The five easy to take steps to help you stay on track.
Over the time I have been a trainer this is probably the
single biggest hurdle in the road when trying to lose fat.
Let's look at why.
When you go out you often eat all sorts of foods, and
drink. When I first work with people I do insist on no
alcohol for 30 days, as it really does slow down fat loss.
I do recognise that for nutrition strategy to be effective
then it has to be manageable long term and if that means
the occasional drink then that is fine.
So why can a night out be so destructive?
Did you know that in one bottle of wine there can be 750
Kcals. A pint of lager about 200 Kcals. These are high
calorie products. Imagine you drank a whole bottle of wine,
that is actually half the recommended daily amount of
calories for a woman.
The main thing to consider is that most of these calories
are coming from sugars. Yes alcohol is a type of sugar.
This is very important when we think about a strategy for
when you go out.
If you go out for a meal then sometimes you can just say
blow the healthy eating plan and pick anything you like off
of the menu and often eat to the point where you have to
undue a button or two.
The real key to going out and staying on track with a fat
loss program is to plan. Yes I know what your saying, I
keep on harping on and on about planning (if you have read
any of my other articles). Well this is easy.
1. If you are going out for a drink avoid carbohydrate rich
foods before you go out. You will be consuming so much
carbohydrate from the drink, the equivalent to 35 teaspoons
of sugar in one bottle of wine. So stick to high protein
and healthy fat meal. Maybe some steak or chicken and salad
with a high quality dressing, this will keep you full and
help prevent the alcohol getting to your head really quick.
One of my clients has been trying this recently and she has
even found she gets less of a hangover. Although I'm not
sure about that.
2. When you go out for a meal have a look at the whole
menu. Think about what you really want. Make sure you have
something that you are going to enjoy and will fill you up.
Then before you order think about how you want to feel
afterwards. I know from personal experience if I have a
pizza or pasta I just want to go straight to sleep. If I
have a Chicken Ceaser salad I have lots of energy and my
stomach doesn't feel like it is about to explode. When you
have decided what your going to eat order it, and remember
you can ask them to prepare food slightly differently. For
example, you can ask for the dressing to be served
separately so that you choose how much goes on.
When your food comes, eat slowly. I often try and put my
knife and fork down during in between mouthfuls. When you
take your time your stomach often has time to keep up with
your mouth and sends a message when it's full.
Make sure your listening.
3. Thirdly, drink water. If you have slipped a little then
your body will probably want to flush chemicals out of your
body, it needs water to do this. Try to drink water through
out the night and then about 1 litre before you go to bed.
You will probably find you will feel much better in the
morning. Remember that your urine should be a pale colour
to show you are hydrated and not flushing chemicals out.
4. Pull it back together. Just because you had one night
astray you need to get straight back on the wagon. Get your
eating straight and your exercise back on track and often
their will be little or no evidence that you have been off
course.
5. Finally, enjoy your self. Many people lose focus on
their goals when they stop having fun. So have some fun,
keep your goals in mind and follow these simple steps and
you will be surprised how effective they are.
----------------------------------------------------
Matt Murphy is a top fitness coach who specializes in
results based training, to find out more about his training
methods or to learn more visit his website at
http://www.OptimiseU.com or the blog at
http://mattmurphysolutions.blogspot.com/
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