BY EMMET RUSHE: Last week we touched on how to plan for achieving your goals.
This week I am going to give you some simple tips that I have picked up over the years. When added into your daily routine, these 5 tips can be adhered to very easily and can be very effective in helping you achieve your weight loss goals.
1. Using a food diary:
A simple food diary can prevent you from taking in excess calories from seemingly innocent sources such as sugary drinks and cereal bars.
Writing down everything that you eat and drink, means that you are holding yourself accountable for your actions. It can prevent you from making mistakes.
If you are training with a friend, swap diaries once a week and hold each other accountable.
2. Portion Control:
How much do we need to eat at each meal? Hands up if you know?
Actually keep them up, because they are a very good tool for portion control.
Your hand is your very own customized meal planner. If you are small and have small hands you will eat smaller portions and if you are tall and have large hands you will eat larger portions.
At each meal you should be getting in a portion of protein, a portion of carbohydrates and a portion of fibrous vegetables.
a) Protein (Chicken, beef, fish)
You should use the size of an open palm and should roughly be the thickness of your thumb.
b) Carbs. (Potato, sweet potato, rice)
You should use the same size as a cupped hand.
c) Vegetables (Any vegetables, but green is best)
You should use the size of a closed fist.
d) For extra fats if needed, such as oils and butter for cooking, or nuts for snacking on, you will use the length and thickness of your thumb, from tip to the large knuckle. (Any nut except peanuts.)
3. Food preparation and planning:
Advanced preparation of meals can prevent you from making mistakes due to work or family commitments. You can cook everything you need the night before, or in the morning when you get up. All you have to do is pack it up and bring it with you. If this all seems too much, pick two days throughout the week. (I find Sunday and Wednesday works best for me.) Prepare everything you need for the next few days. Pack it in containers, freeze it and take it out and use it as needed.
4. Snack on fruit and nuts:
A small snack of fruit and nuts mid-morning and mid-afternoon has been shown to be effective in weight loss and can keep hunger at bay for longer. An apple and a portion of almonds is a perfect snack.
This simple yet effective way of snacking, also allows you to always have something at hand that you can have if you are caught out and miss a meal.
5. Use the 90% rule:
The 90% rule allows you to be consistent with something but to have some leeway throughout the week as well. An example of this is that if you planned to eat 5 meals per day 7 days per week, that is 35 meals, 90% of this would give 32, so that allows 3 free meals throughout the week. Think business lunch, family celebration or wedding etc.
These are very simple, but very effective ways to create structure to your weight loss goals.
For further information on Personal Training and Nutrition contact me through the link below. I’ll be back next Monday on Donegal Daily with more.
#TrainSmart
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushe-Personal-Training-and-Performance/120518884715118
* Emmet is the owner and operator of Rushe Personal Training and Performance
Tags:
