Results tagged “Food”

Over the last few months I'd pretty much given up making any concerted effort to lose weight.

Why?

Apathy.

When recently I met up with a few people I hadn't seen for quite some time they mentioned they were concerned about my weight, so I guess guilt may be working.

So what to do?

A friend who I only meet once or twice a year claims to have lost over 30 kgs quite easily by simply tracking his calorie intake and doing a bit of exercise.

Since I've now got an iPhone I've decided I'll try out a few of the apps that are available for tracking weight and calories. Why? I always have my iPhone with me, so all I should need to do is enter the data as I take in the calories

Will it work?

Who knows?

Even if I don't actively change my diet tracking how many calories I'm consuming should be a useful exercise.

I've taken to having a bowl of porridge every morning for breakfast.

Since I'm not going to find the time to organise soaking porridge oats at night etc., I opted for the microwave friendly option (judging from the packet there's nothing different about the oats!)

Preparation is dead simple, as there's a dosing spoon thing in the packet. You simply add two scoops of oats to a bowl. Add four scoops of milk or water or a mixture of both and then pop it in the microwave for two minutes.

Admittedly I have been a bit weaker on the sugar front and have been sprinkling a couple of spoons of sugar over it.

In any case the porridge is definitely giving me a good start to the morning, so I'm not feeling hungry mid-morning and can quite happily last through until lunch

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You don't need to be a genius to realise that Christmas is a really bad time of the year if you're on a diet. That probably explains why so many people decide to go on diets in the New Year ...

So what to do?

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to see friends and family, but what on earth do you do about the food?

Christmas dinner itself is usually a calorie-laden feast - if not then there's probably something wrong!

And in the weeks leading up to Christmas there are so many temptations put in your way... Think of mince pies, cakes, panettone, pan d'oro and of course office parties.

I don't think there is an easy solution. The only thing I can try to do is eat in moderation and try to avoid as much of the junk as possible - even if it pains me!

If you're sitting at a desk all day you probably end up drinking lots of coffee or tea (I know I do!)

So when you're drinking your tea or coffee you may feel that overwhelming urge to indulge yourself in a snack - maybe a little biscuit or a small bar of chocolate. Wouldn't it be nice to wash down with that coffee?

Stop!

Snacking is a really bad idea!

If you're trying to control your waistline and bring down your weight then you need to cut out unncessary snack in between meals.

If you must eat something then try an apple or an orange - I don't think you can really overdose on fruit!

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If you're trying to lose weight it's tempting to think that not eating is a solution.

It's not.

Changing what you eat, how you eat, how much you eat etc., can all be positive moves in your battle with your waistline, but starving yourself is not a good idea.

Skipping a meal will only make you want to snack or drive the urge to gorge yourself on convenience foods.

Don't do it.

Starving yourself is not a diet - it's just a bad idea!

As you can gather I have a fondness for old sayings:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Fruit and fresh vegetables are a wonderful source of vitamins and other things that help your body.

Unfortunately my Irish diet of the last couple of years probably wasn't as rich in fresh fruit and vegetables as it could have been.

Over the past few weeks I've replaced any and all snacks with fruit. The easiest fruits to eat are of course tangerines and apples.

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One of the pearls of wisdom, if such a thing really exists, that I have managed to glean from looking into diets etc., is that eating properly helps.

My grandmother always insisted on giving us three proper meals a day ie. breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Of course, when you're running about the place, oversleeping and generally end up with a messy, modern lifestyle, it's all too easy to forget about the simple adages.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

You've probably heard that one many times in the past. I know I have.

For the last few years I've almost entirely ignored breakfast. I've got by on cups of coffee with either croissants or that "wonderful" Irish invention - the breakfast roll!

A few weeks ago I decided to make a change in my lifestyle. I'd previously been trying to avoid breakfast rolls and had moved onto croissants instead, which obviously wasn't that much better. I had to stop, so I decided that I would make an effort to have breakfast of some kind every morning BEFORE I left the house.

I'd love to say that I'm tucking into grapefruits and all sorts of weird and wonderful healthy items at 8am, but the truth be told I'm not. I'm simply making myself a pot of fresh coffee and having some toast (or cereal) while listening to the morning radio.

Has it made a difference?

I'm not 100% sure as yet, but I definitely feel more energetic and less lethargic for most of the morning, which is a good thing. Obviously if I eat better food for breakfast ie. avoid the toast entirely it would be better for me, but it's probably better to take things one step at a time.

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