How to Take Control of Your Diet with Healthy Habits - Ajit Patel Sanda Wellness There are similarities between every popular diet plan you see. More often than not, the weight loss strategy will blame certain foods for your wellness problems, tell you to eat less and/or prescribe some sort of “cheap” approach that over-promises on the results. The problem with these kinds of plans is that they don’t benefit your wellbeing in the long-term, albeit providing short-term results. However, such diets are not sustainable because they’re so strict you almost feel like you’re a prisoner to your dietary warden. This is why nutrition coach and exercise physiologist John Berardi, PhD, of Precision Nutrition, created a system that makes it easy for you to lose weight in a sustainable way. Berandi, who also serves as a performance consultant for Nike and as an adjunct instructor at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Texas, has found this his Lean Eating programmes have helped people to lose weight over and over again, thanks to an approach that focuses on putting you in control on your weight loss through the formation of healthy habits. ‘Sure, you’re going to see calories and food suggestions like other plans,’ Berandi admits. ‘But that’s where the similarities end. The bigger picture is you’re going to understand how you can adapt this plan to almost any food preference and any schedule. And once that happens, you’ll not only feel less stressed by your diet, you’ll also be able to directly influence the way you look.’ According to Berandi, ‘During a get lean plan—where you want to uncover the body you’ve always wanted—the goal is to shift the way you eat to drop fat without having to feel like you’ve cut calories. So while you will be eating less, you’ll be focusing on more nutrient dense foods that will have you feeling fuller, which makes the process easier than you’d expect. More importantly, you’ll be supplying your body with the type of food you need to burn fat and look ripped.’ Therefore, Berandi and his colleagues have created a four meal plan that you can adapt to fit your schedule.
1. Breakfast:
Five eggs (Two palm-sized portions)
One fist-sized portion of spinach
One cupped handful of old fashioned oats
One cupped handful of mixed berries
One entire thumb of chopped walnuts
One glass of water, green tea or black coffee
2. Lunch:
Two palm-sized portions of chicken
Two fist-sized portions of mixed greens
One fist-sized portion of chopped carrots and cucumbers
One cupped handful of black beans
Two entire thumbs of guacamole
One glass of water, green tea or black coffee
3. Mid Afternoon Snack:
Two palm-sized portions of protein powder
One fist-sized portion of pumpkin
One fist-sized portion of spinach
One cupped handful of old-fashioned oats
Two entire thumbs of chopped walnuts
8oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Ice cubes as desired
4. Dinner:
Two palm-sized portions of wild salmon
Two fist-sized portions of zucchini
One entire thumb of extra virgin olive oil
Two cupped handfuls of sweet potato
8oz water
Bertandi adds, ‘We’re not big fans of counting calories. We think you should eat according to hunger cues and adjust according to results. That’s the real magic of what we do at Precision Nutrition. Instead of strict meal plans we teach a habit strategy, outlining best practices like: slowing down your meals, eating lean protein with every meal, eating veggies and fruits with each meal, and including healthy fats. Also keep in mind that instead of using ounces, grams, and other metrics, we prefer to use the simplest metric possible: the size of your hand. For example, for men we recommend
two palm-sized portion of chicken. This is the preferred approach because your hand generally scales with your body size.’ -
Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet