Are you trying to lose pregnancy weight by getting off the junk food or sugar roller coaster?
Changing your lifestyle to one that involves exercise and a healthy eating plan can be hard, but the benefits are well worth it.
Whether it’s a weakness for fast food or a super strong craving for chocolate after dinner, knowing what your challenges are is the first step to finding the solution.
Today we have some insights from our new Junk Food Detox Plan and eBook, showing how you can break those bad habits for good (and you can preview the book here).
And the exciting news is that if you are a 28 Day Challenge member you receive a copy of the Junk Food Detox Plan for free – you can read all about the 28 Day Challenge here
Do you feel as though you ‘need’ something sweet around 11am, 3pm and 9pm?
Often as a busy mum you can feel as though you need a sweet treat throughout the day in order to just keep your eyes open.
Yes, parenting can be exhausting, but propping yourself up with sugar is not a solution to tiredness. In fact it can make it even worse.
This is because the sugar high is soon followed by a sugar low, leaving us feeling ‘blah’ and looking for our next hit.
Instead of a biscuit, cake, chocolate bar or energy drink – increase your natural energy with nutrient dense treats that will satisfy you between meals.
For instance you could try making your own:
- Fruit & Nut Protein Balls (4 great recipes here)
- Chickpea Protein Cookies
- Wholemeal Banana Date and Apple Bread
Another solution is to ensure that you are having plenty of protein and good fats with your main meals. This will satisfy you and keep your appetite at bay until your next meal.
For instance you could try:
- Instead of white toast with jam – try one slice of wholegrain toast with scrambled egg and ¼ avocado
- Instead of a salad of just lettuce, tomato, cucumber, beetroot and carrot – add some shredded cooked chicken or tuna; some crumbled feta or avocado; and drizzle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
- Instead of a chicken breast or salmon fillet with just steamed greens – drizzle the veggies with olive oil and add some grilled haloumi.
Do you eat well but can’t shake your soft drink habit?
Many people think that having soft drink isn’t such a big deal, but even the diet drinks are fairly devoid of nutrition. Check out the ingredients on a bottle of diet cola and (besides water) it reads like a science fiction movie. Aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium citrate…these are not helping you be the fit and healthy person you want to be.
You may also be addicted to the caffeine, which leaves you wanting more and more. Time to kick the habit!
Or perhaps you’ve been thinking that the fruit flavoured mineral waters like Deep Spring Orange & Mango are a healthier option but they are usually only around 5% juice and have more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per can.
Watching your calories? Many people don’t realise how quickly you can overdo your calories for the day by having a can of soft drink. A 375ml can of Sprite gives you 158 calories and more than 9 teaspoons of sugar.
Water really is the very best choice to rehydrate your body. No, not Vitamin Water (which has around 5 teaspoons of sugar per bottle) but good old plain water.
Or, you can liven it up with ideas like this:
- Make your own iced tea by brewing up a big jug of peppermint tea and chilling in the fridge.
- Add sliced lemons and oranges to your water bottle. Give it a good shake to really taste the fruit in the water.
- Chopped mango added to a jug of water gives it a fresh flavour that’s anything but dull.
- Infuse your water with some finely diced pineapple and mint for a healthy hit of H20.
Do you use food as a way to deal with your emotions (good or bad?)
Do you reach for a biscuit when you’re a) bored b) procrastinating c) frustrated d) excited or e) all of the above?
If you use food as a way to deal with your emotions it can become a negative cycle – eat when you feel bad, then you feel worse, then you eat some more…and so it goes on.
Finding other ways to deal with your emotions (instead of eating your way through) can take some practice but is very doable.
Try these ideas:
- Feeling frustrated with the kids at the 5pm witching hour? Turn up the music and have a dance off.
- Got some bad news? Arrange to meet a friend for a walk and a chat.
- Worried about money? Make an action plan, starting with a healthy budget meal plan for the week.
- Bored of housework? Set yourself a timer and see how much you can get done in ten minutes. Then take the kids off to the park to let off some steam.
- Putting off an important phone call or email? Grab a skipping rope and jump for one minute to get your heart pumping.
Our Junk Food Detox eBook has many more examples of how you might be addicted to junk food and what to do about it.
Plus it’s got a simple 7 step program to get you on the fast track to a healthier lifestyle AND a meal plan for the week to show you what to eat. Get the book FREE when you join the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
Need to stock up on Healthy Mummy Smoothies? Then see our shop here
And join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges here
