The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps Book Review/Quick Notes (Part 1)

A couple months ago, I picked up this book at the bookstore while I was just browsing for some books to read on my down time. I thought it would be interesting to see what I can learn from this book, and now that I’m almost finished reading it, I realized there was a lot of little things I didn’t know. 

I took the liberty to keep a highlighter in my hand while I was reading the book, and I’d like to break it down and share these facts with my readers :) Some points will be rephrased, some will be directly quoted from the book. There’s quite a few new facts to share, so I’ll have to do two separate blog entries. 

1. Calories

• Saturated fats should make up less than one-third of your daily fat intake 
• If the total number of carbohydrates is more than double the amount of sugars, that means there are more good carbs than bad carbs.
• Aim for 25 to 35 grams of fibre per day 
• If a food has more than 9 grams of protein per serving, it’s considered a high-protein food.

Food Package Nutrition Breakdown 

• “Fat Free” - contains only 0.5 grams of fat (or less) per serving
• “Low Fat” - contains 3 grams of fat (or less) per serving 
• “Light” - 50 percent less fat than it’s regular counterpart 
• “Reduced Fat” - 25 percent less fat than the regular version 
• “High Fibre” - each serving has at least 5 grams of dietary fibre 
• “Good Source of Fibre” - each serving has 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fibre 
• “Low Sodium” - contains half the salt content of the original 

2. Planning Meals and Snacks

• Don’t skip meals - feeding your body at regular intervals keeps your metabolism charged
• ** The quality of your calories is just as important as the quantity of your calories.  
• Choose smaller plate sizes when it comes to eating to avoid over-stuffing your plate, and feeling the need to clear the plate. 

3. Vegetables

• Fruit and vegetables fill you up, and keep you energized all day long because they are an important source of fibre. 
• They help keep your blood sugar levels balanced and stable throughout the day 
• Fibre promotes healthy cholesterol levels, and helps keep you full longer

Easy Tips to Help Meet Fruit and Veggie Requirements

• Eat a vegetable salad most days of the week 
• Keep containers of sliced veggies in stock for easy snacking 
• Choosing whole fruits over juices 
• Trying new vegetables and fruits to build variety into diet. Choose from six color groups: red, orange, yellow, light green, dark green, and purple. 

4. Protein

• Swap your egg yolks for egg whites. Egg yolks are almost completely fat and cholesterol, and egg white are almost pure protein. Swapping the yolk for egg whites will increase your protein intake. You can gradually make this change. 
• Lean proteins have the added benefit of slowing the aging process 
• Eating a protein rich meal/snack within 30-45 minutes of your workout helps your muscles repair quickly. 
• Protein also promotes satiety, and when combined with a carb it helps slow the release of blood sugar. 
• ** Avoid sources of protein that contain sodium nitrates, a substance that can cause cancer-causing compounds (carcinogens)