Am I Eating Healthy?

by jannan
(LIma, Peru)

I walk 30 minutes every day. I have oatmeal ad a glass of milk at 6:30 am, then walk for 20 minutes to get to work. At 8:30, I have a piece of bread and something (butter, jam, or cheese). Then at 11 or have some fruit, mango or banana, and lunch is at 2, rice, some meat and salad. I have started doing the arm exercises you suggest, is it good to do them everyday? Am I eating right?. I also have a glass of milk and a piece of bread before going to bed like at 9 or 10.

Answer from Rumi

Hi Lima, I appreciate your efforts to eat healthy, but I will disappoint you that you eat mainly carbohydrates (oatmeal, jam, fruit, bread, rice) which don’t cause losing weight.

You need to limit carbohydrates and fat to lose weight. At the same time you have to increase the amount of lean meat and fish, because they will make you lose weight along with vegetables.

Also you have to workout the whole body, not only arms, because this is the only way to start burn fat. You can’t spot the fat. Your body "decides" where to burn fat from and usually these are the fattest spots in the body. But this happens only if your body experiences balanced workout routines and balanced diet plans.

If I am you I would change your diet to this:

6.30 am – 3 spoons of oatmeal and a glass of milk

8.30 am – 2 boiled eggs

11 am – keep the fruit

2 pm – baked lean meat (or fish) and fresh vegetables (salad, no sauce or any additives, fresh vegetables contain vitamins and minerals which lack in cooked vegetables. Vegetables contain fibers which make you feel full and not hungry).

Dinner is at least 1-2 hours before going to bed and is again baked lean meat (fish) and fresh salad.

You need to limit bread in your diet, eat more meat and fresh salads (you can eat this even 5 times per day and you will continue to lose weight, because meat feeds muscles in your body). Carbohydrates feed the fat in your body – that’s why you need to limit them.

Carbs – all sweet foods (even fruits, but one fruit per day is ok because you need some good carbs to sustain life, we don’t want to cut carbs to the zero), rice, bread, potatoes, oat meal (again it is from the good type of carbs and some of them in the morning is ok).

Protein is in foods: lean meat, lean fish, milk, yogurt, low fat cheese, diet protein shakes (it is a good idea to have some packs in your purse and use them in case you can’t eat right).

Vegetables are blessing – cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, carrots – eat them fresh and no limitations about them. There is a healthy sauce to add to the salad – it is made from olive oil and vinegar – but don’t eat too much sauce because it contains fat, yes from the good type of fats, but don’t over do it (3 spoons of sauce per day is ok).

Wish to reach your healthy goals and don’t forget to do my exercise videos at least 40 minutes per day (4-5 times per week).

Rumi