Further recommended reading on this topic

Why I hate the Sugar is Bad message
Hidden sugars… or are they
Don’t quit sugar (or any food) until you read this
Tis sugar, tis sugar – Susie Burrell

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Go to Week 2, Lesson 5 artificial sweeteners – – HERE

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