Food Influences

Occasionally I've been watching The Biggest Loser on TV and I have to say it really turns me off eating. I admire the enormous effort the participants are making to shed some of the weight they carry, but have to question how on earth they let themselves get to that point. To be over 200 kilos ( 420lbs) is incredible. And it was achieved over years, mouthful by mouthful. So think about that mouthful before you add it to your body .... do you need it?

My food intake from Sunday 18 February to Saturday 24 Feb 2007

2 black coffee
1 toasted roll w grapefruit marmalade
bowl cereal
Fruit cocktail: grapes, apple, watermelon, apricot, pineapple juice
Laksa: noodles, prawns, chinese vegetables
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1/2 bread roll w marmalade
Fruit cocktail: grapes, apple, watermelon, apricot, pineapple juice
2 hotdogs w onion & cheese
mineral water
2 pieces Lindt dark chocolate
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl cereal
2 pieces Lindt dark chocolate
piece white fish in sauce
2 slices bread
1 nectarine
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
spinach / feta in filo
1 Aero bar
salmon steak w green salad
2 slices bread
sparkling mineral water
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
bowl cereal
1/2 banana
1 apple
3 sweet potato patties
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 pieces grain toast - 1 vegemite 1 peanut butter
1/2 banana
1 yogurt top muesli bar
2 enchiladas
pineapple juice

Hunger Pangs

Do you eat because you feel hunger pangs? Or because it's a mealtime and everybody must eat three meals a day to stay healthy (and fat!). If you genuinely want to cut down on your food intake, lose weight and maintain the size you want to be you'll have to learn to love hunger pangs. Hear your stomach growling and think "good, I'm burning off fat". Give it an apple and listen for the feedback. Is it growling for more or quiet for the moment?

If you listen for the food that hums to you and eat some, it will stop hunger pangs. Stop eating because society says we should eat 3 meals a day. That was true when you got up early to do heavy manual labor, not now with the sedentary lives most of us lead. A bowl of cereal for breakfast gives you what you need for a morning without hunger pangs. Fruit or salad for lunch will carry you through the afternoon. High energy cocktails will boost your energy if you start to flag.

If you are eating for the taste, eating two or three buttered croissants when one piece of wholemeal toast would have satisfied the same hunger, then you are on the road to being fat! Which is fine if that's your choice, go ahead and eat everything in sight, the creamier, fatter, sweeter the better. But take responsibility for your decision and don't complain when you get to a size that invites obesity related diseases. You, and no-one else, are totally responsible for whatever you weigh!


My food intake:
Sunday 12 Feb to Saturday 17 Feb

2 black coffee
2 small dinner rolls honey/vegemite
1 chocolate muffin
stir-fried noodles, chinese veg & chicken
serve plain yogurt w honey
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 piece toast w vegemite
1 yogurt top muesli bar
energy cocktail - carrot, mango, tomato, watermelon, yogurt, mint
herb & cheese omelette
fruits of the forest muesli bar
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 piece toast w vegemite
energy cocktail - carrot, mango, tomato, watermelon, yogurt, mint, fruit juice
bowl cereal
honey & cheese sandwich white bread
4 Allens natural jubes
yogurt top muesli bar
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 slice fruit cake
chicken sate w rice
4 pieces 70% cocoa choc
4 Allens jubes
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 banana
1/2 avocado
1 fruit of the forest muesli bar
grilled fish and salad
2 Sao w peanut butter
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 dinner roll w jam
1 banana
pasta w chopped black olives, parmesan
pineapple juice

3 black coffee
small quiche
BBQ lamb steak w apricot
salad & baby potatoes
2 pieces Lindt dark choc
pineapple juice

Super Foods

SOME SUPERFOODS
1. Beans: A great low-fat, low-calorie source of protein and an easy way to help control your weight and your blood sugar.
1. Blueberries: The best food on the planet to preserve a brain as we mature.
2. Broccoli: The best food on the planet to prevent cancer.
3. Oats: A sure-fire way to lower your cholesterol.
4. Oranges: The most readily available source of vitamin C, which in turn lowers the rate of most causes of death in this country, for example, heart disease and cancer.
5. Pumpkin: Loaded with phytonutrients, which keep our skin young and help prevent damage from sunlight.
6. Wild salmon: A guaranteed way to lower your risk for cardiac-related death.
7. Soy: The only complete vegetarian source of protein.
8. Spinach: The best food on the planet to prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, thus ensuring a lifetime of good vision.
9. Tea -- green or black: The easiest and cheapest no-calorie way to avoid heart disease and cancer.
10. Tomatoes: One of the easiest ways for men to avoid prostate cancer is the consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products.
11. Skinless turkey breast: The leanest meat source of protein on the planet.
12. Walnuts: Consuming walnuts is an easy, tasty way to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
13. Yogurt: A tasty, easy way to boost your immune system.

How many of these superfoods are incorporated into your menu?
Not enough in mine either: list from Sunday 4 Feb to Sat 10 Feb

2 black coffee
1 wholegrain muffin w jam
energy cocktail (fruit, tomato, carrot, yogurt) juice
chicken breast with brie & cayenne in filo pastry
bok choy
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 banana
1 nectarine
1 apple
3 slices pizza w pepperoni
small vanilla yogurt
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
piece toasted turkish bread w honey
energy cocktail (fruit, tomato, carrot, yogurt) juice
bowl cereal
piece fish in white sauce
1 yogurt muesli bar
2 squares from choc block
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
large fruit/veg juice
honey & cheese sandwich on low GI white bread
BBQ pork w chili red kidney beans
cucumber salad
pineapple tea

2 black coffee
2 slices toast w vegemite
honey & almond health bar
grilled salmon w greek salad
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
2 chocolate muffins
piece carrot cake
fruit/vegg juice
1 beef enchilada
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
large fruit/veg/yogurt juice
handful Allens natural jubes
1 peach
3 pancakes w maple syrup
3 rashers crisp bacon / salad
pineapple juice

Alternate Snack Choices

I'm no diet expert, just someone with a concern for the people I see eating themselves into health problems and not feeling good about themselves.
My advice is offered as a concerned person who would like to help others reach their maximum level of health. Even if you only pick up one or two tips from me I hope it will help you achieve a healthier way of life. Little things you can easily maintain will go a long way to helping your future shape: gradually cut down on the amount of milk and sugar you put in coffee and on cereals. If you do that over weeks and then go back to your original serving you'll wonder how you could ever have liked that sickly sweet over-milky taste!

Here are a few tips to satisfy those sweet cravings, especially the late night ones. Before you make up your mind they're not what you want, try for yourself and feel the level of satisfaction your body signals back to you. Try going for foods that have natural sugars. They will satisfy that sweet craving just as well. These snacks are not necessarily slimming but more healthy than chocolate and sweets and generally contain less fat and calories.

Instead of a chocolate bar, have a container in the fridge filled with a mixture of grated carrot and cheese (more carrot than cheese). Eat a handful then decide if you really want the chocolate. If you do, eat half - put the other half back for next time.

Keep a couple of small yogurts in the fridge.

Have a small bowl of muesli.

Keep some naturally sweet health bars handy (like honey & almond)

Cut an apple into slices, lay a thin slice of cheese on each slice.

Have a handful of olives or semi-dried tomatoes.

Here's one that won't appeal to a lot of you but I like occasionally: take about 6 pitted prunes (or dates) and lay a small piece of soft cheese (like brie) on each one.

Eat a sweet orange or other fruit with natural sugar like pineapple.

Next time you're about to buy chocolate bars, stop and decide to try health bars or sugar-free sweets.

Have you started your food list? Here's mine from Sunday 28 Jan to Saturday 3 Feb 2007

2 black coffee
bergin seed toast w smoked salmon/cream cheese
1 nectarine
glass lemon solo
stack pancakes (4) w bacon, maple syrup and scrambled eggs
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
1 nectarine
Saltine cracker w vegemite
1 Fruits of Forest muesli bar
grilled fish
green salad w dressing
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
toast w vegemite
1 apple
fruit / veg energy juice
2 toasted cheese and tomato
few Allens natural jubes
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
piece seed toast w vegemite
banana
carrot cake
mixed fruit/veg/yogurt juice
few crackers & dip
chicken satay w rice / peanut sauce
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
toast w vegemite
1 banana
few pistachios
entree - small spring roll/ duck roll
Thai chicken & beef curries w rice
1 glass beer
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
slice wholegrain toast w vegemite
mixed fruit/veg/yogurt juice
bowl Paul's Premium Custard
3 Sao crackers w peanut butter
pineapple juice

2 black coffee
Fruit smoothie drink
2 iced fairy cakes w custard filling
BBQ butterfly pork chop w salad & potato
pineapple juice