“I've spent my whole life
on a diet. Everything I eat is low fat and 1 cook my meals from scratch so 1
can control what goes into them. Things like chocolate, pizza, burgers, 'fatty'
fish and foods with long ingredients lists aren't on my radar, my portions are
tiny (half that of my friends) and I don't cut out food groups, yet I'm still
overweight and don't feel healthy, I'm confused about where I'm going wrong.
Help! “
Rebecca says it’s easy to
lose track of what 'normal' healthy eating looks like when you’ve been dieting
for so long.
It sounds like you've lost
all enjoyment in eating: never indulging without feeling guiIty, constantly
analysing labels and comparing yourself with your friends can't be much fun.
It’s important not to compare yourself with others, though, because you never
really know what they're eating or doing activity-wise - you only see a
snapshot. Also, rather than seeing healthy eating as a 'diet' where you go
without certain foods, look at it as a lifestyle change, adopting a balanced
food intake that's right for you.
It’s virtually impossible
to be 100% angelic, so don't be so hard on yourself! Aim for an 80/20 approach,
eating healthily 80% of the time and allowing yourself treats the other 20%.
Letting yourself enjoy food without the guilt may lead to fewer cravings.
Check out the Food
Standards Agency's Eat Well Plate (food.gov.uk). It's a great way to understand
how a healthy meal should look, As a guide, your plate should be about a third
healthy carts (brown rice, wholegrain bread or pasta), a third fruit and veg,
and the remaining third split equally between protein (meat, fish, eggs),
healthy fats (oils, avocado), and treats. Eating 1,500 calories a day of the
right foods will mean you'll lose weight healthily.
You're right not to cut out
whole food groups, but you say you avoid 'fatty' fish. While mackerel, salmon
and sardines are higher in fat, it's the unsaturated kind that’s good for your
health, so eat at least one portion a week, guilt-free.
Don't become
label-obsessed. Instead, use your common sense; you know macaroni cheese is
high in fat and calories - you don't need a label to tell you, Just try to
choose foods that are low in fat (3g or less per 100g), low in saturated fat
(1.5g or less per 100g) and low in sugar (5g or less per 100g) when you go
shopping.
It's time to take the guilt
out of food and start actually enjoying it again. Good luck!
Tip from the Nutritionist's Table
Control
Cravings
If sweet cravings are
getting the better of you, increase your fruit and veg intake. A recent Vale
University study found we reach for the sweet stuff when our glucose levels
dip. But glucose doesn't just come from fizzy drinks and sweets - it comes from
healthy carbs such as fresh fruit and veg and brown bread, pasta and rice, too.
So eat small, regular portions of these healthy carbs to maintain your glucose
levels and stop you crumbling at the sight of a cookie!
