Foods to avoid for weight loss
Dear Donovan,
What are some of the foods I should avoid at all costs on my fitness journey? I am 30 years old, 5’6, and 145 pounds. I have an affinity for sweets and sodas, and have never really watched what I was eating. I want to start a fitness plan, and my boyfriend says I need to start with my diet. But does this include just switching white foods for wheat, and cutting back on the sodas and sweets, or is there more to it? Shouldn’t I be paying attention to organic, gluten-free, and stuff like what type of oil I use in cooking and so on? Can you say what foods I should definitely avoid?
I am very happy that you have decided to start your fitness journey. However, it is very important that you start in short order. In my mind, whether you start your fitness journey with baby steps or giant steps will be to a large extent based on your working, living and other conditions that you have to deal with on a daily basis.
I think your boyfriend is giving you a hint about the changes he thinks you can make. Maybe he is thinking you could do better at making small changes. He may have a point. In some cases, making drastic changes in your diet could affect your energy level, mood, health, etc. However, it is not impossible to just make big lifestyle changes all at once. Again it depends on you and your circumstances.
When I decided to become a vegetarian, I ate my last regular meal at our family dinner. Then I made my big announcement that this would be the last time I would be eating meat. This was 27 years ago. I have been a vegetarian since.
I would suggest that you make small to medium changes in your lifestyle over time. You could start with both diet and exercise. I am very concerned, however, that you have been craving sweets. This is not good. Do you have a history of diabetes running in your family? By all means you should be careful with your sweet and soda intake.
Overindulging in sweets can lead to diabetes, which can cause many health complications. I would suggest at this point that you start working on your sweet and carbohydrate intake. You could start by reducing your soda intake and replacing that with water and coconut water. Also, you could replace some of your snacks with fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices. Fruits usually have a sweet taste. These could be used to help with some of the sweet cravings.
In addition, I am going to suggest that you do a nine-night detox programme as soon as you start making changes in your diet. Also, you should try to increase your water intake as much as possible.
So in a nutshell I would suggest that you have more fruits, vegetables, salads and soups in your diet. Also, as much as possible, stay away from fried foods. If you have to use oil as a part of your food preparation, coconut oil is a good choice. In addition, if you have to eat rice and flour, brown rice and whole wheat flour would be better than white rice and flour. You could give yourself at least three months at this programme then you could start thinking about organic vs non-organic food, and whether foods have gluten, etc. In addition, you could also start some exercises like walking, running, and the treadmill. The intensity and duration of your exercise programme should be adjusted over time. Exercising is very important in cutting calories and improving health.
Good luck.
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, Suite 16, 39 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 5. Send your questions to clarkep@ jamaicaobserver.com.
