LOSING THE FAT The importance of a medical check up: Before changing your diet and starting any fitness regime, I strongly recommend you get checked out by your medical practitioner. Make sure it is a detailed full body check including extensive blood analysis; that way you'll be able to rectify any deficiencies like iron, folate, B12 and hormone imbalances such as high insulin levels. that can effect not only fat loss but your energy levels and feeling of well - being. I personally have a full body check up once a year at a fantastic place called metabolic medicine www.metabolicmedicine.com.au to keep me on track. For fat loss it's important you eat the right foods at the right time of day, suited to your energy needs. You burn more energy at Breakfast and lunch, so it just makes sense to eat most of your food during the day. If you're not running marathons or playing for the Australian open tennis, dinner should focus on a healthy mix of high water based high fibre lower carb vegetables and lean protein. By this I mean vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, beans, brussel sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber lettuce celery mushrooms, snow peas, spinach and silver beet, squash onion and zucchini. By lean protein I mean foods like fish and all seafood, organic chicken and lean red meat, turkey, organic eggs, tofu, soy beans and tempeh. Try and have about 3 fish meals in the week to get your quota of good omega 3 essential fatty acids which is important for the health of your heart and arteries. Diet is a very personal thing and each person needs to get in tune with their body. Each person is different, and it depends on so many factors like body type, weight, activity, lifestyle, age, genetics, climate, work etc.. Once we become in tune with our own body and its needs we can create a harmonious relationship within ourself and in our day to day life. Eating good nutritious food will then become habit in our day to day life. Basically if you eat more calories than you burn you'll gain weight, as all calories can be converted into fat if they are not used in the body for energy. I'm not one for counting every calorie... but it's important when you put food into your mouth, it is nutrient dense and not empty calories like soft drinks, alcohol, pastries, chocolate , ice cream, fast food, biscuits and cakes. A little pick here and a little pick there doesn't seem like a lot, but it can often add up to quite a considerable amount in the coarse of a few weeks or months. "Little pickers wear big knickers". Just remember that line before you decide to scoff down that next bar of chocolate or dip your hand into the cookie jar. Also just make sure to be aware of portions, as most of us often eat 2 - 3 times more than the serving amount printed on the back of food labels or on our dinner plates. Just by being aware of what you put into your mouth, you'll be able to control your food intake and still be able to enjoy your pleasures in moderation without compromising your diet. Pretend your body is like an expensive luxury car or sports car, perhaps a Ferrari, porche or the top of the line BMW. Now you wouldn't just fill her up with regular fuel, forget the service and maintenance, you would make sure you use the best premium fuel for your car then make sure it gets a regular service and the best of everything just to keep it in tip top shape and running to peak performance. Well looking after your body and health should be exactly the same. Keeping your body tuned up and in tip top shape should be your primary goal. The worst way to try to lose body fat is to starve yourself. When you do that, your body fights back by lowering your metbolic rate, increasing muscle burning and decreasing fat burning. In other words, muscle not fat is the first to go!! Eat regular meals, for a healthy metabolism and you won't feel the urge to binge at night when relaxing in front of the TV. So to get to the point Basically if you eat more calories than you burn you'll gain weight, as all calories can be converted into fat if they are not used in the body for energy. You can control the body into burning more fat by eating regularly and by eating the right kinds of food at the right time. Cut your high fat foods and consume small amounts of good essential fats (EFA's) needed for optimum functioning of the body. These are contained in oily fish raw nuts and seeds and avocado. Eat vegetables and salad with your lunch and dinner time meals. You can eat unlimited green leafy vegtables and salads. Cut your intake of refined carbohydrates which includes alcohol, sugar, white flour, white bread, biscuits, cakes, lollies, chips, processed foods. This is your 20% once a week. Eat regular amounts of good quality protein to repair lean muscle tissue and maintain every cell in our body. Increase metabolic rate through eating regular healthy meals, doing regular aerobic exercise and increasing lean muscle mass with resistance training. Drink at least 2 litres of pure water daily and keep coffee intake to no more than 2 cups daily. Try replacing your coffee with green tea which helps to metabolise body fat. Think before you eat! Remember if you eat badly and train hard you'll barely see a difference in your body shape. If you eat good clean food that is fresh and wholesome and train hard your body will thank you by shedding fat and making you trim taught and terrific. By Teresa Cutter < the healthy chef © 2006