sense of low-fat security thinking we can eat more of these foods. A high consumption of starch however can provide more calories than we need. If we are unable to burn off these calories so they become stored as fat, all of which leads to the scales and belt notches not moving in the direction we want.
So the first step of the Body Blitz Plan is to operate the starch curfew. In this chapter you’ll learn all about the role of starch and its impact on the body and how to:
Use the starch curfew – no starches after 5 p.m.
Adapt your meals to make sure you get the right range of nutrients and don’t eat too much starch.
Make good food choices when you are faced with a situation where there is starch on the menu and you are not allowed to eat it.
Body Blitz Must Dos
The two keys to making carbohydrates work for you are:
1. Operate the starch curfew to decrease total calorie intake.
2. Consume five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
WHAT IS THE STARCH CURFEW?
As we discussed in The Body Blitz Lifestyle chapter starch, processed sugars and fruit and vegetables are all carbohydrates. The starch foods are potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals, all of which provide a good source of fuel for the body to use during the day.
The starch curfew means you can eat starch at breakfast, lunch and in your mid-afternoon snack but you are not allowed to eat it after five p.m. The evening meal now comprises of protein, fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and essential fats. It is a strategy that allows you to get the right balance of calories and nutrients at the right time in the day. At first this may seem a little difficult to apply but you will soon feel the huge benefits in your energy levels and you’ll certainly appreciate the change in your body shape as you become less bloated.
The starch curfew however is not just about saying no to starches after five p.m. – it is about getting the right balance of your overall intake of starches and nutrients throughout the day. For example you may be consuming too many calories from starch foods which are contributing to your body fat, so once you reduce the amount of starch you eat you will you lose weight and body fat. Also, you will be more in control of your energy levels as you will be eating the right amount of starch at the right time for optimum energy. We will talk more about this later in the chapter.
ARE YOU A CARBO COMFORT-EATER?
Answer the questions in the following quiz to find out if you are prone to overeating on comfort starches such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
1. Do you tend to snack on?
a. bread and comfort carbohydrates such as cakes and chocolate
b. fruit and vegetables
2. Do you munch bread with each meal?
a. yes
b. no
3. Do you feel lethargic in the afternoons?
a. yes
b. no
4. Do you eat most of your calories at the end of your day?
a. yes
b. no
5. Do you crave carbohydrates?
a. yes
b. no
6. Do you experience swings in your energy and mood?
a. yes
b. no
7. Do you find it difficult to stop eating comfort starches like biscuits, bread and pasta?
a. yes
b. no
If you answered:
MAINLY A’S:
You are sensitive to comfort carbohydrates, specifically the comfort foods that are starch-based. You probably have a tendency to eat more of these foods than is appropriate and this causes you to feel lethargic and out of control.
Action: Operate the starch curfew and use the starch-free zone when faced with an excess starch situation.
MAINLY B’S:
You are less prone to overindulging on carbohydrates. If you experience problems with your weight it may be due to excess calories consumed through carbohydrates or an imbalance in your nutrient intake.
Action: Introduce the starch curfew as a tool to control calorie intake.
WATCH THOSE CALORIES!
I developed the starch curfew concept as a nutritional diet tool when I realized a number of my weight management clients were experiencing initial weight and body fat loss but then they were reaching a plateau with their weight loss and their efforts seemed to go no further. This seemed to be a recurring theme not just with my clients but also with other people’s initial weight loss success stories.
My clients were all very efficient at decreasing the overall fat in their diets, but because their focus was on fat their attention slipped from their carbohydrate intake – specifically bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and cereal were all being over-consumed and often in the evening as opposed to during the day when our body may burn these nutrients more effectively. A typical daily food intake looked something like this:
| Breakfast: | cereal with skimmed milk and banana |
| Lunch: | large jacket potato with sweet corn, one banana |
| Snack: | chunk of bread with fruit jam |
| Dinner: | pasta with homemade tomato sauce, brown bread roll |
Now at first glance this seems to be a pretty healthy diet and to a certain extent it is, however what it lacks is essential fats, a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables, protein and suitable portion sizes. The classic mistake is that too many calories were being consumed. So while fat intake was decreased and in fact very low, the consumption of calories through starches was increasing.
Total calorie intake does count. So while we may be very good at reducing the amount of fat in our diet, if
