Michelle Bridges: How to balance portion size with exercise

ASK MICHELLE

"I eat really well, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and good carbs, and I also exercise regularly. But I still can't shift the 10 kilograms I want to lose. What's going on?"

Well, quite a lot, as it happens. There are so many variables in the weight-loss space that your problem could be any one or a combination of them. So let me touch on the most likely issues and you can see if any lights come on for you.

Spagehetti and meatballs. Photo: Jane Allen/12wbt

The first is portion size. Check that you aren't using your healthy eating habits to justify eating more than you need. And could your diet be carbohydrate-heavy? Keep carbs under control and don't be afraid to be quite scientific when evaluating your intake.

Exercise intensity is a big factor with weight loss. Aim for three moderately intense interval-training sessions each week.

Finally, it's all about being patient. We gain weight slowly, sometimes over many years, and as we get older, our hormones conspire to make weight loss harder. Losing it doesn't happen overnight, so stick with it!

Got a question? Then send me a private message at facebook.com/Mishy.Bridges

WORKOUT MAKEOVER

Tom Williams, co-host of The Daily Edition

Tom's workout: From Monday to Friday it's a 7km morning walk with the baby and a 1km pool swim. In the afternoons, either a 25-30km kite-boarding session (twice a week), 11-15km surf ski paddle or a one-hour high-intensity session with a personal trainer. In the evenings, I mix it up with sand dunes (45 minutes intensive, high heart-rate ... KILLER!) or a 45-minute high-intensity circuit session. On Sundays, a big stretch and some surfing, kiting or windsurfing.

Tom's goal: To get down to 88kg (just two more kilos to go ... maybe three) and to be stronger and more explosive in the water.

Michelle says: Cracking out a morning, afternoon and evening workout tells me that lack of exercise isn't your weight-loss issue, Tom Williams. And frankly, with the vision of you dancing shirtless in Dancing with the Stars back in 2005 indelibly etched in my girl-brain, I'd go so far as to say that exercise generally isn't your problem. So let's talk about food. Water sports notoriously make you starving hungry, so a kilojoule count might be a good idea if those last few kilos are proving stubborn. So part one of your workout makeover is a food diary – write down everything you eat and count the kilojoules.

So here's the plan. You do lots of aerobic activity but not much for strength and power, so add weights and plyometrics. Replace a workout with a bench press (see above), squat and dead-lift weights session, then add handclap push-ups, hand-release plyometric chin-ups and plyometric body-rows. This will give you that explosive power you're looking for.

QUICK & HEALTHY RECIPE

Spaghetti and meatballs

SERVES 2

1 zucchini, grated

300g lean beef mince

1 onion, grated

1 carrot, grated

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp dried oregano

olive oil spray

1 x 400g can diced tomato

1 cup salt-reduced chicken stock liquid

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

100g spaghetti

20g parmesan cheese, finely grated

Squeeze the excess moisture from the zucchini in a double-thickness of paper towel. Using clean hands, combine the zucchini in a large bowl with the mince, onion, carrot, half of the garlic and oregano. Season with pepper. Shape mixture into 24 balls. Transfer to a plate and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Add half the meatballs. Cook, turning gently, until golden on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.

Spray the pan with a little more oil. Add the remaining garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer. Add the meatballs and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the parsley and vinegar. Season with pepper.

Cook spaghetti, and divide between serving bowls. Top with the meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with the parmesan to serve.

I'M LOVING: BENCH PRESS Suddenly, I appreciate this all over again. It's a bit like catching up with an old friend, because I used to spend a fair bit of time bench-pressing. It's a great exercise and it brings out my inner mongrel, especially with a 70kg one-rep maximum!

#portion #portionsize #exersice