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Copyright Ainsley Groves™
If you received this publication from anyone other than Ainsley Groves™, you have received a pirated copy.
Please contact me via e-mail and notify me of the situation. at [email protected]
In this book you will find information that is the foundation to the science of energy metabolism and weight loss. It is what we use in science and in laboratories when testing and measuring new theories. This book has many different perspectives, and it would be misleading if I said they were new. Honestly, they have been around for decades, in fact the very first scientific paper on energy metabolism was published in 1897. However, I believe the title is not incorrect as they are definitely new perspectives on weight loss to arenas outside of science and I am privileged to be able to share them with you in this book.
So what makes me qualified to deliver this information to you and why should you start to incorporate the lessons in this book into your lives?
This book is a culmination of my experiences as a member of the Energy Metabolism Group which is a research team at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) in Brisbane (QLD, Australia), my practice as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist as well as my behaviour change skills developed completing my Diploma in Life Coaching and a Practitioner of NLP. I have been sharing this information for years with clients and acquaintances to help empower, support and encourage them on their journey to achieving the health and happiness they want and deserve in their bodies and in their lives.
I have become weary of the glut of unqualified sources that is available online, in books and magazines. For many who want to achieve their perfect body size and shape, this misleading information often just leads to another failed attempt at weight loss. For this reason, I am sorry that it has taken so long for this information to reach you! This document is the most important information to get a new perspective on your body and how it uses energy from food sources, how it benefits from exercise and the impact your mindset has on your health. With this document you will be able to view your body in a different way, apply new insights to your current lifestyle to start or continue to achieve your weight loss and healthy body goals.
We are a result of what we do consistently to our bodies and further – what we choose to put into them. What you see when you look in the mirror is a reflection of your current health status (your regular physical activity levels and nutrition/energy intake). If I see a person who is overweight or has poor health, the first thing I think is – that is an unhappy person. If we love ourselves we choose to put foods into our bodies that optimise its performance so that we can do everything we want in our day and we choose to move it because it was designed to move. The rates of metabolic disease and chronic disease is the result of the long term adaptation to our lifestyle choices over a period of time. We live in an obesigenic society, one which is not conducive to regular physical activity and has an overabundance of energy dense and poor nutrition food options. But just because
that is how we have transitioned to live and surround ourselves with, doesn’t mean that is what we should choose to default to (inactivity and poor food choices). The point is, no matter where you are at or who you are, you are in possession of the most amazing and powerful thing in the universe – your mind and body. You are perfect you just need to realise how to live in accordance with this innate perfection.
My hope is that by sharing this information with you, it will revolutionise and improve the quality of health information (particularly weight loss) that currently overwhelms society.
Thank you and congratulations for daring to take your health and results into your own hands. I look forward to hearing of your successes and improved health results!
Ainsley Groves NLP Practitioner, Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Healthy Lifestyle Specialist
A little bit about the author and book
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The Science of Weight LossGuiding your life through optimal health and personal excellence
A New Perspective On Your Physiology and Mindset
1. Know your energy Budget 5Part I Energy Balance Scales – Energy In and Energy Out 5Energy Out: 5Energy In: 7Total daily energy requirements and your energy budget 9Part II Every Bite Counts! 11
2. Energy Density & Empty Calories 12
3. Macronutrients 16Carbohydrate and its Importance in the Diet 17Glycaemic load is more important than glycaemic index 17Characteristics of low GI foods 17Using carbohydrates to your advantage 18Fats & Lipids 18Healthy Body Fat ranges 18Protein 19Don’t forget alcohol – The fourth, often overlooked, macronutrient 19Standard drinks and calorie content 20
4. Tipping the energy balance scales to Weight Loss 22Primary Benefits of Exercise 23Exercise recommendations for health and for weight loss 24Summary: Determining your weight loss goals 26
5. Mindset and Sustainable Goals 29Being responsible for you : achieving your healthy body and lifestyle 29Out with the old and in with the new 30Steps to creatign new habits and behaviours 32Repetition 32Sensory Acuity & Behavioural Flexibility 32Acknowledging yourself and reward 33Overview of Goal 36Your Goal Setting Plan 38
Wrapping up and moving forward to achieve results 42
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Part IEnergy Balance Scales – Energy In and Energy Out
Energy Out:
Every day we require energy for our body to carry out its normal functioning. This includes energy for our heart to beat, our nerves to conduct electrical impulses, for our muscles to contract. We even need energy to break down the foods we eat to acquire the energy and assimilate the nutrients we consume! We need energy for our body to do everything! The way we get the energy to do all of these things is through the solid and liquid food sources we put into our body.
The energy we use in a single day (our TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is dependent on several factors, primarily:
AGE - at different times in our life we use more energy, like during a growth spurt in adolescence, and as we get older we tend to use less energy due to decreases in muscle mass
HEIGHT & WEIGHT – the bigger we are the more energy we expend
GENDER - males use more energy per unit body weight when compared to females
BODY COMPOSITION – our muscles and organs are the metabolically active tissue, if we have more of them then we use more energy
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS – during occupation and leisure time, the more muscle groups we use the more energy we will expend per minute of physical activity
Even as you are reading this, you are using energy. You may not be using very much energy but you are still using energy. The less active you are (when you become more still and relaxed), the less energy your body will require at that point in time to function so you will have a lower rate of energy expenditure at that point. You might be sitting and reading this document. If you are, the only time you would expend less energy is if you were asleep or watching TV.
The more movement you do in a day, the more energy you expend. The more large muscle groups you use to undertake more activity, the more energy you expend. The more vigorous or intense the activity is and the longer you do it for the greater the energy expenditure.
Tip 1. To increase your energy expenditure you need to move more!
Tip 2. Increased energy expenditure = muscles used + average intensity + duration To increase your energy expenditure you must increase one or more of the following: • Number of muscle groups required to undertake activity - the more you use the more energy you expend • Duration • Intensity
1. Know your energy Budget
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Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is made up of three components
1. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
2. Physical Activity Energy Expenditure (PAEE): Activities of daily living and exercise
3. Energy used to digest food (Thermic Effect of Food, TEF)
Below is an example of daily energy expenditure for a young female
Example: Energy Requirement for a 23 year old female who is active with a sedentary (com-puter based) job
Biostats: Female, age = 23, height = 161 cm, weight = 63 kg (BMI = 24.3 kg/m2).
Of the factors which contribute to TDEE, we can directly influence two (physical activity lev-els and our body composition - these are inextricably linked).
If this 23 year old lady wanted to increase her TDEE she could start to incorporate the prin-ciples of increased energy expenditure (see Tip 1 and 2 above) by increasing the number of muscle groups used while undertaking physical activity and exercise, the total duration she exercises and the average intensity of the exercise.
Your Turn: What are some ways you could increase your daily energy expenditure?
Did you know: You use more energy when you sit and read a book com-pared to sitting in the same position watching TV and this is attributed to the increased brain activity!
31%
10%
59%
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Components of Daily Energy ExpenditureRMR TEF PAEE
Resting meatabolic rate = 1442 kcal/d Total energy requirement = 2453
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Energy In:
All matter is made up of energy, in food we quantify this energy in kilojoules (kJ) or calories. Some foods have more energy per unit weight/volume while others have less energy per unit weight/volume. This is directly related to how many and what type of atom (Carbon, Hydrogen & Oxygen - and Nitrogen in Protein) and the number of bonds that exist in the food item. Essentially, the energy in food items is dependent on the molecular composition of the food. This is why we can eat a greater volume of some foods compared to others, due to their molecular structure their energy density is different. Some foods have more energy per volume or mass (like fat). It is important to ensure that you know the energy density of the foods you enjoy eating so you know how much of them can fit within your energy budget (derived from your total daily energy expenditure), along with all of the other foods you need to have a healthy diet comprised of a variety of food sources.
The foods we eat and drink contain the all-important minerals and nutrients we require for our bodies to undertake all of the many chemical reactions needed to stay alive.
When our energy intake matches our energy expenditure, we remain weight stable (Fig. 2a). When we eat more energy through our diet than we require to fuel our bodies daily biochemical processes (energy expenditure) we gain weight (Fig. 2b). The flip side of this is, when we expend more energy than we require in a day we lose weight (Fig. 2c).
Tip 3: Food is classified into 3 Macronutrients
- Carbohydrate (sugar) stored in the muscles and some organs as glycogen and circulates as glucose in the blood- Fat (lipid) stored as glycerol in adipose tissue (fat cells), muscles and also freely circulates in the blood (free fatty acid)- Protein which is made up of amino acids building blocks which are used in building or repairing muscle as well as used in the process of energy metabolism
The role of macronutrients in energy metabolism and optimum functioning of the human body will be discussed further in Section 3. Macronutrients.
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See how much the scales are balanced. To maintain weight you need to consume as much energy as you expend on a daily/weekly basis.
Daily Weight Maintenance
Energy IN Energy OUT
Weight Gain
Energy IN
Energy OUT
Weight Loss
Energy IN
Energy OUT
See how the scales are tipped, they are heavier on the ‘energy in’ side. Energy excess or eating more than our body requires, leads to weight gain.
See how the scales are tipped, they are heavier on the ‘energy out’ side. When we expend more energy than we consume it leads to weight loss.
Food Consumed-Volume
(frequency of meal & portion size)-Macronutrient profile & energy content
(carbohydrate, fat & protein)
Food Consumed-Volume
(frequency of meal & portion size)-Macronutrient profile & energy content
(carbohydrate, fat & protein)
Food Consumed-Volume
(frequency of meal & portion size)-Macronutrient profile & energy content
(carbohydrate, fat & protein)
Energy Expended(aka Total Energy Expenditure)
- Resting Metabolic Rate- Thermic Effect of Food
(energy to breakdown & assimilate nutrients from Food)
- Activity Energy Expenditure(non-exercise activity and exercise)
Energy Expended(aka Total Energy Expenditure)
- Resting Metabolic Rate(age, gender, height & weight)
- Thermic Effect of Food- Activity Energy Expenditure
(non-exercise activity and exercise)
Energy Expended(aka Total Energy Expenditure)
- Resting Metabolic Rate(age, gender, height & weight)
- Thermic Effect of Food- Activity Energy Expenditure
(non-exercise activity and exercise)
Fig. 2a Energy Balance
Fig. 2b Energy imbalance - scales are tipped to weight gain
Fig. 2c Energy imbalance - scales are tipped to weight loss
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Total daily energy requirements and your energy budget
If the goal is to decrease your body mass you must be consuming less than you require to fuel your total daily body function (remember from Part I: Know your energy budget, this includes energy for your heart to beat, for your organs to produce and release hormones, for your brain to function, your nervous system to conduct impulses and your muscles to contract). Knowing how much energy you are expending at a given time is not an intuitive thing – we can’t sit here and know “I am currently expending X amount of calories right now”. How we determine how much energy we expend in a day and what is our energy budget can be calculated with several equations.
To help calculate your daily energy expenditure, enter the following details below. With this information, contact Ainsley to undertake your health risk report and determine your TDEE.
To find out how much energy you expend in a day, contact Ainsley to undertake your health risk report and determine your TDEE.
Your predicted Total Daily Energy Expenditure is: kcal/day
What is your (be as honest as you can):
Age ______ yrs
Gender ______
Height _______ m
Weight ________ kg
Do you have an active occupation?:
On average, how many times do you exercise in a week ____
and what is the average duration of these sessions ______________
and what is the average intensity of these sessions _______________ .
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Key Learnings
A helpful strategy for thinking is to use a framework. You may like to consider using RIQ.Recall (What are the main things I recall from this information?)Insight (What insights have I gained from this information?)Question (What questions do I still have?)
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Part IIEvery Bite Counts!
Every single thing we put in our mouth will contribute to our total daily energy intake (or calorie consumption). Although a lot of the time we might think the little handfuls of food we have while preparing dinner, or that we quickly throw in our mouth before we rush out the door doesn’t really amount to much. However, over the entire day, if we aren’t careful, several unplanned snacks like this can quickly become a substantial amount of energy and will sabotage our plans for weight loss.
Did you know that if you over ate the equivalent of one slice of bread every day you would gain over 5kg in a year? A single slice of bread! Consider the toll if everyday we indulged in one slice of cake, or one bag of chips. Different foods have different amounts of energyand weight loss will not happen if our energy intake is consistently greater than our energy expenditure.
Hint: we are a result of what we do consistently. Our musculoskeletal system gets stronger or weaker in response to the stresses it is regularly exposed to. As we increase the work our body does on a day-to-day basis, the stimulus facilitates the laying down of cells and tissue to become stronger (muscles and bone) so that it can complete the new workload. When we are no longer exercising as strenu-ously or being as physically active, our bodies re-absorb the vitamins and minerals to convert them to a more useful form or to be used as energy. Essentially the ‘use it or lose it’ principal applies.
It is similar with weight gain, except the opposite, if we are consuming too much energy or fuel com-pared to how active we are over a weekly period; the energy is converted to its storage form, adipose tissue. Since it is not realistic to eat food at the rate at which we expend it – we would need to con-stantly be on an energy drip or eating as we move, the ability to create energy depots for our body to draw on as we need to, is a really convenient adaptation. It has ensured that humans could survive during mid-to-long term periods of famine or fasting. Whether that is the period between breakfast and lunch so we can get our work done, or during even longer periods, like being lost in the bush. Unlike during our hunter gatherer days, when the problem faced was how will we find enough food in the warm months to survive the cold months or dry season; we are today feasting and storing energy for a period of famine that isn’t coming. The only way we will start to utilise these energy stores is if we choose to go into our own self-imposed energy deficit.
The take home message is our health, the amount of physical exertion we can undertake and the state of our energy stores (fat mass) is the result of what we have chosen to eat and how we have chosen to move on a regular basis.
If you want to look differently, feel differently and have improved health, then the answer is to start moving your body and feeding it to create the outcome you want.
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It is important to realise, that based on the molecular make up of food, some foods have more energy per unit mass or volume than other foods. Energy density is referring to how many calories per volume or mass a food contains. When we know how many calories are in our favourite foods we can plan for how they can fit into our energy budget. Your energy budget is the amount of calories you can consume to achieve your desired body mass goals. People who are gaining lean tissue must eat more than their energy budget, people who want to maintain their body weight will consume the same amount of energy they expend on average daily (TDEE = TDEI), people who are wanting to reduce their body mass will need to expend more energy than they consume or consume less energy than they expend (see diagram 2a, 2b and 2c to refresh your memory).
True health is about having balance and enjoying life, when you prescribe to this belief you will realise that you can have the foods you enjoy but the difference is knowing what you need to feed your body to ensure that it will be in good health and be able to serve you well everyday in all that you do. By managing your calorie consumption you are being responsible for the fuel type you are putting into your body and you are earning the right to have a beautiful and healthy body that will love you back.
For example, you can see below the energy equivalents of 100g of four different food types.
Remember that energy is referring to how many calories (or kilojoules) a food item has. When we say ‘I have no energy’ what we are actually referring to is how tired we ‘feel’ which is the combination of mental alertness and motivation as well as the quality of foods we have been eating. Our body requires the vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) available in food sources to function properly. When we are deficient in some of the essential micronutrients our body can feel as though it is lethargic and not as responsive. This is another great reason to ensure that you are consuming foods which are nutritionally sound. It is important not to get these two concepts confused feeling as though you have no energy versus the energy state our body is in (energy stored as fat).
From the example above we can see that foods are NOT equal in their energy density and how much they contribute to our energy intake. You may also realise that the above foods are not equal in quality or nutritional content.
474 kcal 361kcal 245kcal 49kcal
2. Energy Density & Empty Calories
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Fig. 3 Australian Guide to healthy eating sourced from Dietary Guidelines Australia < http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/n31.pdf > Website viewed 14/01/2011
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Because our body requires the micronutrients, vitamins and minerals, as well as energy to perform optimally, it is important to think about how much nutrition we are consuming when we eat. Empty calories refers to the nutritional content (or lack of nutritional content) of any food item. For example, high-energy foods with low nutritional content are empty calories, as they are not contributing to our nutritional requirements. For good health it is important to aim to eat nutritious foods (see Fig. 3), which fit into your energy budget. To calculate your energy budget go to page 7.
Ironically, most of the energy dense foods we consume are the poorest in nutritional value and the most nutritionally complete foods we eat are lower in energy density.
HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION: if you want to indulge, either choose a reduced energy option or decrease the portion size!
And remember every bite counts, if all you have is one bite of an energy dense food/drink item you could potentially be consuming over 100 kcal which will contribute to your energy budget. It’s important to include all of the nibbles of food you have while preparing food and the small handfuls of food you have throughout the day.
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Key Learnings
Key Learnings: A traffic light thinking framework may be useful at this time.Red: After reading this information I need to STOP doing.Yellow: After reading this information I need to KEEP doing.Green: After reading this information I need to START doing.
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Why Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat are so important for the functioning body
Diets which exclude whole food groups do not have all the macronutrients and micronutrients required by the body for optimal functioning. It is important that we have the right/healthy amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein in our diet. It is also important that you choose the best source for each of these, as not all of them are equivalent in quality.
For example carbohydrates are an immediate energy source (it is relatively easy to convert glycogen to glucose to be used in energy metabolism) which is important to fuel activities we need to do in an instant like sitting to standing or lifting our arm to hang up some washing, or the first 3 minutes of exercise. A really good example to highlight the importance carbohydrates is when we haven’t eaten recently and we start to feel dizzy or disoriented and lethargic from low levels of blood sugar. When we feel this way we know we need to eat something and soon after eating, we start to feel normal again. This is because we have managed to increase our blood glucose from the food we have just ingested. Carbohydrates are also important to preserve muscle tissue (with adequate glycogen stores we don’t need to utilise the energy stored in our muscles) and are required to breakdown and utilise fat as fuel. The brain and central nervous system also require glucose for optimal functioning and it is also a primary fuel source for nerve tissue metabolism as well as red blood cells.
Diagram 1. Depicts the proportions each of the macronutrients should contribute to our daily energy intake. Carbohydrate should make up the greatest amount (40-60%), followed by fat (<30%) and then protein (10-15%). The range in percentage is reflective of how our requirements are influenced by how we use our body. An athlete will require a different combination of the macronutrients to improve and optimise performance compared to a person who is lifting weights or walking as their main form of physical activity. The intensity, duration and frequency of physical activity places different demands on the body and our diets therefore should be modified to ensure that we are replenishing energy stores based on this.
Diagram 1. The relative contribution of the three primary dietary macronutrients to our total daily energy intake.
Tip 4: You need carbohydrate in your diet to breakdown and use fat; you also need it for your brain and red blood cells to work properly. It is true that not all carbohydrates are created equally and there are certain types and sources of carbohydrate you should preferentially include in your diet. You need to choose unprocessed, nutritious foods so that your body can function optimally.
3. Macronutrients
Dietary MacronutrientRecommendation
CHO 40-60%
Fat < 30 %
Pro 10 - 15 %
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Carbohydrate and its Importance in the Diet
Forms of carbohydrate which are not as beneficial are the ones which are easily broken down in the stomach and released into the blood stream quickly. When this energy is dumped into the bloodstream, insulin is released to help remove glucose from circulation in our bloodstream and to be taken into the muscles and liver until it needs to be used. It can also be converted into other storage forms.
The greater the peak of blood glucose and rate of release into the blood stream the higher the glycaemic index (GI) of the food. The greater the glucose load, the greater the insulin releasing cells in the pancreas have to work to ensure the toxic levels of glucose in the blood stream are reduced back to normal as quickly as possible. Elevated and prolonged blood glucose levels damage the lining of your cardiovascular system (arteries) as well as the nerves, primarily in your eyes (diabetic retinopathy) and limbs (diabetic neuropathy). The long-term stress of trying to maintain blood glucose levels within homeostasis may also reduce insulin sensitivity eventually causing Insulin Independent Diabetes Mellitus (IIDM) or Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).
Common foods which are high GI include highly processed foods such as chips, lollies, sugar, honey, white bread, white rice , white pasta and any high sugar drinks like soft drinks or fruit juices. Again, these foods are low in nutritional content and are great examples of empty calories.
Glycaemic load is more important than glycaemic index:
When it comes to choosing the right type and amount of carbohydrate/glucose, both the glycaemic index as well as total volume are important. The concept of glycaemic load (GL) is an indication of total glucose release into the blood stream (GI x volume). This is a good example of how you can consume a large amount of low GI foods, which might equal the same GL as eating a small amount of high GI foods. Either way will create the same stress/equal insulin release. Thinking on simple and complex sugars has evolved to more accurately reflect high and low GI, as some complex carbohydrates are in fact high GI.
Characteristics of low GI foods:
Categorising high and low GI foods is a reflection of their atomic make up. Each molecule is made up of a type and number of atoms; and more specifically the number of carbon atoms. Polysaccharide is a term that describes the linkage of three to thousands of sugar a single sugar molecules (monosaccharide). Polysaccharides are primarily found in animal or plant sources. The greater the number of monosaccharides that are joined to make a single molecule, the greater the chemical process is to break it down in the stomach and be utilised by the body. Low GI foods are higher in fibre and unprocessed starches. The further foods get from resembling their original form (how they looked when they were taken from the Earth) the more refined and processed they become and the easier they are to be broken down and released into the blood stream – these are high GI. This surge of sugar/glucose into the blood stream is what we are trying to avoid.
Tip 5. The greater the fibre content in the foods we consume, the lower the calorie content.
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Using carbohydrates to your advantage:
Low GI food sources also contain fibre and starch both are important for digestion as they provide bulk to foods we eat, while not being as energy dense. This is one strategy you can use to reduce the total amount of calories eaten at a meal. Fibre, found exclusively in plant materials, resists chemical breakdown giving form to the matter that passess through the rest of our digestive system and assisting in the removal of carcinogenic materials lining our intestines and colon as well as reducing serum cholesterol level.
Fats and Lipids
Fat or Lipid is important in the diet, as are the fat stores within the body, as they serve a myriad of functions. Fat is important for its ability to be stored in large amounts (unlike carbohydrate), playing a protective role for the organs and body insulation. It is also important for carrying vitamins (fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K) as well as playing an important role in building plasma membranes and serving as a precursor in synthesizing Vitamin D, adrenal gland hormones, and sex hormones (oestrogen, androgen and progesterone).
Fat within a meal also assists in depressing hunger.
The fat on our bodies also plays an imperative role for optimal functioning, despite the common misconception that the lower the percentage body fat we have, the better.
The relationship with health and percentage body fat resembles a U-shape (Graph 1.), which lets us know that there is an upper and lower cut point for healthy body fat levels in males and females. The goal is to sit comfortably within the healthy range of body fat levels which are detailed in the table below (Table 1.). The healthy range difference between males and females reflects the difference in our roles in procreation. Women require a greater healthy level of body fat to ensure that a pregnancy can be carried to term. It is important that we never aspire to have zero percentage body fat as this is unhealthy and can lead to many negative health implications, and is just as detrimental to our health as having too much body fat.
Healthy Body Fat ranges:
Healthy levels of body fat for males range from 8 – 15%, while healthy levels for females range from 20–25%, it is physiologically impossible to be healthy and have zero body fat.
Percentage Lower Limit Percentage Higher Limit
Males 8 15
Females 20 25
Table 1. Healthy Percentage body fat for males and females
Tip 6. It is important to eat from a variety of food sources daily to ensure we meet the recommended dietary intake for minerals and nutrients provided in all three macronutrients.
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Protein
Protein is a molecule of single amino acids, which are the building blocks to muscle tissue. The primary role of protein includes tissue structure (muscle) as well as regulating physiologic processes (cellular metabolism, male secondary sex characteristics, and milk production), transportation of oxygen and carbon, method of energy storage, contraction of muscles, immune protection, metabolic regulation, membrane transport, fluid movement, genetic regulation and cell recognition.
Just like the other macronutrients, protein sources vary in quality. The biologic value of a protein source is determined by the total contribution they make to the essential amino acids (eight out of the seventeed amino acids) which our body requires daily. Sources of complete protein include eggs, fish, meat and poultry. Eggs receive the highest protein rating due to their optimal mixture of amino acids. Protein is not just in animal products, it exists in plant materials as well. The quality of plant protein however remains incomplete in one or more amino acids. Legumes and grains are an excellent source of plant protein but neither has the full range of amino acids the body requires. It is important to consume a wide range of food sources to ensure that you are receiving all of the amino acids the body requires for optimum functioning, with protein contributing 10-15% of total daily energy intake.
When protein is consumed it is preferentially used in the building of tissue that is regularly turned over in a healthy, weight stable person. Westernised cultures generally over-consume protein by twice the amount that is required for healthy bodily functioning. When this occurs it is converted to other forms, such as fat, to be stored in the body. Excess protein consumption causes excess strain on the kidneys and liver.
Don’t forget alcohol – The fourth, often overlooked, macronutrient
Alcohol is not required for anything in the human body, but we utilise it as an energy source after ingestion, and thus it is still considered a macronutrient. This is important to remember as we often don’t think of it as energy and for some people it can contribute quite a lot of energy to their diet. The human body is not able to store alcohol, so when alcohol is consumed carbohydrate and fat utilisation diminishes to try and remove the alcohol from the body.
We often group socialising (connection), nibbles (high energy density and low nutrition) and alcohol together. It is important to appreciate and be aware of the other habits we have with social drinking. As we drink more, we become less inhibited which also tends to lead to gross overconsumption of low quality foods as well as sedentary behaviour (during the drinking session as well as the day after a big night - spent sleeping off the hangover!)
Moderate consumption of alcohol (two standard drinks) has been found to decrease the risk of developing some diseases and health problems. Health benefits can include reduced mortality of myocardial infarction (heart attack), reduced heart failure, ischemic stroke, decreased risk of developing dementia, diabetes and osteoporosis. The protective benefits of different alcohol choices over others is inconclusive, i.e. beer, wine or spirits being better than the other.
Heavy drinking leads to many diseases and disorders including; several neuralogic disorders, cardiac disorder, liver dysfunction, gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal, malignancy, heamatologic (blood) disorders, immune system disorders, psychiatric and others such as sleep disturbance, sexual dysfunction, obstructive sleep apnea as well as increased risk of accidents and injury to self and others.
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Full Strength = 12%
Red: Small Glass 120 mL 82 Cal, 342 kJ )
White: Small Glass 120 mL ( 82 Cal, 342 kJ )
Bubbles = 11.5% 120 mL (85 Cal, 355 kJ)
Full Strength = 4.8% ( 375 mL = 135 Cal, 570 kJ )
Mid Strength = 3.5% (375 mL = 90 Cal, 375 kJ)
Low Strength = 1.2%
High Strength = 40%
Ready to drink mixer = 5%
Calorie content depends on what it is mixed with
Go to calorieking.com.au to identify the calorie content of your favourite mixer beverage
Summary of the MacronutrientsFat: 9 Cal/g Alcohol 7Cal/g Carbohydrate 4 Cal/g Pro 4 Cal/g
Recommended Daily Energy RequirementsCHO: 60% Fat: 25-30% Pro 10-15%
For more information regarding serving size visit www.health.gov.au/internet/alcohol/publishing.ns
NUMBER OF STANDARD DRINKS – BEER
0.6285ml
Low Strength 2.7% Alc. Vol
0.8285ml
Mid Strength 3.5% Alc. Vol
1.1285ml
Full Strength 4.8% Alc. Vol
0.9425ml
Low Strength 2.7% Alc. Vol
1.2425ml
Mid Strength 3.5% Alc. Vol
1.6425ml
Full Strength4.8% Alc. Vol
0.8375ml
Low Strength 2.7% Alc. Vol
1375ml
Mid Strength 3.5% Alc. Vol
1.4375ml
Full Strength 4.8% Alc. Vol
0.8375ml
Low Strength 2.7% Alc. Vol
1375ml
Mid Strength 3.5% Alc. Vol
1.4375ml
Full Strength 4.8% Alc. Vol
1924 x 375ml
Low Strength 2.7% Alc. Vol
2424 x 375ml
Mid Strength 3.5% Alc. Vol
3424 x 375mlFull Strength
4.8% Alc. Vol
These are only an approximate number of standard drinks. Always read the container for the exact number of standard drinks.
NUMBER OF STANDARD DRINKS – WINE
6.8750ml
Bottle of White Wine 11.5% Alc. Vol
7.7750ml
Bottle of Red Wine13% Alc. Vol
364 Litres
Cask White Wine11.5% Alc. Vol
182 Litres
Cask White Wine11.5% Alc. Vol
414 Litres
Cask Red Wine13% Alc. Vol
212 Litres
Cask Red Wine13% Alc. Vol
282 Litres
Cask of Port17.5% Alc. Vol
1.4150ml
AverageRestaurant Servingof White Wine11.5% Alc. Vol
1.4150ml
Average Restaurant Serve of Champagne
12% Alc. Vol
7.1750ml
Bottle of Champagne12% Alc. Vol
0.9100ml
Standard Serve of White Wine11.5% Alc. Vol
1.5150ml
AverageRestaurant Serving
of Red Wine13% Alc. Vol
0.860ml
Standard Serveof Port
17.5% Alc. Vol
1100ml
Standard Serve of Red Wine13% Alc. Vol
These are only an approximate number of standard drinks. Always read the container for the exact number of standard drinks.
Standard drinks and calorie content
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Key Learnings
Key Learnings: Another useful strategy for thinking is to jot down:What I thought I KNEW.What I have LEARNT now.How has this CHANGED my thinking?
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The Perfect Combination of Diet and ExerciseAs we know, weight loss is about total Energy Deficit (ED). It is important that you consume a diet that has:
-10 – 15 % protein
-20 – 30 % fat
-And the remainder (40 – 60%) as carbohydrates
You still need each of these macronutrients in your diet to function properly and to lose weight. It is also really important to eat from a variety of food sources to make sure you achieve your recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals.
During dieting, you can create an energy deficit (ED) and still achieve the recommended percentage intake for the macronutrients; the percentage of the macronutrient will remain the same, however, it will be the total energy contributed by each macronutrient that will change. For example 10% protein of a 2500 kcal diet(10% protein in a 2500 kcal diet = 250 kcal, where as a 3000 kcal diet = 300 kcal).
Let’s put all of this into perspective using the example of the 23 year old female on page 2. Her Total daily energy requirements (TDER) = 2453 kcal/d:
When using diet as the main method for weight loss you can manipulate the varying degrees of ED by choosing to either reduce the volume of foods you consume or by choosing less energy dense foods throughout the day.
If our example female wanted to lose weight, she would decide what time frame is best suited for her to create the weight loss. For example a longer term solution might be to create a 10% energy deficit (-10% ED: reducing her energy intake by 245 kcal/day) alternatively she can increase the deficit to lose more weight in a shorter period of time. This relationship is detailed in Table 2. You can see that the less she eats the greater her energy deficit and the faster her weight loss.
Diet
Diet -10% ED
Diet -500 kcal/d
Diet -1000kcal/d
Energy Intake (kcal/d)2207 1953 1453
Weekly weight loss (assuming 100% fat) 0.223 kg 0.454 kg 0.909 kg
Days to lose 1 kg Fat (assuming 100% fat loss) 32 16 8
*During weight loss, energy utilised will come from all available sources not just fat tissue.
Table 2. Varying degrees of energy restriction and their weight loss equivalents per week and time frame per kg of fat.
4. Tipping the energy balance scales to Weight Loss
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It has been proven (and you may know the truth of this) that in the short term it is easier to achieve weight loss and an energy deficit through dieting (energy restriction) than it is to achieve an equivalent energy deficit through exercise. Below is a table that indicates how much exercise (walking at a fast pace, 6.8 kph) would need to be undertaken by the example female, on top of her normal exercise, to create weight loss without utilising an energy deficit (i.e. weight loss purely through exercise). You can see that it may not be realistic to try to include this volume of walking in your day and that it may potentially be easier to achieve the majority of weight loss through eating a healthier diet within the desired energy budget.
Energy Exercise Equivalent – Walking at 6.8 kphDiet
-10%Diet
-500 kcal/dDiet
-1000kcal/d
Minutes to achieve same energy expendi-
ture (6.8 kph)54 109 218
*Don’t forget this will be on top of the exercise Sally was already doing (~ 3 x 30min intense exercise bouts/week)
Table 3. Time to expend the same amount of energy walking at 6.8 kph as each of the diet energy deficits
Comparing these two tables (Table 2. & 3.), you will see that to expend the equivalent amount of energy through exercise as diet would potentially require a large investment of time. The evidence quite compellingly indicates the effectiveness of diet induced energy deficit with respect to weight loss. Regardless of this evidence, exercise undoubtedly offers far more benefits to your health (physical and mental) independent of weight loss. Exercise also compliments weight loss through the facilitation of optimising body compositional changes (decreases in percentage body fat and maintaining muscle mass). You see, through exercising muscle groups you are letting the body know that it shouldn’t utilise your muscles as an energy source and this has two primary benefits. Firstly, your muscle is the metabolically active tissue contributing the most to your TDEE, if there is less tissue then you will also expend less energy which is counterproductive to weight loss. The more energy you expend the greater the energy deficit for weight loss. Secondly, lean tissue is easier to use as an energy source than the fat depots. So by letting your body know that you need your lean tissue, it will then need to look for another energy source, which will be your body fat.
Primary Benefits of Exercise:- Preservation of lean tissue
- Increases probability of maintaining behaviour modification in the short term
- Long term adherence: research indicates that women who maintained new weight at 1 and 5 years after weight loss were those who exercised; the rest had re-gained their weight within 1 and 5 years.
Exercise is an important ingredient to weight loss, maintaining new weight and ultimately improving health more than weight loss alone.
Healthy weight is an important factor for reducing relative risk of development and incidence of chronic disease and all-cause mortality.
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Exercise recommendations for health and for weight loss:
Looking at the literature there are clear messages about the minimum amount of exercise which should be completed daily and weekly for minimum health improvements and for assisting with weight loss (see Table 4. below).
For Improved Health
For weight loss & maintenance of new weight
Minutes/day30 60 90
Kcal/day expenditure 143 214 385
Kcal/week expenditure 1000 1500 2700
Table 4. Exercise recommendations for health and weight loss
To get the best results for weight loss and improved health it is recommended that you improve your diet and exercise regularly. Below are some examples of different ways to utilise energy restriction through diet and increased energy expenditure through exercise to achieve the weight loss you are aiming for.
The example below is for the 23 year old female from page 2 and 7. Recall, she weighs 63kg and is 161 cm tall. Her energy expenditure is 2453 kcal/d, indicating she is already relatively active (completing 30 mins of moderate to intense physical activity two to three times per week on average). The exercise prescription described below is on top of her current activity levels.
Combination of Diet & ExerciseDiet
-10%Diet
-500 kcal/dDiet
-1000kcal/d
Energy Intake 2207 1953 1453
Minutes Energy Expended30 140
60 280
90 420
Total energy Deficit with Diet + ExerciseDiet
-10%Diet
-500 kcal/dDiet
-1000kcal/d
30 mins 245 + 140 500 + 140 1000 + 140
60 mins 245 + 280 500 + 280 1000 + 280
90 mins 285 + 420 500 + 420 1000 + 420
*Exercise Energy Expenditure, walking at 6.8 kph
Table 5. Different ways to achieve an energy deficit can be more subtle (10% deficit) or quite aggressive (1000kcal/d deficit) with a combination of both diet and exercise time.
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This would be a weight loss equivalent to:
Weekly weight loss (assuming 100% Fat)Diet
-10%Diet
-500 kcal/dDiet
-1000kcal/d
30 mins 0.4 0.6 1.0
60 mins 0.5 0.7 1.2
90 mins 0.6 0.8 1.3
Table 6. Weight loss created through the combinations of subtle or aggressive dieting and a range of exercise time daily.
As you can see in Table 6. the degree of weight lost per week is dependent on the degree of energy restriction. Research shows that the most sustainable, safe and easily implemented weight loss goal is 1kg or less per week.
Did you know?- Exercise also reduces waist circumference (and visceral fat – the bad fat) even if total body weight does not change
- Regular, moderate intensity exercise reduces the increased risks in an individual who is overweight and smokes!
- An overweight or obese person who exercises regularly is healthier (decreased relative risk) than a lean sedentary person.
BEWARE: Regular doses of exercise will make you feel euphoric, joyful and op-timistic, which will improve the quality of your life and cause you to achieve your goals!
Hopefully you are sold on how great exercise is for your health! Exercise is like free medicine!
How would you try to achieve 1 kg/week weight loss? How much exercise can you fit into your day?
Relative Risk is the likelihood or probability that an event will occur based on a variety of factors when comparing the ‘exposed’ group to a ‘non-exposed’ group.
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Another way of looking at this information is time to expend equivalent energy of 1 kg of fat mass.
Days to achieve 1 kg weight (assuming 100% fat)
Diet -10%
Diet -500 kcal/d
Diet -1000kcal/d
30 mins 20 12 7
60 mins 15 10 6
90 mins 12 8 5
*Exercise Energy Expenditure, walking at 6.8 kph
Table 7. Indicates how many days it will take to create weight loss of 1 kg of fat mass through walking at 6.8 kph every day at a variety of durations (30, 60 and 90 minutes) and with a degree of energy restriction. The greater the energy deficit (through diet) and the greater the time per day walking at 6.8 kph, the faster you will achieve 1 kg of weight loss (5 days).
Now you know the ingredients of weight loss, the next step is to determine how you are going to make this information work for you.
Summary: Determining your weight loss goals
On page 7/8 we determined your TDEE and therefore we know how much you require everyday to maintain your body weight. If we create a 10% energy deficit, what would your energy budget become? Once you have this information you will be able to determine how much energy you should be eating everyday and based on your weight loss goals the degree of energy deficit that will need to be created to achieve those goals.
What you need to know
What is your energy budget (kcal/d) ?
What is your current weight (kg) ?
What is your healthy weight goal (kg) ?
How much weight loss (total) is required :
Below is a table (Table 8) that gives a rough indication of how much total energy you will expend per minute based on your weight and speed of walking or running.
Factors to be mindful of when predicting your energy expenditure from the table below:
- Individual variation will affect the true amount you expend during these activities
- The more time you spend walking or running, the more efficient you become (with practice you will expend less energy than you did when you first started). This will lead to decreases in energy expenditure per minute and if you stay at the same speed and same duration than your energy expenditure per exercise bout will decrease.
- Most people will overestimate how many minutes of exercise and/or how intense the exercise bout was, this is a major cause for overestimating energy expenditure
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TIP 1 : Be conservative (underestimate) with how much actual energy you expend per bout of exercise, this will ensure you reach your target.
TIP 2: As you become fitter, increase the speed/intensity you exercise or the duration per exercise bout to ensure you are reaching your minimum energy expenditure goal.
WALKING Weight (kg)
Speed 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150
5.0 kph
kcal
/min
2.9 3.5 4.1 4.7 5.3 5.9 6.5 7.1 7.6 8.2 8.8
5.5 kph 3.1 3.8 4.4 5 5.7 6.3 6.9 7.6 8.2 8.8 9.5
6.0 kph 3.3 4 4.7 5.4 6 6.7 7.4 8.1 8.7 9.4 10.1
6.5 kph 3.5 4.3 5 5.7 6.45 7.1 7.8 8.6 9.3 10.3 10.7
RUNNING Weight (kg)
Speed 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 1507.0 kph
kcal
/min
6.7 8.1 9.4 10.7 12.1 13.4 14.8 16.1 17.4 18.8 20.1
7.5 kph 7.1 8.6 10.0 11.4 12.8 14.3 15.7 17.1 18.5 20.0 21.4
8.0 kph 7.5 9.1 10.6 12.1 13.6 15.1 16.6 18.1 19.6 21.1 22.6
8.5 kph 8.0 9.6 11.1 12.7 14.3 15.9 17.5 19.1 20.7 22.3 23.9
9.0 kph 8.4 10.1 11.7 13.4 15.1 16.8 18.4 20.1 21.8 23.5 25.1
9.5 kph 8.8 10.6 12.3 14.1 15.8 17.6 19.3 21.1 22.9 24.6 26.4
10.0 kph 9.2 11.1 12.9 14.7 16.6 18.4 20.3 22.1 23.9 25.8 27.6
10.5 kph 9.6 11.6 13.5 15.4 17.3 19.3 21.2 23.1 25.0 27.0 28.9
11.0 kph 10.0 12.1 14.1 16.1 18.1 20.1 22.1 24.1 26.1 28.1 30.1
11.5 kph 10.5 12.6 14.6 16.7 18.8 20.9 23.0 25.1 27.2 29.3 31.4
12.0 kph 10.9 13.1 15.2 17.4 19.6 21.8 23.9 26.1 28.3 30.5 32.6
*kcal/min is based on flat surface speed (i.e. no incline)
Table 8. Energy expenditure (kcal/min) for weight and speed of walking and running
It is physiologically impossible to not lose weight over a short to long period of time if there is a genuine energy deficit (the law of thermodynamics). If you notice you are not losing much weight or any weight then you will need to evaluate your energy intake and energy expenditure. Be honest with how much you are actually doing. To get the best results for weight loss and improved health it is recommended that you do improve your diet and exercise.
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Key Learnings
Key Learnings: A SWOT analysis could be a good guide to frame your thinking?What are my Strengths with diet and exercise.What Weaknesses do I need to think about?What Opportunities do I need to make the most of?What may Threaten my success with diet and exercise?
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Being responsible for you : achieving your healthy body and lifestyleEinstein said “the definition of insanity is continuing to do
the same thing and expect to get a different result.”
This section is about being honest with yourself and being prepared to change behaviours and habits of your health, exercise and food that are no longer working for you.
All of your thoughts, behaviours and actions are neural pathways, which over time have been reinforced, and depending on the amount of time that the neural pathway has ‘fired’ will determine how hardwired that neural pathway has become. It is exactly like learning something new or a new skill acquisition in sports. The first time you learn it, you are slow and a bit clunky, but the more you practice the more easily the pathway is fired (nearly like a reaction or reflex) and the faster the electrical impulse travels down the nerve, ensuring you achieve your outcome quickly and with finesse.
With this automation of our responses to our environment we have learnt to adopt certain behaviours we probably don’t like but also aren’t sure how to change and have just accepted that that is ‘just us’. The cold, hard truth is, we each have 100% control over how we move our body and how we interact with our environment. We live in an obesogenic society where it is easy to move very little and to consume hundreds and nearly a thousand calories in one meal. Despite all of these ‘temptations’ in our environment, ultimately it is you who determines what goes in your mouth and body. You have the power to control your hand, you have the power to say ‘no thankyou’ when something is offered to you, you even have the power to choose to order and then only eat half of the meal.
The great news is this! All habits and behaviours can be modified. Modified so that they serve and empower you. You can achieve your ultimate health and life goals. You are well on your way to creating healthy habits to benefit your life as you have already taken the first step - awareness.
Your mindset is the master system, the motherboard of your body. By learning how to control the motherboard you will be learning how to control all of the actions and outcomes in your life.
Everything we do is carried out for a purpose, otherwise we wouldn’t do it. Every action arises from a belief about what that action will give us. Every belief we have is either resourceful or not resourceful. The results you are getting in your life are based on the actions and behaviours you consistently take and all of your actions are based on your beliefs, both limiting and empowering. A belief is a feeling of certainty about a thing.
Empowering/Resourceful Disempowering/Limiting/Not resourceful
Ecological: Good for you, good for others and good for the world
Not good for you, not good for others, not good for the world
Encourage you to change your action to achieve a different outcome
Keep you in the same perpetuating cycle where you are hopeless, helpless and a failure
Assist and support you to become better
No personal power and all achievements are through fluke
You can choose your mindset and you can choose to believe whatever you want.
5. Mindset and Sustainable Goals
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Out with the old and in with the new: Successfully replacing the old undesired behaviour with the new
You have mastered your current neurology, some of these habits may have taken years for you to attain. With this in mind, it’s important to realise that it may not be as easy to adopt your new behaviour once or even a handful of times before it starts to become ingrained and hardwired. Think about how many times you had to try to walk until you could actually walk unaided and without looking wobbly? Do you think that the more you do a new thing the easier it will become? Creating new habits is about consistency and time on task, the more you do it, the more hardwired it will become.
The changes don’t need to be drastic, in fact it’s better if you start to change little things, one step at a time. We are a result of what we do consistently. Your body is a reflection of what you have done to it consistently over an extended period of time, which is why going on an un-realistic fad diet for a short period of time is not going to sustain and maintain your new waistline once you go back to your old habits.
A great way of looking at this whole diet and weight loss thing differently requires a shift in your focus. The way we state the goal or focus our energy on the achievement of the goal is inherently flawed. You see, if I want to ‘lose weight’, once I’ve lost weight the focus has been achieved. It’s like we’ve got a switch inside of us and it has only two options, weight loss or weight gain. While our focus is weight loss, we will lose weight and then achieve a body shape and size we are happy with, but once we’ve achieved that we can’t continue to focus on ‘weight loss’ and so we default back to weight gain. A more sustainable goal would include a long term view point, instead you might want to think in terms of ‘health’. I want a healthy and happy body is a good one because my focus is on the foods I choose to eat and how I choose to move my body so when I focus on these things my body size and shape must change. Once I’ve achieved the shape and size I like, I will continue to be healthy in my eating choices and exercise because that is my overarching goal, not the weight loss.
What does your ultimate goal need to be? Remember that your goal will sustain the changes in your body mass, shape and size that you desire and will focus on the long term view of your life.
Traditionally, weight loss is stigmatised with words like diet, restrict, loss! Becoming healthier does not have to mean you are missing out on something. You are not punishing yourself, and honestly why would anyone stick to any regime if it was based on going without your favourite things? From the previous chapters we have already established that food is just molecules and not inherently bad, so you are not being ‘naughty’ when you eat something delicious that you love. What are some ways you can change your perception of creating healthy behaviour changes to ensure you achieve a healthier lifestyle and body size so you no longer feel as though you are missing out on or can’t enjoy the things which give you pleasure? Our language shapes how we experience reality, by choosing words that support your healthy body goals you will find it easier to avoid the chocolate aisle at the supermarket and only order a coffee when catching up with your friends.
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The shift in your thinking must support and empower you, maybe one of the following will work for you:
- What is this food giving to my body?
- How is this food contributing to my daily vitamin and mineral requirements?
- Am I loving my body when I eat this?
These are great questions which could be at the front of your mind when making food choices as there are foods which are more beneficial than others because of their nutritional contribution, necessary for us to function (they are essential in our food consumption for our bodies to work correctly).
Old Language New and Better Language options
Weight loss/Lose weight
I want to be skinny
Diet
Are there any other words you use regularly?
All goals must be guided by our ultimate sought after outcome. Sounds obvious but many people don’t focus that far into the future, so before any kind of change can be affected, you need to decide that what you are doing (the behaviour that you want to change) is not alignmed with the person you want to be and is not an accurate representation to the world of who you are, essentially the goal has to become part of your identity.
Now you have decided what you are doing needs to be replaced – you can choose how you are going to replace the behaviour, habit, action with a new behaviour, habit, action which is more in line with your new understanding and beliefs about health and the new appreciation of your body.
In the table below, describe in as much detail as possible what your trigger is with the behaviour you want to change (you may have more than one trigger). Be sure to include as much of your internal and external environment as possible. Also include in the table what your behaviour is and what you want that behaviour to be (what do you want to change it to).
Trigger Old Behaviour to replace New Empowering Behaviour
(if you need more space for your goals please detail them in your personal diary)
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Steps to Creating new habits and behaviours
1. Awareness
2. Decide new action to replace current action
3. Change the meaning of the trigger
4. Carry out new action in response to old trigger
5. Measure if the new action is giving the desired outcome (sensory acuity), if it does then continue onto next step, if it doesn’t then adjust the action accordingly (behavioural flexibility) until you achieve the desired outcome and then proceed to next step
6. Persist to consistently carry out new action
7. Create a new hardwired, neural pathway for the new action, it is now a behaviour/habit
Repetition:
Successfully replacing the old undesired behaviour with the new
The neural pathway we have for our behaviours and their individual stimuli is like writing in dry cement. Unless we wear the writing away it will continue to exist. Similarly it may take some time and conscious awareness to successfully replace the old behaviour with the new better one. This is the same for all of us. How do you think we learnt to walk? How do you think you learnt to ride a bike? Everything we’ve achieved in life needs practice to improve.
Practice makes perfect! And soon enough you will find you are picking up on the old behaviour sooner and effortlessly replacing it with the new.
Sensory Acuity & Behavioural Flexibility:
Change your action if you are not achieving the results you want
It’s important to know and understand that the milestones you have created and even your ultimate end goal are not set in stone. As you start to change your actions and start to notice the results you are getting you will see that some move you closer to your ideal outcome, while others may not assist or even hinder you. This is great, because without being able to notice and have the sensory acuity to pick up on what is and isn’t working you would get all the way to the end of your timeline or to another ‘New Year’ and realise that you continued to work in vain towards the attainment of a goal that was never going to happen. It’s like looking in the rearview mirror while driving forward, or even driving with your eyes closed.
Once you notice that you are not getting closer to your desired outcome then all you need to do is re-assess where you’re at, what could possibly by the hurdle in your way and then modify what you are doing to see if it is the missing ingredient. It is important to be able to alter your actions if you are not achieving the outcomes you thought you might (re-assess your milestones), so that you can modify your actions as you’re going so that your trajectory is always moving towards the target. This is particularly important in the context of weight loss because as you lose weight you will need to consume less energy. If you don’t modify your energy intake as you are going then you will plateau because the energy budget you had that had an energy deficit which created weight loss, will become your new total daily energy requirements as you become smaller.
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It is also important to realise that the goal which was important to you when you initially completed these exercises may have become out-ranked in importance by new or different life circumstances (you may need to re-assess your final goal and milestones), if it has become out-ranked then your focus must reflect this, otherwise you will become to feel unsatisfied with your life.
You must know what you need to achieve, or what will mean you are on track and achieving the milestones as you go to know if you have been successful at changing the old behaviour and implementing the new?
Be easy on yourself – the old behaviour may sneak back in and you may unconsciously respond in the old way, the most important thing is that your are aware of it and that you stop yourself as soon as you realise and replace it with the new behaviour.
Acknowledging yourself and reward:
Stop using failure as your motivating force and feel successful in everything you do
We love to be acknowledged, rewarded and congratulated! It is paramount that you make sure for each of your milestones achieved that you have a reward in mind (make sure that the reward is in-line with your other goals). This ensures that you gain positive reinforcement along the way and aren’t holding out reward until you achieve the final goal, otherwise you may run out of motivational ‘puff’ and stop prematurely.
It is important that everything we choose to focus our energy (physical, emotional or mental) on, we set ourselves up for success! Make sure you use the right amount of self-control, motivation and reward.
You may find that instead of just achieving a body size or weight, you now have some accessory goals which compliment your body size goals, or they may even be more important to you than your healthy body size goals.
They may include:
- minimum amount of exercise you want to complete in a week and the
- types of foods you want to give to your body.
For each of these goals it is necessary to identify your timeline for achieving them – see yourself when you have achieved your goal in its entirety. Use the ‘Y’ Graph below to detail what you hear, see and feel when you have achieved your Ultimate Health Goal.
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SOUNDS LIKE
LOOKS LIKE
FEELS LIKE
MY ULTIMATE HEALTH GOAL
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Use the space below to describe your ‘Ultimate Health Goal’ as if you have achieved it.
Example: it is December 2012, and I have been showing my body how much I love it by exercising and choosing nutritious foods. I have been exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes five times per week and choosing foods I love and that allow me to do everything I want in my day. I have achieved a toned and healthy body, which is vibrant and functionally strong.
Your Turn:
Goal Timeline:
The best way to create compelling goals that we follow through is to go into the future when you have achieved that goal. Then work backwards from this point and break this into manageable chunks the stepping stones that will guide your focus along the way. This is a great way to ensure you don’t get overwhelmed with all of the things that you need to do as well as assist you in staying on track with your progression and commitment through your goal milestones.
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Todays Date:
Date of final goal achievement: How many months until achieved:
How many weeks until achieved:
How many days until achieved:
Q. Is it daily focus that your goal requires or a weekly checklist?
Do you need to micro manage or macro manage your goal?
How many milestones does your goal require?
By milestones I mean how many stepping stones or smaller goals or chunks do you need to break your goal into.
This allows your goal to become more manageable (you won’t get overwhelmed or bogged down in the enormity of it all), and you will know straight away what your next move must be which you can make with confidence.
Keep working backwards (from the time when you have achieved your goal) with your milestones
For example:
My personal general health and fitness goals are based on the annual year, but are an ongoing goal that is maintainable and sustainable. To ensure that I have (at least) an average fitness level and good health; my physical activity and exercise goals are projected to the end of the year. I then back track per month and then micro chunk for weekly goals.
The main (objective) focus is to be able to complete a 5km run in less than 30 minutes and to get to level 7.5 of a beep test.
By including these forms of testing and measuring throughout the year I will know what needs to be improved and by how much.
Milestone 11 = November Saturday 27th 2012
Reassessment of my monthly physical activity & fitness
1. Average minutes of weekly exercise
2. Highest minutes of weekly exercise
3. Lowest minutes of weekly exercise
4. Average HR (bpm)/intensity of each workout
5. Highest intensity workout (HR) and for how long
6. Lowest intensity workout (HR) and for how long
Fitness based time trial:
5km run (similar route for repeatability) Time: (Goal <30mins)
Beep test Level: (Goal > 7.5)
What did I do well this month?
What should I continue?
What do I need to stop/change to achieve my goals?
What do I need to implement to achieve my goals?
**I would continue like this for each of the months (Milestone 10 = Saturday 30th Octber until I got to Milestone 1 which would be Saturday 29th January.**
At times, I may want to achieve a different type of fitness and so it is important to have the behavioural flexibility throughout the year to modify my plans to encompass these new desires.
Overview of Goal
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I may decide that I want to be able to complete a 10 km run; my training and time table would then need to be modified to reflect this.
I would need to allow more time for running sessions as well as different types of recovery (swim and stretch) as well as massage and weights sessions for strength.
My focus could also change from running as well, I might decide to complete a Pilates course or martial arts course. This may not directly influence my ability to complete a 5km run, however it will contribute in a different way to my health and fitness.
Example: Goal Setting for running 5km
Goal: To be able to run 5km continuously and in under 30 mins. Goal Statement: It is December 2012 (6 months times); I can run for 5 km continously and in less than 30 minutes (10 kph). I feel full of energy.
Milestone #1 Cultivate habit to exercise Date 1 July 2012
Goal: to exercise consistently 5 x wk for at least 45 mins; Run continuously for 30 minutes 2 x wk; Walk 4 x week
Other – make sure I am eating the right foods for performance and recovery. Start talking to people who run about their training and food choices.
Reward: Massage
Milestone #2 Fitness for distance Date 1 August 2012
Goal: to complete 5km
Jog 5 km (with some walking) 2 x wk; Run continuously 1 x 30 mins; Walk/Swim 2 x week
Other – look at running groups or running technique analysis options, start to read exercise/running mate-rial
Reward: Pedicure
Milestone #3 Increased capacity Date 1 September 2012
Goal: to increase speed (anaerobic capacity)
Run continuously for 40 minutes, include 5 x hill sprints 3 x wk; Walk/Swim 3-4 x week
Other – Look for some other types of higher intensity cardio options like group training (gym or outdoors), even team sport
Reward: New sneakers
Milestone #4 Increased capacity Date 1 October 2012
Goal: to increase speed (anaerobic capacity)
Run 5 km continuously x 2; Run/walk combo run quickly for 2 x 15 min blocks with 5 mins walking (walk, run, walk, run, walk) x 3; Walk/Swim 45 + mins x 3
Other – Find ways to include variety
Reward: New exercise clothes
Milestone #5 Being a runner Date 1 November 2012
Goal: to complete first 5 km in 30 mins
Run 5 km continuously at 10 kph x 2; Run/walk combo run quickly for 2 x 15 min blocks with 5 mins walk-ing (walk, run, walk, run, walk) x 3; Walk/Swim 45 + mins x 3
Other – Keep up variety, ensure there is recovery/stretch days
Reward: Massage and pedicure
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For each of your goals identify your timeline for achieving them. What is a realistic timeframe – see yourself when you have achieved your goal in its entirety.
Goal Timeline:
Todays Date:
Date of final goal achievement: How many months until achieved:
How many weeks until achieved:
How many days until achieved:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Your Goal Setting Plan
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Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
40
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
Milestone # Date
Reward:
41
Key Learnings
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In this E Book I have shared with you how your physiology works in response to the foods you choose to eat and the way you choose to move your body.
Education and knowledge is power, but the real power comes from action because just knowing isn’t actually going to make a difference if you don’t start to make the changes you and your body needs to achieve the level of health you want.
Remember your body is a reflection of what you have consistently chosen to eat and how you have consistently chosen to move it. If your body is not how you want it to look or in a place that you are not proud of, it is up to you to be responsible for the choices and decisions you have made which have got it to the state it is in. Know that you did the best job you knew how, and now you know better. You are armed with more information and now have what you need to know what your energy budget is (based on your total daily energy expenditure), the different ways you can modify your energy deficit for weight loss with the combination of food choices and physical activity and you also have the tools to set sustainable and achievable goals as well as new ways of looking at weight loss and the power of choosing your mindset to master your physiology to achieve the unlimited health, happiness and success you deserve in all aspects of your life.
Things you must do to ensure you continue to move towards a life-long goal of good health
- Be honest with yourself as you go through what you are currently doing to ensure you get the most accurate version of what must change
- Be honest with yourself when you are eating within your energy budget for good health
- Utilise your mindset to empower, support, sustain and nurture you as you achieve good health
- Move your body every day, in ways that you love and make you feel good
- Choose foods that are good quality and full of nutrition to ensure the optimal functioning of your body – you want it to look as close as possible to the form in which it came out of the ground, not man-made energy dense and low quality
- Create a lifestyle of health not a ‘diet of deprivation’ which will only lead you back to unhappiness, binge eating and not being responsible for the results you are getting
Thank you for taking this journey with me and I trust that the contents will contribute to your attainment of good health and happiness – in ways you didn’t even know it was possible, just as it did for me.
Wrapping up and moving forward to achieve results
My goal as health professional and life stylist is to help you have your ultimate health. I believe that ulti-mate and true health is achieved when we have a healthy mindset, healthful nutrition and are physically active and fit. Through education, empowerment and having a good time you will learn how you can tap into these three ingredients consistently and experience true health and happiness, all the time.
These three elements act so synergistically that if one is influenced/affected than the other two are also impacted and this leads to changes in your health and happiness, good or bad. (Just like ripples in a pond.)
Mindset & psychology
Utilising the power of the brain you can create permanent change easily and effortlessly to create your new healthier behaviors. To learn to value yourself, your body and everything you are and acknowledge the power you have to change what you no longer wish to be or possess
Physical activity & exercise
To strengthen and condition your body so that can look and feel healthy and vibrant and prevent injury and minimise the effects of aging. So that your body enables you to do whatever you want whenever you want. To treat your body like the temple that it is.
Nutrition and total energy intake
To fuel your body and mind based on your lifestyle and where you are at in life. To treat your body like the temple that it is.
The best way to stay on track with your health goals and ensure you achieve the success you want in life is to have a coach and health specialist conspire for your success.
Book in your complimentary Skype consultation to identify your greatest health risks and what you can do about it immediately. Increase your longevity and quality of life, now.
For your FREE 20 minute Skype or phone consultation email [email protected] to organise your obligation free health assessment.
The Three Foundations of Health
Ainsley Groves ® and Creating Ultimate Health and Happiness
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Over 90% of your current health and long term health outcomes are determined by modifiable risk factors – the things you do in your every day life that you are responsible for and can change.
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Copyright, Legal notice and Disclaimer
If you received this publication from anyone other than Ainsley Groves™, you have received a pirated copy. Please contact us via e-mail at [email protected] and notify us of the situation.
Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this information document, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it’s likely that they won’t be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly.
Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.
Every effort has been made to accurately represent this product and it’s potential. There is no guarantee that you will lose the exact amount of weight or gain the exact health benefits described using the tech-niques and ideas in these materials. Examples in these materials are not to be interpreted as a promise or guarantee of weight loss. Weight loss and health potential is entirely dependent on the person using our product, ideas and techniques.
Your level of success in attaining the results claimed in our materials depends on the time you devote to your health, ideas and techniques mentioned, knowledge and various skills. Since these factors differ according to individuals, we cannot guarantee your success or health improvement. Nor are we respon-sible for any of your actions.
I acknowledge that participation in exercise can carry some risk to my health and that it is my responsi-bility to assess my level of fitness, identify any medical conditions that I may suffer from and seek appro-priate medical advice where necessary, prior to undertaking exercise sessions. I am aware that physical activity and exercise have inherent dangers and risks including but not limited to the potential for injury or death. I will not hold Ainsley Groves™ legally or financially responsible for any injury which is caused during or after physical activities.
Many factors will be important in determining your actual results and no guarantees are made that you will achieve results similar to ours or anybody else’s. Results may vary, as with any health endeavor, you could achieve more or less. Success in ANY health initiative is a result of hard work, time and a variety of other factors. Finally, use your head. Nothing in this information document is intended to replace com-mon sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to inform and educate the reader. So have fun learning the new ways in which you can create health and happiness, and get into creating your new healthy habits for your weight loss success.
