By Kim Hofmann - September is here, which means we get some lovely warm days.  As wonderful as this is, the reminder of what we did last winter is there every time we put on one of our summer outfits!  

Instead of freaking out about it, let’s get something going that will help you to feel better about yourself!  

First you need to get yourself moving again.  This does not mean that you need to go to the gym 5 times a week, or any other impossible goal.  Make it something reasonable.  Something as simple as walking for half an hour twice a week is great, and is probably better than what you have been doing in the last few months.  The key is to do something that is fun and that you enjoy.  In that way the success rate of staying with the exercise is much higher.  Quite a nice activity to do is write down a whole list of different sports, exercises and hobbies (google some for more ideas) that you could see yourself enjoying and try them out to see what suits you best!

Secondly you need to take an inventory of your current eating habits.  Check why, when, where and what you eat.  There is a lot of unnecessary eating that takes place, and many people actually eat too much for their daily needs.  We need surprisingly small amounts of food to function...

Check why you eat.  Is it because of mouth hunger or stomach hunger?  Stomach hunger is your real physical hunger, while mouth hunger is an emotional need, maybe stress or depression or even boredom!  If you are eating for mouth hunger you could be an emotional eater, an exercise eater, or an association eater.  In identifying your real hunger you might discover that most of your eating isn’t really necessary.

Check when you eat.  Are you someone who skips meals or leaves out breakfast?  By skipping breakfast you delay the start of your metabolism for the day and you will only get hungry much later in the day.  And by skipping meals you cause your blood sugar levels to get very low and you get so hungry that you crave food and especially carbohydrates!  And inevitably you eat too much.  Eating 5-6 smaller meals a day will stabilise your blood sugars and prevent that 4-5pm binge.

Check where you eat.  Food not only has a nourishing role to play, but also a nurturing one.  Shoving food down your throat while driving the kids to school or while working on your computer isn’t nurturing at all and you probably won’t feel satisfied and will still be looking for more to eat!  Put time aside for your meals or snacks.  Having that piece of chocolate cake once in a while and enjoying every bit of it isn’t going to do anything to your weight.  It is reaching for that second piece or just carrying on eating junk food for the rest of the day because you ‘blew your diet anyway’ when the trouble starts.

Check what you eat!  Always have carbohydrates as your base to supply energy and to keep your blood sugars steady.  Carbohydrates fuel our body and without it we crave for unrefined and sweet carbohydrates such as chocolates, biscuits and cakes.  So eat a good supply of whole-wheat or brown bread, brown rice, pasta and starchy vegetables like potato or carrots or beans, fruit and dairy.  Eat a moderate amount of protein and eat mostly lean or low fat protein.  When you eat fat, try to eat the good fats such as nuts, olives, peanut butter and avocado, and stay away from animal fats, mayonnaise or cream.  Always eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables specifically for their vitamins and minerals as well as fibre content, but also to keep you from munching on unnecessary unhealthy snacks.

Once you have an idea of where your trouble spots are, try to find some habits to improve on them.  Remember that you do not need to be ‘perfect’ 100% of the time.  Make small changes that fit into your lifestyle and that you can maintain over time.  This is success and will get you to your goals!

Article provided by: The Lean Aubergine Dietetic Services
Where YOU can find us?
Claremont
Kim Hofmann 021 674 4666 or 084 206 2715

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Dianne Ivison 021 930 2667
Berna Harmse 021 930 2667

Franschhoek
Karen Protheroe 082 925 0931