Steps for Life by Jenny Williams

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Welcome to ‘Steps for Life’ This programme has been designed to provide you with the knowledge and necessary tools to fight obesity for life.

Attendance & Effort Your attendance is mandatory. Failure to attend sessions may result in removal from the programme. In order for us to help you, you need to put in the effort, dedication and commitment and ensure that you are prepared for every session. Workbook Your workbook and food diaries are a key component of this programme. Each week you will be required to read the relevant readings, complete activities and homework assignments. Food Diary You are required to complete food diaries every day which you will hand in at the commencement of Saturday sessions. Exercise Gear Come prepared in the right gear every session – week day sessions and Saturday’s.

We hope you enjoy your time with us; we are looking forward to working with you. We can assure you that you will get results if you want it!

CONTENTS Chapter One...................................................................1 Why do people have trouble with their weight? • Dangers of being overweight • Fad diets • Diets don’t work • Diet myths • Goal setting • Set a goal and don’t go crazy • Tips on being your own best motivator

Chapter Two.................................................................13 Make a picture of your goal • How do you make your picture become real? • Plan your changes • It’s your body • Variety in a balanced diet • Balanced diet • Good health... what your body needs

Chapter Three...............................................................29 Your brain • Understanding our emotions • Making things happen • Eating out unhealthy options • Drinks • Cereals • Healthy meals • Good choices

Chapter Four................................................................39 Making new emotional files • Identify your negative thoughts and emotional responses • Think good - feel good (the negative trap) • Think good - feel good (the magic square) • Planning meals • Portions - what’s right for you? • Smart ways to save money

Chapter Five.................................................................51 The negative cycle • Identify problem areas • Reaching a healthy weight loss • What can I do? (worksheet) • Make every meal healthier

Chapter Six...................................................................59 Willpower doesn’t cut it • Beware of self sabotage • Healthy snack ideas • Snack traps

Chapter Seven...............................................................65 Understanding the impact of stress • What could help when you feel stressed • A healthy day of food (worksheet)

Chapter Eight...............................................................71 Label Lingo

Chapter Nine................................................................77 Steps for Life - Store tour guide

Food Diary...................................................................89 Basic calorie counter • Daily food diary

CHAPTER

ONE

Why do people have trouble with their weight? Dangers of being overweight Fad diets Diets don’t work Diet myths Goal setting Set a goal and don’t go crazy Tips on being your own best motivator

“The doors we open and close each day decides the lives we live”

WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE WITH WEIGHT? When we realise that some of our reasons for being overweight are similar to other people who are overweight, it helps us to realise that our problems aren’t unusual. It helps us to see how necessary it is to stop the excuses and just solve the problem.

Here is what the experts think on why people have trouble with weight: • Portion sizes are out of control. “Biggie” size portions are encouraged by fast food chains everywhere • New low-fat and no-fat foods give us a false sense of security that actually sabotage our efforts to lose weight • New “miracle drugs and pills” raise false hopes when promoting weight loss because they don’t help people break bad eating habits • People are discouraged if they don’t lose all their weight overnight or begin unreasonable exercise programs that they don’t have time to maintain. When they find all the work isn’t worth the effort, they would rather stay overweight • A large number of New Zealander’s don’t exercise i.e. meet at least the minimum exercise guidelines of thirty minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. • People feel they must give up their favourite foods in order to lose weight. They don’t want to recognise that if they’re sensible about what they eat, they can eat anything as long as they don’t go crazy. People would simply rather eat everything they want. • Some people hide behind their weight and don’t even try to lose. They have convinced themselves that they will probably gain it back anyway, so why bother trying to lose it at all? •

Some of these items listed may apply to you, don’t let yourself use any of these excuses to stop yourself from succeeding. When you take responsibility for yourself and how you eat, there is no reason that you can’t enjoy the body you want for the rest of your life. It’s so great to feel proud of how you look. If eating more cake and cookies than you need keeps you from your goal, is that treat possibly worth it? No, it’s not!

! E M IZE

R E P U S

DANGERS OF BEING OVERWEIGHT Besides not feeling good or being embarrassed about how you look, an overweight condition can have many negative effects on your health and your body. Most teens feel that this doesn’t apply to them because they think that unhealthy bodies only apply to older people. But, you will be “older” sooner than you think and this is the only body you’re going to have. So, you need to start caring for it properly now. It’s important that you understand what you could be in for if you don’t get a grip on your weight while you can. If you stay heavy as a teen, it can begin a lifetime of physical ailments and complications that are associated with an overweight body. Every person has an ‘ideal body weight’, which is determined from a height, sex, and age as well as bone structure calculation. Your chance of death increases as your body weight increases. If you are much larger than your ideal weight based on your height, sex, age and bone structure, your chance of dying before your time is much greater. Being underweight is actually more hazardous than being overweight because having too little body fat creates even greater stress and risk to the body than being obese. So, being too skinny won’t make you healthier either! Talking about death is morbid but it is really important to fully understand how important weight management is. As a guideline, for every 10% you are over your ‘ideal weight’ you could die 2 to 3 years early. Life insurance companies calculate that the chance of death is increased by 25% in people who are only 5%-15% over their ideal weight, but is increased by more than 400% in people who are more than 25% over their ideal weight! If you are short, you have an even greater concern because you don’t have as much body where you can distribute excess fat as a tall person does. Your risk will be greater with the ratio of waist to hip measurement, so it is critical that you stay as close to your ‘ideal weight’ as possible. Although heart problems are most commonly associated with an overweight condition, other life-threatening or life-shortening diseases such as cancer, hypertension, gallbladder disease, lung disorders and diabetes are also high risk possibilities. Breast cancer in women, for example, is 38% more common in ladies that are overweight rather than at their ideal weight. Obesity can push the body into a situation where it is no longer able to control blood sugar levels correctly, so that diabetes may develop, requiring regular insulin shots. What else do you have to look forward to if you allow yourself to stay overweight? How about lower back pain, aggravated arthritic joint problems, flat feet, circulatory problems such as varicose veins and respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, snoring and, particularly in men, gout attacks. Hiatal hernia, which sometimes feel like heartburn can also become a regular occurrence. The eating habits you establish can affect you later in life. Eating large quantities of fatty foods containing hydrogenated oils and trans-fatty acids are more deadly than just being overweight because ‘bad fats’ create fat deposits in the body which will be released into your circulatory system. The release of this fat further screws up your body by blocking the metabolism of good fats like essential fatty acids. There has not been a specific study to prove if overweight people eat more ‘bad fats’ than people maintaining their ideal weight, but let’s just take a guess. It sure seems logical that overweight people most likely eat a lot more ‘junk food’ and poor nutritional items than people that are careful about what they put into their bodies. We know, for a fact, that fast food companies have a pretty specific profile on their customers who tend to overeat and order large orders just for themselves. Their profile says that their customer is overweight and mostly male.

Yo-yo dieting, if you don’t already know, is when you gain and lose weight over and over again. It creates an increased health risk because making your body gain and lose over and over does not enable your body to stabilise and function properly. An overweight condition increases the strain on your heart that should pretty much go away once the excess weight is lost. But, in the meantime while you’re heavy, it may create some damage to your heart. If you continue to gain and lose weight, you may reduce the risk of heart disease when you are closer to your ideal weight, but on going strain and damage to your heart in the process will increase your chance for sudden cardiac death. If you consider yourself a yo-yo dieter, then you need to break this trend. Dieting is only a temporary solution, so that’s why you should not diet anymore. You must eat in the same way while you are losing your weight that you know you can maintain after you have reached your weight goal. Temporary food changes only mean temporary results. You don’t need to deprive yourself; you just need to take control.

FAD DIETS Fad diets & weight problems: The problem with fad diets is that they all work – but only temporarily. It’s no wonder that these kinds of diets never die, even though a lot of the time they get exposed by doctors as ineffective, badly balanced nutritionally, or even dangerous. Obesity is a national problem. While nutrition scientists and geneticists probe deeper into causes and cures for obesity, many fat people, as well as those who simply think they are fat, run as fast as they can to find any goofy weight loss program that promises to shed their extra kilos quickly and easily. You can’t even turn on the TV without seeing a bunch of infomercials that are full of “lose weight fast”, “fat blocker” type ads. Don’t get tricked by all the healthy looking, slim people eating unbelievable desserts and high fat foods in these commercials. Let’s face it... You already know that you can’t be thin and load your body up with fat. It’s not logical. You may as well learn right now that if something sounds too good to be true in life, it probably is. Weight management needs to be ‘manageable’ for you. What you’re doing right now makes the most sense. You’re learning to eat right and understand yourself better in the process. Anything that’s worthwhile in life, takes a little effort. If your lifestyle doesn’t allow you to weigh and sort food, or carry pre-packaged meals around with you, then diets associated with these practices won’t work for you long-term either.

What you’re doing now makes the most sense!

DIETS DON’T WORK DON’T DIET! Don’t try to make any food changes that are too hard for you or that you can’t maintain. It’s not realistic to say “I’ll never have pizza again”. So, don’t say it! Losing weight is all about getting your metabolism fired-up and cooking. The metabolism is your body’s system for creating energy and burning up fat. This can’t be achieved by starving yourself so, get it straight… you must eat in order to lose weight. In fact, starvation slows the metabolic levels even more and ultimately leads to a higher body fat content which is hardly what you need now. When your body doesn’t receive the nutrition it requires, it stores fat. So, if you really want to achieve your weight loss goal, it’s time to stop dieting and start eating.

FIRST… Eat regular meals. Try not to get yourself worked into starvation frenzy just before meal time because it will only encourage you to eat more. If you eat well-balanced, regular meals throughout the day, your body will use the foods you’re eating better.

SECOND… Eat the right balance. Remember a balanced diet is the key.

THIRD… Rotate your food. Don’t eat the same things all the time. We are all creatures of habit, but try to eat different foods every day.

FOURTH… Drink water! Water is the only thing that flushes fat out of your body so be sure and drink 8 glasses of water every day. If you have trouble drinking enough water, drink through a straw. You will find that you will drink two to three times more liquid with each sip when a straw is used. Refillable sport bottles are your best bet to keep track of the water you’re drinking. You’ll know that you got all of your water in for the day when you drink all the water you’ve put into two sports bottles. If you eat like you’re on a ‘diet’ and return to eating ‘normally’ once you reach your weight goal, you will immediately begin to regain all those unwanted kilos and inches you worked so hard to eliminate. So, don’t even THINK about dieting. The changes you are making now are forever… not just for the moment. This isn’t a weight management fad that you’ll grow out of. It’s a way of life. When you find the right balance of food for your body, your body’s weight will respond pretty quickly. And, the best part is, the better you make yourself eat, the easier it is to eat better! When your body gets used to healthy, balanced meals, it begins to crave and actually prefer healthy and balanced food items.

The stronger you THINK you are, the stronger you WILL BE Your body believes what YOU believe. When you believe you are in control…

YOU ARE!

DIET MYTHS You don’t have to be a nutritionist to learn how to eat right. You know more about what you should and shouldn’t eat right now than you give yourself credit for. Starting a weight management program requires two things: • A positive attitude • A desire to succeed If both of these things are in place, you can’t help but be successful… no matter what your genetic history of family obesity may be. Below are some of the most common diet myths that need to be ignored. When you’re focused and start to accept the fact that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, weight loss success will be yours in no time.

Myth 1: It takes tremendous willpower to lose weight It isn’t always easy to pass up some of the foods that make weight loss difficult, but it doesn’t take willpower to find low calorie or low-fat alternatives for the same item. It’s about being smart and not overdoing it. If you want chips, try fat-free pretzels or air popped popcorn. If you feel like ice cream, eat frozen yoghurt instead. If you’re at a birthday party and cake is being passed around, have a small piece instead of a large portion. It’s not willpower you need. It’s taking credit for the fact that you are learning to make responsible choices about the things you put into your mouth.

Myth 2: If you lose weight, you’ll probably gain it back People only gain their weight back if they were unrealistic about how they lost their weight in the first place. When you want to lose weight permanently, you need to make permanent changes in the way you eat. This may even mean you need to eat more, not less. You have a system inside your body called your ‘metabolism’. Your metabolism is your body’s system to process food and burn calories. Every time you reduce the calories you eat, your metabolic systems gets a little slower. If you have dieted your way to a very inactive metabolism, your system is operating so slowly that even eating 800 calories a day won’t help you lose weight. When you starve yourself and don’t eat enough food to keep healthy, your metabolism shuts down and puts you on a type of self-induced life support. It stores as much fat as it can so vital organs like your heart and liver can continue to function. You need to feed and energise your system regularly so your metabolism can operate as efficiently as possible. If you think of your body like a sleek sports car, just imagine how poorly your car would perform if you failed to give it gas. Well, your body is no different. When you make lean and healthy food choices that enable your body to lose weight, there is no reason that your new weight can’t be maintained if you keep eating the same way.

Myth 3: I was born fat. I have fat genes You may have ‘jeans’ but nobody is born to be overweight. If obesity runs in your family and it has not been medically explained, then it can probably be explained by the grocery store foods you grew up eating. Overweight parents tend to have overweight children. They teach their children how to be overweight by purchasing and preparing the wrong foods. Even the most dramatic medical condition that causes obesity can usually be overcome if that’s what you want to do.

Myth 4: If you really want to lose weight, you must follow a strict diet This is probably the biggest myth of all! Every person will have a different ‘diet’ they want to follow because every person has a different lifestyle and likes to eat different stuff. Your way of eating while you lose your unwanted kilos and inches will be the same way you’re going to eat once you reach your weight loss goal. That’s why you aren’t going to regain those unwanted kilos!

Myth 5: Since it’s bad for you to gain & lose & gain & lose, it’s safer to just stay heavy Maintaining too much weight for long periods of time is a serious health risk and can even cause premature death. There is no question that gaining and losing weight, over and over, is not healthy. But staying heavy is a much greater risk, not only to your health, but to your self-esteem. It’s no fun to be fat or to feel inferior to other people around you. So, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Myth 6: You can lose weight just by eliminating fat from your diet Keeping fat content low when selecting food you eat is certainly a great start, but you can’t lose weight if you eat more calories than your body is able to burn… whether they are fat calories or not. As a matter of fact, if you eat too much starch like potatoes, rice and pasta which can contain no fat at all, your body can become a fat manufacturing machine. If you don’t do enough physical activity during the day to burn up all the sugar that comes from the processing of all that starch, what you don’t use turns to fat. Besides, your body needs some fat. “Good fat” not “bad fat”. Fat is the body’s lubricating oil. If you don’t eat some fat, there will be no oils in your body to keep your physical machine going.

“Good fats” are essential fats that are found in nuts, dried beans, meats and natural oil in fish. If you eat foods like these, you will give your body healthy, natural fats. “Bad fats” are the man-made fats that are found in chips or the shortening used in most commercial cookies, cakes and baked items. It isn’t difficult to know what fats to stay away from.

When you exercise control in your food selection, most of your “good fat – bad fat” decisions will take care of themselves.

Myth 7: Eating the same low calorie menu everyday will lose weight faster Nope! Your body likes variety just like your taste buds. Since an elevated metabolism is the key to weight loss, you don’t want to do anything to slow it down. Forcing your metabolic system to process the same foods day-in and day-out will slow it down a lot. When you rotate your food and don’t eat the same things all the time, it will keep your system much more active and stimulated. Stimulated systems process food better and, eventually, show their efficiency in the form of weight loss, so be creative. If you’re having chicken today for lunch, have meat for lunch tomorrow.

Myth 8: What I drink has no effect on my weight Because we think of drinks as liquid that goes right through the body, sometimes we forget that most beverages contain a lot of sugar or calories. Since 1978, kids have doubled their intake of soda and tripled their intake of sweetened fruit drinks. You’d be a lot better off eating the oranges, apples or grapefruits you intend on juicing rather than drinking them. You’ll be a lot fuller and have the value of the vitamins and minerals that are in the pulp of the fruit. It takes about 6 oranges to make a glass of orange juice in the morning. I doubt that you would even consider eating 6 oranges at one sitting. Save fruits as something to eat not drink and if you have really made a commitment to losing weight, try drinking good old fashioned water. Not only does it have remarkable hydrating or water placement properties that provide great benefits to your skin, it’s the only liquid that flushes fats from your body! Just think… you can almost drink your way to fitness!

Myth 9: Exercise is the best way to lose weight It’s true that exercise is a great metabolic stimulant and will help your body to feel better, perform better and increase fat burn. But the real truth is, you must control the food you put into your body in order for your body to perform in such a way that it allows for weight loss. Exercise is the best answer for toning and strengthening your body and its organs. And, if the right food balance is not provided by you, your body won’t receive the proteins, vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy and lean. Workouts are great and have their own benefits, but good nutrition is still the key to successful weight control. If you work your food and exercise together as a team effort, you’ll see even more weight loss results!

GOAL SETTING The purpose of goal setting is to achieve what you want in life in a successful, focused and decisive manner by taking the right actions. Many of us abandon our goals before we accomplish them. Why is that? Some of the reasons include: • lack of confidence • not having a workable plan for achieving them • being unrealistic by expecting too much too soon • fear of failure • putting too much pressure on ourselves to accomplish them. Luckily there are strategies and behaviours we can adopt for successfully setting and achieving goals.

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals Specific • Measurable • Attainable • Realistic • Timely Specific A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions: • Who: Who is involved? • What: What do I want to accomplish? • Where: Identify a location. • When: Establish a time frame. • Which: Identify requirements and constraints. • Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal. Example: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” A specific goal would say, “Join a gym and workout 3 days a week.”

Measurable Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable You can attain almost any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

Realistic To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective which you are willing and able to work toward. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

Timely A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 5kgs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

The Benefits of Setting Goals • Give you the ‘big picture’ direction you want your life to take • Help keep you organised and focused • Build self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment • Help you achieve success more efficiently and in less time • Make the small day to day tasks more meaningful and purposeful Goal setting, and certainly effective goal setting, has been a tried and true method for achieving success and accomplishment in life. Without it we would drift aimlessly and waste valuable time and effort in pursuits that lead nowhere. So start now! Decide which goals are most meaningful to you and devise a plan for achieving them.

SET A GOAL AND DON’T GO CRAZY The best way to start any weight loss program is to set a realistic goal for you. If you need to lose a lot of weight, do it a little bit at a time. Set a lower goal first so you can see your progress and feel comfortable that this time, you’ll get your extra weight off for good. When you set your goals in steps, it’s a lot easier to stay motivated and be proud of every kilo you’ve lost along the way. Keep reminding yourself that you didn’t gain your weight overnight; you can’t expect to lose it overnight either. Don’t get yourself too upset about how long it may take to get thinner, because then you may find yourself in a depression that could cause you to eat. Everything you do should help you to keep your emotional comfort zone above the line. A tip for keeping your mind in a happy mode is to stay off the scale. Don’t weigh yourself too often. When you do decide to weigh-in, do it at the same time each day so your body is consistently comparing itself under the same conditions. Mornings are best because you are lightest then and have an empty stomach. By weighing yourself at the same time, your measurement will be more accurate. Cut down on foods that you know are not very good for you. Sweets, chips and pizza can all be on that list. Make an effort to eat more balanced meals full of meats and vegetables. You’ll be surprised how easy it will be to continually improve your eating habits. Before long, you’ll get used to eating right and prefer how you feel when you do! A few suggestions to help your efforts: • • • • •

Eat at home more often. Studies show that we tend to eat larger quantities and fattier foods when we eat out Put your fork down between bites. Don’t be in such a hurry to finish your meal Don’t eat a lot of ‘fat free’ products thinking you’re eating fewer calories Make the best choice you can Drink skim milk or light blue top instead of dark blue. This is especially easy if you eat cereal because the flavour of the milk is hidden in the flavour of cereal

• • • • •

Put smaller portions on your plate, and then come back for more if you’re still hungry. Most people try to eat everything on their plate even when they are full! Less quantity on the plate puts less pressure on you If you find you’re eating too many snacks, eat more protein during mealtimes so that you will not get as hungry throughout the day. Protein burns more fat, so by eating more of it, your food begins to work for you and not against you! Try mini-meals. Eat small quantities of food more often throughout the day so you never get too hungry Drink water. Remember, water is the only way to flush fats from your body and it doesn’t cost anything! Don’t eat in front of the TV. When people are distracted, they tend to eat more

TIPS ON BEING YOUR OWN BEST MOTIVATOR It’s hard to stay motivated when you want to reach your goal so badly and it seems that it may take longer than you’d like. When you share your plans with famiy and friends, they can help encourage you. Don’t keep your weight loss efforts a secret just in case you don’t succeed. When you believe you can succeed, you will! Share your faith in success with everyone you know and let them support you too. You need to plan your weight control activities with YOU in mind, not anyone else. Be responsible for yourself and the achievement of your dreams. You may encounter people with their own agendas who may not want you to improve yourself, in order to make themselves feel better. Try to be understanding and say nothing. Be your own best motivator.

Remove the obstacles obstructing each goal You can do anything you set your mind to. If you want to walk each day, but don’t like to walk at night, start early in the morning or after school/work. You can make it work if you really want to.

Set goals that feel right and work toward them Don’t try to make unrealistic goals. Know what you’re trying to accomplish and how to intend to accomplish it. Plans work much better than wishes. With a plan, you control the outcome.

Admit past failures and find workable solutions When you control hunger and elevate your metabolism by eating in a healthy balanced manner, weight loss can be fast and easy. Don’t beat yourself up mentally because you have not been successful losing weight in the past. Now you have the tools you need and you’re doing everything right. This time you will succeed!

Think positive thoughts Negative thoughts can have the same visualisation power as positive ones, only in reverse. When you think negative thoughts about yourself such as, “I have no willpower”, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Remove all negative thoughts or limiting beliefs you may have about yourself. Look at the good in everything you do. Remember, people will treat you the way you ask to be treated. You’ve probably had trouble telling people what’s important to you. You probably think you’re being selfish when you talk about your own needs. You’re not selfish at all. This is your time to shine. You have a vision, a plan and a goal for yourself. That step alone is something to be proud of. You have made a commitment to making changes for the better in your life and people should know about it.

Don’t let anyone stand in your way of achieving your goals. You have the power inside you right now to do anything that you believe that you can do… USE IT! 12

CHAPTER

TWO

Make a picture of your goal

How do you make your picture become real? Plan your changes - Part one: Know your outcome and set your vision - Part two: Know your reasons why - Part three: Take action - make it happen! - Part four: Evaluate your success It’s your body Variety in a balanced diet Balanced diet Good health... what your body needs

“We are repeatedly what we do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit”

MAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR GOAL Now you know more about how your brain works and you are learning that you can create a reality or result you believe you can create, what you now need to do is create a picture in your mind of how you would like to look and feel in a new body. Pictures or visualisations are very powerful mind exercises. They send signals to the brain that come from your imagination or memories. When you create this picture in your mind, you will start to build more emotional files that are tied to the picture. You will experience, through your imagination, how you will feel when you are thinner. You will also learn to feel confident and self-assured. When you think about the picture or image you want to create, the brain actually reconstructs or builds the pattern of nerve cell activity that takes place every time you put this picture in your memory. By thinking about the picture over and over for about a month, all the feelings that you put with your picture will then go into your emotional filing cabinets to tell your body how to respond. If you allow yourself to see how great you really are and let yourself acknowledge how much greater you can be if you want to, then you can see that you are the master of your own destiny! Thinking about a change of appearance won’t make that change happen. But, thinking about the change, picturing the change and making a PLAN to make the picture become your new reality is very achievable. If you have a picture in your mind of what you want to look like, all you need to do is live like your picture is already real. That means if you want to look different, you need to eat differently. You need to eat like the person in the picture would eat. Maybe you need to exercise or even act differently. You can’t continue to eat like a heavy person and expect to become a thin one. But, if you figure out the changes that you need to make in your life that are getting in the way of making your picture real, then make a COMMITMENT to make those changes. You will be surprised at how quickly your body responds.

See it… Believe it… Make it happen.

HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR PICTURE BECOME REAL If you have been overweight for most of your young life and you are having a difficult time imagining yourself looking differently than you do now, then find a picture of someone in a magazine that looks like you and how you want to look. NOTE: Be realistic in your choice. If you are 5” tall, don’t select the body of 6” model to be your picture. You must believe that the picture you are creating for yourself is one that you can actually work to make real. If you start off with an unrealistic expectation and you know in your heart that you’re never going to look like the picture you’ve made of yourself in your mind, then your efforts are doomed before you begin. Each time you do the exercise, your mind needs to take you through the same memory patterns. The reason you want to think the same things in the same way everyday is simple: • You want to constantly recreate the picture in your mind until it becomes a strong memory in your brain. Your brain will then begin to actually experience what you are telling it and start making all the positive emotional files you will needs to support your picture with actions. When the picture becomes real to your brain, it becomes real to your body. • Creating the picture of your new image is very personal. It needs to be done at a time when you won’t have any interruptions or chores. Go into your room, or anywhere you can be alone with yourself. Be comfortable and relaxed. Don’t let common, everyday thoughts get in your way. If you have a lot on your mind, write those thoughts down on a piece of paper so you won’t forget about them before you start this exercise. By doing that, your mind will be free of anything that may get in the way of focusing on your goal. You only want to think about how your new body will look and feel… how great it will be when you are slimmer… how much more energy you will have… how eating unhealthy foods will get in the way of your goal. While you are thinking about all of these things, your brain will be creating all the positive files that you will associate with your new self. • Keep focusing your mind on these very specific, empowering thoughts. Disregard everyday, conscious interruptions and just let yourself experience the thought. Let your imagination touch it, smell it, see it, hear it. Experience how strong and empowered you feel when you imagine your picture becoming a reality. • You will need to do this exercise each day for a month and for about thirty minutes each time. When your thoughts focus on creating a new body. You will imagine yourself shrinking. You will begin to sense how you will feel when you are thinner. You will experience how other people will react to your being thinner and looking fit. • Living your picture becomes the final step. Everyone needs to identify what needs to happen and what steps need to be taken in order for their picture of themselves to become a reality. When your goal is to lose weight, you will plan what lifestyle changes, if any, you’ll need to make. How will you need to change what you eat or maybe even when you eat it? Is exercise going to be needed for you to achieve your new image?

PLAN YOUR CHANGES This is where you need to take a good hard look at what you are doing now that keeps you from losing unwanted kilos and inches. What you should be doing and what changes you need to make in order to have the body you want. Be very honest. You can’t fool yourself. Planning will help you create a picture of your new image, then what steps you’ll need to take to break the patterns that have kept you away from being the person in your picture up until now. You always have options. Once you start to put your plan into action, feel comfortable that your plans can change. Your personal COMMITMENT to making all of this work and how you follow your plan is up to you. Fill in parts 1 and 2 of the questionnaire below. This is required before you can begin to create your picture. It is very important that you believe that your goal is attainable, beginning to plan for it will help you to become a real believer. Making it happen is not that tough when you see it written down in black and white. It will also help you be certain of your goal. Once you are comfortable that your ‘picture of a thinner you’ is set firmly in place, then complete the remaining parts of the questionnaire. NOTE: this exercise can be used for any goal you have. No matter what the goal, it is important that your answers are specific. In other words, if the question asks “What health improvements would you like to see? Do you want to be more active, have more energy, and feel better?” Don’t answer that question with a simple “Have more energy” answer. Be specific. Write down exactly HOW you want to have more energy. Your answer should read something like, “Have enough energy to exercise when I get home from school, not need a nap in the afternoon, and stay awake at night to enjoy TV with the family”. With a complete answer, you’ll really know what you’re trying to accomplish. Writing down your plans works a whole lot better than just thinking about them. A written plan gives you something you can look at, think about and change when it’s not working the way you want it to. It also becomes a type of diary so you can start to chart your success because you WILL be successful!

PART ONE: Know your outcome and set your vision In this section you will begin to identify and think of some of your goals and begin to believe that they are achievable. You’ll also need to think about what may have happened that got you to your current weight so you can avoid those same actions in the future.

1 What is your ultimate weight loss goal?

2 What would you like to accomplish in the next 3 months?

3 What would you like to accomplish in the next 6-12 months?

4 What health improvements would you like to see? Do you want to be more active, have more energy, feel better?

5 How will you feel when you achieve your goal? Will looking better make you feel more confident? Happier? Proud of yourself for getting the job done?

6 How will others look at you when you are thinner? Will your family be proud? Your friends?

7 How would you change the way youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll live once you reach your goal weight? Will you need to exercise more? Eat out less? Have less fast-food?

PART TWO: Know your reasons why Understanding what the deal is about any challenge is the key to solving it. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t figure out the cause of your problems, how can you expect to fix them? By being clear about what got you to this point, you have taken a giant step toward making sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t self-sabotage your current efforts. 1 Why do you think you are overweight?

2 Why is achieving your goal important to you?

3 Why are you concerned about your current physical condition?

4 Why is it important to you how other people see you?

PART THREE: Take action - make it happen! This is the challenging part: Planning what you are willing to do to make your goals into reality. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make this part overwhelming. List your overall plans but only make small changes each week until you feel you are able to do more. The more realistic you are about making changes you need to make, a little bit at a time, the easier all the changes will be for you to handle. 1 What has to happen in order for you to achieve your goal? What changes in your snacking or dealing with stress do you need to make? Eliminate some junk foods? Eat more fruit? Eat more balanced meals?

2 What will your biggest eating challenges be that you will need to overcome? Snacking? Binging? Late-night eating?

3 What lifestyle changes do you need to make? Less fast-food? Exercise?

4 What are you going to do this week to help you toward your goal? Have a workout? Take your lunch to school? Find better snack options?

5 What activity are you going to do just for YOU this week?

PART FOUR: Evaluate your success This is the most important part of the process: Checking out how youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing. Every gram, every centimetre, every bad eating habit that you change that benefits your body, all add up to bring balance and happiness into your life. Celebrate all these changes, no matter how big or small - they all show your dedication to the new you. 1 How much smaller are you getting?

2 What food changes have you made that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss or go back to later?

3 How much junk food have you cut from your diet? Do you eat smaller helpings and not large portions anymore?

4 How do you feel physically?

5 Do you have more energy now?

6 Are you exercising regularly?

7 Are you happy with your progress?

8 What do you need to do now to make your programme more successful?

IT’S YOUR BODY Every time you swallow a bite of sandwich or slurp a smoothie, your body works hard to process the nutrients you’ve eaten. The nutrients you’ve taken in become the building blocks and fuel needed by your body. Your body gets the energy it needs from food through a process called metabolism. Metabolism converts the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing. If you have a slow metabolism it may be easier to put on weight and if you have a fast metabolism you may need high calorie food supplements from becoming too thin. There are lots of things that can cause your metabolism to slow down: • a change in exercise or activity patterns • excessive dieting • nutrition imbalances Think of your body as a car, cars require petrol in order for them to go and they also require regular maintenance (just like our bodies that require food for fuel). With all cars you need to put in the right type of petrol to make sure it functions well. If you put high quality petrol into a high performance car it will look great and run well. You could put any type of petrol into a car and it will still go but at some point down the line if you don’t put in the right type of fuel to make sure it functions well, it will eventually break down. Our bodies are the same. Our bodies are like a car that requires petrol, we need food to run. We could eat whatever we like and like the car that takes any type of petrol we will still be able to function, but not at peak performance and at some point our bodies will feel the affect and suffer the consequences.

Which would you rather be?

High Performance Car

Low Performance Car

VARIETY IN A BALANCED DIET When our cars require an oil change we take it into the mechanic and they change the oil filter. This enables the car to run cleaner and more efficiently, which reduces petrol consumption. Your body is no different. Variety is an important part of a balanced diet. By eating a different selection of foods every day it helps your body to process that food more efficiently so your body runs cleaner... just like a clean oil filter. Eating the same food all the time will cause toxins to form. When you rotate your food and eat different items every day, your body will get rid of the old food first. For example... If chicken is something you eat just about every day, your body will have a hard time figuring out which is today’s chicken from the chicken you ate yesterday or the day before. If 3-day old chicken remains in your body, you have a much greater chance of toxins forming which will slow your metabolism down even further.

Key points: • By adding variety and eating something different every day, you can help keep your body running at a much higher performance level. • Taking control of your life is a life changing decision that will have positive benefits for you forever. • Every action we take affects another. If you eat poorly, your health and body will show the results. • Doing the right thing for your body can make you feel so terrific YOU are in control of YOU

BALANCED DIET Food Fruit

Vegetables

2-3+ serves

3-4+ handfuls

A serve is... 1 medium apple, small handful raisins, 3 dried apricots 1/3 of a medium broccoli, 1 large carrot, Â˝ cup frozen veggies

Dairy

2-3 serves

1 yoghurt, match box size piece of cheese, 1 cup milk

Breads, Cereals

At each meal & some snacks

Fist sized amount at each meal

2 serves

Palm sized

50-60g

Not much! 1 tbsp oil â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 15g

2 litres+

About 8+ glasses

Meat, Fish, eggs, poultry and alternatives Fats Water

How much?

GOOD HEALTH... EAT WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS Fruits and Vegetables • Eat 5+ a day • Eat a variety of colours • Fresh or frozen goods

Breads and Cereals • Fist sized portion • Brown bread better than white (has more fibre and fills you up for longer periods) • Don’t add too much fat to these

Milk and Dairy • High in protein and calcium important for healthy bones • Go for low fat yoghurt • Lite Blue or Skim Milk is better than Dark Blue • Use a small amount of cheese – grated cheese always a better option

Meat and Fish • Smaller portions • Animal fat is saturated fat – take off the fat • Fish – aim to eat at least 2x a week

Fats and Oils • Use less, too much can cause weight gain

Drinks • Water or milk is best • Drink about 8+ glasses of water per day • Dilute fruit juice with water

CHAPTER

THREE

Your brain

Understanding our emotions Making things happen Eating out - unhealthy options Drinks Cereals Healthy meals Good choices

“Knowing is not enoug h; we must apply. Willing is not enoug h; we must do”

YOUR BRAIN Understanding how your brain works will help you to understand some of the things you need to know in order for you to make changes easily. The brain has 2 sides:

LOGICAL Where you learn things and deal with issues from a real factual point of view. It’s the same side of your brain that helps you figure out what’s right from wrong and what’s good from bad. Logical responses are those you are conscious or fully aware of making

EMOTIONAL Creates reactions or responses to things that happen to you throughout the day. If someone says something nasty to you through the course of your day, you may feel angry, sad or defensive. These are emotional responses. Everyone’s responses are personal. They are also learned and do not come naturally all by themselves. Emotional responses are automatic responses that come from unconscious thought .

From the time we are babies, we learn to respond to things that happen around us. Think of the emotional side of your brain as having a giant filing cabinet attached to it. In that filing cabinet are all of the emotional responses we have collected from the very beginning of our life. When something happens to make us happy or upset, we file that memory away. When certain emotions affect us we go into our emotional filing cabinet to see how we should react and file that action away, too. The emotional side of your brain will override the logical side of your brain every time unless you consciously stop it. For example... You’re at a rocking party, and it’s getting close to your curfew time… Emotional side: “I’m having a great time, I don’t want to go home” Logical side: “You need to go home – Mum and Dad gave a curfew” Emotional side: “I don’t care about their curfew, I’m having fun” Logical side: “If I don’t go home I’m going to be in big trouble and Mum and Dad will ground me. Staying out isn’t going to be worth the drama I’ll just go home” The logical side of your brain, when used, can help the emotional side see reason.

Key points: • Living your life solely from the emotional side of your brain can be very dangerous. Depending on what’s in all the emotional files you’ve collected up until this point, the emotional side of your brain might be full of all the wrong reactions You’re are in charge of YOU and you can do anything you set your mind to

UNDERSTANDING OUR EMOTIONS We all have this invisible emotional median that serves as a dividing line between good and bad feelings Our brain’s goal is to try and keep us as emotionally positive and happy as possible. Our emotions tend to sit right on the median because that is an acceptable comfort zone. When something happens to upset us and we are unhappy or feel insecure, that’s when our emotions fall below the median line. Our brain will immediately dip into our emotional filing cabinet to find the fastest way to get our emotions back up above the median line so we can feel happy again.

ABOVE THE LINE: confidence • happiness • contentment • bliss emotional median – acceptable comfort zone BELOW THE LINE: insecurity • sadness • fear • frustration When we live above the line on our emotional median we are happy and content. If something happens that takes us into an upsetting condition and drops our emotions below the line, we immediately look to the emotional side of our brain to tell us what to do in order to feel better. When a situation arises that takes your emotions below the line and causes you to feel insecure, the emotional side of the brain goes into your: “I need to feel confident file”, and suggests all of your action options that will make you feel better fast. In a split second, your brain will find the one that will provide relief the quickest – the one that can be done automatically and without conscious thought. Whatever upsets us and causes our emotions to fall below the line in the first place, needs to be addressed and faced. For a lot of people, food is very comforting when they are upset. Someone could have a bad day at school or work and a chocolate bar or pizza may be just the thing they need to make them feel better right away. It may give them an immediate emotional lift to take their emotions above the line. But later, that chocolate or pizza will probably be a source of guilt and send them on another emotional roller-coaster, taking them even further below the line than they were before.

Key points: • The only way to deal with a problem is to face it, evaluate it and solve it. • Hiding it behind any source of false comfort doesn’t make the problem go away, it only make you feel less in control. • When you face the problem and take the challenge head on, you feel strong, capable and really proud of yourself. • Each and every time you have success by overcoming an obstacle that you would really rather avoid, you’re building up your emotional filing cabinet with positive and empowering solutions that you can draw on later when a similar challenge comes your way.

MAKING THINGS HAPPEN The mind is a powerful tool and controls your body. The way you live your life, is what your mind says it is. Your life is made up from a series of personal beliefs that have developed over a period of time with the help of friends, family and personal experience. What you think actually determines how you act and how your body feels. If you think you are smart, you will act smart. If you think you can be successful at over coming your weight problem, you can. A belief will stay a belief until you change your mind and decide to believe something different. YOU have complete control over your belief system even if that belief system is greatly influenced by others. For example... If you think you’re smart, you will use all of the information that comes out of your emotional files that you have built up over the years since you’ve been in school. You will use the files that tell you “Do your homework and pay attention in class or else you’ll get into trouble”. By doing what your files tell you to do, you will ultimately promote your own ability to actually be smart. This belief system can work in a positive or negative way. If you think you are shy, you will be shy when you meet people because your belief system says so, and your emotional file system supports that belief. If you think you are able to be successful in what you set out to do, you will be, if that’s what you truly believe. Your fate in life is directly connected with your commitment to your beliefs.

Key points: • You can be whoever you want to be... it’s entirely up to you. It may take work on your part to reach all the goals you’d like to set for yourself, but getting there is all about your desire and willingness to take responsibility for your own actions. • You can make choices that best fit your needs, dreams and desires.

EATING OUT - UNHEALTHY OPTIONS Takeaway

Approx time to burn off

Fish and chips - 200g fish battered, 150g chips

2 hours 45 minute walk

Pizza - 1/2 Dominoes pizza

2.5 hour walk

Meat pie

77 minute walk

McDonalds large Big Mac combo

3 hour walk

KFC - 3 pieces chicken, bread roll, potato and gravy, chips and a fizzy drink

3 hour walk

Butter chicken, naan and fizzy drink

2.5 hour walk

Burger King Double Whopper, fries, fizzy drink

3.5 hour walk

DRINKS Drink and size

Sugar

H2go flavoured water 700ml

7 teaspoons

Just Juice 250ml

6 teaspoons

Golden Circle Fruit Drink 250ml

7 teaspoons

Bottle of V 350ml

9 teaspoons

Coke 600ml

16 teaspoons

Powerade 750ml

14 teaspoons

E2 800ml

20 teaspoons

Chocolate Milk 500ml

14 teaspoons

Time to walk off 18 minutes 18 minutes 19 minutes 26 minutes 42 minutes 38 minutes 53 minutes 38 minutes

IMPORTANT FACT Drinking 2 litres per week of high sugar drinks can add up to 7.5kgs of weight gain in a year!

CEREALS

Great

Not too often

Oats

Rice Bubbles

Cocopops (40% sugar)

Porridge

Cornflakes

Nutragrain (30% sugar)

Weetbix

Fruitloops (40% sugar)

Natural Muesli

Toasted Muesli (up to 40% sugar)

All Bran

Middle road

HEALTHY MEALS Healthy Breakfast • • • • • •

Porridge + Lite blue/Skim milk + kiwifruit Porridge + Lite blue/Skim milk + raisins Weetbix + Lite blue/Skim milk + banana Natural Muesli + low fat yoghurt + tinned peaches Beans on wholemeal or wholegrain toast Eggs on wholemeal or wholegrain toast

Healthy Lunch • Wholemeal roll or sandwich with: - Ham + coleslaw + tomato - Sliced left over beef + cucumber + beetroot + lettuce - Mashed egg + lettuce • Baked potato or kumara with tuna, peas, grated edam cheese • Vegetable soup with any of: - Pumpkin + kumara + parsnip + onion + celery + carrot + taro + cassava Add some fruit and dairy and you are good to go!

If you are eating out choose low fat and salt options Best choices include: • Kebab on rice (have yoghurt sauce instead of mayo) • Thin base pizzas with loads of veggies on top • Grilled chicken burger with salad (no mayo) • Sushi • Subway ‘6g of fat or less’ subs • Chinese stir fry with lots of veggies on rice or noodles

Healthy Dinner A healthy dinner has: • Two cupped handful of vegetables like salad, broccoli, peas, water cress, puha • A fist size amount of carbohydrates like taro, green banana, rice, pasta, potato, cassava, yam • A palm sized amount of meat like chicken, pork, fish, beef

Tips for healthy cooking: • Choose lean meats. Trim the fat off meat and take the skin off chicken • Boil, grill or panfry meats. Drain the fat off mince, boil ups and stews • Swap from cooking foods in butter or lard to using small amounts of oils like olive, rice bran or canola oil • Use herbs and spices to flavour foods instead of salt. If using salt always choose iodised salt • If using coconut milk or cream, use smaller amounts or water it down (very high in fat) • Add lots of veggies to meals – frozen, fresh or canned

GOOD CHOICES Great!

Not too often

Milk

• Green top

• Light Blue top

• Dark Blue top

Yoghurt

• Plain low fat • Low fat

• Calci yum • Regular yoghurt

• Greek yoghurt • Thick and creamy yoghurts

• Cottage cheese • Low fat cream cheese

• Edam • Feta • Low fat processes cheese slices

• Hard cheese – tasty, Colby, mild, cheddar • Full fat cream cheese

Cheese

• Canola/olive/ avocado based Margarine/ • Margarine Butter • Margarine with heart tick

• Margarines/spreads • Butter, spreadable butter with no heart tick

• High fat crackers that look yellow like Snax, Sesameal, cheds, Mealmates • Original Huntley and Palmers crackers

Crackers

• Crackers that look white like water crackers, rice crackers • Low fat Huntley Palmers crackers • Salada light crackers

Biscuits

• The rest! • Gingernuts • Biscuits with fruit in them

• Grainy crackers

Breads

Middle road

• Grainy breads that • Wholemeal breads • Fruit bread don’t flop over when you hold them up

• White breads • White sweet buns

Great! Cereals

Middle road

• Oats • Weetbix • Natural Muesli

• Up and Go (if you have x1 fresh fruit too) • Rice Bubbles • Cornflakes

• Cocopops • Nutrigrain • Fruitloops • Toasted Muesli

• Water!!!!

• Coffee, tea, milo, low fat milk • Juice • Diet drinks like Diet Coke and Diet Sprite, • Coke Zero

• Alcohol • Fizzy drinks • Raro and similar drinks • Flavoured milk • Lots of coffee • Sports drinks (unless advised) • Energy drinks (eg V and Red Bull)

• Canned beans and peas • Canned tomatoes and veges • Canned fruit in juice • Canned fish in springwater

• Canned meals • Baked beans, • Soups spaghetti • Corned beef • Creamed rice • Fruit in syrup • Flavoured canned fish

Drinks

Canned Foods

Not too often

so many choices!

CHAPTER

FOUR

Making new emotional files

Identify your negative thoughts and emotional responses Think good - feel good (the negative trap) Think good - feel good (the magic square) Planning meals - Meal Planner - Shopping list Portions - what’s right for you? Smart ways to save money

“You will never find time for anything. You must make it”

MAKING NEW EMOTIONAL FILES Have you started to think about some of the emotional responses that you know you may already have that you feel may be working against you? If we can identify the behaviours that cause you to overeat or eat the wrong things, or to not exercise regularly, all we need to do is clean out your old response files and replace them with better responses. We have all been taught or ‘programmed’ by our parents to act a certain way since we were babies. A lot of those reactions have been associated in some way with food. When you cried, you got a bottle. When you were good, you got a cookie. If you finished everything on your plate, you could have dessert. Look at the emotional files that were created for you before you even knew how to create them! Fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Burger King encourage you to feel rewarded for eating poorly, eg. ‘Happy Meals’. Think about it. You are actually rewarded for eating a fatty burger, fries and sugary coke with a toy! If you turn to food at times of stress or for comfort in any way, these patterns can be changed too, but first you must face the fact that these patterns exist. Once you truly believe that you are absolutely capable of changing bad habits, the rest is pretty easy. Sometimes, all it takes is knowing what the better options are.

IDENTIFY YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSES The different sides of our brain – logical and emotional affect not only our thoughts but our feelings and actions. If we hit a low and it takes us below our emotional median we may reach for that chocolate bar because we feel down and the chocolate bar is what we would usually do when we feel down and it instantly takes you back up to the emotional median line. However, eating that chocolate bar makes you feel guilty which can lead you to feel even more down as you know it contributes to you gaining more weight. What do you think happens to you now? You drop further below the emotional median and the cycle continues. The emotional responses you have developed are natural responses that you have when a problem arises or you need that instant fix and the negative cycle then comes into play. If we don’t identify our negative thoughts and emotional responses and find a way to overcome them, you will constantly be sitting in the negative cycle. There are two worksheets overleaf for you to complete. When looking at your ‘most difficult situation’, put yourself in the heart of the situation and think about what your actions were and how you felt. Once you have completed both sheets sit down and have a look at them both. Think about how you could turn the negative thoughts and feelings you had in your most difficult situation around. Think about what new emotional files you can create to help you if you come across this situation again… REMEMBER, by creating new emotional files you create new emotional responses.

EXAMPLE: Negative thought: “I’m ‘fat’ and ugly” Old Emotional Response: You feel down and need a pick me up so you grab a chocolate bar and instantly you feel better. An hour later you think about how you feel ‘fat’ and ugly and know that the chocolate bar didn’t help, so you start to feel guilty – setting the negative cycle into continual play. New Emotional Response: You feel down BUT you get up and head outside for a nice walk when you get back you feel much better. You know that you’ve done something to combat that negative thought. We all have negative thoughts, try and identify the ones you have most frequently. Write them down and think of what you can do to create new emotional responses that will help you whenever they come up.

THINK GOOD - FEEL GOOD THE NEGATIVE TRAP Think about one of your most difficult situations and write: • What HAPPENS • How you FEEL • What you THINK about when you are in that situation

What I THINK...

What I DO...

How I FEEL...

THINK GOOD - FEEL GOOD THE MAGIC SQUARE Think about something you have done recently which you really enjoyed and write: • What YOU DID • How you FELT • What you were THINKING

What were you THINKING...

What were you DOING (place, people, activity)...

How did you FEEL...

PLANNING MEALS Getting in a good routine with planning your breakfast, lunch and evening meals can make your life so much easier. Sit down once a week for 10 minutes and have a think about what meals you could make in the coming week. Look at how you could use left overs for lunch meals and think about what you have at home and what more you may need to buy. • Base around your protein portion – what would work well? • What veg can you add/use to make up half a plate? • What carbs go with the dish? Pasta, rice, potato, kumara, corn?

Red meat – choice x2/week examples • Stir Fry – pork/beef/lamb with veg and noodles/rice • Chilli – lean mince with extra tomato, grated carrot, courgette, kidney beans, rice with extra green veggies on the side • Spaghetti bolognaise - lean mince with lots of garlic, onion, capsicum, courgette, mushrooms with pasta and salad on side • Casserole – meat, veggies and potato/kumara • Soup – thick veg and lean meat soup • Salad with lean grilled meat and boiled new potatoes or noodles • Lean meat patties with salad and wholemeal bread roll

Fish/Seafood – choice x2/week examples • Baked fish with salad and taro • Grilled fish with steamed greens and rice • Curry – fish lightly fried with onions, curry paste/spices, canned tomatoes and greens

Chicken – choose x1-2/week examples • Stir fry with rice • Pasta bake with chicken and veg • Baked chicken with roasted vegetables and green salad

MEAL PLANNER Breakfast Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

SHOPPING LIST Fruit and veggies I need

Meat/poultry/eggs I need

Dairy I need

Canned food I need

Dry Food I need

Breads/crackers

Frozen food I need

PORTIONS - WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RIGHT FOR YOU? The Ideal Dinner Plate

Meat portion Size and thickness of your palm

Carbohydrate portion Size of your fist

Veggie portion 2 cupped handfuls

SMART WAYS TO SAVE MONEY Here are our top tips: • Plan a weekly menu and shop with a list • Shopping around at different stores like the supermarket, butcher, fruit and veggie shop is much cheaper • Use supermarket discount flyers and if your supermarket has a loyalty card sign up • Know your essential non-perishable items like rice and canned tomatoes. When they are on special buy in bulk • Buy fresh fruit and veggies in season – they are cheaper • Handpick your fruit and veggies in the store, they cost less than the pre-packaged ones • Frozen veggies and canned fruit are cheap and just as good as fresh • Grow your own fruits, veggies and herbs • Make the most of leftovers – have for lunch the next day • Buy less meat and bulk out your dinners with more veggies • Switch from juice to water as your families main drink Plan a weekly menu and shop with a list: plan your week’s meal in advance before you shop. Match meals with busy nights and special occasions. This means that you won’t have to resort to buying breakfast on the way to work or school or fast food on the way home. A decent list can also help – you won’t forget to buy things that you need, and it will also deter your from impulse buying. Shopping around at different stores like the supermarket, butcher, fruit and veggie shop is much cheaper. These shops often have great special deals. Take advantage of discount flyers from the supermarket too. Know your essential non-perishable items – when they are on special buy in bulk to save money in the long run Fruits and veggies - buy in season, much cheaper. Handpick them from the shop as they are more expensive if already packaged. Canned and frozen are also great choices and cheap. Save even more money by growing your own. Make the most of leftovers - put things in the fridge and freezer and think about ways that you can reuse them. E.g. for lunch or dinner the next day, put into sandwiches and omelettes. Buy less meat and bulk out your dinners with more veggies - you will save money by buying less meat. You can even use cheap canned or dried beans to bulk out meals

CHAPTER

FIVE

The negative cycle

Identify problem areas Reaching a healthy weight loss What can I do? (worksheet) Make every meal healthier

“Obstacles are those frig htful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal”

THE NEGATIVE CYCLE Confirm your failure

Negative thoughts

Feel disinterested and unmotivated

Create doubts/worries

Affect what you do

Produce unpleasant feelings

Make you feel sad, depressed, anxious and uptight The negative cycle is a continuous loop of negative thinking. When people are stuck in this negative state of mind they have a distorted view of the world. It becomes a cycle where negative thoughts reinforce negative emotions, which in turn produces negative actions. If the cycle is not broken and left to run uninterrupted, it has a detrimental physical and mental effect on the person experiencing the spin. If these cycles spin often enough, they can lead to depression and anxiety. The key to avoiding this negative distortion and stopping the spin is to understand what initiates the cycle and this starts with identifying your problems.

Examples of negative thoughts: Thought

Emotion

Action

I’m fat and ugly

Sad, depressed, feels like an outcast

Doesn’t socialise, sits at home and comfort eats to feel better.

I’m just meant to be big, it’s too hard to lose weight

Sad, uptight, depressed, lack of confidence, fear of failure, anxious

Follows the same old routine but feels guilty, emotionally eats for comfort and out of boredom.

“You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it” Albert Einstein

IDENTIFY PROBLEM AREAS Let’s take a look at identifying your problem:

• Do you use food for comfort? • Do you eat when you’re not hungry?

• Do you eat because you’re out with friends? • Do you eat out of boredom?

• Do you make smart food choices?

• Are you into fast food?

Write down every possible thing in your life that may contribute to your weight problem. Even if you think it’s silly or not a big deal, write it down. Read each item on your list and take one challenge at a time. Decide what you see as your goal and think of solutions to the problems that apply to you. While you are finding acceptable solutions that you feel you can live with, think about how you are going to feel once your problem is solved.

REACHING A HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS Successful weight loss happens when you reduce your food intake down and increase your exercise. Basics of weight loss - - - - -

Need an energy deficit. This means less calories in and more calories out i.e. More calories burned than consumed. This can be done by eating less and more healthily and moving more. Healthy weight loss is losing about ½ to 1kg per week Small changes can add up

• Do some physical activity for 30 mins a day (even can do 10 mins 3 x a day. Walking, zumba) •

Eat more fruits and veggies rather than sugary and fatty foods like lollies, cakes, chocolate and chips (sugary and fatty foods have lots of calories in them which can make you gain weight. Fruits and veggies are very low in calories and a great replacement that also are packed with nutrition and can help full you up)

• Cut the fat off your meat and take the skin off chicken • Swap to light blue milk, use less cheese, butter and ghee in cooking • Skim the fat off soups and boil ups before serving • Have water or light blue milk instead of fizzy drinks • Eat with TV off (it is proven that when we eat while watching TV, we eat more. Best to eat with no distractions like TV, radio etc) • Always have a healthy breakfast (less likely to overeat and snack on high sugar and fat foods later on during the day) • Eat smaller amounts of food – use the portion size guide (reducing portion sizes down to what you actually need can help reduce calorie intake) • If you are out and about, take some healthy snacks with you so that you have to get takeaways

WORKSHEET - REACHING A HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS What can I do?

MAKE EVERY MEAL HEALTHIER Top tips for healthy cooking • Choose lean meats. Trim the fat off meat and take the skin off chicken • Boil, grill or panfry meats. Drain the fat off mince, boil up and stews • Swap from cooking foods in butter or lard to using small amounts of oils like olive, rice bran or canola oil • Use herbs and spices to flavour foods instead of salt. If using salt always choose iodised salt. • If using coconut milk or cream, use smaller amounts, or water down (very high in fat)

• Add lots of veggies to meals – frozen, fresh or canned

What cooking methods do you use?

What are you doing well?

What could you improve on?

CHAPTER

SIX

Willpower doesn’t cut it Beware of self sabotage Healthy snack ideas Snack traps

“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital”

WILLPOWER DOESN’T CUT IT Trying to make yourself do the things you want to do by using sheer willpower or mental force, is never a long term solution to anything. Willpower comes from the logical side of the brain – the side which controls learned and forced action based on times when you are fully aware and in control of your thinking. This sounds great but, unfortunately, most of our actions are automatic and not consciously thought out. If you eat food when you’re upset just to make yourself feel better, then you need to create good, healthy and automatic responses to the emotional challenges that may currently draw you to food for comfort. IMPORTANT NOTE: You can’t take away an emotional response file without replacing it with another one… And, hopefully, a better one. Your new activity to replace eating food in times of distress could be anything from taking a walk, playing sports of some kind, listening to music, or focusing on a new project or hobby. As long as you don’t use food to make yourself feel better, any action is a smarter option. Everything you do in life is connected in some way. Every one of your actions during the day affects another. Then, that action will affect still another. This is called “cause and effect”. Usually these “cause and effect” actions work in a circle and eventually return to affect the initial action. All of our actions are related to each other in some way, so because of this we can’t make changes through sheer willpower. Willpower will only help you temporarily and usually for one time only. The next time you face the same kind of challenge, your regular response to that challenge will take over unless you stop thinking about it and use your willpower again. If you want to change your body and maintain the change once you reach your goal weight, then you need to change some of the emotional responses you may have that include using food to boost your happiness level above that emotional median. Only you know what it takes to make you feel good.

BEWARE OF SELF-SABOTAGE Some people hide behind their weight. Being overweight causes all kinds of emotional triggers and can also help a lot of people to justify their incorrect beliefs about themselves that interfere with weight loss efforts. It can be damaging if you have this kind of fear because fear may be part of another emotional file that will cause you to sabotage all the great efforts you are making in order to have positives changes in your life.

How? When the logical side of your brain communicates with the emotional side, it creates what’s called “inner dialogue”. It’s like your talking to yourself about yourself in your head. If you do not control your inner dialogue by using healthy and positive beliefs that you have collected in your files along the way, your inner dialogue can project negative thoughts. Any doubt you have about your ability to achieve weight loss success can cause negative thoughts to be directed towards your current weight loss efforts. This is especially true if you have unsuccessfully tried to reach your goal weight in the past.

REMEMBER: since your brain only believes what you tell it to believe, you can successfully lose weight if YOU think you can really do it. Our inner dialogue communicates with us when we are in our weakest condition. It may tell us we are incapable of success and remind us that we have failed at so many other attempts before that we may start to believe that this is a real possibility that this will only be another failed attempt. Your inner dialogue may be very mean and remind you of all the limitations you may think you have. If it’s not stopped by you changing your thinking, constantly telling yourself that you may not be successful will cause you start to support that belief. Hidden somewhere in an emotional file may already be your feeling that you are incapable of weight loss success. Without even realising that you’re doing it, you may begin to act in a way that guarantees your failure, like eating too much. Because your actions will always support your beliefs, if your mind believes you will fail, your actions will make sure that you do.

Helpful tips: Knowing that you control your thoughts will really help you to think in a ‘can do’ manner. When you begin to only let your brain accept positive thought patterns, your inner dialogue will become positive and support your efforts, rather than negative and destructive. If you begin to remove all limiting beliefs that say “I can’t, I can’t” from your life, then your inner dialogue will have no more negative files left on the emotional side of your brain that it can pull from. Once the files are gone, there is nothing available to sabotage your goals.

HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS

SNACK TRAPS Having healthy snacks available may help deter you from the snack traps!

Snack Trap

Kcals/KJ per serve

Cookie time

443kcals/1860KJ

Mega Muffin

378kcals/1588KJ

Can of V

144kcals/605KJ

1 large bag chips (150g)

800kcals/3360KJ

1 moro bar

285kcals/1190KJ

1 burger with cheese and ketchup

529kcals/2210KJ

Large bag of lollies (200g)

715kcals/3000KJ

Pie 550kcals/2310KJ Croissant 279kcals/1148KJ 1 slice carrot cake

420kcals/1756KJ

CHAPTER

SEVEN

Understanding the impact of stress

What could help when you feel stressed A healthy day of food (worksheet)

“We can’t become what we need by remaining where we are”

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF STRESS Fight or Flight The “fight or flight response” is our body’s primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to “fight” or “flee” from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival.

What happens to us when we are under excessive stress? When we experience excessive stress - whether from internal worry or external circumstance - a bodily reaction is triggered, called the “fight or flight” response. This response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm.

What are the signs that our fight or flight response has been activated? When our fight or flight response is activated, sequences of nerve cell firing occurs and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream. These patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release cause our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes. Our respiratory rate increases. Blood is shunted away from our digestive tract and directed into our muscles and limbs, which require extra energy and fuel for running and fighting. Our pupils dilate. Our awareness intensifies. Our sight sharpens. Our impulses quicken. Our perception of pain diminishes. Our immune system mobilizes with increased activation. We become prepared physically and psychologically - for fight or flight. We scan and search our environment, “looking for the enemy.” When our fight or flight system is activated, we tend to perceive everything in our environment as a possible threat to our survival. By its very nature, the fight or flight system bypasses our rational mind - where our more well thought out beliefs exist - and moves us into “attack” mode. This state of alert causes us to perceive almost everything in our world as a possible threat to our survival. As such, we tend to see everyone and everything as a possible enemy. We may overreact to the slightest comment. Our fear is exaggerated. Our thinking is distorted. We see everything through the filter of possible danger. We narrow our focus to those things that can harm us. Fear becomes the lens through which we see the world. We can begin to see how it is almost impossible to cultivate positive attitudes and beliefs when we are stuck in survival mode. Our heart is not open. Our rational mind is disengaged. Our consciousness is focused on fear, not love. Making clear choices and recognising the consequences of those choices is unfeasible. We are focused on short-term survival, not the long-term consequences of our beliefs and choices. When we are overwhelmed with excessive stress, our life becomes a series of short-term emergencies. We lose the ability to relax and enjoy the moment. We live from crisis to crisis, with no relief in sight. Burnout is inevitable. This burnout is what usually provides the motivation to change our lives for the better. We are propelled to step back and look at the big picture of our lives - forcing us to examine our beliefs, our values and our goals.

Stress arises from • Changes in the way we live • Changes in our environment (e.g. who we love and who we live with) • Changes in friendship • Loss and grief • School (exams, etc) • Relationships • Illness • Difficult situations, causing boredom, frustration, and excitement and uncertainty

Stress affects body and mind • Some stress is good • It gives us excitement • It helps us succeed

Too much stress makes us • Unable to function properly • Tired • Unwell

Everyone reacts differently to similar situations. Each person has their own needs and limits to stress.

Signs of distress Feelings of… • Sadness • Exhaustion • Anger • Physical tension and pain

• Irritability • Anxiety • Difficulty with sleep

Distress comes from... • Too many changes happening at once • Sudden change • Overwhelming situations • Little energy to cope • Crisis

Resulting in… • Loss of concentration • Irritability • Loss of appetite • Not caring for self • Fidgeting

• Headaches • Mistakes in schoolwork • Sickness • Lack of energy

Children and adolescents can get just as stressed as adults

WHAT COULD HELP WHEN YOU FEEL STRESSED? • Breathing steadily • Listening to/playing music • The outdoors • Walking in the fresh air • Changing attitudes • Not taking things to heart • Taking time out • Taking a bath • Having faith and hope

• Thinking about ways you could solve the situation

• Spending time with friends

• Running

• Laughing

• Watching DVD’s

• Thinking of things you like

• Talking with a friend

• A sense of humour

• Singing

• Sleeping • Reading • Saying to yourself “I did the best I could” • Being less demanding of yourself • Expressing feelings verbally • Listening to others • Learning new ways • Writing down feelings • Lying in the sun • Mixing with people Can you think of any other things?

A HEALTHY DAY OF FOOD Ideal day example Breakfast

Mid morning

Fruit + yoghurt OR Nuts + fruit

Lunch

Sandwich OR Healthy salad

Mid afternoon

Dinner

Things I have done well:

Things I can improve on:

Cereal + milk + fruit OR Toast + peanut butter + fruit

Crackers + fruit OR Small sandwich

Â˝ plate veggies, fist size amount of potato/rice/pasta and lean meat

what I have been eating

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Label Lingo

“Think hig hly of yourself because the world takes you at your own estimate”

LABEL LINGO: NUTRITIONAL CLAIMS, WHAT DO THEY MEAN? ● ‘Good Source of Energy’ This means it’s high in kilojoules (calories), not that it has special properties that will invigorate you. If you frequently have more KJ (calories) or energy than you need you will gain weight.

● ‘No Added Sugar’ A product will have no extra sugar ‘added’, e.g. sugar (sucrose), honey, glucose, however many foods that have this claim are high in ‘natural’ sugar. They will be lower in total carbohydrate and kilojoules than standard products but they all contain carbohydrate and can be high in kilojoules. Examples: • Fruit canned in natural juice • Fruit juice, with no added sugar • Creamed Corn, no added sugar

● ‘Sugar Free’ These products contain no sugars. Sweetness is usually from artificial sweeteners and or sugar alcohols, e.g. sorbitol or xylitol. They may provide smaller amounts of carbohydrate but could still affect blood glucose control. The total fat and kilojoule content may be high. ‘Regular’ products can be suitable and cheaper. Sugar free does not mean ‘carbohydrate’ free or that you can eat these freely! Examples: • ‘Sugar Free’ Biscuits/Chocolates

● ‘Diet’ or ‘Low Joule’ Products are low in kilojoules as they are often sweetened with artificial sweeteners or a very small amount of sugar and artificial sweetener. Double check the carbohydrate and kilojoule content. Examples: • ‘Diet’ Ginger Beer – artificial sweetener and a small amount of sugar added.

● WeightWatchers Products are often low in fat and have less kilojoules but not necessarily low in sugar and carbohydrate. A ‘Weight Watchers’ label does not mean that you can eat more! Examples: • Muesli Bars – total carbohydrate may be similar to standard products. • Biscuits – high in sugar; may be a smaller sized biscuit than standard products.

● Low GI (Glycaemic Index) A low GI value does not always indicate that a food is an everyday healthy food choice. It may still be high in sugar, carbohydrates, fat and or kilojoules. Look for the certified GI logo. Examples: • Chocolate, sugar free, low GI – high in fat. Nutella – high in fat and sugar. • Christmas Pudding – high in sugars, carbohydrate and kilojoules.

● ‘Lite’ or ‘Light’ A product may have less energy, fat, sugar and or salt but ‘lite’ or ‘light’ may just refer to the colour. Examples: • ‘Lite’ Olive Oil – a lighter colour and blander taste. • ‘Lite’ Yoghurt – may be low in sugar or fat but not both. • ‘Lite’ Peanut Butter – lower in fat than regular peanut butter. • Just Juice Bubbles Lite – less sugar but still high in sugar.

● Low Fat These products are low in fat but the fat may be replaced with a high kilojoule ingredient. It is a good idea to compare a low fat product with a standard product. Examples: • Low Fat Muesli – may be high in sugar.

● Fat Reduced The fat content is less than the ‘regular’ product but they are not necessarily low in fat or kilojoules. Examples: • Potato Chips, reduced fat, 85% less saturated fat – 1/4 (25%) of the product is fat.

● 98% Fat Free Products will contain only a little fat (2%) but the sodium (salt) and sugar content may be high. They still contain carbohydrate and kilojoules. Examples: • Crackers – often high in salt. • Noodles – low in fat but still high in carbohydrate. • Licorice – high in sugar.

● Cooked in Vegetable Oil Palm Oil, which is nearly 50% saturated fat – the stuff that hardens your arteries – qualifies as a vegetable oil and is widely used in the food industry. If the vegetable oil is not named, assume it’s not good. Usually the manufacturer will let you know if they are using the better canola, sunflower or soybean oils.

● Cholesterol Free Foods will be low in cholesterol and saturated fat but not necessarily low in total fat and or carbohydrate. Cholesterol is not found in plant-derived foods. Examples: • Olive Oil – high in total fat, (90%); high in kilojoules. • Basmati Rice – rice would never have cholesterol in it.

● Pick the Tick These foods have met the NZ Heart Foundation criteria for being lower in saturated fat, salt and sometimes not too high in kilojoules. They may not be low in total fat, sugar and or kilojoules. Many foods without the label may still be healthy food choices. Check the labels especially sweeter foods. Savoury foods may often be more suitable. Examples: • Olive Oil – low in saturated fat, high in kilojoules. • ‘Light n’ Tasty’, breakfast cereal – low in fat but high in sugar.

● ‘No Added Salt’ or ‘Salt Reduced’ This can mean that no salt is ‘added’ or the salt content reduced compared to the ‘original’ product. Examples: • Peanut Butter, Salmon – ‘no added’ salt. • Baked Beans, salt reduced – lower in salt than the original product.

CHAPTER

NINE

Steps for Life - Store tour guide

“It’s hard to beat a person that never gives up”

Welcome to Steps for Life’s Store Tour in conjunction with Mission Nutrition Today is your chance to change the way you think about food shopping The aim of the tour is to give you an insider’s view to the supermarket aisle, learn how to read labels, identify the food products that best suit your needs and work out what the food manufacturers are really trying to tell you with their food claims!

What is in this info pack … • Supermarket Survival – Top Tips • How to buy what you need…and avoid the check out extras • Guidelines for food products • Store cupboard basics • Fast meals from the supermarket

SUPERMARKET SURVIVAL Whether you’re a list maker or a spontaneous food shopper, knowing what you need to put healthy, tasty meals together 365 days of the year can sometimes be an imagination drain! On top of this, the reality is that every time you shop, you’ll be faced with new products. Food labels may change and super special deals will also be there to lead you to temptation. So, how do you cope?

● The bigger picture The key is to keep the bigger nutrition picture in mind. More of the things you know are good for you, and less of the things that are treats. Rather than spending hours on your next shop looking at every label and agonizing over every decision, choose one type of product to investigate every time you shop. This week, maybe look at the cereal you are buying, next week, your yoghurts, the week after, your sauces. Over time you will build up your food knowledge, without going crazy! Make a list of what you really need and to try and stick to it by making the healthiest best value choices.

● Here are our top tips: • Before you go shopping, plan for the week ahead and make a list. Think about what events you have on, how much food you need for the week, are there any people coming round, what do you have in already? • Write down portions of meat, fish and other more expensive items so you don’t just rely on your eyes and buy more than you need • Try to shop weekly rather than daily, you will be less exposed to impulse buying and the super ‘deals’ you just don’t need • Use the packet – look at the ingredients list, the nutrition information and best before dates. If you ever have a little extra time compare similar foods such as different cereals, yoghurts and so on to familiarize yourself with each brand and how they differ • Remember that food has to be made of something! If a product is low in fat it is likely to be higher in protein or carbohydrate (which may be sugar). Ingredients lists are in weight order, the first ingredient on the list will be the main part of that food product. •

The key to making a healthy food choice is balancing up the information you have about that particular type of food. With savoury items, you are more likely to look at the total fat, saturated fat, fibre and salt. For sweet items, the amount of sugar and fat are likely to be the most important. The challenge then is to select the brands that suit your needs best.

Lastly, if you see a sauce, can or packet of a food that is high in salt and fat, consider this as an opportunity to make a healthier version yourself!

● Supermarket techniques that make you buy….. It is one thing to decide the meals you might be buying for, but beware! •

Supermarkets vary in what they have in store, price and lay out in order that you have to walk round more and therefore be tempted to buy extra goods. They are there to SELL not ensure you stay within budget! Remember, as with any business, supermarkets are there to make money. So here are a few tips to wise up to the advertising and be sure you are able to make informed decisions:

• The smell of fresh bread hits you as you walk into store. A great way of getting your saliva to flow and ready to load in the loaves. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it. •

End of aisle displays – products tend to sell much better if they are set by themselves away from other brands. If it’s not what you are looking for, move on. Deals and bargains – all there to sell you more! As soon as an item is marked ‘ buy one get one free’ (maximum 4 per customer)’ it becomes almost irresistible! But remember it is no bargain if you don’t need it. The item is too good to be true. It’s a selling technique, its no cheaper if you don’t need it!

•

Chocolate and drinks by the check outs. As people are shopping more frequently for less items, a good way for supermarkets to make more money per ‘shopper’ is to encourage us to buy extras on impulse. Avoid going to the supermarket when you are hungry or thirsty and save yourself $5 a shop!

● How to make a great shopping list (so you get everything you need) • Keep a list in the kitchen which you can add to as you realize there is something you need • Look at your week ahead, how many meals and snacks are you planning for? How many meat and fish meals are you having? Do you really need more wine to have ‘in case’? • Write list in order of supermarket shop e.g. start with fruit and veg and end with dairy • Be adventurous. Every week buy ingredients for one new dish to try, it doesn’t need to be more expensive, and try adapting recipes you already know • Could you buy from places other than the supermarket to save money? If so, do separate lists

● Tips for avoiding temptation

(how do I stop myself buying a chocolate bar at the checkout?)

• Don’t go to the supermarket hungry or thirsty • Go to a check out without temptations – there are a few in most stores • Buy gum or have some in your bag to chew on while you are shopping • Brush your teeth before you go shopping so you have that clean fresh taste in your mouth • Reward yourself in other ways, spend the money you save and treat yourself to a bunch of flowers or a magazine. • Finally, with a little pre planning and know how you will be able to shop wisely, eat healthily within budget, but still enjoy your food!!

GUIDELINES FOR FOOD PRODUCTS A healthy balanced diet includes a wide variety of foods. Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals, lean meat, fish, pulses, low fat dairy and small amounts of healthy fats. When you’re off to do the supermarket shop, don’t forget that VARIETY is key. When you are looking for the healthiest products at the supermarket, these guidelines will help you choose wisely. Be your own label detective, here is what to look out for with some common food products!

Yoghurt

• Energy: for a snack aim for a pot (150g) with less than 600KJ • Saturated Fat: less than 2g saturated fat per 150g pot

Breakfast Cereals

• Fat: total - less than 10g per 100g, saturated - less than 2g per 100g • Fibre: more than 6g per 100g minimum, preferably more than 10g per 100g • Sugar: less 15g per 100g; less than 25g per 100g if from dried fruit • Sodium: for low sodium diet less than 400mg per 100g. A moderate sodium content is around 600mg/100g

Crackers

When choosing crackers think about whether they are something you or others in the house are eating regularly, or whether they’re to be used as a treat (up to once a week). For regular consumption the most important criteria will be: • Low Total Fat: Aim for less than 10% fat (ie less than 10g per 100g) for everyday use. • Low Saturated Fat: Aim for lower than 1-2% saturated fat, or the lowest saturated fat you can find • Low sodium: To reduce your sodium intake look for a realistic serving size that provides less than 160mg – that’s 10% of the recommended upper daily intake. • Ideally choose a cracker based on whole grains with more than 6g fibre/100g

Spreads

• Low fat: 55% fat or less (if you are replacing a recipe that calls for butter, you will need a spread with around 60% fat • Low saturated fat: 15% or less • Low trans fat: less than 1% • High Monounsaturated fat: over 20% (remember that’s 20% in a total fat content of 55% or less) • Sodium: If you’re watching your sodium/salt intake aim for a spread with less than 400mg per 100g

Snack/ Muesli bars

• Energy: less than 600KJ is a good starting point unless you’re a really active person • Fat: Aim for 2g or less saturated fat and 5g or less total fat per bar. Bars containing lot of nuts can be high in total fats but they’re predominately good fats • Sugar: Look for bars with 9g sugar or less. Some bars contain 40-50% sugars by weight (15-19g sugars/bar) Adapted from NZ Healthy Food Guide: Sept 2007

SUPERMARKET SURVIVAL STORE CUPBOARD BASICS Having a good range of food basics at hand can make the daunting task of getting meals on the table that little bit easier! Take advantage of supermarket specials and stock up when you can.

● List for the freezer

● List for the fridge

• Skinless chicken

• Fresh fruit and vegetables

• Lean mince

• Hokkien and other fresh noodles

• Lean beef, lamb or pork fillets

• Reduced fat cheese

• Frozen vegetables

• Low fat yoghurt

• Frozen vegetable medleys and stir

• Milk and eggs

fry mixes

• Margarine – with heart foundation tick

• Wholegrain breads and pizza bases

• Sauces – chili, plum etc

• Crumpets and english muffin

• Chutneys and tomato and curry pastes

• Filo pastry

• Minced herbs, garlic, ginger or fresh

• Grated reduced fat cheese

• Condiments – low fat salad dressings, mustard

● List for the pantry • Pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, oats, breakfast cereal • Tortilla and burrito breads • Wholegrain bread • Canned spaghetti, baked beans and legumes (chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans etc) • Canned fruit in natural juice, low fat creamed rice • Canned tuna, salmon • Long life milk, light evaporated milk • Bottled tomato cooking sauces, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar • Rice cakes, wholegrain crackers • Dried herbs and spices • Baking goods: flour, cornflour, cocoa, sugar • Spray oil

● Survive the Supermarket - Avoid the supermarket during peak hours. - Avoid shopping when you’re tired or hungry - Plan your meals to take advantage of leftovers or batch cooking. - Use rest days to cook ahead for the week, make one or two dishes that can be refrigerated or frozen

FAST MEALS FROM THE SUPERMARKET When you’re in a rush or just too hungry to wait, takeaways may seem like the only option. But think again…by picking up just a few supermarket basics you can create a healthy quick meal in next to no time. To build a healthy meal aim for half a plate of veggies or salad, a palm sized amount of protein like meat, fish or eggs and a fist sized portion of carbohydrate like pasta, rice or potatoes.

● Mix and Match Carbohydrate Protein Vegetables Baked/microwaved/boiled potato

Rotisserie or smoked chicken (skin removed)

Frozen vegetables

Fresh wholegrain bread rolls Tuna or salmon Coleslaw – no dressing or a hamburger bun adding your own favourite dressing A packet of low fat noodles

Shaved lean meat

Salad greens

Pita bread/Naan bread Ham steak Tortilla/Mountain/Lebanese bread wraps

Container of mixed salad ingredients

Frozen low fat chips or wedges

Chicken mince/stir fry Chicken pieces/kebabs

Fresh stir-fry Vegetables

Fresh/dried cooked pasta or spaghetti - 1 cup

Sauce made from peanut butter and Worcestershir sauce mixed together

Tomato based sauce

Hash browns – 2

Seafood

Tinned tomatoes

Frozen cobs of corn

Hoki lite/low fat fish fillets

Onions

Cooked rice – 1 cup

Tofu

Asparagus

Tinned/fresh soup and one wholegrain bread roll

Low fat cheese

Beetroot

Add variety with….

Lite/low fat mayonnaise Pickle

Mustard Relish

Salsa Lemon juice

Low fat hummus Vinegar

Gherkins

Garlic

Ginger

Herbs and spices

NUTRITION INFORMATION The amount of energy (kJ) you need to consume each day differs depending on whether you are wanting to maintain weight, lose weight or gain weight. This is a basic guide on how many kilojoules (calories) you need each day, along with information regarding what nutrients are needed for a healthy diet.

● Approximate recommended intakes for an average adult

The information below shows you what to look for in our recipe analysis. We’ve based our guidelines on an 8700kJ day for an adult. Individual requirements will vary.

● Per serve

Always note the recommended serving size. If the recipe is analysed for 6 serves, but you divide the recipe between 4, you’re getting half as much again. When reading nutrition information on food packaging, check how many serves they claim. Sometimes it’s realistic and sometimes it’s not.

● Energy

Needs vary depending on your height, weight, gender and activity levels. See ‘How much do I need to eat’ on the next page for guidelines.

● Protein

A minimum of 15% energy from protein is recommended. This equates to 78g in an 8700kJ day.

● Total fat

20-35% of energy from fat is recommended. This equates to 45-80g in an 8700kJ day.

● Saturated fat

Aim for less than 10% of your total daily energy from saturated fat. In an 8700kJ day, that’s up to 23g.

● Carbohydrate

Ideally, 45-65% of our energy will come from (good quality) carbohydrates – between 235-340g in an 8700kJ day.

● Sugars

Ideally, less than 15% of our energy will come from sugars – that’s a maximum of 78g in an 8700kJ day.

● Fibre

Recommended intake: Women: 25-28g Men: 30-38g

● Sodium

The ideal is 920-1600mg each day. This may be lower for people on low-sodium diets. Most of us get much more than the ideal. Aim to keep below 2400mg/day

● Calcium

Recommended daily intake: Women 50+ and men 70+: 1300mg All other adults: 1000mg

● Iron

Recommended daily intake: Women 19-50: 18mg Women 50+ and all men: 8mg

● Per 100g

We don’t have this on our recipe analysis, but food packaging will have a ‘per 100g’ column. This is useful to compare similar products.

How much do I need to eat?

The amount of energy you need each day to maintain your weight depends on your age, gender, height, weight and physical activity level. Your weight history can also influence your daily requirements. The information in this table is for ‘average’ adults, so may need to be adjusted. • If you are older, you’ll need to reduce your kilojoule intake by around 500kJ (women) and 1200kJ (men) – this will vary depending on how active you are. • If you are younger, men will need around 800kJ more, while women should have around the same number of kilojoules as for 31 to 50-year-old women. Gender Height Age Weight Activity

kJ/day

Female 1.6m 31-50 60kg

Sedentary* Moderate activity**

7,600 9,800

Male 1.9m 31-50 80kg

Sedentary* Moderate activity**

10,400 13,400

*Sedentary – seated work with little or no strenuous leisure activity. **Moderate activity – standing or walking work, or sedentary work with regular exercise of at least 30 minutes.

FOOD

DIARY with a basic calorie counter to get you started

SPREADS Butter (teaspoon, 5g)..................................................................................................... 37 cals. Margarine (teaspoon, 5g).............................................................................................. 29 cals. Margarine, light (teaspoon, 5g)...................................................................................... 22 cals. Marmite, (teaspoon, 5g)................................................................................................ 10 cals. Peanut butter, (teaspoon, 5g)......................................................................................... 30 cals. Jam/Marmalades (level teaspoon, 5g)............................................................................ 15 cals. honey, liquid or creamed (level teaspoon, 5g)................................................................. 19 cals.

SAUCES & DRESSING Soya Sauce (tablespoon, 17.5g)...................................................................................... 10 cals. Masterfoods Dijon Mustard (teaspoon, 5g)...................................................................... 7 cals. Masterfoods American Mustard (teaspoon, 5g)................................................................ 6 cals. Masterfoods Wholegrain Mustard (teaspoon, 5g)............................................................. 8 cals. Tomato Sauce (tablespoon, 15ml).................................................................................. 16 cals. Mayonnaise (tablespoon, 25g)....................................................................................... 94 cals. Mayonnaise Reduced Fat (tablespoon, 25g)................................................................... 71 cals. Balsalmic Vinegar (tablespoon, 15mls)........................................................................... 11 cals. Aioli (tablespoon, 25g).................................................................................................171 cals. Coconut Cream Trident Regular (165ml can).........................................................................................426 cals. Trident Lite (165ml can)...............................................................................................144 cals.

FRUIT & VEGES Banana medium............................................................................................................ 99 cals. Apple medium.............................................................................................................. 68 cals. Orange medium............................................................................................................ 68 cals. Watties Go Fruity (per 120g tub).............................................................................................. Passionate Peaches........................................................................................................ 77 cals. Mango Peaches............................................................................................................. 84 cals. Small tomato (100g)...................................................................................................... 18 cals. Medium carrot (140g)................................................................................................... 45 cals. Cooked potato, flesh only, boiled (scoop, 50g).............................................................. 30 cals. Cooked potato, mashed, w. milk & butter (1/2 cup, 105g).............................................111 cals. Cooked potato, flesh only, baked, no oil (150g).............................................................134 cals. Pumpkin, flesh only, no fat, baked (100g piece).............................................................. 52 cals. Pumpkin, Butternut, flesh only, boiled (scoop, 50g)........................................................ 25 cals. Kiwifruit medium (100g)............................................................................................... 39 cals. Mandarin medium (120g).............................................................................................. 42 cals

DAIRY Skim Milk (glass, 200ml)............................................................................................... 68 cals. Blue top Milk (glass, 200ml).........................................................................................134 cals. Light Blue Milk (glass, 200ml)....................................................................................... 96 cals. Cottage cheese, chives n onion (tablespoon, 20g)............................................................ 19 cals. Cottage cheese, Low fat (tablespoon, 20g)...................................................................... 18 cals. Cheedar block, thin slice (21g)....................................................................................... 84 cals. Tasty block, thin slice (21g)..........................................................................................102 cals. Edam block, thin slice (21g).......................................................................................... 73 cals. Low Fat Vanilla Yoghurt (150g)....................................................................................132 cals

MEAT, FISH & POULTRY Fish, packaged: Salmon, smoked (serving 100g)............................................................134 cals. Salmon, packaged, smoked (100g)................................................................................134 cals. Sardines, canned in tomato sauce (100g).......................................................................162 cals. Sardines, in oil, drained (100g).....................................................................................219 cals. Sardines, in springwater, drained (106g can drained).....................................................142 cals. Chicken Drumstick Medium, baked with no skin(115g)...............................................................................206 cals. Medium, baked with skin on (115g)..............................................................................273 cals. Chicken Breast, 1/2 breast, bone & skin removed (86g).................................................142 cals. Bacon, middle lean grilled thin rasher (50g)...........................................................................................................120 cals. thicker rasher (80g)......................................................................................................191 cals. Beef topside roast, lean, baked (large slice 50g)...................................................................... 81 cals. Steak Sirloin lean grilled (100g).............................................................................................162 cals. Rump lean grilled (large, 155g).....................................................................................274 cals. Fish Fish finger, grilled/baked (25g)...................................................................................... 55 cals. Fish Frozen: oven baked fish fillets, crumbed (fillet 71g)................................................160 cals. Greenseas Tuna (95g can) Sweet Chilli.................................................................................................................162 cals. Lemon Pepper.............................................................................................................133 cals. Sundried Tomato & Onion...........................................................................................100 cals

BREAD Tip Top Raisin Bread (2 slices, 65g)..............................................................................193 cals. Mountain Bread Wrap, wholewheat (1 wrap, 25g).......................................................... 72 cals. Multigrain bread (2 slices, 56g).....................................................................................194 cals. Burgen: wholegrains & oats (2 slices, 83g).....................................................................125 cals. White bread, toast slice (2 slices, 80g)...........................................................................194 cals. Pita Pocket Bread large (60g)....................................................................................................................165 cals. Small (28g)................................................................................................................... 77 cals.

CEREAL Weetbix, two biscuits (33g)...........................................................................................117 cals. Rice bubbles (1 cup, 30g).............................................................................................115 cals. Cornflakes (1 cup 30g).................................................................................................113 cals. Porridge (3/4 cup cooked, 170g)...................................................................................111 cals.

OTHER Real Foods corn thins (per piece) multigrain..................................................................................................................... 23 cals. original......................................................................................................................... 22 cals. tasty cheese................................................................................................................... 28 cals. Pasta Sauce Dolmio (580g jar).........................................................................................................340 cals. Dolmio Tuna Bake (540g jar).......................................................................................564 cals

OTHER (contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d) Noodles Vermicelli (250g pack)..................................................................................................900 cals. Instant 2 minute noodles (1 pack).................................................................................327 cals . (high in fat) Egg noodles (200g pack)...............................................................................................564 cals. Rice noodles, boiled (1 cup, 150g).................................................................................131 cals. Eggs Hard boiled, large (44-50g)............................................................................................ 57 cals. Poached, large (53g)...................................................................................................... 80 cals. Baked Beans in tomato sauce (1/2 cup, 140g)...............................................................140 cals. Spaghetti in tomato sauce (1/2 cup, 150g)...................................................................... 93 cals. Rice, white, cooked (1/2 cup, 80g)................................................................................. 94 cals. Rice, Basmati, cooked (1/2 cup, 80g)............................................................................. 86 cals. Rice, Jasmine, cooked (1/2 cup, 80g)............................................................................161 cals Almonds, raw with skin (12).......................................................................................... 86 cals. Cashews, raw (12)........................................................................................................105 cals. Pasta, plain boiled (1 cup, 150g)...................................................................................210 cals. Pasta, wholemeal boiled (1 cup, 150g)..........................................................................194 cals. Rice crackers: cracker, plain (serving 1.7g per cracker)...................................................... 7 cals. Frozen: oven fries, straight cut, baked (serving 125g).....................................................151 cals. Frozen: oven fries, shoe string, baked (serving 125g)......................................................189 cals. Pretzels (serving, 10 pretzels 6g).................................................................................... 23 cals. Bagel chips (serving 30g)..............................................................................................119 cals

YOUR LIST Use the space below and over the page to record the calorie count of other foods in your diet.

Food Diary Day and Date: EXAMPLE

Time

Write down EVERYTHING you eat and drink

7.30am

2 x weetbix (107 cals) trim milk (51 cals) bobby banana (77 cals)

10.30am

4 x brazil nuts (104 cals) boiled egg (57 cals) 4 x corn thins (89 cals)

12.55pm

Tuna - tomato basil (115 cals) apple (68 cals) low fat vanilla yoghurt (132 cals)

4.00pm

Salada light crackers x 2 (142.5 cals) small tomato (18 cals) cottage cheese, chives and onion tblspn (19 cals)

6.30pm

Curried beef with veges (575 cals)

8.00pm

Orange - medium (68 cals) pretzels - 20 (46 cals)

Food Diary Day and Date:

Time

Write down EVERYTHING you eat and drink