My Plate from the USDA

The USDA revamped its guide on what to eat the other day. It used to be a funny pyramid with lots of stripes on. I was never very keen on it, because it wasn’t very clear to me.

But I think I like this new one. It is clear and simple. And importantly, it is very clear that half of what you eat should be made up of fruit and veggies.

I think I might use this to help absolute beginners with their diets. But as soon as I can, I think I will still try to get people to use the Harvard School of Public Healths Healthy Eating Pyramid.

While not as blindingly simple as the “My Plate”, it is still easy to understand, and has a great deal more info on it. Information such as:

• the difference between whole grains and reined grains.

• the difference between plant and animal based fats/oils.

• restricting sugary sweets/drinks treats etc.

• getting some exercise every day.

I am a firm believer in the principle of Keep It Simple.  And when I have a problem that is not getting fixed, I try to simplify it, get the basics sorted, then gradually add more detail and complexity as and when appropriate.

And I know a lot of people out there (myself included) can be overwhelmed by all the millions of facts, figures and stories about weight control (you should/shouldn’t eat carbohydrates, you should/shouldn’t eat after 6pm, dietary fat is good/bad for us).  So I like anything that starts at square one but lets me move onwards from there.

This is square one.  If in doubt, make sure your dinner plate looks something like the above.  When this has become a second nature habit to you, move on to something like the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid or my 10 simple rules for healthy eating.

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About 2 thirds of the UK population are overweight or obese.  This is because we eat/drink too much and don’t exercise enough.  We all know this, but we still continue overeating.  Why?

Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 major reasons why we eat/drink:

• Biological reasons
• Psychological reasons
• Social/cultural reasons.

Examples of the biological reasons include:

• To get the energy we need to live and be active.
• To get the raw materials we need to grow and repair our bodies after injury.
• To get all the tiny micronutrients that are essential for the chemical reactions in our body.

Examples of the psychological reasons include:

• Comfort eating – we often eat to make ourselves feel better/happier etc.
• Boredom – this can be when you are doing a monotonous job, or if you simply don’t have anything to do.  So we reach for the biscuits/crisps or simply raid the fridge.
• Habit - If we have always eaten a certain thing at a certain time, then we can get into the habit of doing it even if we don’t want/need it.
• “Want” - This is when we smell/taste something and we just really want it now!  eg smelling fresh bread, or seeing an advert on TV and our mouths start to water.

Examples of social/cultural reasons include:

• Humans are social animals and when we are together, we often eat/drink.  This is a major bonding activity for us all.
• Every culture has a celebration/holiday where feasting is usually a major activity.  Here in the UK, Christmas is the obvious example.
• Peer pressure – this is very similar to social eating/drinking, but the person feels they have to do it to “fit in”.

As you can see, I can think of many more psychological/social reasons, than biological ones.  And this is a major reason why so many “diets” fail in the long term, and why so many people end up being “yo-yo” dieters.  Because these diets don’t touch the psychological/social reasons that we overeat.

If you want a healthy body/diet for the rest of your life, and you want to avoid weeks/months of misery, starvation and cravings, then it is vital you deal with these psychological and social/cultural reasons you overeat.

This has nothing to do with forbidden foods, or diet sheets etc.  It is to do with adapting/changing your habits and behaviours of a lifetime.

Not only does this mean that I can keep my life nice and easy, but I also find that simple things make the biggest differences in life.  Especially when it comes to food, drink and weight control. 

So probably the simplest thing that any of us can do to improve our health and give our bodies the resources they need to perform at a high standard, is follow this healthy eating pyramid:

Healthy Eating Pyramid – Click to see a big copy.

It is a more visual way of showing the 10 simple rules of healthy eating that I try to drum into people.  So download my guide to the Healthy Eating Pyramid by clicking here, print it off and stick it to your fridge/cupboards etc.  I don’t care if you are overweight/underweight, an exercise virgin or an elite athlete…we should all be following these guides for health, life and performance.

Now I know almost everyone of you are thinking

“Its ok, I eat like this anyway.”

If this is so, then you won’t be afraid to do a food diary to prove it!

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With 2 thirds of the UK population classed as overweight, there are plenty of people out there who want to lose some bodyfat.  There are hundreds of diets to choose from, and thousands of “fat loss tips” to take in.  And this can make things a little confusing for people.  Which ones should you try?  Which ones will work better?  Which things are more important?

So here are my 4 priorities for losing bodyfat, starting with the most important (in fact, it is absolutely essential) and finishing with the least important (in fact, 99% of people can ignore it).

Spend more time and effort with things at the top of this list, and worry less about the things lower down the list.

Top priority – Calorie deficit – How much you eat.

This is essential.   It doesn’t matter what diet or exercise you do.  You will not lose bodyfat without a calorie deficit.  And this means

taking in fewer calories than you burn off.

• Calories in – This comes from virtually everything we eat and drink. 
• Calories out – Our bodies burn off calories by simply being alive, and also through physical activity.  Ranging from walking into the kitchen to make breakfast, to doing vigorous, hard exercise.

If we take in more calories than we need, our body starts storing them and we gain bodyfat.  This is a calorie excess.

If we take in fewer calories than we need, our body starts using the calories it had previously stored as bodyfat, and we lose bodyfat.  This is a calorie deficit.

It does not matter what diet in the world you are on.  If you are not in a calorie deficit, you will not lose bodyfat.  In other words, unless you are in a calorie deficit, you can fiddle about with the next 3 priorities all you like…you will still get fatter.

Second priority – Food Composition – What you eat.

Once you know how much you should be eating, you can work out just what you should, or should not, be eating/drinking.  Examples of changing your food composition include:

• Cutting out food groups (eg cutting out carbohydrates on the Atkins diet).
• Eating food groups in particular proportions (eg 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30% fats in the Zone diet).
• Eating only a couple of specific foods (eg the cabbage soup diet).

The way I adjust my food composition is simply cutting out man-made, processed foods that are full of simple sugars and saturated fats.

When it comes to losing fat, whatever your food composition, it is less important than a calorie defecit…but it is much more important than the next two priorities, which are…

Third priority – Meal Timing – When you eat.

Only after you have mastered how much and what to eat, should you think about when to eat.  Examples of adjusting meal timing include:

• Not eating anything after a certain time.
• Not eating things on certain days.
• Eat when you are hungry, stop eating when you are nearly full.
• Eating carbohydrates only around exercise.

Meal timing does have an effect on fat loss/gain.  But compared to the previous 2 priorities, it is very small effect.  So don’t bother worrying about this until you have mastered the how much and what you should eat.

However, meal timing is much more important than the final priority…

Fourth Priority – Supplements – Pill and potions you swallow.

There are loads of things out there that claim to be “fat burners”, or “boost your metabolism” etc.  The important thing to remember is,

about 99.9% of them are junk. 

2 of the more famous supplements are green tea and caffeine.  And there is only “some” evidence of a “small” increase in the number of calories burned.  Any small calorie burning benefit you might get from these supplements will be more than cancelled out by a single, small chocolate bar. 

In every practical sense, these supplements will be either:

• A con.
• Not worth going out of your way for.

So when I help someone alter their weight, this is how I priorities things.  The biggest message to take from this is

most of the stuff you read about in magazines is overhyped crap.  Just eat less and eat healthily.

I hope this has helped.

And don’t forget, if you live in or around the Skipton area and need help with your eating or training, contact me now!

Most people start exercising for one or more of the “holy trinity”:

• To lose weight
• To get fitter
• To get stronger

Here are the most basic things to remember about how to achieve them…

How to lose weight.

This is mostly done through your diet.

Top Tip – Gradually cut out all processed foods (food that has not come directly from the farm or sea).  Accept you will have to do this, or you will find it incredibly hard to do.

Click here for more information.

How to get fitter.

This is mostly done through cardiovascular exercise (eg bike, rower, jogging etc).

Top Tip – Get out of breath, stay out of breath and do it often.  Accept you will have to do this, or it will not happen.

Click here for more information.

How to get stronger.

This is done mostly through weight training.

Top Tip – Use your whole body to move progressively heavier and heavier weights.  Accept you will have to do this, or it will not happen.

Click here for more information.

Whether you are an absolute beginner or the most advanced athlete, never forget the above basics.  Think of them as universal truths.  It can be very easy to get so focused on the details, you forget the basics.

Remember the phrase:

“Can’t see the wood for the trees”.

Forgive me for the rambling nature of this post…it’s early and I’m still half asleep.

I did a very quick and un-scientific survey in work over the weekend.

“Why do you actually do exercise?”

And near the top of almost everyones list was because they actually liked it in some way.  Some liked it for the social aspect, for the activity itself, the buzz it gave them or the way it made them look/feel.  But they all enjoyed themselves.

This came as a surprise to a couple of people i told afterwards.  They couldn’t believe that people could enjoy what had made them so miserable in school, or any other time they had tried exercise.

But i honestly think that if you are one of those people, you just haven’t tried the right kind of exercise yet.  There are more ways to be physically active than there are shoes styles!  And if you had a pair of shoes you didn’t like, you wouldn’t shun all shoes forever.  You would shop around for a different pair…so shop around for the kind of exercise you like.  I guarantee there’s some out there in your style