Q & A Summary With Nutritionist Cheree Sheldon

We recently had a Live Q & A segment on our Private Support Group with Nutritionist Cheree Sheldon who has created the meal plans for the July 28 Day Weightloss Challenge.
Here is a summary of the Live Q &A for you all to read through- there are some GREAT tips in this one to help you get ready and be prepared to the 28 Day Weightloss Challenge.

What are your top three meals or snacks that are must try this week?
Must have snacks for this week: baked pear, yoghurt with cacao nibs and berries, and chia pudding! Must have meals for this week: prawn curry, risotto (awesome winter warmer!), and tuna pasta bake (so easy to chuck together!!)
What are your top tips for keeping on track on the tail end of the challenge?
Top tips for keeping on track: reassess your goals.. Look at where areas you can improve on (eg breakfasts or afternoon teas) and focus on being organised for them… Organisation and planning is the key! But be kind to yourself if you slip up
I’m going to be travelling a lot this week – are there particular snacks that you’d recommend for in the car?
travel snacks for this week would be- popcorn, raspberry muffins, chia pudding (if you can keep it cold), carrot and avo hand rolls
I’ve been really moody, I think it’s because I’ve completely cut out the Pepsi max! So I haven’t been sticking to the challenge food but still with the LBW recipes! I had a chickpea burger tonight
When you cut out soft drinks and stuff like that, it is really common to get moody, have headaches, feel generally yuk… But this will not last!! You will feel so much better when you have got this out of your system
Is multigrain bread ok to eat? We are on a budget and its what fits into out budget well
Mutli grain bread is fine.. The darker the better!
Is it worth cutting back on dairy to help with bloating?
If you have linked dairy with bloating then yes.. If you have started eating more dairy with this plan, and have noticed increased bloating, the see if you can replace it.. Use almond milk and coconut yoghurt a good probiotic may also help with bloating… Make sure you are eating slowly, and mindfully and chewing with mouth closed so you are not introducing more air
How do you move on from the guilt of eating terribly for two days and what are some really good foods to help cleanse it from my body
Guilt is useless to us!! You need to examine why you ate terribly, look at possible triggers or situations that this occurred, and work out a strategy to do if that occurred again.. Simple cleansing foods that you can include in your plan are broccoli, beetroot, and lemon in water. Here is why I think guilt is never useful… When you feel guilty you often dwell on what you have perceived as something terrible…But never really get past that terrible feeling it creates… We need to learn from all of our experiences and embrace them all- good and bad.. So a weekend that you didn’t stick to your plan shouldn’t be written off as a failure. The best thing to do is look at why and how… And insert other scenarios in there so if it occurs in the future you are prepared and don’t allow history to repeat… Same thing when you have an awesome weekend… Instead of just ignoring it, really look at why that was so good, and what your how’s and whys were!!
I’m struggling to eat my recommended calories for the day is it important to eat the amount recommended?? If so how do u suggest I add more calories to my day?
This is something that your body will adjust to… Don’t force yourself to overeat to get there, but increase gradually.. Weight loss often stalls if we don’t provide our bodies with enough energy as it puts itself into starvation mode and will hold onto everything… Smoothies are a great way.. Nuts and seeds… slightly larger portions
What veggies should we steer clear of if we have a sluggish thyroid?
The vegies that are recommended you avoid in hypothyroidism are termed goitrogens and include all the cruceferoius vegies plus soy.. I wouldn’t take out any foods unless you have a baseline of your thyroid hormones to go off and then recheck after three months
What are your top meals to prep in advance for this week?
Top make a head meals this week: chicken soup, brown rice quiche, cauliflower soup, kale and pumpkin risotto, quinoa tabloeh, zucchini slice, and salmon patties
What are your quick winter breakfast favourites?
the crumble as it is make ahead (and in bulk!), porridge, scrambled eggs, baked beans (same reason- you can make ahead in bulk!)
We hope that these tips from nutritionist and chef Cheree Sheldon help you throughout the rest of the July Challenge