Sustainable Diets and Protein Shakes

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

During the past few weeks I met several interesting people in/around the gym. Discussions sparked when someone saw me pull out a protein shaker (branded by a well-know supplement company). "Is that the meal replacement shake?" they asked me. "No", I said, "it's protein isolate." And so the gates of diet and nutrition were opened. In the end we all came to the decision that meal replacement shakes were no good - were you meant to take them for the rest of your life? What happens when you stop taking them?

Then yesterday a friend proudly posted on Facebook that she had lost a considerable amount of weight in a week. When I asked her how, she shared the link to a crazy diet which involved consuming mainly liquids for seven days. How long will those lost kilos stay at bay? Setting your body in starvation mode can do more harm in the long run than good.

The above mentioned paths to weight loss, i.e. extreme dieting and replacement shakes, are what I would call unsustainable diets. Why? Firstly, those are difficult to sustain over a lifetime. Remember that the term 'diet' does not only refer to short term changes in the food we eat, but more broadly to the way people feed themselves. Therefore, diet should not be viewed as a short term health craze, but as a permanent lifestyle choice. 

Secondly, both act against our most basic human need - to eat. Replacement shakes are liquids and some may not contain the same nutrients as fresh foods but all contain a high amount of calories. Diets that force you to go without any or very little food cause your body to think that it is starving and anything that you eat after that diet would be immediately stored as fat so the body can survive longer should such starvation occur again.

So what is a sustainable diet? It is one where you make commitment for life. It is one where you control your portions, but eat regularly and avoid excessive hunger/starvation. Eating often keeps your metabolism strong. A sustainable diet is one where you try to eat mainly natural, single-ingredient foods. Think veggies, meat, fruits, yoghurt, eggs, and nuts. It shouldn't leave you hungry and tired - it should energize you. How? By providing your body with regular doses of protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and a bit of carbs. And let's not forget to drink plenty of water!

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Does this mean that all supplements and shakes should be avoided? No, but it does mean you have to be very careful what and how much of those you take based on your needs and goals. Some people prefer to supplement their diets with pure protein, others take fat burners and third natural supplements derived from superfoods such as chia and macca. I would say start clean (no supps), then see what you lack (best to let a pro assess your needs)  and add the necessary supplements.

I am no nutrition expert or bodybuilder. But I do like to keep myself aware and informed of how the food I eat affects my body. And by no means am I saying that following a sustainable diet is easy - today being Easter I probably ate more bad foods than permissible. 

But it is important to educate yourself, to motivate yourself and to find help and support. It may take you two weeks to withdraw from all the sugar and empty calories from carbohydrates. Psychologists say it takes over 300 times for something to become a habit. But if you eat 6 healthy and small meals a day that means in 50-60 days you will be completely used to your new way of life. See? It's not that bad :)

Weird Things That Happen in Your 20s

Years ago a friend of mine would say "I'm older than you, I can't do it!" when I used to challenge them to do better, especially in terms of fitness. I found their comments amusing as our age difference wasn't that big. "What could be so different?", I thought.

But when I complained (for the 1000th time) to a colleague about my somewhat inexplicable weight gain of late and she said that as I was getting older my body was changing something hit home. So I wondered - how is it that there is such a huge between your teens and your 20s?

1. Body shape/composition changes

I have always been fairly slim, and even now I can't really say that I am fat, but I am at my heaviest ever. I also find it difficult to shed the extra pounds of flab. Why? It used to be so easy to take control of my weight when I was in my teens. "Your body shape changes as you age, partly as women put on weight in different places," says personal stylist Michaela Jedinak. Such weight gains are mainly due to lifestyle changes - gone are the days of school PE classes and university teams. Many 20-year-olds tend to spend more time in the pub than on the treadmills, and the early career rat race means more and more people are glued to their desks for long periods of time. This means a fall in muscle mass and with that a slow down of metabolism which leads to further weight gain. It is a vicious cycle.

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2. You consider becoming a health freak

If point 1 didn't scare you enough, a look in the mirror can sometimes send even the most confident 20-something into a panic attack. The bombardment of super skinny or super fit human beings on all media channels has driven many into a health awareness frenzy. As fellow blogger Gina Vaynshteyn says: "Before you merged into your 20s, your body could take anything – an entire box of mac ‘n cheese, a triple cheeseburger and whipped cream that you used to spray into your mouth straight from the can. Now, you’re starting to notice what the nurse scribbles down after you stand on the scale." We become more aware of how we look and how we want to look. We sign up for the gym and read more closely the labels on our foods. All in the name of avoiding botox and liposuction in our 40s.

3. You realise everything is expensive

Without student loans and family helping hands, you realise that everything costs a lot. Rent, bills, transport, food all have to be paid from that measly salary from your first job. But you also want to buy nice clothes, go out with friends and travel abroad. You also realise that your friends are making more money than you - taking that low paid/unpaid job to boost your CV suddenly doesn't seem like the most wise of ideas. Money suddenly becomes your biggest ambition and you start to wonder how invented the phrase "Monday doesn't buy happiness", as clearly you need money to survive (and have fun) in this world. 

If you have been nodding along whilst reading this, you, my friend, have hit some of the milestones of life in your twenties. Who thought your twenties are not going to be the time you run free and wild? I say roll on the thirties - after having succeed in our careers, we can hopefully put up our feet and fly off to the Bahamas (at least once a year!).

But for now I will keep on powering through points 1 to 3 and hiding the scales behind the bin. Enough said!

Who Should be Your New Style Muse?

As spring is gradually easing its way on to the shores of England, a lot of clothes brands have started their spring sales and a lot of us have put "wardrobe spring clean" as top priority on our lists.

But before you head out to the shops, it may be a good idea to pick a style muse to guide your purchases. Is there a celebrity whose style you would like to emulate? 

Perhaps taking a look at this year's best dressed British stars would narrow things down a bit.

Not only does she manage to pull off every colour under the sun, but Lupina Nyong'o's clean cut tailoring choices and poise have earned her a spot on Vogue's 10 Rising Stars of 2014.

A veteran on the men's fashion circuit, David Beckham always looks elegant.

Suki Waterhouse's 60s Mod  style is based on her passion for vintage.

Idris Elba makes dressing seem effortless but he's not your typical English gent, adding some cockney boy cheekiness to his outfits.

As the new Givenchy muse and expectant mother, Ciara has been making waves in the fashion circles for the past few years with her edgy yet classy looks.

A modern day "king of cool", David Gandy manages to look a million dollars, whether he's dressed down or up.

Great stars. Great styles. So much to choose from! Now, if we only had the same amount of cash in our pockets...