So what's on that plate huh?

A lot of members always ask if I can write them an eating plan and I always tell them to bring me a meal plan consumed over a period of 7 days,the fact of the matter is eating,just like knowing what to wear  every week is a habit that is kinda hard to break. So for example  if you have favourite jeans you will probably wear them once every week,some of us dont even realise that we actually dont dress differently every week,we kind of wear the same things over and over again cos they are our favourite piece of clothing or simply because you know the colours gel nicely so you will wear them over and over again. Food is like that, you are apt to eat your favourite dish every week and if you go grocery shopping you buy the same food over and over again,you have a night for take-outs,or whatever floats your boat.

So this is the deal,I would really like to help out with an eating plan for all the ladies that I teach,my only problem is I can't thumb suck a diet and give it to anyone. So I am going to school you about how to eat healthy. Its okay to go to a shop and check the product packs to see how much energy,carbs, protein or saturated fat are in what you buy. Grocery shops have a range of free fat and low fat products that anyone can go choose from so if you have time do that. Things like that complicate our lives but if you are a food freak you can take that route and be precise about how much of what goes into your body..

So I'm going to call this eating plan a SWOP diet. Take a pen and paper and write down food that you know you consume on a daily basis,this includes your in between's,snacks,drinks including water and lets do a test..

Cereals-Do check the carb intake so here we go:

• Soft porridge,muesli,corn flakes,weetbix can be swopped for Oats,Special K,All bran
• Full cream milk can be swopped for Low Fat, Fat Free,Skim milk or no milk at all. Try mix your cereal with whey isolate and have fun with it. Lactose intolerant people(consult a doctor)
• Fruit-One or two a day preferably different types of fruit.. A lot of fruit can cause water retention in your body thus consume with care. Personally when it comes to fruit I can't stand bananas because after I eat them I get bloated so I leave them to a banana bread that I like making once in a while. LOL.
• Drinks- Juice (100 percent) or just plain water, tea(rooibos,green tea) Coffee um so so because some people just cant live without it so I will cut you some slack here(have some).There is a variety of juices in shops so knock yourself out. Still remember too much of a good thing is not good for you.
• Snacks- Swop your chocolates, chips, sweets, fizzies for nuts(do a bit of research on this because some nuts are actually fattening. Go to the nearest Dischem pharmacy for more advice. Yoghurt,dried fruit,rice cakes, provitas(check intake) healthy gums for sweets e.t.c

Food.

Your body needs carbs so by all means have your carbs during the day. Potatoes,pasta,rice or whatever carb you consume. Make sure these get taken during the day and not at night. Ever felt like taking a nap after you have eaten pap? That is how heavy carbs weigh you down so remember to never take carbs after 6. Have them during the day when your movement is still active and see how fresh you will wake up in the morning without feeling like a drag.

Plenty of vegetables,lean meat both chicken, mince and beef. Eat lots of fish. And its not like yall dont know this. Tuna salads,chicken salads should be eaten mostly at night or for supper as they are light. People will say but I still feel hungry when I go to bed, but coming to think of it if you eat carbs during the day and you snack properly you can have a full bowl of chicken salad and I bet you you will go to bed smiling. Bread is somewhat too hectic for me so I try to consume little of it whether healthy bread or simply brown bread. Protein makes you look hot so eat those eggs, green beans,legumes,lentils,marmite eeewwwww..do your research.

You know your body, you know your habits thus work according to that. Have a braai once in a while, have a McD's once in a while,it wont do much harm to your body if you are a religious gymaholic and eat  healthy 4 times a week..Eat lots of Nandos without the chips maybe. Grill and steam your food and not fry, you can fry on a Sunday for that well deserved soul food. So live your life,eat healthy, train even if its a daily run around the block, have your ice-cream every 3 weeks and SMILE cos the pounds will slowly but surely wither away..