eat yourself to sexy or psychotic?

The other night, I watched an episode of 'eat yourself sexy', which is a new biggest loser type show on Lifestyle YOU. At first I thought the series looked quite motivational, but my hopefulness was met with disappointment. I understand what it feels like to get stuck in a rut and it can be like climbing out of quick sand to restart a healthy schedule. I also didn't realise how little some women know about cooking or food in general; some have never eaten a vegetable before and think that fried potatoes constitute a real lunch.

Obviously women who need a real diet shake-up do need to have a loud wake up call. However, I didn't really agree with the strictness in which the dietician remodeled some of their diets. In last week's episode, a young woman struggling with extra weight she had gained in the last few years, appeared to have a genuine clueless perception of food. Of course, I believe that all educated people must know that sugary, deep-fried foods will make you gain weight, and that grilled chicken and fish with salad will help you maintain a healthy weight.

This woman's lack of knowledge of any fruit or vegetable was quite extreme and her cooking prowess was equally as dismal. Taking this into account, the dietician put her on an incredibly strict diet, which involved steamed chicken breast with boy choy for lunch, with no added flavours. I thought that the swing in this woman's diet was too extreme, and that employing my 'skinny sweets and treats' philosophy would be a much better starting point in transforming her diet. I don't know about you, but a boiled chicken breast with boy choy doesn't sound that appetising. I love healthy food - including all fruits and vegetables - but you need to be able to cook them in a way that enhanced their flavours and taste.

Why not poached chicken in organic stock with carrots, onions and celery, served on brown rice and stir-fried broccoli?

The diet created for this woman to lose weight worked; she lost 8 kilos in 8 weeks. But could you really maintain that type of diet? I felt it gave healthy eating a bad name, and made it look so ridged and tasteless. Healthy food can be just as fun as the 'bad foods' we allow ourselves to have in moderation. What is even better, is finding ways to transform all your foods into healthier options.

My rules are to cut down or oil and butter where you can, try to use wholegrain options for your carbs and use high-fat items, such as cheese, in moderation. You can definitely still lose weight and eat carbs, butter and cheese. You just have to remember to lower the quantity to a small amount each day. Steamed chicken and boy choy is not the only way.