This was a blog I had written as a guest blog about 8 months ago – so I’m republishing it here since it seems as if we’re all on the “lose weight get healthy” kick at the moment. 
A bit of a disclaimer before I move on, I am not a medical or nutrition expert. I am not one of those extremely cut, healthy people you see working out in the windows of a gym. In fact, I would consider myself maybe on the otherside of the health meter – somewhere between absolutely impossible and is that normal.
When I was teenager I was one of those annoying young people who could eat anything and not gain weight and not have to try because my everyday life kept me busy enough to keep the weight down. When I got old(er) and sedentary, this changed – and my diet HAD to change. Not only was I in a different country, but I was on my own with ten times more choice for each item in the grocery. The allure of not having to cook myself, instant foods and microwave convenience soon caught up to my thighs and then the health problems started – I now have numerous allergies, am severely anaemic, am gluten-intolerant and most recently have been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendonitis…and counting. Sometimes it makes me a little jealous of people who are diagnosed with one issue and one issue only….but that’s another story….
So I decided I needed to lose weight and for the first time in my life joined a gym and actually *gasp* started weight training alongside my cardio and aerobics! I also tried a few different diets, including Jenny Craig, high protein and even a supervised “cleanse” by a Naturopath that involved scary looking vitamin tablets and only eating crucible vegetables for two weeks….
They all worked to lose weight, but losing weight and eating healthy are two different things.
Being healthy means such different things to so many people. I don’t think that anyone should write one “recipe for health” and assume that it’s a cookie cutter solution. There is no cookie cutter in this case. So many people go overboard and try so many things that they cannot even differentiate between what works and what doesn’t. I have a friend who does exactly that – I call it the “over healthy syndrome“. She does yoga, refuses to do the gym, researches diseases and goes to her medical doctor to ask for tests, then goes straight to the homeopath to see what he thinks of the doctor’s advice and then to a naturopath for the same thing. She tries ayurvedic and ancient chinese medicine and researches getting healthier every day online. I do not believe she will recognize when she has actually reached a point of “healthy”….please do not do this…it’s just not normal healthy.
Instead, target what you think is your health problem specifically. If you are overweight, research diets and exercise that cut calories and build muscle quickly. If you want to target healthy living for a specific disease/health phenomena you KNOW you are going through, then research that disease, speak with a nutritionist (yes it is worth the money for an hour), start off slow and go for it. Also, make sure that while you are on this route to health that you make sure you are enjoying yourself – face it, if you don’t enjoy it, you’re not going to stick with it
Personally, I have to be very careful what I consume – I am gluten free, dairy free and allergic to all bumpy, hairy berries, ginseng and echinacea. I am also borderline obese (by definition) and need to lose weight. Currently I’m not practicing my “healthy lifestyle” choices because I’m up for some testing but if you want to know how I target my healthy eating when I am following my regiment, here goes…
I found that the best diet for me, that caters to all my allergies and all my health problems as well as helps me lose weight, is the protein rich diet. This, along with a good exercise plan (whatever you enjoy whether it be a gym, yoga, pilates or just riding a bike in good weather) makes you lose weight and feel more energetic within a week. It is also easy to go dairy and gluten free with this diet. That’s why it’s correct for ME. I cannot guarantee that it is the perfect diet for YOU.
1) Portion control
Did you know that “According to a 2007 paper published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, portion sizes offered by fast food chains are two to five times larger than when first introduced.” Take a step back and look at the size of the burger you are eating….and think waaay back when your Dad used to take you for burgers. What’s the difference? Oh yeah, the ones your Dad took you for could actually fit in your mouth. It stares us in the face really – just go to the movie theater and order a regular sized coke….and worse, look at the cup (notice I didn’t say order) of the “upsized” cup. I think at least four people could finish the amount of soda pop in the regular sized much less the upsized. The same goes for food in popular restaurants around North America. Indeed, this is being considered a major cause for the obesity problem in America.
When I was with Jenny Craig, I found out that one of my biggest problems was (and still is) portion control. The world bombards you with so much food, and with our sedentary lifestyles today, there’s no way we can work it off if we eat all of it, especially with the pace of life in the modern day. They advised me that instead of eating off of a full sized dinner plate at home, eat off of a salad plate (that’s one plate size smaller than a dinner plate not the little bread plate that you get at the side of your meals in restaurants). When eating out, ask the waitstaff to pack half the meal to go as you order, share your order with your eating partner or divide your plate in half and eat only one half of the food given to you.
2) High Protein Diet
For me, I found the high protein diet helped me to feel healthier more quickly than other diets, helped me to build muscle faster and was most convenient for my lifestyle. Please notice I said high protein not low or no carb (even though I did cut down on my carbs because it promotes belly fat). In this diet you basically gear all your meals towards the protein portion in your meal, be it meat or legumes. (For me it was meat because legumes do amazingly distubing things to my gut). I admit, it was a little weird going to a restaurant and having my husband order the seafood alfredo linguini when I ordered a steak. Yes, we got a few looks from waitstaff when they realized the “man food” was for me. Along with my meat, I included a variety of iron rich veggies – broccoli and baby spinach in particular (because I like brocolli and baby spinach); Of course I ate other veggies as well, but if I could help it I had broccoli and/or spinach with all my meals (do remember I’m anaemic as well).
I also did protein shakes after working out and for my breakfast. These things pack as much calories as a meal, so go easy….but they work wonders after a good workout. They assist in building muscle faster and in the healing of the ripped muscle so you are not as sore the day after. They’re generally whey-based (which is dairy) or soy-based. I usually make them into a smoothie with a banana (for nutrition benefits and for the thick texture of the drink in the end) and whatever frozen (or fresh if it’s available) fruit I have on hand. I also make it with orange juice or rice milk (different flavours depending on the shake I’m making) instead of milk/yoghurt because I’m dairy free. They are so yummy and so filling that I do not feel as if I’m missing out. Oh, and just a note, no they are not epinephrine based nor are they steroidal nor will they make you look like a man….they’re just protein.
3) Exercise Plan with lots and lots of cardio
I absolutely hate weight training, and because of my CTS I can’t do it right now with my arms (yaaaay!) – what I love is moving and dancing – so aerobics is my thing. I’ve been told I’m stressed by numerous friends, family, massage therapists, physiotherapists, doctors and my one husband (maybe I should listen now that I’ve listed all the copious amounts of people who tell me), so I think I may try to take up yoga or pilates. I found this great thing called Spynga I’ve been wanting to try (a mixture of Spinning and Yoga)…but all in good time.
desperately trying to make the dress fit
I do know however, that the most successful workout system for me was the one right before my wedding when I wanted to lose a dress size (and lost two!!! A little panic on the wedding day..the dress was a bit too big). It consisted of lots and lots of cardio and weight training. I did cardio before my weight training starting off in fifteen minute intervals on teh bike. When that got easy, I moved to the treadmill for fifteen minutes, then half hour or more (depending on my time). I then moved onto the elliptical in a similar manner. I have to tell you, I cannot do a stairmaster, and I was advised to do the ski-ing machine, but that hurt my knees….so for me, the elliptical it is. I found that the elliptical helped me lose calories fastest and most comfortably out of all these machines. I did use the machines, but I used mainly my own body weight against myself with squats, lunges, push ups, sit ups and crunches. As my body weight went down, I slowly started adding weights to these exercises. And of course, after every workout I drank a protein shake with fruit.
4) Cheering squad and goals
Make sure you have a support system that will give you positive reinforcement when you need it. It’s even better if you find a diet/exercise buddy with the same goals as you – that way you egg yourself on. There will be times you feel as if you’re all alone, so this is necessary if you can get it. If you can’t, make sure you have a goal – an outfit you used to fit in, a photo of what you’d like to look like, a health goal you want to reach that is feasible. Put it somewhere conspicuous to you (on your mirror above your sink, on your fridge etc.) so that you have a daily reminder as to why you are doing this. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to conveniently forget.
5) Reality
No diet is going to be easy, so just make sure that if you decide to do it that you can stick to it. Pick a realistic diet for you – if it’s a diet that requires you to only eat food you cook and you’re a busy Mom or a busy career person, then obviously it’s not going to work! If you pick a diet that has NO carbs, but you’re low energy and you ‘re one of those people that HAVE to eat bread, pasta, potato or rice with every meal, of course you’ll be challenged in so many ways that you’re setting yourself up to fail. In the end the best diet is one you can sustain – and one that allows you a little of what you truly enjoy be it the fattiest salad dressing, roasted pork belly, alfredo pasta, cake, chocolate, taffy or ice cream.
If you cut out everything you love, you will not succeed. That’s just the reality.
If you take anything from this blog today, it would be this – make sure that you choose something that is geared towards you and your lifestyle. Make sure it is sustainable and that you will keep it up regardless of how much support you have. Keep your eye on the goal and if you need to vent about it, feel free to contact me…..
