To lose Fat the healthy way you need to eat a balanced diet at all times. The following tips will help you lose Fat without compromising your health:
* Eat five small meals every day so you do not feel hungry (and as an added bonus, your metabolic rate increases by approximately 5% every time you eat). It is important that you do not skip any meals.
* Your main meals should be portioned as follows: at least half of a small plate of vegetables, a quarter of a plate of starch type products (e.g. rice, pasta, potato, corn, and noodles) and a quarter of a plate of lean cooked meat.
* Limit your intake of dietary fat, especially saturated fat. You can achieve this by choosing low fat dairy products, trimming visible fat off meat, taking the skin off chicken and choosing lean cuts of meat (meat with minimal visible marbling). When you are preparing your meals, choose low fat cooking methods such as dry baking, roasting, barbequing, stir frying, steaming, poaching or microwaving.
* Consume at least two pieces of fruit per day (avoid dried fruit and fruit juice as they are high in calories). A calorie counter book is a useful tool for finding fruits that are low in calories, or try typing ‘online calorie counter’ into Google).
* Eat at least five cups of salad and vegetables every day. Salads and vegetables are great for adding bulk to your meals
* Limit your intake of foods that are high in sugar and fat. Not only are these foods high in calories, but they will not sustain your energy levels for periods of time. Examples of foods that are high in sugar and fat include cakes, biscuits, chocolate, lollies and takeaway meals.
* Maintain variety in your diet by experimenting with different herbs and spices, sauces and marinades
* Drink 6 – 8 glasses of water every day. Limit drinks that are high in energy such as soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks, flavoured milk drinks and cafe drinks such as full cream lattes, cappuccinos and hot or iced chocolates.
Planning Nutritious Meals
Good nutrition requires planning:
* Make a shopping list of foods that you need to purchase, then take the shopping list to the supermarket and stick to it. It is advisable to avoid shopping when you are hungry, as you are likely to purchase foods that you do not need.
* Read food labels and choose alternatives that are lower in fat and sugar.
* Prepare food at home and take it to work: you may need to purchase an insulated lunch box.
* Look through recipe books to add variety and interest to your diet.
* Modify your recipes by substituting high fat ingredients with low fat alternatives or reducing the amount of high fat ingredients in the recipes.
