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There are so many people whom, when they embark on any weight loss programme tend to focus purely on how many calories they are permitted. More than that, they tend to focus on how they can fit those calories around the types of foods they wish to eat. Specifically junk food.

My programme is all about healthy eating and in the correct portions for your specific body composition. It doesn’t mean total starvation or anything like it. It’s all about eating nutritiously and in the right quantities whilst actually enjoying the process. If you’re the type of person who wants to lose weight whilst looking at what “bad things” you can have in the way of “goodies,” then my programme is not for you. I don’t believe in a person “feeling guilty” over what they’ve eaten. I believe in focussing on you and not what pleasure you believe “treat” food or alcohol can give you.

I don’t believe in a programme that will give you the idea that you can use your calorific intake for “any food” because in that case people are tempted to use those calories for say a burger meal and a bottle of wine. Where’s the nutritional value in that? And although you’ve blown your calorific intake on both of these foods you may not necessarily gain weight because these are the only two items you’ve eaten all day.

You have eaten, but at the end of the day you’ve still just eaten “JUNK.” There’s absolutely no nutritional value in these items. Therefore why would you want to live life like that?

Martina

When you’re in the process of losing weight social occasions shouldn’t be an issue. Yet people frequently panic about food and drink at these events. Alcohol is as calorific as some calorie laden foods. I describe alcohol as “liquid cake,” as there are similar amounts of calories in both.

Your enjoyment on a night out shouldn’t be curtailed but remember, if you’re trying to lose weight you need to be mindful of reducing the amount of alcohol you consume.

Peer pressure is difficult to deal with where alcohol is concerned what with friends urging you to “just have one more”. But if you permit them to dictate the way your evening is going you’re on a slippery slope to not achieving your weight loss goal.

So the best way to deal with someone who continually pours alcohol into your glass is to slow down your alcohol consumption. It’s impossible to fill a glass that’s already full so this is a great way to still have a good time socially yet not draw too much attention to yourself.

The first thing clients say when I ask them about their sugar intake is “I don’t eat a lot of sugar.”

However, in their own minds people tend to associate sugar intake as putting a couple of spoonfuls in tea or coffee.

There is sugar in most foodstuffs we eat. It’s not only in sweet things like chocolate, cakes biscuits etc… it’s in breads and crackers, sauce type products, low fat butter, and even milk. Yes, it’s a fact that low fat milk contains a high sugar content. Hence most of us consume far too much sugar in our diet.

A high sugar content automatically has an adverse effect on our health. It dehydrates the body and the outward physical signs results in dry parched skin, hair and not to mention brittle nails.

We also experience a lack of energy and turn to sugar for an energy kick however, all this does is set the body up for a bigger crash. Excess sugar requires our body to produce more insulin, which in turn causes the familiar dip in energy hence we reach for something sweet to bring us back up again forming a trickle effect of sugar dependency throughout the day.

Remember sugar is a drug and is as addictive as cocaine yet we fail to make this connection and the similar dependency patterns formed with other narcotics. It probably does even more harm than a conventional drug in that sugar is introduced into foods without our knowledge hence we’re getting “hooked” through no fault of our own.

Sugar in moderation is in itself not bad for you but the problem occurs when we become reliant. the culprit is often sugars found in processed foods in the form of “high fructose corn syrup” which is highly addictive.

At the end of the day, being prepared and planning healthy nutritious meals in advance is the best way to avoid being “caught out” and reaching for a quick sugar hit.

Martina 

 

I was speaking with a friend of mine the other day and we were discussing the difference between coping with everyday life challenges now in comparison to how our parents coped years ago.

For example, in their 50’s our parents were working towards the assured comforts of retirement, with children having grown and already flown the nest. Mortgages paid off, debts cleared, hence the only thing left to do was to look forward to finally enjoying life. Or so they thought!

Today, both women and men in their 50’s are coping with children leaving home later in life, mortgages with negative equity, notwithstanding expensive divorces, and with the prospect of retirement just a pipe-dream as most of us will be working well into our 70’s.

However instead of relishing the freedom of what retirement can bring, our parents now find themselves gifting part of their pensions just so their children “us” can pay off debts, or put deposits on property. And not only that, but we’re also asking them to mind our children while we work, and mostly free of charge!

Is it any wonder then that four out of five adults in Ireland are overweight or actually considered to be obese leading to a whole host of weight related illnesses? Increased blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity are all factors to what is termed “The Metabolic Syndrome” a cluster of symptoms which lead to Type 2 diabetes, stroke and in some cases heart disease.

I’ll shortly be teaming up with a leading Cardiologist to study and report through statistical analysis the effects of weight reduction by adopting a healthy eating approach and lifestyle change. We anticipate our findings to prove that weight reduction coincides with an avoidance of the potential risk of heart disease and other similar illnesses.

Visceral fat, or fat surrounding our internal organs is the most dangerous fat potentially leading to a serious risk of illness. Visceral fat reduces simply by adjusting your eating pattern, for example consuming less processed sugars and saturated fats and eating more vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and good fats i.e. nuts, seeds etc..

No one relishes the compromise and determination it takes to lose weight and lots of people lose weight either to look better in clothes, or for an important event. However you must consider not only the image benefits but the most important benefit that weight loss can bring, and that is to your health. If your Physician told you that they could extend your lifespan by 20years if you lost weight. Wouldn’t you jump at the chance? Look after your health!

Martina

I meet a lot of women who are extremely confident having been through the usual life experiences, finally having reached the pinnacle of their life cycle.

However there are so many more women whom when they reach the age of 50 begin to panic about not having done enough with their lives and are left with the sense of underachievement. They lack in self-confidence due to for example a turbulent relationship, a redundant job, or the fact they just don’t feel appreciated by their family any longer.

What they’re not seeing is that at 50, women have been through every imaginable experience possible. They are proof positive that you can reach 50 yet still be considered to be strong, independent and elegant, commanding respect from not only your peers but society in general. We’re also far more financially independent than our Mothers ever were.

Women in this age bracket seem to think men don’t look at them anymore. They’re convinced men would only go for someone who is much younger and for often those clichéd reasons that dating say a 23year old brings. This is true to a certain extent but in my opinion says more about the type of man who would do this. I have asked men who are also in their 50’s their opinion on women of a similar age and why so many men appear to choose to date younger women. Many tell me they don’t necessarily want a younger woman. In an ideal world they would want to be with a mature woman with life experiences and one who values herself more than anything else, but they find that women in their 50’s take themselves far too seriously. I beg to differ here. I believe it’s the men who are not taking themselves seriously enough in an attempt at recapturing their own lost youth.

Another factor is lot of women think they are “over the hill” from a career perspective. This is absolutely not the case. Statistics have proven that countless women have started their own businesses in their 50’s – myself included. I have friends who are in their 50’s beginning to excel in their career and finding the confidence to put themselves forward for promotions. And it makes perfect sense. We have years of work experience. We’re mature, know how to manage people and theoretically should have more time on our hands as children have moved on.

If I were advising any woman how to gain in self-confidence and self-esteem, I would begin by asking her to thoroughly analyse her strengths instead of focussing on perceived weaknesses. To see herself as a capable, intelligent woman who could have endless possibilities within her reach if she just let herself begin to think differently. Because when you really sit back and think of it, the only thing that’s holding you back is yourself!

Martina