What Foods Should I Eat?

You should eat anything you like within these rough guidelines:

You must have 1g/kg body weight of protein, and a bit of fat in your diet. You don't actually need any carbohydrate (you can make it all yourself) but it is an inexpensive and often delicious source of energy, and you do need an energy source which can be any of protein, fat or carbohydrate.

As well as the macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbs) you also need micronutrients - vitamins and minerals, and a source of dietary fibre. A varied diet including fruits, vegetables and whole grains makes these requirements easy to achieve.

You don't actually need everything in the same ratios every day so having steak and chips one day and salad the next is just fine.

Where possible make your own food from fresh ingredients. If you don't know how to cook, learn.

Processed food has been cunningly designed to be more-ish. For the manufacturer this works to move more product, but for you it's likely to make you fatter and less healthy.

Remember that low fat foods are processed foods so select the normal varieties unless you have developed a particular taste for these carbohydrate and salt enriched, fat reduced products. Join the dots. We have more fat reduced products flying off supermarked shelves than ever before, yet we, as a society continue to get fatter.

You don't need any alcohol but it's reassuring to know that moderate drinkers live longer than people who either don't drink, or drink heavily. And of course we have already mentioned The French Paradox and what Harvard University has to say about this.

Humans' can't manufacture a lot of vital substances (vitamins, essential fats and amino acids) so there are real adverse health impacts of not having a varied diet. In the context of a diet, when your food intake needs to be reduced, variety helps to ensure you get everything you need.

Nothing you like should be forbidden! Otherwise you are likely to break your daily routine with a giant serve of {insert your favourite guilty pleasure here}, feel terribly guitly, and use it as an excuse to stop trying. Sound familiar? If you allow yourself to enjoy your treats, albeit in a smaller portion size, you are more likely to be able do what is required to reach your goals.

Eating food you hate is also a sure fire recipe for disaster. What's the point in being thin if the price is giving up all the yummy stuff! Anyway you may like this Hallelujah! Chocolate makes you thinner.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

It's actually not that critical and it can vary from day to day. Don't sweat it if you eat a bit more than you think you should of on a particular day, simply pick up where you left off the next day. Under no circumstances allow yourself to use this as an excuse to give up your quest to reach your goal!

The key is consistency - consistently having a little less food that your body needs is all that is required for long term weight loss. As a rule of thumb your minimum calorie intake should be 1200 (5000 kJ) for women and 1500 (6200 kJ) for men.

More Information

The MyPlate Resource Guide is a comprehensive overview of current mainstream dietary guidelines, including both their history and some of the more sensible alternatives. If you want more comprehensive guidance than "A little bit of anything, but everything in moderation" this is a great resource.

So now lets move on to the meat and potatoes and the 7 secrets of weight loss success.