Post holiday shape up

It was 3 days of driving and sitting in the car touring around the countryside. Sure, I didn't have anything too bad and ate pretty clean and to schedule. Subway salad was my best friend ... well until my birthday then things only went a little pear shape. But the effects felt like I pigged out like christmas day and I felt bloated and put on 10kg!
But things could've been alot worse. Mum actually wanted to buy 2 chocolate mud cakes just because it was on special. 2 for $7 at Foodtown can you believe it?! no wonder we have some really overweight people around with that sort of pricing. Anyway, I said I'd have cake only if she bought individual slices from the cake shop across the mall. I knew if there was a whole cake - or 2 in the fridge, it would be eaten. I have good restraint but having that much cake in there would be too tempting and I am human afterall. So I saved me and Mum lots of calories that day.

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to beat dehydration. Alot of that full feeling comes from the salt and sugar that you've taken on board and although its not fat gain, it sure feels like it. Best not to weigh yourself after your binge for that reason! Travelling around I didn't drink too much water so am probably dehydrated, that coupled with the salt and sugar from cake and my chinese meal also adds to the feeling of bloatedness. If you drank alot in the weekend. I only had one Gin and Tonic after the game, but if you've had a big one you'll need to drink plenty of water to hydrate your cells and get things moving again. So my goal is to have at least 1.5litres this week as I don't naturally drink alot of water like someone I know who drinks at least 5 litres a day ...that's you J!.

Had the cake for afternoon tea in the hope of burning the calories off with some cardio that day. But if I did burn those cals off with the afternoon walk, some of it was put back on again by the dinner we had out that night. It was chinese so lots of sauces on the chicken and veges which made me feel bloated and fat but hey birthday is only once a year right? But now its time to nip this feeling in the bud and get back on that horse - or in my case bike and get a plan going so that my waistline doesn't keep expanding through winter.
If you've come off a bigger weekend than me and indulged in a little too much food and alcohol and need to get rid of that sluggish full fat feeling then you might want to follow some of the things that I'm going to do:

2. Decarb a little and eat more salad a veges. To get rid of that bloated feeling, cut back on your complex carbs for a couple of days. You can still have your oats or other cereal in the morning but for the rest of your meals throughout the day mainly have veges and small amounts of protein througout the day. If you've had a big weekend, you've probably ingested all the carbs your need so a few days without carbs isn't going to hurt. Having extra fibre will help to get back to being 'regular' if you know what I mean. So for the next couple days, I'll be having my usual egg whites and basmati brown rice for brekky and rest of day will be shakes and veg, with chicken and salad/veges for lunch and dinner.

3. Eat a small healthy snack every two hours to stabilize blood sugar. Of course a girl cannont live on protein and veg alone, I add macadamia/almonds with my morning and afternoon tea which helps to keep blood sugar levels even throughout the day and hold cravings at bay.

4. Avoid eating sweets, synthetic sweeteners or foods sweetened with them. During my trip I went through so much chewing gum which is weird because I don't usually chew gum. The more I chewed the more I wanted to have it. To me, artificial sweeteners have the same effect on the brain as having real suga. Like real sugar the more you have whether through lollies or other sweet foods, you just want to have more. So best to cut out any artificial flavours like chewing gum or the sweetner you put in to coffee and this will help lower your cravings for sugar too.

5. Be sure to fit some exercise into your day. This week I've started doing 30min in the morning on the bike. Sure was hard the first day as its so cold but once I was up and moving my legs it was easier. To help me along, I watch the previous day's episode of Biggest Loser to keep me going. I mean if those people can lose a few pounds each week and do those hard challenges, surely I can do 30min and lose a few kgs off me in a couple weeks.

6. Avoid margarine and foods made with hydrogenated and trans fats. These toxic foods make your body's detox organs like the liver sluggish. They also require huge amounts of energy to digest. They also lead to weight gain and are linked to a host of other health problems. Try using flax oil with your food and going without butter in your sandwiches!

7. Avoid foods that contain synthetic colours, preservatives, and other additives. As I tell clients, "if you can't read it, don't eat it." By avoiding them throughout the day, you are giving your liver a break so it can devote its energy to burning fat. I'm naturally sensitive to additives anyway and you can tell if I've been 'naughty' if I have puffy eyes. Naughty for me is a trim flat white or yoghurt so hey, I don't mind being naughty if that's the worse I get with my food...with that exception of the recent birthday cake ofcourse.

So there you go, those are my tips to get that lean feeling back. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Lisa, Go Figure
29 June 10

Post holiday shape up

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