- Eat every three hours so you don't feel hungry (as an added bonus, your metabolic rate increases by approximately 5% every time you eat). Don't skip any meals (especially breakfast) and try and finish your last meal before 8.00pm.
- 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. See the graphic to the right. - 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, barbecuing, stir frying, steaming, poaching or microwaving.
- Consume at least two pieces of fruit every 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 visit the Calorie King online calorie counter.
- 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 won't 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. Don't shop when you are hungry as you are likely to purchase foods that you don't need.
- Read food labels and choose alternatives that are lower in fat and sugar.
- Prepare healthy meals at home and take them to work: you may need to purchase an insulated lunch box.
- Look through recipe books or find healthy online recipes through Taste or the National Heart Foundation. It's important to enjoy variety in your diet.
- Modify your favourite recipes by substituting high fat ingredients with low fat alternatives, or by reducing the amount of high fat ingredients.
And don't forget that you can't lose weight the healthy way through calorie restriction alone. If you try and lose weight through calorie restriction alone you will lose more water and muscle tissue than body fat. Losing muscle and water may look great on the scales, but it slows your metabolism and makes it easier for you to regain weight (see our article Can You Lose Weight Without Exercise for details).
To lose weight the healthy way you need to eat well AND exercise, specifically perform 250 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week. (Moderate intensity exercise is defined as a level where your breathing rate is elevated, but you can still carry out a conversation.) A great way to start an exercise program is to walk around your neighbourhood.
If you need professional assistance with your eating and exercise program, it's a good idea to make an appointment with a Dietitian.
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