Eating healthy foods takes constant effort on your part. In winter we tend to eat more fattening foods, leaving us with unwanted kilos to shed when summer comes along again
If you want to lose weight, it is so much easier to eat healthy foods like salads and fruit in summer, but these types of food unfortunately don’t satisfy and keep you warm in winter.
The general rule of thumb is to fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with carbs or starches and a quarter with protein. Vegetables are filling and fiber rich. Vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, cooked dried beans, peas and lentils should be regarded as starches, unless you prefer to count cooked pulses as protein.
Don’t eat more than one portion of carrots, yellow pumpkins, parsnips, beetroot, turnip, spinach, Brussels sprouts, bean sprouts or peas with your main meals, as these have a higher GI and a higher kilojoule count. If you find that you are still hungry after your meal, then have about a cup of any of the following, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, baby marrows, brinjal, peppers or onion. These vegetables are very low in kilojoules.
Here are some more tips to help you to maintain your current weight during the colder months.
1. Exercise at least three times a week for 30 – 60 minutes at a time. Exercising increases your metabolic rate, which is the rate at which you burn food.
2. Make sure to eat three meals a day and stop when you have had enough, even if your plate isn’t empty.
3. Avoid fizzy sodas, milk drinks that are high in kilojoules, fruit juice, alcohol and beverages with full cream milk or coffee creamer and lots of sugar. Try a healthier version of a hot chocolate made with cocoa, low fat milk and sweetener.
4. Takeaways are laden with extra calories, so try to avoid them. You also tend to eat more than you would at home. If eating out, opt for veggies instead of fries, and once you have had enough, ask for a doggy bag.
If you stick to the above advice and eat moderate and varied portions, then you shouldn’t have to do the frantic diet in summer to get back into shape.