Until you commit to it, losing weight can seem like the hardest thing in the world. Until you start doing it right, it actually can be the hardest thing in the world. Doing it right is actually pretty simple – eat better, do more.
I hear ya, you’re thinking “thanks man, that’s really friggin helpful“. Straight-up. It takes a little practice, but it really is that simple. When you eat well and move more, you lose weight. The best place to start is REAL FOOD. Ya know, stuff that grew in the ground, or something that actually ate grass and ran round a field at some point.
The food industry and its marketing machine spend a shit-load of money convincing us their products are good for us, but if it comes in a box, or a can, and has a list of ingredients that read like a science text-book, chances are it aint that good for ya. These guys play games with us – they’ve weened us on to a diet of sugar, (bad) fats and a giant list of things that came out of a lab. I was gonna go on a little rant but I think Jamie Oliver does it better than me.
TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.
I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”
Jamie Oliver
So Jamie’s on a mission to change the world. That’s great, the world needs to change. I’m not here to change the world, I’m just here to share what I’ve learned from losing 60kg. I’m not saying don’t eat the things you love! I’m just sayin’, if it came straight off the shelf in fancy packaging, and you need a PHD to figure out what went in to making it, then you probably need to eat less of it.
What You Need to Know to Start Eating Better and losing Weight
There’s really just a couple of things you need to know to start making healthier meals and start losing weight.
First of all, if you’re not cooking your own meals, then start! Eating better is SOOOO much easier when you’re making all the decisions!
Protein & Carbs – Protein builds muscle, Carbs give you fuel.
What’s the deal with protein? – Protein builds muscle. We all want lean muscle! More lean muscle means a more efficient metabolism. An efficient metabolism means more weight loss. Win! Be warned, protein only builds muscle if you’re working out. Otherwise it’ll eventually just become fat.
What foods are protein? Chicken, beef, eggs, turkey, fish, lamb, pork, prawns, lentils, beans, seeds and raw nuts.
What’s the deal with carbs? – Carbs give you energy to make it through the day. Let’s assume you are working out regularly, and the protein you eat is going towards building and reparing muscles, you need carbs to give the rest of your body fuel. Without carbs, your body will look for the energy it needs wherever it can, and steal it from the protein you’re eating. The result, no muscle growth.
Now carbs get a hard time in the weight loss world. But listen up- there’s good carbs and bad carbs.
Good carbs: Kumara, whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread, brown rice, green vegetables, quinoa, beans
Bad carbs: White rice, cakes, slices, refined sugar, white flour, lollies
As always, I’m not suggesting you stop eating the things you love. Remember, we don’t do battles of will power here. You always lose that game. But, if the things you love fall in to the bad carb category, try and cut back. Try and tip the balance of your diet towards good carbs and protein. Carbs aren’t the bad guy, bad carbs are the bad guy.
Grab a protein, grab a carb, add veggies. BOOM! That’s a healthy meal.
It’s as simple as that. BUT, I’m not suggesting you chuck a chicken breast under the grill and boil some kumara with a little broccoli on the side. Food is a gift from the gods, it should taste delicious and be an experience. Boiled broccoli with some grilled chicken is not a delicious experience!
Eating healthy doesn’t have to taste boring!
Try this simple fish taco recipe.
Ingredients:
Wholegrain tortillas/soft tacos
Coconut oil
Red cabbage
Red onion
Lettuce
Tomato
Avocado
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander flakes
1 tsp crushed garlic or garlic granules
Ground black pepper
Chipotle
Garlic yoghurt or sour cream
Lemon juice
Directions:
1. In a large shallow dish, mix cumin, chilli powder, garlic, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Slice fish into 2-3cm strips and toss in the spice mix. Set aside and let this sit for as long as you can.
3. Thinly slice a little red onion, red cabbage and lettuce. Combine in a bowl and squeeze some lemon over it; Set aside.
4. Heat some coconut oil in a large frying pan, add fish and cook for 2-3 minutes before turning, cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. While the fish is cooking, cut a tomato into small cubes and set aside. Peel avocado and slice.
7. Warm the soft tacos or tortillas in the microwave for approx 30 seconds.
8. To construct a taco, place fish in a warm taco, add onion and cabbage mixture, tomato, avocado and top with chipotle and garlic yoghurt/sour cream
9. ENJOY!
Try it, enjoy it and let me know what you think in the comments below.
– Shane
That looks awesome! I’ve never thought of doing fish that way, infact I’ve never thought of any other ways with fish than just crumbing it. I’m sure this is way healthier, doing away with those stodgy fried breadcrumb carbs!
My absolute favourite way to eat fish! I hope you try it, let me know how it goes.
I need to stock up on some spices and herbs, and I never thought of fish this way either in fact fish on a tortilla sounds so foreign to me as I am used to chicken or mince on a tortilla so this is something new to introduce to the table, thanks 🙂