The Total Wellbeing diet plan is a higher protein, moderate carbohydrate, low fat diet. Instead of having a daily calorie allowance, your Total Wellbeing diet will be based on one of 4 ‘levels’. These levels are worked out according to an individual’s daily calorie requirements. When you fill out our free diet profile, we’ll work out your level for you. If you register with us for a plan, you will receive a Total wellbeing diet plan appropriate for that level, with all your meals and recipes listed. So you don’t need to worry about counting calories or any other calculations - we’ve worked it all out for you!
The diet plan incorporates food from each of the food groups with the macronutrient breakdown being as follows:
33% protein
36 % carbohydrate
20% good fats
No more than 6% saturated fat
3% alcohol (optional)
The daily meal plans are made up to meet these criteria. They will be made up as follows:
Lean protein foods - 2 units per day for dinner and 1 unit per day for lunch.
One unit is equal to 100 g raw weight of any protein food such as red meat, chicken, pork, ham, beef, fresh fish or seafood. You will be having 2 units of lean read meat for dinner 4 times each week, 2 units of fish for dinner twice a week and 2 units of skinless chicken for dinner one night a week. The units for lunch will vary between all these groups, and will also include eggs.
Wholegrain bread – 2 units per day
One unit is equivalent to a 35 gram slice of wholegrain bread. Instead of this, you may have crispbread, potatoes, rice, noodles, pasta, beans or pulses.
High fibre cereal – 1 unit per day
One unit is equal to 40 grams of any high fibre breakfast cereal such as sultana bran, all bran or Weetabix. Alternatively this allowance may be a slice of wholegrain bread.
Dairy – 2 units per day
One unit of dairy is equal to 250 ml skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, 200 g low fat yoghurt, 200 g low fat custard or dairy dessert, 25 g cheddar cheese or other full fat cheese, or 50 g reduced-fat cheese.
Fruit – 2 units per day
One unit is equal to 150 grams of fresh or tinned unsweetened fruit or 150 ml unsweetened orange juice.
Vegetables – 2.5 units per day from the following list:
Vegetables can include artichokes, asparagus, beansprouts, beetroot, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chilli, chives, corn, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, green beans, lettuce, marrow, mushrooms, onion, parsnips, peas, pumpkin, radishes, spinach, swedes, tomatoes, turnip.
Fats and oils - 3 units of added oils or fats per day
One unit is equal to 1 teaspoon of any liquid oil such as olive or sunflower oil. Three units of oil is equal to 3 teaspoons of soft margarine, 3 teaspoons of curry paste in oil, 60 grams of avocado or 20 grams of nuts or seeds.
Wine – 2 glasses (150 ml each) per week
Two glasses of wine is equal to 3 standard drinks of any alcoholic beverage or any snack food that contains about 200 calories, such as 40 grams of chocolate.
FREE FOODS
Drinks - Bovril, cocoa, coffee, low sugar cordial, diet soft drinks, herbal tea, sparkling water, water
Condiments – artificial sweeteners, BBQ sauce, chilli sauce, clear soup, curry powder or paste, sugar-free jelly, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, herbs, hoisin sauce, horseradish, lemon, mint sauce, mustard, oil-free salad dressing, parsley, pickles, soy sauce, spices, stock cubes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, wasabi.
You can also use small amounts of cornflour, custard powder or sugar to thicken and sweeten dishes. 1 level teaspoon of cornflour, custard or sugar has about 10 – 15 calories so this won’t impact on your intake if you use them only occasionally. Always use salt sparingly.
According to what level you are on, you may have extra units of some foods each day. Again, we’ve done all the hard work for you by creating the diet plan, so you don’t need to worry about counting units. Just remember your free foods, follow the plan and exercise as much as you possibly can!
Below is a sample plan so you can see how it all comes together.
Breakfast - Weetabix with almonds & fruit juice
Lunch - Pitta with roast chicken, pesto & rocket salad
Snack - Fruit salad
Dinner - Spiced lamb chops with ratatouille. Low fat yoghurt.
As you can see, the Total Wellbeing plan is largely built around protein foods which have a high satiety value, so you are unlikely to feel hungry. There is also a good mix of grains, fruit, vegetables, and good fats to pack as much nutrition as we can into your daily allowance. So it’s not just about weight loss – it’s about Total Wellbeing.