A Helping Hand

Changing our diet from all the yummy things we love, to the healthy balanced diet with correct portion size can be tough. 

While most of us have a pretty good idea of what we should be eating, there are those things that we sometimes ‘deny’ as being bad, such as a low fat muffin, a museli bar, a couple of glasses of wine.  It’s often these hidden calories that cause us to come undone along with getting our portions sizes right. 

So how do we find out what’s good, what’s not, how much to have?  There are many options from calorie counting books & apps, to structured programmes to outsourcing the entire thing & getting someone else to make your food for you. Here are some options:

$ iPhone Apps

There are many, including myFitnessPal, mayMyFitness, Calorie King

Cost: free, some might have a minimal cost

How it works: enter the foods you eat, the exercise you do & these apps then log kCals consumed, break down by carbs/fat etc, some even down to vitamins.  Also looks at kCals burnt with the workouts you log.  Apps track progress.  Many also have websites if you don’t have an iPhone.

Pros: free, accurate, with you most of the time

Cons: can be a bit timing consuming entering all the foods, you need to weigh your food to make sure you’re calculating it correctly

$$ Online Diet Programs

There are a number of guided online diet programs including Weight Watchers & Metabollic Jump Start

Cost:   $89.95 for 3 months WW, $28 for 4 weeks with MJS

How it works:   based on weight / goal & in the case of MJS, your metabollic type, you are given an allowance of points & you are given guidance on who to measure your food intake based on these points.  Allows you to be flexible and have the odd treat, while encouraging healthy eating & exercise

Pros:   affordable, can be easier than calorie counting, extra help with recipes, emails, articles etc

Cons:   none really unless you find preparing food and sticking to the allowance tricky. In which case the next option might be for you.

$$$ Home delivered food

Home delivered pre-prepared food delivered on daily/weekly/ fornightly basis - Lite n’Easy, Dietlicious & Eat Fit Food

Costs:   LnE from $128 for all meals or $81 for 5 days lunch and dinner, DL $30 per day for all meals, $99 for 5 days lunch & dinner; EFF $60+ per day for all meals

How it works:   you decide how many meals you want each day/week from all meals to just dinners. Food is delivered to you on an agreed day/time.

Pros:   you don’t have to do food shops, cook, log what you’ve eaten

Cons:   can be more expensive that buying and preparing food yourself

$$$$$$$$$ Hire your own chef!

Ok, not many of us have the spare cash to get one of these, but hey, it’s an option!!!!