Weight Loss Challenge

1. Weight Loss Challenge

2. Welcome! • Mobile phones turned off • Write down all your questions

3. Who has lost weight this week? Congratulations!

4. How are you feeling? • How are your energy levels? • Are you sleeping differently? • How are your bowel movements? • Are you craving sweet foods? • How do your clothes feel on you?

5. Heart health T H I S W E E K The heart is a powerful muscle that never stops working throughout your life. Pumping about 23,000 litres of blood around your body each day, it ensures your body gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs and carries away unwanted carbon dioxide and waste Many factors can affect your heart health. From the food you eat to your genes. While you can’t change your family history, you can adopt a lifestyle that helps prevent cardiovascular disease

6. Heart health Why is cardiovascular health so important? Your cardiovascular system is literally at the heart of your overall health. Looking after and maintaining your heart health is important for a variety of reasons • It brings the body the energy, nutrients and oxygen it needs to function normally thereby contributing to your overall wellness • Likewise it removes waste from the body and takes it to the organs which process and excrete it

7. Simple steps towards having a healthy heart 1. Get your body moving Studies show that regular physical activity can strengthen the heart, regular exercise, like jogging, weight lifting or participating in sports is the key contributor to a healthy heart and a fulfilling life. If you are not interested in joining a gym or playing sports try walking 6,000 to 10,000 steps every day - walking is amazing for your heart health

8. Simple steps towards having a healthy heart 2. Eat well Adopt a healthy diet that includes wholegrain foods, healthy protein, heart healthy fatty acids like the long chain Omega-3s EPA and DHA, lots of fruit, vegetables and water and watch your salt intake. The way you eat is important, don’t skip meals schedule regular times throughout the day to eat. 3. Rest, recharge and rejuvenate Sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems. For 6-8 hours of each day it is essential that you get a goods night sleep

9. Nutritional choices Eat plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables in a nutrient rich diet, this helps ensure you get a range of the vitamins and minerals you need each day Tip: Add beans and extra vegetables to stews, stir-fry, curry, shepherds pie, bolognaise, chilli etc.

10. Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty acids High cholesterol can contribute to heart disease by causing the build-up of fatty deposits in your arteries. This narrows the arteries and makes it more difficult for your heart to pump blood around your body. Luckily there are things you can do in your diet to lower this: • Omega-3 and Omega-6 are two unsaturated fats that are essential for health and must be obtained through diet as the body is unable to produce them • They form part of the structure of every cell in our bodies. Replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels Specific fatty acids have been shown to have a role in the maintenance of heart health: • Omega's 3 such as Alpha-linolenic acid (found in rapeseed oil) can help maintain normal blood cholesterol levels (2g/day) • Long chain omega-3s such as EPA+DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart.(EPA+DHA 250mg/d) • DHA in particular contributes to the maintenance of normal vision and brain function (250mg/d) • Omega-6's such as linoleic acid (found in sunflower and soya oils) have also been shown to maintain normal blood cholesterol levels (10g/d)

11. Protection and Oxidative Damage Free radicals • Generated through normal body reactions • Sunlight • Exhaust gases • Cell damage • Protective Nutrients • Vitamins C and E and riboflavin • Selenium, zinc, manganese and copper • These vitamins and minerals contribute to the protection of cell constituents from oxidative damage

12. Salt-the facts • Eating too much salt can increase your risk of having high blood pressure • The recommended amount of salt is about 6g day for adults, less for children • Salt comes from the salt we add at the table and in cooking but most comes from salt or sodium already present in the food we buy Read the label • Salt is actually Sodium Chloride and some nutrition panels label both. • To convert sodium to salt multiply by 2.5 e.g. 0.8g sodium is 2g salt • High is more than 1.5g salt/100g (0.6g sodium) • Medium is between 0.3g salt (0.1g sodium) to 1.5g/100g salt (0.6g sodium) • Low is less than 0.3g salt/100g or (<0.1g sodium per 100g) • Use the Guideline Daily Amount’s on pack to compare ready meals and sandwiches for salt content

13. Healthy nutrition… • Start every day with a nutritious breakfast • Eat plenty of good proteins every day • Eat 5-6 small meals per day • Aim to drink 2 litres of water each day • Eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables (5 + a day) • Keep salt intake low and be careful with the salt you add to foods and watch processed foods- read the GDA label • Ensure you get sufficient physical exercise • Eat foods rich in long chain Omega-3 such as oily fish and substitute saturated fats for Omega-6 (or add a supplement to your diet)

14. Next week • Weigh-in and measuring • Maintenance of good health for the long term • Announcement and presentation of prizes • Conclusion of your Weight Loss Challenge with drinks and snacks

15. Don’t forget • To bring pen and paper • Keep a log of everything you eat and drink over the next week and bring it with you to the next meeting • Bring along a friend!