Reviewed by: Lisa Donaldson, APD, M.Nutr&Diet, B.Edu
Cheesecake, chocolate and champagne – not exactly the foods that come to mind when you think ‘diet’ and ‘weight loss,’ but it could be the key you need for those hard to budge kilos (stick with me here).
We Want What We Can’t Have
At a deep level, we’re all sadistic creatures. When someone is telling us we can’t have something, how much does that make it that much more desirable.
So whilst the media is constantly telling us that “this food is bad, and this one is good’, if you go and throw out all of your carbs and sugars and subsist off chicken breast and broccoli well, you will lose weight (in the short term). However, how long will that last? Telling yourself you’ll never eat carbs or sugar again sounds like a prison life sentence and so once you start feeling overly restricted, it’s really only a matter of time before your willpower runs out, and all those ‘taboo’ or ‘bad foods’ become ALL. YOU. CAN. THINK. ABOUT.
Healthy Hacking
If you’re new to healthy hacking, basically it is taking your favourite foods, but making them at home. This is so you have control over what goes into them and can incorporate healthier ingredients and manage portion control. One of the best parts of 12WBT is that our meal plans and recipes are designed by a team of expert dietitians with flavour in mind, so they have a huge library of recipe health hacks ready to go.
Check out some of these recipes on the menu:
Moderation
Health hacking is all well and good. But, sometimes when you’re out with your friends or family, you’d prefer to have that slice of pizza rather than cracking out the Tupperware with your meal prep. And that’s OK! On the 12WBT meal plan, our dietitians recognise you have a life to live! So, we’ve factored in a treat meal every Saturday. This ensures each week you can enjoy the foods you really love and not feel deprived or as though you are missing out. The point of this is so that you don’t go crazy over your cravings, but take the time to enjoy those foods in moderation – including cheesecake, chocolate and champagne. We even include special meal plans for holidays, like Easter and Christmas, where you can enjoy an amazing smorgasbord and not feel deprived. Remember, this is setting you up for a lifetime of healthy habits and living, and so that once you lose the weight, you stay at your goal for as long as you chose to.
Take Home Message
Food should never be labelled good or bad and it should never leave you feeling guilty. Food is as much about pleasure as it is about nourishment. The key is to plan those special indulgences and when you have them, savour and enjoy them. One treat meal each week is not going to make you gain mountains of weight, in the same way that one healthy meal is not going to make you lean. It’s what you do consistently that will make a difference to your physique long term… and will ensure manageable change, for life.
