tomorrow, it'll be thursday.

cooked dinner for my family today!

rocket salad cherry tomatoes Parmesan cheese with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

wild mushroom soup.

roast chicken with carrot potatoes and celery.

cod fish fingers.

my chicken wasnt cooked enough and i think i put too much lemon in the soup. ):

oh well.

anyway.

found this in a magazine article.

METABOLISM REALITY CHECK

myth: metabolism is genetic - if you're born with a slow one there's nothing you can do about it.

reality: weight problems can run in families, but its not just because of an inherited metabolism. lifestyle and diet are a big influence, with children taking cues from parents about how to eat and when to be physically active. your metabolism is influenced mostly by your size and you can change it by losing weight. resistance and weight training help you burn energy for 24 hours after you've exercised. if you exercise every day you can boost your metabolism by up to 10%.

myth:men's faster metabolism protects them from weight gain.

reality: it is true that men have more muscle so they burn more kilojoules when they're active - a man will burn just over 1200kj more per day than a woman of the same size. men store fat differently to women and, in general, its easier for them to avoid weight gain by maintaining a healthy proportion of body mass and muscle. its not just about muscle, though. if men eat more than they need to go about their normal activities, they will certainly pile on the kilos.

myth: dieting makes your metabolism slow down so much that you hit a plateau and stop losing weight.

reality: a moderate reduction in food intake - say 200kj a day - is unlikely to influence how quickly you metabolise food. it is more likely to have a positive effect if balanced with an increase in exercise. a big fall in kilojoules, like with extreme dieting, can slow your metabolism as the body enters survival mode.

myth: i eat like a bird, but still cant lose weight.

reality: some people inherit genes that affect normal hormone levels which can, in turn, influence metabolism. but in reality your weight gain is almost certainly due to your diet and level of physical activity. it may be that you're missing the extra kilojoules you're consuming due to what is sometimes referred to as the eye-mouth gap, which means the eye doesnt see exactly whats going into the mouth. studies have shown that people generally underestimate the amount of food they eat by about 30%. keeping a daily food diary can help you to accurately monitor your diet.

myth: you'll gain weight after menopause when your metabolism slows down.

reality: the hormonal changes of menopause are responsible for a change in body structure, so that women at this stage begin to lay down fat around the belly instead of the hips and thighs. its not inevitable that menopause will trigger massive weight gain, however. its especially important for women at peri-menopause - the months before menopause - to be aware of their diet and to keep up their regular exercise regimen. we know that lifestyle and diet are important at this stage of life because tribal women and women from certain countries dont gain weight at menopause.

myth: weight gain is inevitable with age.

reality: your metabolism does slow as you get older, dropping by about 2% each decade between the ages of 30 and 60, but its not enough to cause significant weight gain if you're living a healthy lifestyle. after age 60 you can get by on about 10% fewer kilojoules than you needed in your twenties, but you may need more of certain nutrients. so its especially important to avoid junk food and choose meals that meet all your nutritional needs. the main reason people tend to gain weight when they reach a certain age is because they are eating more and exercising less.

myth: smoking keeps you slim by speeding your metabolism.

reality: nicotine is a stimulant so there is a grain of truth in this one, however, its more likely that some smokers are thinner simply because they eat less. their sense of taste is diminished compared to non-smokers and they also have something to do with their hands other than eat. nevertheless, the proven dangers of smoking outweigh any potential contribution to weight control.

myth: a low-carb diet will kick start your metabolism.

reality: its easy to blame weight problems on a particular nutrient, but carbs arent always the enemy. we know sugar laden treats and junk food can make you gain weight, but the important factor is the total energy you take in compared to the total you expend. carbohydrates are a necessary component of a healthy diet and if you cut them altogether you would soon see an enormous breakdown in muscle mass as your body resorts to burning muscle protein as fuel.

myth: some people can eat huge amounts of food and never gain weight.

reality: everybody differs in how they burn or store energy, but if you have a friend who seems to get away with eating extra chips and creamy desserts, its very unlikely that she's eating that at every meal. the fact is everyone who consistently eats more that they need will eventually gain weight.

myth: eating before bedtime will make you fat.

reality: your metabolism does slow when you're sleeping and its true that fatty food are harder to digest at night, but in terms of weight loss its not a big issue. timing is less important that total kilojoule intake. of course, you're likely to gain weight if your late night supper is in addition to your regular meals.

myth: spicy food and green tea supercharge your metabolism to help you lose weight.

reality: evidence suggests green tea temporarily increases metabolism, but the impact is relatively minor and would not qualify it as a stand alone weight loss tool. the same goes for spicy food. it increases thermogenesis (heat production in the body) and makes you feel satisfied more quickly. both of these things can be helpful if you've also adopted other weight loss strategies. there are a number of things that boost metabolism in the short term, including a good scare. the most significant and only long term metabolism booster is to put on body weight, preferably in the form of muscle. this happens because the heavier you are, the more effort is required to move your body. however, increasing metabolism in this way is unacceptable to many people, especially if the main goal is weight loss.