Your 1500 Calorie Purple Guide To Weightloss

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The nutrition industry has an unsung hero: the great principles of weight loss that everyone refuses to believe in.  Energy restriction coupled with increased calorie burn, truly does equate to weight loss.  You just need to believe the facts, practice and stick to it.

The trousers

If you are wondering what inspired me to write this blog post, I tried to get into my white jeans this weekend.  Sure they zipped up, but my rebellious curves made me look like a pumpkin that someone tried to squeeze through the middle.  Not pretty.  Christmas is under 3 months away so my instincts told me, “I should BE ABLE to get into these comfortably before the party / festive season hits!”

If you too have mastered the laws of nutrition but simply lack the practical tips to put together a healthy eating plan for weight loss; then dare to give this a go.  If variety is the heart of healthy eating, then I’ll be lovingly filling myself with fruit and vegetables for the much needed mineral and vitamins.

I’ll be trying vegetarian recipes and eating my favourite foods such as salmon for essential omega 3 fatty acids and proteins.  I will also be filling up on plenty of slow releasing or low GI (glycaemic index) carbohydrates to fuel my runs.  I love carbs and would not be able to survive more than 8 hours without it (and that’s when I am asleep of course). 

If you have been following me on A Light Perspective’s facebook page www.facebook.com/Alightperspective then you may have noticed that I have been posting pictures of the food I eat.  Feel free to join in and post pictures of your breakfast or lunch meals on the fan page.

So what’s next?  I’ll be posting 1500 calorie eating plans for a few days each week.  I have chosen 1500 calories as I believe that an average woman normally eats around 2000 calories a day.  To facilitate weight loss, you need to cut back by around 500 calories per day for weight loss of 500g at the end of the week.  If you want to eat more, then earn any extra calories by burning it off through exercise.

Quality control

It’s just like anything else, if you want to maintain a beautiful dress, you get it dry cleaned and store it carefully to ensure that it lasts beautifully over the seasons for a timeless piece.  Your body works the same way.  For a high quality living product, fill it with high quality foods packed with nutrition.  Remember to exercise it regularly for a toned and beautiful exterior.

Regardless of whether you want to LOOK good for your age or improve your risk factors for disease, you will enjoy feeling lighter and healthier after shedding a few pounds if overweight.  Or maybe like me, you may just be aiming to shed a few pounds to simply look good in your clothes.  Remember, as long as your weight loss goals also envelope the principles of healthy eating, then you will be on the road to a slimmer and healthy you.

So let’s get started.

Breakfast

1 cup of reduced fat milk

½ cup of cooked oats

½ small banana sliced or ½ cup strawberry halves

125g fat free yoghurt

Use this portion of milk to make a cup of tea or coffee.

Mid-morning tea

20 grapes

Cup of tea made with reduced fat milk

Lunch

Sandwich – make your own using 2 slices of wholegrain bread that’s high in fibre.  

Aim for >5g/100g or see my article Are You Carb Smart?

Fillings

60g mozzarella

Tomato slices

30g avocado to spread

Fresh / dried herbs OR salad leaves

Plus

120g pottle of reduced fat yoghurt (or save for later)

1 large orange

Cup of tea

Mid afternoon snack

Cup of tea or use the orange or yoghurt from lunch if you have saved this.

Dinner

1 portion of Aromatic Mediterranean Chicken & Courgette Rice With Smoked Paprika.

1 serving of fruit salad (for recipe ideas see Lazy Fruit Salad.

Plus

Extra vegetables on the side if still hungry such as green beans, broccoli or a simple salad of tomato and cucumbers.

Drink – plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

Purple Tip

These are only tips to give you ideas of what a 1500 calorie eating plan looks like.

Don't forget to fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling or sport.  Whatever you choose, enjoy, have fun and remember the successful dieter continues the principles of healthy eating for a lifetime.

What are your tips for weightloss?  Do comment below lovely readers, I do love hearing from you.

Low Allergenic Cows Milk?

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Image from pinterest 

Researchers in New Zealand appear to have created a genetically modified cow.  Its purpose; to produce low allergenic milk whereby the major whey protein beta-lactoglobulin has been removed to undetectable quantities.

This does not guarantee the milk to be completely allergen free; however, this is incredibly exciting news for the toddler who may be diagnosed with cows’ milk protein allergy in the future.

Are we likely to see this milk in the shops any time soon?  The research is still at infancy but in the meantime, milk allergy is easier to manage today than even say just five years ago. 

Under the expert guidance of a dietitian, for a mum who would like to breast feed her baby with cows’ milk protein allergy, you can do so, as long as mum follows a strict milk free diet and excludes all milk proteins from her diet.  Milk proteins can transfer from maternal blood stream to human milk and hence the rationales for the strict milk free diet for mum.

For the older child, there is a good range of calcium fortified milks available in the market.  Starting with soy milk, you can also find these in a variety of flavours.  Always select a brand that has added calcium to help meet these requirements.

For children who may also be battling soy protein allergy, nut milks such as almond or hazelnut milks are an option.  You can also try pea milk, oat milk and rice milk. 

Caution

A word of caution, as per the food standards authority, it is recommended that rice milk is not offered to children under 4 ½ years of age.  Arsenic occurs naturally in a wide range of foods at low levels.  In rice drinks, the amount of inorganic arsenic present is too high to be deemed safe for young children between 1 and 4 ½ years. 

Consult your dietitian or GP for advice on suitable alternative drinks for a child requiring cows' milk protein free drinks.

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How Many Calories Do You Want To Burn?

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It's Monday.  The calorie scales after a weekend of fun groan from all the delicious cocktails you drank and yet, a smart and talented woman like you dare to ignore the chime of the clock as it strikes gym o’clock!

You promptly divert all thoughts about exercise to a black hole in your head and focus instead on your list of tasks to achieve for the week.  Exercise, surely it can wait right?  After all, why bother thinking about that tempting piece of cake or that delectable 5 course meal you shared with the new boy in town when you simply have got oh so much to do.  Right?  Wrong!

Admittedly, your body looks great in that new dress but what are you going to do when you have a little wardrobe crisis after a few more indulgent weekends like so?  There’s only so much bulge that even the ‘ultimate magic secret slimming firm control knickers’ can cope with. 

So let me rephrase; how many calories do you need to burn after your weekend?  I suppose it depends entirely on how many of the extra treats that 'shall not be named' you had.  

To avoid any panic attacks over clothes in the future, make sure that you fit in a date with exercise.  On a positive note, your options for burning calories truly are endless.

For example, assume a female weighing 60kg spends 45 minutes cycling to work.  She could burn 300 calories.  Increase the tempo on the bike and you could be burning up to 600 calories per exercise session.  

Walking is also a great energy busting activity, in that you could burn up to 200 calories depending on your speed.  Choose a route with hills and this could increase up to 300 calories.  

Running is brilliant as you could burn anywhere between 500 to 600 calories depending on your weight, speed and distance.  This really is an excellent calorie burner.

Swimming is not only relaxing but 45 minutes in the pool for the same female weighing 60kg could result in an energy deficit of around 400 calories.  If a slice of bread provides approximately 100 calories, then you are not doing too badly.  The butterfly stroke is another efficient activity and for this movement you could burn up to 600 calories.

Playing sport such as tennis, squash or volleyball are all fantastic options for burning calories so why not join a team?  It's also fun and a great way to make new friends.

Alternatively, you may prefer the gym whilst we head towards winter.  Even resistance training exercise with weights burn calories when you perform the activity.  As you build muscle tone and increase lean body mass, your metabolic rate will rejoice and utilise energy in the form of calories.  

Before you commit to hours and hours of exercise, research does recommend less calories in, so make eating fewer calories from treat foods your top priority.  

When this fails, balance the energy scales with regular activity to burn excess calories after a fun weekend, but to also keep your heart ticking happy.  

For tips on how to incorporate little bite sized portions of exercise through-out the day, read Keep Your Body Moving and visit my page dedicated to Exercise 'Push Yourself'

So next time it’s exercise o’clock, think back to your long, lazy, indulgent boozy lunches and dinners with girlfriends over the weekend.  Let me remind you...did it start with something like this?  That single innocent little drink...

That's right ladies, think real hard and say yes to exercise.  Your body and heart will thank you for it.

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How To Exercise A Little Portion Control - St Jacques With Coriander & Peanut Pesto

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Seafood, pesto, portion control.  For this week's Weekend Dinner Party themed post, I've chosen a gorgeous French number that has drawn flavours from the Asian world.  The coriander, lime and peanut based pesto sauce is phenomenal, zesty and absolutely delish.

Scallops are one of my favourite things in the world but it's always a good idea to check with your guests to make sure that they like seafood!  I've also chosen this recipe as it illustrates the essential steps every good host should bear in mind for the weight-conscious diner; portion control.

If you dread hosting dinner parties because you are worried about over-eating, let me assure you that its impossible to do so with this fabulous recipe.  Firstly, it is a tiny bit labour intensive but don't let that put you off.  It's so tasty that you will savour every mouthful when you finally do sit down to enjoy it.  Eating slowly allows you to recognise early when you are full.

I realise that everyone wants to please their guests with plenty to eat, but the health conscious diner may resent you afterwards for the extra indulgent mouthfuls eaten.

Life's just too short for regrets.  Show no signs of slowing down, there's no reason why you cannot attend or host dinner parties if you are trying to eat healthy and lose weight.  Simply exercise a little portion control, choose ingredients that boast flavour but without the weight of added calories.

And of course, this recipe is milk, egg, wheat, gluten and soy free.  It does however, contain peanuts, therefore is not nut free.  

Expecting a vegetarian diner?  No problem, simply substitute the scallops for tofu.  It will work 
beautifully with the pesto sauce.



Saint-Jacques With Coriander & Peanut Pesto Sauce


INGREDIENTS

500ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons mirin*
1 tablespoon lemon grass
2 kaffir lime leaves
3 rounded teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon fish sauce (check thickeners to ensure gluten / wheat free)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, chopped finely
4 red onions, chopped finely
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 tablespoons ginger, chopped finely
1 teaspoon ground white pepper

140g risotto rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon gluten and wheat free flour
16 large scallops
1 lime, sliced


For the pesto
2 tablespoons, dry roasted and unsalted peanuts
50g coriander leaves, chopped using scissors
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger
Pinch of white pepper
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Serves 4


Purple Tip - The rice requires 3 hours of cool time in the fridge.  If you are expecting guests in the evening, I would prepare the rice earlier in the day.


DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, add the vegetable stock, *mirin (this is a type of Japanese rice wine which I did not have, so I used wine and added a little sugar), lemon grass, kiffir leaves, ground coriander, fish sauce and allow to boil for a few minutes, then simmer.
2.  In a casserole dish, add olive oil, shallot, onions, garlic, ginger and white pepper.  Temper for a few minutes and enjoy the aromas released.
3. Add the rice and coat each grain in the oil.
4. Remove lemon grass from the stock then pour this into the rice in 100ml aliquots and only when the rice has absorbed the liquid.  Add up to an extra 200ml of water if necessary.
5. The rice is done when all of the liquid has been absorbed.  Now allow to cool then keep in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
6. To prepare the pesto, first add the peanuts into a grinder.  Grind till you have a paste but with 'bits' in it.
7. In a blender, add the peanuts, coriander leaves, garlic, ginger and white pepper.  Blend for a couple of minutes or until you have a green paste.  Now add the freshly squeezed lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce and vegetable oil.  Mix well then set aside.
8. To make the risotto galettes, shape into 4 balls then press gentle with your hands to flatten.  Cover with cling film and return them to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a saucepan.  When the galettes are ready, dust with a little bit of flour then fry evenly on both sides for 2 minutes each side.  Repeat this step a few times so that the galettes are crispy on the outside.
10. Place the galettes on paper towel to remove excess oil.
11. Now temper the scallops or tofu in a saucepan with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  You will need to cook evenly on both sides.
12. Serve immediately with the galette, scallops, a generous serve of the pesto and lime slices on the side.  

Purple Tip - Don't forget a little salad or portion of vegetables on the side

Now remember, the 3 steps to a successful dieter's dinner party are:

• Go for pre-portioned meals to reduce the temptation for seconds.
• Choose tasty dishes that promote use of herbs or spices with focus on quality rather than quantity.
• Engage your guests in conversation to allow your guests to eat slowly and savour every mouthful.

Have a great week lovely readers!  What are your tips for successful dining when also trying to shed pounds?

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Quinoa & Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Quinoa is an excellent addition to a vegetarian diet.  This grain provides indispensible amino acids (simple form of proteins) similar to those found in meat.  Most plant foods do not contain the full sequence of essential amino acids and hence why it is recommended to eat a variety of vegetables, fruit and grains.  For example, pairing of sweet corn and tomato or apple and coconut improve the amino acid intake for that particular meal.

To reap the benefits of all that Mother Nature has to offer, eat a variety of fruit, vegetables and grains.  This ensures that your diet is rich in vitamins, minerals and the different variety of essential amino acids found in plant foods.

Quinoa is superior in that it does contain the full complement of essential amino acids.  Although the amino acid composition is influenced by both environmental and climatic factors, it is still a good source of protein. 

Another reason to love quinoa is that it is naturally gluten and wheat free.  It can be used very much like rice for stuffing vegetables or in salads to add a wonderful nutty texture.

Add it in small amounts to baking and your cakes and biscuits will still retain its silky texture. 

To tackle your baking dilemmas and add a bit of spark in your kitchen, bake cookies with quinoa for the child on a wheat or gluten free diet.  I was so excited to discover a recipe for quinoa cookies in a magazine that I knew that I just had to try it after adjusting for eggs and soy of course.

Purple Tip: If you need to exclude milk as well as egg, wheat, gluten and soy, then use dark chocolate chips only.

These cookies also need to eaten straight away.  Unlike milk, egg, wheat & soy free cakes, biscuits don't appear to hold their shape for over a day.

Quinoa & Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

60g quinoa

60g coarse polenta 

100g rice flour

125g soft brown sugar

3/4 tsp wheat & gluten free baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

85ml olive oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp egg replacer

50g dark chocolate pieces

50g milk chocolate with hazlenut pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
2. Measure the oil in a jug, vanilla essence add egg replacer and 3 tablespoons of water.  Mix well.
3. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, mix and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  On a baking tray, add 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each cookie.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips.
5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
6. Leave to cool and then enjoy a biscuit, over a cup of tea.

Zesty Orange & Mango Breakfast Muffins

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Oats, orange juice, orange zest, mango puree and a sprinkle of mixed spice will turn muffins from a treat food to an everyday incredibly low fat breakfast muffin.

This delicious breakfast option at 89 calories per muffin have only a gram of fat.  They are breakfast muffins after all, therefore there is very little added sugar.  If you prefer, I recommend serving these with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkling of soft brown sugar.  Breakfast is served!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup jumbo oats
1 cup semi-skimmed milk
1 heaped teaspoon egg replacer
Pinch of xanthum gum (less than 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 cup mango puree
Zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup fine polenta flour
1/2 cup plain gluten free flour
1/4 cup sugar
21/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon almond essence



DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
2. In a small bowl, mix the oats, milk, egg replacer, xanthum gum, mango puree and orange zest.  Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flours and remaining ingredients (except for the almond essence).
4. Gradually mix the dry ingredients with the oat and milk mixture.
5. Finally add almond essence, mix well and portion into 12 muffin cases.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Yield = 12 muffins

Nutrition information = 89 calories per muffin, 1g fat (10% fat), 17g carbohydrate, 2g protein

These breakfast muffins are wheat, gluten, egg and soy free.  They are not milk free, but you can substitute the milk with almond milk.

To lower the fat content of these muffins, try baking with skimmed milk.

What do you think lovely readers?  Please do comment below, I love hearing from you!


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How To Shop Till You Drop And Lose Pounds Whilst You Do It

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Enjoy quality time with your close friends to shape your beautiful wardrobe, thighs and bottom too!  Every woman knows how fabulous a shopping expedition can be.  Yet can regular trips to your favourite shops hold the key to successfully shedding the necessary pounds?

Let’s count numbers.  It takes at least 20 minutes if not more to walk down Oxford Street after eyeing up the windows but do you really care exactly how many calories you burn as a result?  You will be having far too much fun to notice surely?  There’s all the department stores en route to visit, a new blouse to try on, winter coats to mull over, the gorgeous trousers to re-try for the millionth time, after all, you’ve got to be sure that your bottom looks small in that outfit right? 

Sound familiar?  I wouldn’t be surprised if a woman normally spends at least 2 snappy hours on her feet scouring the clothing racks in hot pursuit of the next divine outfit that will set her heart on fire.

Shopping may be an unexpected way of burning energy, but when you move your body, hey presto you use up energy.  Every savvy shopper knows that she needs both hands free for a successful shop, which means that not even a single hand can be spared for snacking when trying on clothes.  Perfect.

BENEFITS OF SHOPPING

Boost in mood

Burn calories unexpectedly

Awareness of body shape and clothing size

Can be done solo or with a friend

Window shopping is also a very enjoyable form of exercise, don’t you think?  Your purse will love you, and so will your hips and thighs for the gentle but fun workout.  Make this a regular activity and it will be impossible not to notice any weight that does creep up on you.  After all, you will be trying on clothes every week, which allows you to take control of any major changes in dress sizes straight away.  Remember, a size 10 in Karen Millen is not the same as a 10 in another store.  Different cuts and styles in clothing may require a change in dress size, but an increase from the usual size 10 to a 12 after a holiday of indulgent eating may very well indicate a true weight gain.

At this point you may need a beady eye over your usual intake and exercise regime.  For this scenario see Let's Number Crunch: How To Drop Half A Kilo In A Week.

With only a few months to go before Christmas, it’s easy to be put off by the crowds and lead you to settle for online shopping.  Although this is both effective and time efficient, shopping whilst surfing the internet reaps no rewards in terms of weightloss.  Why not try late night shopping on a Thursday or Friday night when the heaving shops might be a little bit quieter?  This promotes the opportunity for burning calories, whilst also reducing the likelihood of you heading to the shops for returns on purchases that didn’t quite fit ‘right’.

In summary, walking is a fantastic energy burner and you will do plenty of it when you spend a couple of hours on your feet exploring the shops.  You may not burn as many calories when compared to a run or a swim, but it doesn’t matter.  It’s great to mix up the type of activities that you do during the week.

Have fun and don’t forget to draw up a budget before you hit the shops!

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