We wish we had a dollar for every time a member asked us “Can I eat this?” or “Isn’t this good for you?”

We’ve all heard the saying, which we’ll adjust: “One woman’s meat is a another woman’s poison.” If your goal is weight loss, then a food that many would regard as “healthy” might actually prevent or slow down your weight loss.

Hopefully you already know that we offer two pathways to healthy weight loss:

1. The Great Shape program. It’s our successful portion-controlled, low fat, low GI, moderate carb plan that gets individualised for each member.
2. The new Reset program. Its primary goal is to normalise blood sugar and insulin levels – thereby helping the body naturally release fat for energy. It “Resets” the fat-burning pathway. Again, as each person’s biology is different, the plan gets individualised for each member.

The result is that you discover what foods and amounts help you lose weight and keep it off. Sometimes this means that a food or drink that we previously regarded as “healthy” should be avoided or at least limited.

Here’s a case in point. We often walk past healthy-looking juice and yoghurt bars in the shopping malls. A medium sized (450 ml) 98% fat free juice smoothie has about 54 grams of carbohydrate/sugar. This is the equivalent to just under 13 teaspoons of sugar! A large (610 mls) would provide around 18 teaspoons of sugar.

Here’s a 7 point checklist that you may want to use when deciding to put something in your mouth.

1. Am I hungry? If you are, it could mean that your previous meal or snack was inadequate. Hunger is the enemy of weight control. It’s best not to go shopping hungry, unless you know where to buy foods that fit your eating plan.
2. Am I thirsty? If you are, you may not be proactively consuming energy-free fluids – like water.
3. Based upon past experience, is there any possibility that this food will cause me digestive upset? If so, say no.
4. Is it a good nutritional deal? This is when the nutrients are high and the kilojoules are low. By this measure, green leafy vegetables are a fantastic deal.
5. Is it hunger or something else? Boredom, social pressure, habit (those munchies at the movies), tempting smells, free food and drink, trying not to offend when your partner’s mother offers you cake!
6. Does it have a label that says 98% or 99% fat free, low fat, lite etc.? If so it may be high in sugar. Many Gluten Free processed foods are high in sugar. None of these foods are in any Healthy Inspirations eating plans.
7. Is the food or drink listed in my Daily Planner? There’s over 160 foods to choose from in all our plans.

Stick to your plan. You’ll lose weight more easily, have more energy, avoid hunger and feel great!

ALERT: On Thursday 31st October ABC TV are screening the 2nd of a 2-part series on cholesterol and statins. The show is Catalyst at 8:00pm. If you missed either show, you can see it online. Google search ABC iView Catalyst. Many people struggle with their weight loss as they proactively avoid fats, including sources of saturated fats. This documentary raises the question about whether it’s been OK for you to eat them after all.