By Judy Davie
**”I have just had a baby and am finding it hard to lose weight. I am not a junk food eater or a fatty eater but love my food and eat a lot of it, mainly because I can’t get full on just a little bit of food. Can you please help me? If I can control the amount of food I eat without being hungry then I will be fine as I Iove exercise and the rest would be a breeze.”
— Ashley**
I don’t know how long it is since you gave birth, which is quite important. Considering it took nine months to gain the weight, it’s realistic to allow nine to 12 months to lose it. It’s also important not to diet if you’re still breast feeding. Despite this, there are some things you can do, with exercise, to help with weight loss.
Studies have shown that a diet higher in protein when combined with low-GI wholegrain carbohydrates provides greater satiety and can encourage weight loss. Lean meat, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, low-fat milk and yoghurt are all great sources of protein.
Swap all white carbohydrates for their wholegrain equivalent, i.e. white pasta to wholemeal, white breads to wholegrain and replace rice for ancient grains such as quinoa, bulgur, and freekeh. These whole grains are much better than processed grains, they contain more nutrients, have a low GI and will keep you feeling full for much longer. Other great carbohydrates that really fill you up are beans; chickpeas, butter, kidney, cannelini beans and lentils — usually sold in good fruit and vegetable stores or the supermarket, you’ll find them dried or in cans. Heat them, mash them or serve them cold with salads. With the added flavour of garlic, a little olive oil and some seasoning they’re delicious.
Most importantly you can eat huge amounts of vegies to fill up without stacking on the kJs. Load your plate with as many green leafy veg as you please. Decorate the greens with lots of colourful vegetables such as capsicum, sweet corn, asparagus, and beans and go easy on the hard root vegies that grow underground, in particular potatoes and parsnip — they have a high GI.
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