What causes Weight Gain, Overweight & Obesity
Weight Gain and Obesity are caused by Stress and Poor Sleep both of which affect our desire to plan menu’s for the days ahead, leaving us more at risk of weight gain in Obesogenic environments
Biscuits, cakes, chocolate, crisps are incredibly high in calories and are available everywhere. Work Places, Outdoor Parks and even Car Parks have become obesogenic environments with cheap fast food, ice cream, cakes etc readily available. Add stress to this formula and what do you get? A weight problem in adults and very sadly, in children.
White bread is cheap, requires no preparation and is incredibly tasty with butter on it. Top it with processed cheese and ham and a side of crisps to enjoy the most popular lunch in Ireland. Ireland is overweight and needs weight loss nutritionists who take a holistic approach. It is not fair to have these foods so easily available. Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Furthermore, if your job involves sitting most of the day at a desk (in work or at home) in a very busy role, it is hardly surprising that you snack on these high calorie, readily available treats. Mindless snacking results in a 14lb weight gain in a very short time. Eating too quickly or not sitting to eat, are 2 of the most common bad habits I help clients to identify.
Everyone has stress in their life. I help clients to cope with stress and protect their mental and physical health. Learning to manage stressors is a game changer when it comes to achieving a healthy body weight and a happy life. Here is a short video I produced for clients to help them manage work stress and lose weight. Knowledge helps to change attitude and mindset. Taking an holistic approach to obesity and overweight involves educating clients on every aspect of their life that causes weight gain and obesity.
Food Planning helps weight loss
Planning your meals is essential to help you lose weight
Lean people do it all the time. Plan what you will eat for the 3 to 4 days ahead and make a shopping list. Never go into a supermarket hungry. Eat regularly to avoid hunger pangs. Thinking about social outings in advance gives you greater control and should you choose to indulge, subsequently cut back on food before or after the event. Leave nothing to chance. Prioritise your health and wellbeing and it will pay off in the years to come.
Routine is very useful for managing weight. Develop a healthy food routine to include Food planning, shopping and cooking can become an enjoyable experience. Here is an example of a video I post to clients with simple practical guidence. For example, enjoy a coffee and treat after a food shop, bringing your own treat with you to avoid the coffee shop scones, pastries etc. Enjoy a drink when you take over the kitchen on a Saturday or Sunday, bulk cooking and preparing for the week ahead. You will grow to love cooking food and it draws a lot of admiration from friends and family.
Cooking food from scratch is the best way of maintaining a healthy weight. It gives you lifelong freedom from weight.
No matter how good a cook you are, there are evenings when you will come home and you just will not want to chop vegetables. In these instances, you can have ready-meals in your freezer with frozen vegetables or pre-chopped veggies in your fridge requiring minimum effort.
Managing Stress helps weight loss
When stressed we reach for comfort food, alcohol and this causes weight gain
A calm mind makes better decisions. Managing day-to-day stress has to be addressed if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Breathing techniques, yoga and exercise will help you.
Small changes made one day at the time build up to become a new healthy weight lifestyle
- Make a dish that stretches to 3 meals and tastes even better after it is reheated
- Extra dinner can become a lunch
- Learn to cook a meal off by-heart and it is auto-pilot
- Prep a few side salad dishes in the fridge that go with fish, meat or chicken and last 2 to 3 days
- A soup can be a starter when you arrive in very hungry
- Frozen vegetables can be used in a fast stirfry
- Keep a nutty protein bar in the car
- Decide on an alcohol strategy and commit to it for a set period of time
- BodyScan can take you into a deep sleep
- Breathing exercises at your desk strengthens your resolve
