Dietician and update

A group of us went to see a dietician this weekend. We get together once a month, just the ladies, and do something different. Each month a different person organises something and this month, with all our focus being on health and weight, we went to see a dietician. We sent through a list of questions for her to discuss and then we just sat and talked them through. I did not write everything down, there was just too much info. If anyone who was there wants to add to my few bits and pieces please feel free to leave a comment.

You should eat about 1gram of protein to 1 kg of body weight per day. (side note: if I get enough interest from readers from other countries then I will convert my weights but for the moment I will stick to our system)

Good fats to eat are oily fish, olives, avocado pear, nuts, seeds. You should eat at least 3 oily fish (herring, haddock, sardine) a week but if you can't then substitute with the above fats (but not excessively of course, they are still fats!)

Olive oil is good for you BUT reheated oil is toxic! Think of this when you order fried chips from the take-away down the road.

You should have about 1000mg of calcium in a day. This would equate to 1 cup yoghurt, 1 cup milk and a small piece of cheddar cheese. Other sources of calcium are tofu, spinach, cottage cheese, fish.

Did you know green tea has quite a bit of caffeine in it?

She recommends that you need to drink at least 4 glasses of water a day, not necessarily 8 as we are always told.

White bread is a big no no. It is very high in sugar and it is better to stick to wholewheat.

It is better to eat more small meals than 2 or 3 large meals.

We discussed the use of CLA supplements and if they help with weight loss. According to the dietician and Health24 there is not really any proof that it helps with weight loss. But I must say that I used it once before and again last year and even though my diet and exercise habits did not change I did start losing weight after I started taking CLA. I think it just helps to give a bit of a kickstart. But the trick is not to use it as a weight loss tablet. It only works if you are exercising as it causes the body to burn fat first.

We discussed a number of other things but I can't remember them all. Anyone want to add anything??

Report back on last week:
Exercise: I went to gym on Tuesday and Thursday. Boy, did she make us work! Wednesday I did 20 mins cardio and some abs and bums at home. Saturday I went spinning (also at Zen Studio). And this morning I did a home workout. So proud of me!!
Eating: Also pretty good. We went to a braai on Friday and myself and someone else took veggie snacks which actually went down quite well. I did not eat too much and skipped dessert. After seeing the dietician on Sat. we went out for lunch. After all the talk of healthy eating we had to follow through so between us we had 3 chicken salads and 3 chicken stir-fries. Of course there were a few dessert eaters at the table but I am happy to say that I was not one of them! Doing this blog actually puts me under pressure now because all my friends know about it and so I feel I have to be really good as I am being watched!! Oooh, the pressure!

Some Good News!!
For those in Cape Town who would like to get their body stats done for a discount at Zen Studio. Tell Mandi you are coming from this blog and she will give you a discount. Go to the website for contact details.