Just what are you eating in a day?

For the purposes of a ‘day’ here, we’re not talking over 24 hours, it should be an average of 12 – 16 hours for your normal Joe on the street as I’m assuming you actually sleep once in a while.

Maybe you have a rough idea of what you’re eating and consuming, maybe not?

Well, it’s time to work it out & stop burying your head in the sand…!

Do you snack, eat regularly (e.g. only 3 meals a day), but they contain a lot of crap?, or do you binge out daily or more often than not?

These are all questions that you must ask yourself. As you’re talking with yourself in this instance, don’t be shy. Be direct, blunt, honest and open with yourself.

Now, c’mon, don’t try and fool yourself because where would be the fun in that? Fine. Fool yourself, stay overweight and you only cheat the one person you’re trying to change. If you’ve honestly no idea of what you’re shovelling away on a daily basis you need to write it down as you go!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I detest the idea of a ‘food diary’, they actually make me want to be sick. But, if it works for you initially and gets your brain into gear and really thinking about what you’re chomping away on, then let’s do it. Get yourself a cheap diary and write down everything you eat in one day and I mean everything (including those chocolate bars you may be polishing off in the car or the crisps in the office, or the wine in the bath).

Do this for a few days or however long you need to get an idea. To your horror I suspect you’re probably eating much more than you realise.

It might be a good idea to discuss the reasons (both physical and mental) for overeating at this point as that would be really, really, posing insightful. But, I’m quite deliberately going to leave that at this point.

Initially, I believe it’s important to know what you’re eating, when, how and what quantities. The rest comes as your ‘relationship’ with food and drink becomes a little more insightful…

It’s simple maths really. Commonly available information tells us that men should eat about 2500 calories per day. Women (sorry ladies!) are a little more hard done by and can only eat 2000 calories. Any more calories taken in than needed, whether you’re a bloke or a woman will mean excess energy = converts to FAT = your waist size increases and you buy larger clothes = you spend even more money!

OUCH!

Easy isn’t it? Still, some weight loss experts would have us believe it’s a mysterious, secret and sacred art form which has been handed down from generation to generation over the years.

If you want to lose weight, eat less calories.

Simple. Done.

I could end it here couldn’t I? But as you and I both know, there’s a little more to it than that. Remember that word I used earlier? Willpower. We need this in abundance and I can’t e-mail some to you, so you’re going to have to create strategies and ways to invent your own as you go.

Ever heard the phrase “no pain, no gain”? It’s rubbish. Absolute twoddle in fact.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be painful but you ARE going to feel hungry, certainly to start with – learn to deal with it and manage it effectively. As you continue on your losing streak your stomach will shrink and eating less food will fill you up quicker and for longer. Live with the hunger and challenge it whenever you can. ‘Use’ what you can ‘afford’ to eat within your daily consumption of calories. It’s all about finding your own strategies for success.

Read the LABEL, stupid!

In a roundabout way, I’m getting onto the main purpose of this section. ‘Read the label, stupid!’ (I’m not calling YOU stupid, so don’t take the huff please!).

What label? The food label on what you’re going to eat or drink. Most products have nutritional information plastered all over them these days, so there’s really no excuse in reading what is REALLY in something which is about to be digested by you. 20-30 years ago it was different and it was much harder to ascertain exactly what was in a lot of stuff, but thesedays there really isn’t any excuse for closing your eyes to the printed facts in front of you.

Here’s my pointers when checking any food or drink label:

Low Fat doesn’t mean low calorie! Don’t assume this, ever. Our product makers are clever people really aren’t they? With labelling all over that tasty muffin which says low fat, the cakes that say 50% less fat, the bread that describes itself as low in fat, blah, blah, blah. Many of these kinds of items can contain more sugar, more calories than their ‘normal’ counterparts and will eventually be a bigger burden on your waistline.

The power of advertising is stunning really. No really, it’s stunning. Most of us are so programmed to believe that if it says ‘low fat’ or ‘healthy’ it must be OK to eat. It must be good for us. Nonsense, always, always, always, check.

Read the label, stupid!

Ultimately this is probably going to mean you spend triple the amount of time in your local supermarket and delay your shopping longer than usual (certainly to start with). Tough, that’s the way it is – get used to looking and get used to people looking at you looking! Let them look, you can laugh right back, safe in the knowledge you know what’s in your food or drink, you know what’s going into your body.

Look at the Calorie content per 100g or for the total product (e.g. how many calories in that can of beans, is it 300 or more?). You may also see this listed as ‘kcals’. Some calorie listing labels may try and fool you with clever details of “only 250 calories per portion”. That’s great if there’s only one portion in a packet, but if there’s six portions, you’re stuffed. Literally.

I don’t recommend personally that anyone reading this gets obsessed with calorie counting as this is going to be ultimately self-defeating. But let’s face it, there’s never any getting away from this, not totally. After all, if you don’t know or have a rough idea of the amount of calories in something is, you will never be able to gauge your calorie content for the day and maintain your healthy weight loss (your ultimate weight).

Eventually, as your tastes develop and you continue with your newly found willpower, you’ll discover that subconsciously you will know what you’re eating, especially with your usual foods of choice.

If you really need alcohol, go for the low calorie booze. Don’t be a wuss, cut it down if you have to. Think of your liver.

Beer is a blokes worst enemy (200+ or more calories are often swallowed in just one pint), especially when followed by an obligatory kebab or curry, followed by more of the amber nectar. Wine and ‘alco-pops’ are no better and check the sugar and calorie contents of them all. If you’re out and about, stick to one or two glasses, make it last. Stick to and don’t exceed the recommended alcohol unit intake.

Cut the Cs! If you’re a cheese, cake or chocolate addict, like me, then you’ve got to get this habit particularly under control. The three ‘deadly Cs’ as I like to call them are delicious, but also laden with massive amounts of calories, sugar and fat.

Find alternatives. Go for reduced, healthier options of cheese which are often around 50% less in calories than their full fat or mature counterparts. Many supermarkets have their own ranges of lower-fat cheese. I’ve found some good ones that I regularly eat and you will find you’ll enjoy them just as much as that calorie dripping, mouldy bit of strong cheddar you always buy. Personally I would recommend the Sainsbury’s ‘Be Good To Yourself Range’ of cheese.

There’s really not much excuse in trying to find a ‘good alternative’ chocolate, sorry. That’s the way it is in my opinion. The relationship ends or it will all end in tears, I can assure you.

Chocolate gives us a massive and fast energy boost, but it also wrecks any chance of trying to keep within our desired calorie range in a day. If you really must find an alternative for your sweet tooth, try low calorie cereal bars which may have a slight skimming of low-sugar chocolate on the bottom. Diabetic chocolate or sweets might also help you wean off the hard stuff.

Did I mention ‘willpower’ and self-discipline lately? You can eat as many portions of this as often as you like. It won’t make you fat, not ever.

Stay tuned for the next low-calorie portion…!