YOUR PERSONALIZED BODY BLITZ PLAN
As you work through the book you will be able to build up your own personal Body Blitz Plan, using the nutritional and exercise strategies to help you realize your goals. It is important to understand that there is no one diet that works for everyone; instead Body Blitz contains strategies that accommodate a series of scenarios for a number of different types of people with different lifestyle constraints (as detailed below). Have a read through and see which one relates most closely to you. The Body Blitz Plan will also allow you to accommodate these different roles as your life changes.
BUSY MUM: frantic kids, juggling school runs, part-time job and running a home, high domestic stress levels, children’s meal times, lack of sleep with baby leads to reduced energy levels, no time for herself, food grabbed on the run.
BUSINESS WOMAN: entertains with work, lunches and dines out frequently, high commercial stress levels, eats snacks for quick energy fixes, no time to think about sensible eating and exercise.
EXPERIENCING MIDDLE AGE SPREAD: approaching menopause, experiencing weight gain, family older and more independent, never exercised, heavy social calendar with family and other activities.
GIRL ABOUT TOWN: socializes a lot, breakfast and lunch often grabbed on the run, sees friends and eats out several times a week, alcohol can feature prominently in the social calendar.
SEASONED DIETER: tried every diet around, routinely loses weight and then gains it back, more recently finding it harder to shift the weight and body fat.
Throughout the book you will find nutritional and exercise strategies for each individual – once you have identified which type relates most closely to you, you will be able to use the guidelines offered to design your own personal exercise and fitness plan that fits in with your life, just the way it is.
A FINAL WORD
So remember, the Body Blitz Plan is about being the best you can be whilst still living the life you wish to live. Yes, it does require a little bit of effort but you don’t have to make any big sacrifices or radical changes to your lifestyle to get the results you want – all you need to do is apply the five steps in the Body Blitz Plan (see Part II) and you will achieve your weight and fat loss goals not just for now, but for the future too.
Body Blitz Active Action Points:
Write a list of the main obstacles to you achieving your fat loss goals – try to be as specific as possible, for example, mid-morning coffee break with work colleagues or tea time with the kids when you are starving yourself.
Make a commitment today to make one small change in your daily activities that you will keep up for the next six weeks. For example, say no to coffee in your mid-morning coffee break and have a cup of herbal tea instead. Remember, every small change you make will take you one step further towards achieving your fat loss goals.
Step 1: The Starch Curfew – Cut your carbs after 5 p.m.
We all know we have to steer clear of a diet that contains too much fat and we feel proud of ourselves if we have said no to chocolate or ice-cream. So why are we still struggling with our weight and body fat? These days one of the most common reasons for our weight loss frustrations is that we have come to rely on low-fat starches and we are lulled into a false sense of low-fat security thinking we can eat more of these foods. A high consumption of starch however can provide more calories than we need. If we are unable to burn off these calories so they become stored as fat, all of which leads to the scales and belt notches not moving in the direction we want.
So the first step of the Body Blitz Plan is to operate the starch curfew. In this chapter you’ll learn all about the role of starch and its impact on the body and how to:
Use the starch curfew – no starches after 5 p.m.
Adapt your meals to make sure you get the right range of nutrients and don’t eat too much starch.
Make good food choices when you are faced with a situation where there is starch on the menu and you are not allowed to eat it.
Body Blitz Must Dos
The two keys to making carbohydrates work for you are:
1. Operate the starch curfew to decrease total calorie intake.
2. Consume five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
WHAT IS THE STARCH CURFEW?
As we discussed in The Body Blitz Lifestyle chapter starch, processed sugars and fruit and vegetables are all carbohydrates. The starch foods are potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals, all of which provide a good source of fuel for the body to use during the day.
The starch curfew means you can eat starch at breakfast, lunch and in your mid-afternoon snack but you are not allowed to eat it after five p.m. The evening meal now comprises of protein, fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and essential fats. It is a strategy that allows you to get the right balance of calories and nutrients at the right time in the day. At first this may seem a little difficult to apply but you will soon feel the huge benefits in your energy levels and you’ll certainly appreciate the change in your body shape as you become less bloated.
The starch curfew however is not just about saying no to starches after five p.m. – it is about getting the right balance of your overall intake of starches and nutrients throughout the day. For example you may be consuming too many calories from starch foods which are contributing to your body fat, so once you reduce the amount of starch you eat you will you lose weight and body fat. Also, you will be more in control of your energy levels as you will be eating the right amount of starch at the right time for optimum energy. We will talk more about this later in the chapter.
ARE YOU A CARBO COMFORT-EATER?
Answer the questions in the following quiz to find out if you are prone to overeating on comfort starches such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
1. Do you tend to snack on?
a. bread and comfort carbohydrates such as cakes and chocolate
b. fruit and vegetables
2. Do you munch bread with each meal?
a. yes
b. no
3. Do you feel lethargic in the afternoons?
a. yes
b. no
4. Do you eat most of your calories at the end of your day?
a. yes
b. no
5. Do you crave carbohydrates?
a. yes
b. no
6. Do you experience swings in your energy and mood?
a. yes
b. no