Free Nutrional Advice

First things first, the key to long-term successful weight management is a balanced diet and regular exercise - simple. No magic pills, no starving yourself, no half-arsed diets that celebrities swear by.

You want to be lean and healthy, not skinny and starving. So think about establishing a realistic long-term approach to your food that you can adopt and stick to for the rest of your life.

Listed below are some of the fundamental tips and starting points that you can use to take control of what you put in your body.

Food is Fuel

The first and greatest tip is to think about your food as fuel for your body. Your body is a fantastic piece of biological enginering and you only get one, so you need to make the most of it.

In order for your body to function properly it needs the right fuels.

So think about what you put in.

Smaller, Regular Meals

To keep your meatabolism and energy levels high throughout the day eat smaller, regular meals to give your body a more constant supply of fuel.

Eating this way means your body is less likely to have to store unwanted fuel as fat.

So instead of three big meals a day, aim for 5 or even 6 smaller meals.

A Well Balanced Diet

A well balanced diet is paramount to long-term health.

This means balancing the amount of calories you get from Protein, Carbohydrate and Fats.

As a starting point I would recommend the nutritional splits of 20% Protein, 50% Carbs and 30% Fats per meal, but it will be worth you finding out your own Metabolic Type and eating accordingly.

As a guideline 1g Protien = 4 calories; 1g Carbohydrate = 4 calories and 1g Fat = 9 calories. So a 300 calorie meal would equate to 15g Protein, 36g Carbs and just 10g of Fat.

5-a-Day, But Watch the Fruit

The 5 a day approach to fruit and vegetable intake is a good start for long-term health. But we can improve it with a slight tweak.

Fruit is full of Fructose - a natually occuring sugar. Our ancestors only had fruit available during the summer months, on which they would gorge to fatten up for the winter ahead.

So get more good quality seasonal veg, maybe 4 of your 5 portions and limit the fruit. This way you'll get all the health benefits without the soggy midsection.

Healthy Fats

Fats that are healthy?

Yes, some fats are healthy. Specifically souces of Omega-3 and Omega-6, which are essential to the cells that make up your body and have to be sourced from the food you eat.

Good sources include eggs, oily fish (such as fresh Salmon, fresh Tuna and fresh Mackerel), nuts, seeds and certain oils such as Flax seed and Hemp.

Eating these will bring benefits to your skin, nerve function and your overall health.

Simple Foods

A great simple rule to follow is that of buying simple, honest foods.

When at the supermarket, look for the foods that have been messed with the least. Generally speaking they are located around the outside edge of the store, close to doors and exits so that they can be replenshed quickly.

The stuff thats in the middle, with a long shelf life, are generally the foods to avoid.

If in doubt, ask yourself would your great grandmother recognise it as food?