As the months slip by, we tend to forget about all our good intentions planned at the start of the year and we have to take time once again to think of taking care of our bodies. It is the time to say, “It is payback time for my body”, which means:
• Fresh healthy food.
• Exercise.
• Water.
• Relaxing time.
• Keeping junk food to a minimum.
For those of you whose eating may have got completely out of control, try my plan to get back into the driving seat with my one week — “I’m in Control” plan.
Early Morning Cleanser: Hot water & lemon.
Breakfast: Fresh juice, medium bowl porridge oats & skimmed milk
or Fresh juice, Shredded wheat & skimmed milk or Fresh juice, Muesli, yoghurt & fruit.
Mid-Morning: Banana or apple.
Lunch: Cup of soup, sandwich (filling choices — Egg & cress — Turkey slices — Tomato & salad — Salad, Tuna & cucumber — Salmon & cucumber) just allow a teaspoon of low-call mayonnaise. Freshly squeezed juice or tea if needed.
Mid-Afternoon: Boost flagging energy levels with a low-cal cereal bar.
Mid-Evening — Small handful of plain nuts — Almonds, Brazils etc.
Supper: Lean protein — Grilled meat or fish, or vegetable protein — with up to three boiled vegetables.
Desert — Small size low-fat plain yoghurt mixed with brightly colour fruit pieces.
Before Bed: Glass of milk, or hot milk & honey
The “I’m in Control” plan gets rid of all those decisions about what to eat. This eating plan is designed to pay back your body for all the festive and junk food eaten over the festive period. This eating plan will also help snackers to get back into eating by a set routine. Your body loves a regular routine and a balanced blood sugar level, which reduces cravings.
Join Me in My Weekly Task
Walk 15 Minutes Each Day
Why? Walking just 15 minutes each day could make a difference between putting on a kilo in weight a year!
How? Stop at the park or beach on the way home from work and walk for 15 minutes.
Recipe of the Week
Sesame Chicken
Serves 6
Ingredients
30 g sesame seeds
95 g honey
90 ml chicken stock
90 ml Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tbsp green onions, chopped
850 g boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Toast sesame seeds in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat, shaking pan often, until golden. Transfer to a bowl and stir in next 5 ingredients. Place chicken breasts in a baking pan. Drizzle with honey mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes, basting with sauce, until meat is cooked throughout.
Ask Alva
I am so desperate to lose another 15 kilos to reach my ideal weight. I always read your column and it gave me courage to consult my problem. Last September my weight was 75 kilos and I lost 5 kilos in a month with diet and exercise. My diet consists of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and chicken without any fat. No carbohydrates in my diet and still I am having a plateau weight. What diet should I apply to lose 15 kilos in two months? I have to attend a wedding in May. Depressed
You sound as though you have been on a low-calorie diet that is too low. These rigid low-calorie diets do not work in the long term because they slow down your metabolism, which is the rate at which your body burns up calories.
Your body feels there is a famine and reacts by slowing down the metabolism so you burn fewer calories. This is the result of crash dieting — the body feels under stress. Begin a program of exercises for 20 minutes every morning — start slowly and do a little more each day. Mail me at [email protected] for a free copy of my 20-minute Mini-Morning Workout.
Follow the guidelines in this week’s article and you will gradually lose weight and become healthier and stronger without suffering. And what’s more, the changes will become part of your daily routine. Alva
