Celebrity personal trainer and author Michelle Bridges from reality TV series The Biggest Loser. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
IN true Michelle Bridges no-nonsense style she has plenty of sensible advice when it comes to food.
Number one - do not, whatever you do, walk down the sweet or biscuit aisle in the supermarket.
"There are sections of the supermarket you shouldn't even walk down. The ones that are full of lollies and chocolates and chips and soft drinks - why even bother going down there? No point," she said.
Bridges, now a household name from her role as a trainer on Ten's The Biggest Loser, has just written a new book, 5 Minutes a Day, Simple Tips for Weight-loss and Wellbeing, which is filled with snippets of information that may make you question your current lifestyle.
For example, show your kids how to eat well, she writes, by keeping junk food as an occasional treat, and you'll have given them a headstart in life.
Bridges feels strongly about childhood habits that grow into more serious issues in adult life.
"I have a theory about parents or grandparents or friends giving children food to pacify them, to shut them up if they're upset, or to reward them as a treat.
"You do that over and over and over again, and it becomes a pattern. Children are smart, they understand and it becomes a pattern.
"I think it's a pattern that can lead into an adult having emotional eating, where if they're having a bad day they go home and have a glass of wine and a block of chocolate and think it's going to make them feel better when we know it's going to make them feel worse."
We all know what we should, and shouldn't, eat to maintain a healthy weight, Bridges writes in her book.
"How many times have you heard someone say, 'I shouldn't be eating this, but...' as they stuff another piece of banana bread into their mouth?" Bridges writes.
The trainer wants to help people stop these habits and again has some sensible, tough advice.
"Go and get your wheelie bin from outside," she writes. "Bring it into the kitchen. Open the pantry, fridge and freezer. Now, start chucking. Throw out every bit of crap food that's holding you back."
She also believes people eat too much.
"I think people get into the habit of going back for seconds. Train yourself to not go back for seconds. It won't take long - a couple of days," she says.
Losing weight will always come down to what you put in your mouth, she writes.
If slimming down is your goal, she says you need to know how many calories to eat per day.
Bridges sets her weight-loss candidates a quota - 1200 calories a day for girls and 1800 for guys.
"I'm not saying that people have to become calorie-counting addicts but all I'm saying is that people need to understand how many calories are in the regular foods that they eat."
Bridges also advises throwing away take-away menus and venturing into the kitchen to cook up some fresh, healthy meals.
"It's not rocket science. It's not a coincidence that healthy nutritious food is low in calories.
"Stuff that comes out of the ground, that comes off trees is low in calories - it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work that out."
Bridges writes that a kilogram of body weight represents about 7000 calories. If you can wipe 7000 calories out of your weekly diet you will start to see results. Add some exercise to that and you'll be very pleased with the outcome.
5 Minutes a Day, Simple Tips for Weight-loss and Wellbeing by Michelle Bridges is published by Penguin and available now (RRP $12.95)
