What kind of cook are you?

We’ve had lots of exciting enquiries from the press this week about getting some of our gorgeous ladies as case studies for bikini shoots. I was so happy to have such a collection of beautiful and confident ‘beach body ready’ ladies on our Plan.

It comes on the back of the lovely Lorraine Kelly posing in her bikini age 55 this week. She was photographed without any Photoshop or helpful retouching and I think it’s great that she’s encouraging a healthy approach and fostering confidence, no matter what size a person is. Looking great at the beach is nothing to do about weight loss – it’s about feeling confident in your own skin and having that inner happiness that then shines through and that’s what beauty to me!  Well done Lorraine.

Now, I have a big question for you. Are you a sexist cook? Yes, that’s right – do you apply different cooking methods and preparation when cooking for men and women? Well, here’s my answer, I do so I guess that means I’m a sexist cook! Even at home with my family, I notice that I cook less veggie focused meals for my husband and sons, focusing on things like chilli con carne and red meal based meals, while I make a lot more stir-fry and salad based meals for the daughter and myself. We eat a lot less rice, red meat and heavy carb meals. Before you think that’s quite a statement to make such different meals – let me tell you why I cook differently for genders.

First off – the male and female body as we know are physiologically different and this takes into account calorie intake and portions too. It’s one of the reasons that we recently launched Man Plan. Male Plan takes into account the nutritional, dietary and calorie needs of men – it is about 1,450 a day, while a female focused Jane Plan is approx 1,200 calories per day.

Men have an easier time burning calories than women because they tend to have the height, weight, and muscle-to-fat ratio advantage over women. This means that their basic burn rate of calories is larger to begin with so it means that different ingredients and portions are also more applicable to men and women.

The other thing is that fat distribution is very different in men and women. Women tend more towards a pear shape, with fat retention around the hips, while men store fat more centrally around their belly from where excess weight is more easily lost. The hormone oestrogen also encourages fat storage in women and it explains why women have around 20-30 per cent fat in the body, against just 9­-18 per cent in men. I also attribute men’s success at weight loss to a positive attitude when I look at the menu who sign up to my Plan. They tend to enter a diet with a more up-beat attitude. They believe that the diet will work and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I find that a lot of women have been yo-yo dieters since late teens and even earlier, and this can impact the way women approach eating and weight loss goals.

So tell me, do you cook different meals for the men and women in your life? Do you mind portions or all eat the same at dinner time? I’d love to hear your dinner and shopping routines!

Lastly, Fiona at Jane Plan HQ got her London Night Walk training off to a fantastic start and walked from her home to work this week! It took her 1 hour 20mins, she took 11,089 steps and walked 9.65km! Wow well done Fiona we’re so impressed…I better get my skates on and join the fitness buzz that taking hold in our office! Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter for all the things we get up to as the race gets nearer!

Best wishes for a great weekend ahead!

Jane, xx