Monday 8th September 2008 - Week Eight Day One - Global Health Challenge

With my eating plan I always include a lise of high quality / low calorie nutrients that are known as “ALLOWABLES” or GREEN LIGHT FOODS to encourage you to consume them over low quality nutrients. Any combination of these are your “Allowables” 1 SERVE per meal = 2 cups

Asparagus
Artichoke hearts
Bamboo shoots
Bean sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chillies
Choko
Courgette
Cucumber
Green Apples
Strawberries
Egg plant
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Pumpkin
Radish
Shallots
Silverbeet
Snow peas
Spinach
Tomato
Water cress
Zucchini

So now we know what type of quality nutrients (fuel / energy) should be our basics to eat, how many meals should we eat each day ?

The basis for choosing how many meals to have each day should be determined by how active we are not what our goal is. I think part of the confusion and problem with the high caloric intake that has contributed to the obesity issue has been the “expert advice” that is being given.

It’s suggested by experts that we should eat five meals a day. There can be a problem with this in that most people consume “five meals” instead of three high quality low calorie meals with two small snacks. I admit that until I started to work on this plan I needed to take into account the role I played.

Having trained clients for over 20 years a common excuse I’ve heard is although eating five meals a day is recommended (possibly six depending on activity levels), most clients struggle to eat three as they are busy and "forget".

They also say they couldn’t eat that much food when they had only been eating one to two meals a day. Instead they were prone to eating fewer meals that are higher in caloric density and not always quality. This we know will be ineffective for fat loss.

So if we all believe that we must take responsibility then it requires a level of both personal commitment + basic understanding to succeed.

Examples of large intake of calories that isn’t realized - BUT is often consumed.

-----------------10 years ago ---------Today
Bread / Toast-- 100-150 cals ---------200-250 cals
Banana Bread ------------------------ 300 cals - 400 cals (plus butter)
Muffin ----------80-100 cals ----------200-300 cals
Chocolate Bars --100-150 cals ---------250-350 cals

As you can see there has been an increase in the portion size which results in an increase in the number of calories we are consuming. This doesn’t even take into the "forgotten" excess calories from alcohol!

Be aware - it's YOUR Body - it's YOUR Life !!

Goal of this last Seven (7) days is to assess and consolidate all of the last 7 weeks including the Human ECO Cleanse to now establish patterns for your new LIFE.

- Assess your eating habits and see what you have re-introduced. Did you re-introduce caffeine or red meat and have you found you can now do without as much of these. The focus now is not to slip back into old habits but recognise them and use your knowledge for better choices.

- Check your workout intensity, your fitness would support increases or even additional days. Are you are planning these in to your routine- Reward yourself with only 7 days to go.
NOTE - this is isn't the end but rather the beginning of YOUR new Human ECO friendly LIFE.

TONY 's DIARY - (Week Eight - Day One)
New LIFE Begins ..... Recognise Positive Patterns of eating and drinking

Breakfast:
Energy Shake - 400ml Water + 40g Protein Powder + Combination Greens Powder + Organic Coconut Oil. Take a Daily Multi vitamin + Joint Power + 2 x Omega 3 Capsules

Mid Morning workout - Spin Class

Mid Morning Snack:
Green Tea + Protein Bar

Lunch:
Tuna + Salad + Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Mid Afternoon snack:
25g Protein Powder with water + Organic Coconut Oil

Evening Workout - Pump Class

Dinner:
Lamb + HUGE Mixed Salad + Tomato + Cucumber + Pear + Strawberries

2 Hours before Bed:
400ml water + Fibre Shake + Combination Greens + Organic Coconut Oil

Overall - Water consumption = Habit is now committed to action and with only 7 days remaining I feel fantastic.

Daily mantra:
I am totally committed to supporting my Human ECO System with my action