Living to the Max: Six steps to stay on track
Here are Sally Bee's six steps to help you stay on track with her four-week menu plan. Keep these close by so you have permanent reminders to keep you motivated and focused!
Step 1: Get your brain in gear
From this moment forward I want you believe that you are Living to the Max. Don't waste anytime on negative thoughts, everything is going to be better from this point forward. Put a picture of someone you admire or aspire to be like up on the fridge. Start behaving, thinking, feeling and acting like you are already in that body.
What would this person eat? How would they eat? How much would they eat? Believe that you can break free from eating patterns you may have inherited. Understand that committing to Living to the Max isn't about affordability, or having the time, or waiting until you can join the gym. Committing to Living to the Max starts right now with changing the way you view yourself, and changing the way you think about what you eat and how you move. Master this and your life can will change forever.
Step 2: Why are you eating? Every time you are about to put food in your mouth ask yourself are you ''tummy hungry'' or "brain hungry"? If you feel hungry but had a large meal an hour or so ago, your stomach isn't empty and asking for food. In this situation, it is probably your brain telling you to eat because your blood sugar levels have dropped. So, instead of eating too much food, just eat a small palmful of nuts and raisins. This will be enough to lift your blood sugar levels and keep you going until you are properly "tummy hungry".
Step 3: Need or greed? Every time you are about to put food in your mouth, ask yourself, is it ''need'' or ''greed''? If you haven't eaten for three or four hours and feel hungry, you know this is a ''need" meal and you require something nutritious to fuel your body. This is the time to choose one of the delicious full meal recipes from the plan and sit down to eat properly. If, however, you have had breakfast and then met friends for coffee and cake an hour later, this isn't a "need" meal – it is a "greed" meal. When you are in the process of getting healthy and losing weight, try not to put yourself in the position of eating a "greed" meal – or at least wait for a special occasion to enjoy a special and worthwhile treat.
Step 4: Get prepared to meal match Every time you are about to put food in your mouth ask yourself, can I do a better meal match? By this I mean matching the food you eat to your daily activities. For example, if I am sitting at my desk writing, I don't need lots of spare energy, but I do still need lots of good nutrients to keep my brain sharp. A full eight hours writing a day is not physically draining but it sure makes my brain hurt! In this case I would go for a light breakfast and lunch, consisting of fish or chicken with a delicious salad (no soggy lettuce leaves in sight!), or some roasted vegetables.
This would nourish me but not make me sleepy during the afternoon when I've got my editor breathing down my neck wanting finished copy. I would then probably only need another light meal at around 6pm, as sitting all day at a desk doesn't use many calories. If, on the other hand, I am having a busy week, rushing around from one event to another, needing lots more energy to keep me active throughout the day, I would opt for a more substantial breakfast that would keep me going for longer. I would make sure I had plenty of nuts, raisins and fruit in my bag for on-the-go snacks, and I would try and make time for a more substantial lunch. This is especially important if I thought I wouldn't get an evening meal at a decent time.
Step 5: Hover your hand You've heard me say this before, but I need to keep saying it! Every time you make a meal, hover your hand over your plate first. We are all different shapes and sizes. It would be foolish for me to give a 6ft rugby player the same diet plan as a 4ft ballerina! This is why you need to gauge your portion size. My rule is that when losing weight, the protein and carbohydrate in any meal need to be no larger on the plate than the size of your hovered hand.
We have all lost sight of what a normal portion is these days – the fact is, we are becoming an obese nation because we simply eat too much and move too little. So, from now on, your portion size has to be the size of your flat hand with your fingers together. Simply hover your hand over your plate of food and you will quickly get the measure of how much you are overeating. The only food that is allowed outside of your hand is salad, vegetables or fruit. Portion size is an area where many, many people go wrong. You may be eating all the right healthy foods, but if you eat too much of them, you will gain weight.
Step 6: No late-night meals Do you wake up feeling tired in the mornings? Is your mouth sometimes terribly dry first thing? Are your eyes puffy? Eating late at night causes many of these symptoms: the food remains in your stomach and the digestion process takes place while your body is supposed to be resting. Because you are not moving around, the requirements for food and energy are minimal, so the food you have eaten before bed is not utilised. Your body needs a 12-hour break without food, so that your digestion system gets a rest along with everything else. Unused food in your stomach at night can turn toxic.
So if you have breakfast at 7.30am, don't eat your last meal any later than 7.30pm the night before. This will not only aid your weight loss but you'll wake up with better skin, clearer eyes and no dry mouth or sore throat. If you are not used to this, you might not like going to bed feeling hungry. But get through the first week and you will get to love what I now regard as the slim-in-the-morning feeling rather than a hungry one! It's also a great way to get good sleep, as your whole system gets to rest properly without having to digest food when you are sleeping. If you are used to snacking in the evening, make sure you have an active day so you are worn out and get an early night, killing two birds with one stone. No naughty night-time eating and a great night's sleep. Wow, you will wake up slimmer and more radiant after a good 10 hours! Well done!
Sally Bee's four-week menu plan