Tips



Taking stock

Did you know that weight and waistline have a direct effect on your health? In fact, too much weight, especially around the waist and abdomen (apple-shaped physique) increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and even some types of cancer. By encouraging you to look after your health, the 5/30 Health Challenge offers you an excellent opportunity to take stock of your weight and your waistline.

Two indicators allow you to determine whether your weight is a health risk: the body mass index (BMI), calculated using your height and weight, and your waist measurement, which gives a good indication of the excess fat around your waist and abdomen. These two simple tests let you assess your health risks and see whether you might benefit from losing a few kilos or shedding a few centimetres from the waistline. Not only will it boost your chances of living a more healthy life but you’ll also feel better and have more energy.


A sensible and healthy approach

To avoid gaining weight and adding on the inches around your waist, it’s simple: you have to be more active and eat better.

Being more active means you will burn more calories faster and more efficiently. Your first goal is to get moving at least 30 minutes per day. Once you’ve reached that goal, you could increase the duration or intensity of your activity for even greater benefit.

Eating better means making healthy choices that help reduce your calorie intake while still eating well. More fruits and vegetables, less fat and sugar are just a few of the principles of healthier eating. Another key strategy to avoid extra calories is to listen to your body’s signals telling you when you’re hungry and when you’re full. If you don’t know where to start, why not make an appointment to see a nutritionist, who will help you make changes to your eating habits?


Listen to your body

We tend to snack in front of the TV, we “eat to feel better” after a stressful day or an argument, or we reward ourselves with food. For all kinds of reasons, we sometimes don’t listen to what our body is telling us, or we eat when we’re not really hungry. This isn’t a problem when it only happens occasionally, but if it becomes a habit, this kind of eating pattern can have a negative effect on our waistline. Before eating anything, it’s worth asking yourself if you really are hungry and if you have any of the following sensations: your stomach feels empty, or is growling, or you are feeling low on energy. If you don’t have any of those, it would probably be better to wait a while before eating and find other ways to unwind or de-compress. You could, for instance, go for a walk, listen to music, do some stretching or have a cup of herbal tea.


Eat more… with fewer calories

What would you say to a nice heaping plate that fills you up without too many calories? It is possible if you choose low caloric density foods. What are they? They’re foods that contain very few calories in a large volume, such as fruits and vegetables or whole grain cereals. 

For example, since cauliflower is a low caloric density food, 30 florets have the same number of calories as a half-portion of French fries, which is a high caloric density food. The difference is that you know you’ll be full well before you get to the 30th cauliflower floret, whereas after half a portion of fries you’ll still be hungry. Conclusion: if you eat foods with low caloric density, you consume fewer calories, you feel full at the end of the meal, and you stay full longer. What more could you ask?

 

Watch those oversized portions!

Did you know that when presented with a large portion of food, people tend to eat 30% more than they would have if they had just a normal portion – even if the smaller portion would have been enough to satisfy their hunger? Here are some strategies that can help you cut back on the size of your portions:

  • Serve yourself a specific quantity of food (such as crackers, yoghurt snacks, ice cream, etc.) rather than eating directly from the container. That way you also become more aware of how much you are eating!
  • Use smaller plates and taller, narrower glasses. You’ll think you’re getting more!
  • In restaurants, order 2 small starters or share your meal with someone.

A little is already a lot

In terms of weight and waistline, results don’t happen overnight. The important thing is that you begin to change your lifestyle habits. Keep up the good work by regularly following up on your weight and waistline, but don’t get obsessed about it. Rather, you should aim for a balanced lifestyle, remembering the 3 winning strategies:

  • Be more active… at least 30 minutes a day; more is even better!
  • Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with foods that are rich in fibre and low in fat and sugar.
  • Eat when you’re hungry. And beware of oversized portions!

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