Me and Marie France (Part 2): A Wholistic Slimming Program
After my very enlightening session with Dr. Ariel Torres, I was to have another consultation session, this time with resident Marie France nutritionist, Nona.
Nona, Marie France resident nutritionistDuring the session, Nona spoke to me about the new food pyramid which has now shifted from what used to be a pyramid diagram to the new plate diagram. (I remember writing about this in a previous post) . I loved that she used visual aids to make things easier to remember.
See how this plate shows the proper portioning of our food. The most we should be taking in is vegetables and fruits, in fact half of our plate should be made of those. Grains and protein in equal amounts. Try as much as possible to consume whole grains. Dairy should be fat-free or low-fat. Cream, butter and cream cheese are part of the dairy food group but do not contain much calcium.Below, you can really visualize how our meal should ideally look:
After an interview on my usual diet and habits, Nona reminded me to be more conscious of my water intake and also watch my food portioning (more on this below). She also advised me that it is better to take my green smoothies for dinner instead of breakfast. Why so? Because everyone should take a heavy breakfast in order to have energy to burn throughout the day.
Nona's notesShe also said that while it is good that I eat a lot of veggies and fruits, and try to choose fish and chicken over pork and beef, I should still watch the portions. So I discovered that my eating the container-full of grapes isn't as good as I thought because it is loaded with sugar. I found this handout very interesting:
This "My Food Basket" handout states some very interesting info. When they say we should eat one (1) portion of something, it may be hard to quantify. Like, what is 1 serving of rice? 1 serving of rice, according to this handout from Marie France, it does not mean 1 cup! It means 1/2 cup of cooked rice (White, brown or red). Here are more info:1 serving of rice or rice product alternative: 1/2 cup of cooked rice (White, brown or red)1 cup porridge, oatmeal or lugaw2 slices tasty bread1 cup cooked pasta1 cup dry cereal1/2 cup potato, sweet potato, gabi1 serving of Meat or Fish alternative (Low fat)1 matchbox-sized slice of lean meat- beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish (30g)1 pc small chicken leg1 slice bangus, dory, tilapia, etc5 pcs. cooked shrimp1/4c cooked crab meat2 tbsp. ground pork1 serving of Fruit or fruit alternative1 medium size apple, atis, banana, chico, pear, orange, santol, indian mango1 slice (half of 1 piece) green or ripe mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon2 pcs. dalanghita10 pcs. grapes7 pcs. lanzones1/2 cup strawberriesThey also provided me with information on HEALTHY FOOD SUBSTITUTES to be quite interesting. The chart shows us better alternatives to food we normally consume:
This is important info to know if you want to make the shift to a healthier and less fattening diet. Note these when you shop for your groceries, when the cook goes to the market, or when making your family menu. Some examples:Instead of Pork liempo/ spare ribs/ bacon ---> Pork lean meat/ Pork with the fat trimmed offInstead of ice cream, flavored milk drinks, cream cheese ---> Sorbet/ low fat yogurt / light or fat free cream cheeseInstead of soda/ sweetened juice drinks ---> water/ fresh fruit shakes/ 100% natural juice/ herbal teaInstead of frying food, buttered, creamed, breaded food ---> Broil/ Steam/ Bake/ Roast/ Grill/ Sautee or eat it freshLast but not the least, Nona left me with a food diary where she encouraged me to track my food intake so they can check and give me advice on how to eat appropriately.
Based on estimation, Nona said I was taking in around 1,340 calories a day. Ideally I should be taking a maximum of 1,300 calories, so I just need to cut down a bit, maybe avoid rice in the evenings and again, watch my portion control.After the consultation sessions, a Marie France slimming program was created for me. Just like I mentioned in my iLipo post, my problem areas were stomach, arms and thighs, and the program was to focus on inch-loss in these areas.Marie France slimming program: Slimming treatment solutions coupled with proper nutrition
It was striking to me that the Marie France program is quite wholistic. They not only prescribe you with the best technologies to help you achieve your ideal body, they couple it with information and guidance to make that goal achievable, in the healthiest way possible.Armed with new knowledge on being healthy inside, I was now ready for treatments to work on my "outside". My program starts with the slimming technology Marie France is known for, the FMS (Fat Mobilization System) cold wrap, plus the Physique Inch-loss and the Tripollar Tummy machines. I look forward to this experience!Watch out for my next post on Marie France, and I'll tell you more about these different treatments I've been given to help me achieve my ideal body.