In the last 10 months, my husband and I have started a new journey together …. A journey to be healthier for ourselves and our family and to be better role models for our kids so they develop the righ
In the last 10 months, my husband and I have started a new journey together …. A journey to be healthier for ourselves and our family and to be better role models for our kids so they develop the right habits as well. Years of habits are not easy to change and yet 10 kgs lighter now and having sustained it for nearly 6 months, I feel that this is the best thing to have happened to me in a while. I have much more energy than before, I am very clear on what is going into my body and what impact every single bite has on my wellness and I make all my choices with full awareness! So even the piece of junk food I eat on “off day” knows its purpose in my body – to ward off the cravings I am so prone to feeling in the middle of the week!
We have changed our lifestyle, our eating habits and workout routine a lot and this note is a collation of the principles and experiences. The entry was written by my husband entirely but he asked me to edit it so as to make the language and presentation more in line with the tone of the blog. I have tried to stay with the content as much as is possible without changing any messaging. I do want to take this opportunity to thank him in public – he is the driving force behind what we are doing as a family and this would not have been possible without his push and incessant research and willingness to change whenever we felt things did not seem right or we had hit a dead end. This is indeed the best gift ever ......
General principles on Diet and Exercise:
Diet influences health far more than exercise. However, a perfect diet with sedentary conditions will still cause side effects.
About Fat&Carbs: The human body is extremely efficient at storing and burning fat as long as the conditions are right. Fat is ideal for energy storage. Only when the most efficient source of carbs are unavailable does the body start burning fat. Carbs are the preferred energy source: brain can only use carbs and muscles store carbs as glycogen. However, excess carbs are immediately stored as fat. Cortisol and Insulin counter-balance blood sugar. High Glycaemic Index or very fatty food will both cause weight, body fat, bad cholesterol to go up. Ideal diet and exercise would maintain constant blood sugar levels and hormone balance
Weight loss is simple calorie in vs. calorie spent equation, however being able to maintain a low calorie diet is down to ensuring balanced hormone and energy through very clean foods.
Strength training or high intensity interval training is the only way to increase or maintain muscle mass. Even elderly people in their 80s are being advised strength training! Increasing lean mass requires increase in carbs and protein intake along with sufficient training, sleep and rest. This is why it is almost impossible to reduce fat and increase muscle mass at the same time.
So what should I eat? Easy heuristic is 1g of any food should have less than 1 calorie: Search Google with the key word nutrition and calorie and you’ll get details on any food, e.g. https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=chicken%20breast%20nutrition
ü Non-starchy Vegetables have negligible calories and are pretty much the only food you can have in unlimited quantities.
ü Protein, fibre and fat give a full feeling, carbs don’t at all. That is why it is possible to eat a lot of pasta, bread or rice without feeling full.
ü Fresh vegetables and fruits are always preferable to anything processed. Processing typically enhances appeal by increasing calorie or glycaemic load.
ü Humans have no taste from birth and everything is acquired from culture. For kids, getting their habits right early will set them up for life!
ü The more tired you are the worse the decision making becomes, most people eat the worst at dinner. Plan your meals in advance and avoid making food related decisions late in the day!
ü Make sure you go grocery shopping on a full stomach. That alone dramatically increases your chances of picking up healthy food items vs. junk food.
And that’s not all - There’s more ….
Sleep and sufficient rest are absolutely essential. Hormonal imbalance and brain fog will prevent any health gains. Both high and low temperature causes an increase in energy expenditure which is why very hot and very cold regions both have very rich diets. Modern air-conditioned comforts require negligible effort to maintain body temperature.
To know where you need to go, knowing where you are is a must!
ü You need to set specific and measurable goals. Weight is a poor indicator. Body Composition monitors ( http://www.omronhealthcare-ap.com/wm_bcm_hbf-375.html ) are not precise but are still much better for monitoring. Waist-to-Hip Ratio is an easy and reliable indicator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist%E2%80%93hip_ratio
ü Monitor how many steps you take per day (Runtastic, Noom Walk, pedometer apps are a trivial way to monitor). I prefer Noom Walk on Android as it is always on https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noom.walk . I walk a measly 1,500 steps in a full day compared to guidance of 10,000 daily
ü Monitor calorie intake per day and exercise (Noom, MyFitnessPal, are very easy to use) I prefer Noom Coach on Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wsl.noom IOS also exists but haven’t tried ( https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/noom-weight/id634598719?mt=8 ) The awareness of how rich some foods can be is a powerful deterrent to eating wastefully. In a buffet, it should be RoC - Return on Calories!
ü Heart rate monitors are not necessary but change behavior. Polar FT60 ( http://www.polar.com/sg-en/products/improve_fitness/fitness_crosstraining/FT60 ) has a training program which recommends target heart rate zones per week if you’re starting out. I forgot my heart rate monitor and did a lot less cardio that week! Wearing a monitor makes me take the stairs and walk faster! Anything you monitor, changes your own behaviour!
ü Annual Health Check targets should be met immediately – prudent risk management!
And now to answer the question that a lot of people have been asking …… How did we do it? The answer is to approach it in phases with each phase having its own dietary and exercise requirements.
Weight loss phase
This phase involves the reduction of daily calorie intake in a very choiceful manner coupled with exercise to increase muscle mass.
Prepare an Exercise Plan:
· Regular strength training of 45min 3-4 per week. You need to ensure calorie reduction doesn’t burn muscle! Must supplement every workout with post workout whey protein.
Prepare a Calorie Plan:
· Monitor daily calorie intake via any free app. 6 days a week calories at least 500 below requirement (1400/1200 calories a day is the recommended minimum for men/women). Cravings are a sign that you haven’t balanced your intake and should disappear when you get the balance right!
· Keep 1 day a week as “off day” – A day to consume unlimited quantity of *all* food to ensure no cravings and no long term slowdown of metabolism. This is a must do if you want to achieve your targets. A happy you will be a more motivated you on the other six days J
· Daily supplement with Multi-vitamin, Omega 3, Calcium (especially for women) to avoid nutritional deficiencies.
· At least 5 meals a day with roughly 30% breakfast, 25% lunch, 25% dinner and 10% mid-morning and 10% evening snack. Need to ensure that blood sugar never falls too low otherwise the hunger will cause you to overeat!
· Every workout increase calorie intake by half the calories burnt.
Significant reduction in all simple carbs
· Avoid sugar, rice, wheat, grains, pasta, potatoes
· Avoid fatty dairy products like full fat milk, cheese, paneer, full fat or sweetened yogurt. Stay with unsweetened skim milk, low fat yogurt, low fat buttermilk if you cannot give up on dairy products.
· Absolutely no fruit juices or sweetened drinks.
· Limit fruits to those with low Glycaemic Index like apples, berries.
· No diet coke or artificial sweeteners as these foods increase the body’s craving for sweets.
Minimal intake of fats
· No saturated fat
· Only olive oil
· At most 50 calories of nuts per day (6-7 almonds)
· Natural quantities in chicken breast, chickpeas, salmon, vegetables, etc when boiled, steamed or roasted
Significant Increase in Protein intake
· Chicken breast
· Boiled chickpeas
· Boiled egg whites
· Steamed or Grilled Fish (preferable for dinner because of lower calorific and hence digestive load)
· Sprouted lentils or black chickpeas with lemon, tomato, onion
· Whey protein supplement of 1 scoop post work out only
Massive increase in vegetables
· Salad Greens – lettuce, baby spinach, romaine, mesculin, purple cabbage, arugula.
· Steamed vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, peas, asparagus.
· Raw vegetables: bell peppers (all colors if possible), carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions, coriander, parsley, zucchini, celery.
· Roasted vegetables – mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower.
· Vegetable soup in a clear broth with minced chicken balls
Idea is to start every meal with a large portion of salad or vegetables; we eat by volume rather than by weight!
If followed ccorrectly, this phase will cause you to lose about 1 kg per week but several things need to be kept in mind:
Initial 1-2kg loss on very low carb diet is water loss as glycogen stores are depleted thoroughly. Side effect of exercise under very low carb diet is reduction in immunity which makes you more susceptible to throat infections or falling sick. Need to ensure intake of vitamin C to build up the immunity.
Saturday as an “off day” results in a re-gain of 1-2 kg (glycogen stores replenished + fat gain) which is quickly shed weekly by the third day. There can be massive cravings for sweets on “off day” and you start to realize that even 2000+ calories of carbs don’t give a full feeling.
Obvious loss of weight but relatively minor improvement in body fat percentage. There could be a decrease in strength and stamina due to muscle breakdown. This is mainly because “off day” included all the vices (fat, sugar, alcohol) leading to over 4000 calories, half of which the body would store back as fat.
Improve fitness phase
Increased exercise but careful nutrition around exercise
· Regular strength training of 45min 3-4 per week, with pre and post workout snacks, ideally 50-50 protein and carbs. Pre training snack provides energy to do maximum possible workout. Post strength training whey protein and simple carbs helps muscle recovery significantly!
· Target cardio of 3-5 hours per week, with intake of just carbs (Gatorade or any other low calorie sports drink). Mix of High Intensity Interval Training and steady state cardio depending on time constraints.
· Cardio adapted to a heart rate monitor as after a few months the body is hardly stressed at the same pace and time. Heart Rate Monitor ensures that the training load is calibrated to current fitness levels!
Calorie intake
· Continue to monitor your daily food intake via any free app.
· Calorie intake should reflect body movement and exercise - increase intake on workout days, reduce intake on off days/ business trips.
· Daily supplement with Multi-vitamin, Omega 3 to avoid nutritional deficiencies
· At least 5 meals a day with roughly 30% breakfast, 30% lunch, 20% dinner and 10% mid-morning and 10% afternoon snack. Attempt to consume the majority of calories in the first half. Fuel your body the way you fuel your car, before a long day rather than after!
Avoid simple carbs except around exercise
· Minimal sugar.
· No fruit juices (fructose), sweetened drinks.
· Only low glycaemic index foods like brown rice, oats, whole wheat pasta, quinoa in limited quantities.
· Preferably low fructose, low glycaemic index fruits.
Minimal intake of fats
· Only olive oil
· Occasional nuts of no more than 100 calories
· Natural quantities in chicken breast, chickpeas, salmon, vegetables, etc when boiled, steamed or roasted
Increase in protein intake
· Chicken breast
· Boiled chickpeas
· Boiled egg whites
· Steamed or Grilled Fish (preferable for dinner because of lower calorific and hence digestive load)
· Sprouted lentils or black channa with lemon, tomato, onion
· Whey protein supplements daily
· Frequent Meal Replacement shake or protein bar to increase proteins further
Flavoring
· Most food can be flavoured with very few calories
· Thin sliced almonds, grapes, apples in a salad
· Very light wasabi, mustard, pesto, variety of vinegar and lime based dressing
· Key to taste satisfaction is variety, very small portions but lots of variety enhances flavour significantly
Maintaining weight but increasing lean mass
- Post strength training whey protein and simple carbs helps muscle recovery significantly
- During or post cardio intake of glucose/fructose is essential to ensure immunity is maintained
- Attempt to eat within maximum calorie requirement on all days, i.e., 2000 calories + 500 exercise, Saturday capped at 2500 calories via increase in protein for 500 calories above the Daily Value
- Along with weight loss, body fat percentage reduced, strength and stamina increased. Sodium intake has reduced drastically which is very good for heart health
Sample Meal Plan: I am going to share some sample meal plans here. Even though it may feel like one is eating a lot and eating all the time, the total calorie intake is much less compared to what we consider a normal meal day. Also the focus is on heavier meals earlier in the day. Also, bulk of the carbs go in earlier in the day.