Diet and health

With the Easter bunny just a few hops away, i thought it would be a good time to talk to you about your diet.

• Do you treat yourself with respect?
• Do you speak positive words to yourself or are you constantly telling yourself you can’t do something? in my case - you can't lose weight - and keep it off. You hate going to the gym, so why bother. Actually no I don't - so shush.
• Do you eat properly?
• Do you eat a wide variety of foods?
• Do you eat from all the foods groups of every colour or are you predictable in your eating habits?
• Have you gained weight this year? - yes, and I am still struggling to get rid of the excess middle even though my mum left weeks ago....and no I can't blame my mum, just the amount of socialising we did.
• Did you gain weight last year?
• How about the year before?

It's time to be brutally honest - and I am the first one to look in the bathroom mirror and ask - who the heck are you, and where did you come from? Adipose 5? (to all dr who fans out there !!)

Weight creep is easy – all you need is a few extra calories on a daily basis and not working them off, and you can gain weight. Of course, conversely the opposite is also true, it just seems to take longer to get rid of!

We may think we don’t have time to cook a “proper” dinner, but to be honest I know in my case, that’s being lazy.

One thing I’ve noticed is “fast food” isn’t particularly fast. If you are at home you have to make a conscious decision to go and fetch it. And then of course there is the wait whilst it's cooked – unless it is cooked and on a warmer - ugh. If of course you decide to eat it at home, there is the added drive back – plus the food is usually cold. By which time I’ve usually lost my desire to eat it – but because I’ve fetched it, do. And if you've decided to eat at the restaurant - there is a greater temptation to go back and get dessert. And you know I'm right.

So, working it out, it would take you less time to grill a piece of meat or fish and throw together a salad. Much faster than fast food, healthier and probably costs a lot less too. The difference of course it can make to our waistlines and our pockets – if we could be bothered to do it.

Now there will be some people out there who would disagree with me. A good friend of mine has access to some of the best curry on this side of the world, and within walking distance. But having made my own version last night – which fed 3 people (plus enough for lunch today) for a couple of dollars more, I stick by my point. And no, I don't have any more time than anyone else, just I choose to cook most of the time, and in doing so - choose versions that can take of itself whilst I do other things.

Now, there are a lot of people reading this who happen to travel a great deal. They rely on other people to feed them, and it may be a lot harder to make healthier choices when you don’t know what’s gone into the dish. But lets face it, if we cut back on the sauces, choose poached over fried and vegetables as opposed to chipped potatoes – we may well on the way to making healthier choices. And the silly thing about it is - we all know that.

But it all comes down to motivation.

• Are you motivated to keep an eye on your weight – or do you just buy bigger clothes each year? And yes I have been guilty of doing that.
• Do you think you will be able to burn off the food you’ve eaten? The trouble is – most people eat enough for a training athlete without actually being one.
• Get out some photos from a year or so ago. Are you bigger or smaller than the person in the photograph? By how much?
• Are you within your height / weight category for your age and sex?
• Are you within the healthy BMI for your height / weight? I’m not a big believer in the BMI – because it does not take into account people who are big because of muscle. Sporting friends of mine would all be classed as overweight – but they don’t have an ounce of fat on them. But if you don’t fall into the rugby player category – then the BMI is a useful measure.

Am I saying we shouldn't eat the hot cross buns and the chocolate eggs?

Not at all, just remember what Easter is - a spring, fertility celebration (BTW - that's where the link to bunnies and eggs comes from in case you thought it was yet another holiday dreamt up by the sweet manufacturers - :-) ). I know that personally I feel much better about the way I look when I tip the scales at my correct weight. And unsurprisingly my clothes fit better too.

So – get out the photos and the cookery books – we’ve got a long weekend coming up – why not use it to try eating in a different way. Try some foods you’ve never tried before. Treat your tastebuds and your waistline.

With many thoughts
Elle