Are you struggling to lose weight and keep it off? Perhaps you’re not addressing the root cause of the problem? It’s worth digging deeper to discover what’s holding you back. Once you know this, you’re immediately in a stronger position to be able to move forward and achieve your weight loss goals.
| Priorities | How high on your priority list is weight loss? Have you just started a new job or do you have a new-born in the house? We all so often embark on a weight loss journey at the same time as other life-changing events. If you try and take on everything all at once, you’re likely to fail. Perhaps make one or two small dietary changes but don’t try and become superwomen or superman overnight. Once you’ve settled into your new job/family life, introduce some additional dietary changes and build on it from there. |
| Physiology | We know that genes play a role when it comes to body shape and metabolism but if you’re struggling to shift excess weight, there might be more at play. Unbalanced hormone levels or uncontrolled blood sugar levels can seriously hinder your weight loss efforts and sorting out these imbalances and/or conditions first will pave the way to more effective and long-lasting weight loss. |
| Patience | Rome wasn’t built in a day! Don’t try and lose too much weight too quickly. Invariably you’ll end up losing muscle mass rather than the desired fat mass and you’ll end up slowing down your metabolism which will make it difficult to lose weight in the future. A well- balanced diet is far more sustainable and will help you reach your weight loss and body composition goals over time. |
| Procrastination | This applies to most things in life that require a bit of hard work and focus. By setting realistic goals and drawing up an action plan, the task at hand won’t feel as daunting and you’re more likely to get started and stick to it. |
| Friends and Family | Friends can ‘make or break’ a weight loss journey. Make sure you surround yourself with friends who support your new lifestyle. Ideally find a ‘buddy’ with similar goals and commit to helping each other along the way. Rope in family members too so that your meals are aligned, rather than having to prepare multiple dishes come supper time. |
| Poor quality diets | Don’t be fooled by quick fix diets that seem too good to be true. Follow an eating plan that is enjoyable, not too restrictive and one that fits with your lifestyle. Remember that the secret to any weight loss journey is sustainability. If you don’t think you can follow that way of eating forever, it’s not worth embarking on it. |
| Lack of sleep | Research suggests that sufficient good-quality sleep may be an important factor when it comes to an effective weight loss strategy. Work on improving your sleeping habits if this applies to you. |
| Medication | Chat to your doctor if you suspect that a medication that you’re on is resulting in unexplained weight gain or difficulty losing weight. There might be a more suitable alternative that gives the desired results without the unwanted side-effects. |
| Microbiome | More and more research is showing that your gut microbes (bacteria, viruses and fungi) play a very significant role when it comes to weight management and overall health. Keeping them happy by feeding them a diet rich in fibre and phyto-nutrients is of paramount importance. Too many processed and refined foods can interfere with the microbiome balance and promote growth of the ‘not-so-healthy’ microbes. |
| Stress | Chronic levels of stress have been associated with weight gain and difficulties losing weight. Some possible reasons may be due to chronically increased cortisol and insulin levels which in turn can increase your appetite and promote storage of fat in the abdominal area. Comfort eating is as the name implies – a quick, albeit temporary, ‘fix’ to a stressful situation. As such, it’s used as a coping mechanism by many. Try and work out what your stressors are and then come up with strategies to keep them at bay – whether it’s going for a walk, meeting up with a friend, listening to your favourite song or meditating in a quiet place. |
We’re all different and faced with our own unique set of challenges every day. By investing in ourselves and finding out what makes us tick and what holds us back, we’re in a much stronger position to fight whatever comes our way and achieve our health and wellness goals.
If you’re participating in events like the Two Oceans half marathon, the Two Oceans Ultra, the Cape Town Cycle Tour or for the crazier folk out there, the Iron Man, Cape Epic, African X Trail Run or Comrades Marathon, you’ll need a proper game-plan in place when it comes to nutrition.
So, for most of us, the holiday season is over and we’ve returned to our normal routine, with kids back at school and our day jobs as busy as ever.
Creativity is not always top of mind when you’re rushing to get the lunchboxes ready in between a myriad of other activities – but without variety, kids soon get bored and suddenly their lunchboxes start coming back with half the contents untouched.
There are many naturally sweet foods that add goodness rather than empty calories to your children’s lunchboxes (whilst satisfying their sweet tooth) -some examples include strawberries, bananas (try slicing them and freezing them to add a different spin – kids love it!), raisins, red/yellow or orange peppers or the much loved watermelon in summer.
Whether it’s playing with their friends outside or running on the sports field, kids typically spend a lot of energy every day. Unfortunately, the amount of energy spent often decreases as outside play is replaced by screen time, especially over the colder winter months and as with adults, the total amount of food that a child eats every day should be dependent on how active they are on that particular day.
Food should be enjoyed and children should be encouraged to taste and explore new foods over time. Being forced to eat a food that you don’t enjoy may have negative consequences especially when it comes to eating meals together as a family. You are also less likely to be able to re-introduce that food at a later stage (as their taste develops), as the negative memory of being forced to eat the food still lingers and is likely to prevent them from ever trying it again.
Ideally parents should remove all their emotions when it comes to their children’s eating habits – easy to say, but not quite how it works in practice! The problem is as soon as food becomes a bargaining tool, it becomes a slippery slope and one that is difficult to get off. If your child can see how upset you get when they refuse to eat their broccoli (or conversely how happy you get when they do eat their broccoli), it becomes a very handy tool to negotiate with, as it clearly means a lot to you. By then rewarding them for their efforts, you are only affirming this and suddenly eating any meal becomes a lengthy negotiation process.
In summary 
Often simply removing refined foods (those typically high in added sugar like confectionary items, sweets and cooldrinks) from one’s diet will result in significant benefits in the short-term, including weight loss and improved energy levels. Do a re-con of your existing eating habits and highlight just one significant change that you could make, such as reducing the amount of sugar you consume on a daily basis. The better you start feeling, the easier it will become to make other changes to your diet. If you’re not sure what changes you should or need to make, consult with a Dietitian, who will be able to advise you on the best approach.
Research shows that eating a good breakfast in the morning is likely to prevent you from over-indulging later on in the day and your total calorie intake for the day is likely to be less. By skipping meals you end up being ravenous when you do finally sit down to eat, resulting in large portion sizes and spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels which, in turn could increase your risk of developing diabetes and other conditions down the line. The key is to prevent excessive spikes and dips in blood sugar levels by eating small, regular meals, with the right combination of unrefined carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats. Eating at night isn’t a problem, as long as you stick to the game plan.
Most people experience a craving in response to low blood sugar levels and if put in a situation where there’s a quick fix available, it takes tremendous will-power to fight off the temptation to indulge.