Lose some …feel better! 

Winter is a pain when it comes kilos sneaking up on you courtesy of vegging out in front of the fire instead of doing kilojule-burning horsey activities and picking (alright PIGGING OUT) on lovely comfort food.

In response to this perennial problem, a bunch of Eques Forumites ganged up to form a support group.  Our quest…shedding unwanted kilos!

We’ve gathered some tried and true tips and strategies to augment the encouragement we’re committed to offer each other. And the more the merrier folks…if this quest rings bells for you, join us. PLEASE!

Those pesky, unwanted kilos sneak on simply because there’s an imbalance between how many you take in and how many you burn away. It ain’t rocket science…bung in more fuel than you burn and your ever-efficient body thoughtfully stores it as…ugh!…fat so against possible future lean times (like, you just never know when Arnotts might stop making Tim Tams!).

Modern medical research is supporting what nutritional therapists and some naturopaths have been saying for years: a diet low in fat, animal protein and processed foods ….yes Macca’s is on that list…and high in fruit, vegetable, fibre and complex carbohydrates benefits your health and figure!

Anyone can make effective changes beginning this very day …start eliminating take-away, to perhaps once a week as a special treat if you really are having bad withdrawals! Instead take home-prepared lunch and afternoon snacks to work or wherever. You’ll be surprised how much money you save and you wont be tempted to buy calorie-busting snacks from the local store. Well, realistically, you MIGHT be tempted. Just don’t do it.		  

Foods to limit or replace

Keep the number of calories obtained from fat at or below 30% of your daily total intake of calories.

Limit intake of red meat and cheeses, which are high in saturated fat.

Drop the butter …It doesn’t take long to get used to eating sandwiches or rolls with toppings without any butter. Or replace butter with a low-fat spread or soft margarine, high in polyunsaturated fats and low in trans fats, and spread thinly. For savoury sangers, fresh avocado is a tasty alternative to butter. Yes…avocado IS high in oil content, but it’s the ‘good’ anti-cholesterol stuff.

Avoid the junk food and processed foods loaded with preservatives, colourings and flavourings! Do you know that that Oz burger is going to add 546 calories + 25 grams of fat on to your daily intake, or what about the innocent bacon and egg muffin? Well that tasty little treat will be 344 calories! And 17.1g of fat.		  
  Move it!  ....Move it!   ...Move it!     

Move it! The best way to lose weight is to incorporate exercise into your daily routine, this combined with careful watching of what you are now eating should ensure those kilos start melting away!

Exercise doesn’t need to be a dirty word, it can be as simple as walking instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the lift.  Get stuck into housework, pick up paddock manure everyday [the kids will love you taking over that chore]

Easy on the processed sugar: limit it so that blood sugar doesn’t have wildly swinging peaks and troughs (which cause ‘insulin tolerance’ and carbohydrate cravings) but instead is stable. Eating little and often rather than three big but spaced out meals a day helps here too.

Replace your caffeine cuppas with water and herbal teas, just as refreshing and great pick me ups
 

walk  ..walk  …walk Walk 45 minutes a day! break it up into 15-minute power walks

   

  • Aerobics

  • Cleaning house

  • Horse riding, waking

  • Horse riding, trotting

  • Shopping

  • Vacuum cleaning

  • Walking, briskly

  • Walking, slowly

  • 55-65
  • 40
  • 30
  • 70
  • 40
  • 45
  • 60
  • 40

Calories burnt up in 10 minutes of continuous activity

The less you weigh under 65kg the less calories you will burn.  The heavier you are over 65kg the more calories you will burn up!  Makes sense really…you’re moving a heavier weight and that takes more fuel. Nice to think that those of us with more to shift are actually at an ADVANTAGE!!

On the Aerobics scene…you can pay megabucks for a Club membership and be put through your paces by some disgustingly gorgeous instructor OR you can so some of it at home…easy. Take ‘step aerobics’…you do X numbers of step-up-and-back on some glossy platform gizmo you can buy in a sports store. But what’s that near your back door? STEPS is what!!! Duh!

If in the process of going in and out your own door you take three or four minutes to do 20 ‘up with left foot, bring right foot up beside it, step down with left foot, bring right foot down beside it’. Then swap feet and do another 20…  Imagine how many kilojoules this simple (free) strategy would burn in a year!  At least a zillion.

#for information purposes only, we suggest that anyone wishing to lose weight consult their doctor and an accredited practising dietitian before starting any type of diet.

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