Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Are you a snack monster? 🍪

A common problem many people encounter is that they can’t stop snacking while trying to lose weight. Often the reason people are snacking is actually because they are so focused on saving calories for snacks that their meals are too small and unsatisfying.

I’m very much of the opinion that it’s your calorie budget and you should spend it how you want and I often encourage clients to factor in snacks. However, if factoring the snacks in then means main meals become tiny you may find it backfires as you’ll never feel full.

So if you think this is you then maybe consider restructuring your calorie budget. Instead of saving over 500 calories for snacks, aim for something like 200-300 cals for snacks and divide up the rest of your calories for your main meals.

Also focus on a narrower range of meal options. You won’t ever learn what keeps you full or get used to smaller meals etc if you change them every day. It also makes it far harder to stick to and track things if you’re eating different things each day. Instead come up with 2-3 options for breakfast, lunch and dinner that fit into your calorie budget and stick to them for a while. It will not only help you figure out what helps keep you full but will also removes decision and tracking fatigue which means you’re more to stick with it for longer!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Social swaps ….

April 19, 2023 Dr Nancy P

Social swaps …. 🍕

If you’re trying to lose fat/weight or just improve your nutrition then social meals out can be tricky to navigate. It’s really important to find ways to incorporate social events and all the foods you enjoy but to find ways to do this that still fit within your lifestyle and goals.

Nutrition and fat loss is always a game of trade offs. Rather than being all or nothing about it try to go for a trade off instead. Meals out, such as Pizza in this example, tend to have a high degree of taste appeal, and calorie density, whilst also often being low in fibre. That means it’s easy to eat a lot, and in doing so, a consume a lot of calories. This is amplified further by the environment – when you’re socialising you’re often relaxing and an indulgent atmosphere is fostered – this also means there’s a tendency to overeat.

No pizza is going to be low calorie per se – they’re usually fairly large, they’re bread based, with cheese, veg and often meat on top so you’re always going to be looking at a fair few hundred cals. However many are well over 1000 cals. If you’re trying to lose weight and tracking calories then it’s hard to accommodate that many calories for one meal. So instead of going for a pizza to yourself consider either sharing or having half a pizza and a side salad, or if they do it go for the ‘skinny’ options some chain restaurants offer which include salad with a smaller amount of pizza. You’re still going to be looking at 700 plus cals for many flavours – but that’s still a calorie saving, without massively impacting taste or enjoyment! And as a bonus it won’t leave you feeling over stuffed.

By making small swaps and compromises your social occasions can easily fit into your lifestyle long term. I guarantee you’ll feel just as satisfied and you’ll probably feel a lot less guilty the day after (not that I’m suggesting you should ever subject yourself to guilt for what you eat but the reality is most of us do feel that way). So if you’re trying to lose weight just consider looking for some of these lower calorie options of your favourites!

Enjoy!

🤗

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Targeted Fat loss

April 18, 2023 Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Targeted Fat loss 🎯

Almost all of us struggle with localized areas of stubborn fat that just won’t seem to shift. We often have a desire to eliminate those areas for either aesthetic or health reasons – this is known as spot reduction.

Sadly there is no such thing as spot reduction – or losing fat in specific chosen areas e.g. you can’t target only belly fat, or just thigh fat. The only way to lose fat in those areas is to lose fat overall, via a calorie deficit. Those areas will eventually lose fat but it may take much longer and requires greater overall fat loss.

Various studies in 2017, 2018 and 2019 review concluded that spot reduction is not possible, that abdominal exercises for example do not significantly reduce belly fat, and that HIIT doesn’t lead to a reduction in leg or belly fat. All it does is work the muscles underneath (which means if you do lose fat they’ll look more ‘toned’ but it doesn’t reduce the fat itself).

Fat distribution is largely determined by genetics (and hormones to a degree) and cannot be changed through exercise or diet alone. This means that individuals with uneven fat distribution will struggle to lose fat in specific areas. So, if you feel you are already at a fat level/bodyweight you’re happy with overall but just want to get rid of stubborn areas of fat, you will need to lose more body fat. This however will require a greater effort, work and greater sacrifices and sometimes this may not be worth the trade off. So you have to decide – is having a slightly smaller belly, thighs, arms etc worth the sacrifice you’ll have to make in calories? If the answer is yes then go for it! If the answer is no then stop trying to target those areas with exercise as it’s not achieving anything and instead just embrace those areas!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘I’ve had so many naughty snacks’…

April 12, 2023April 11, 2023 Dr Nancy P

‘I’ve had so many naughty snacks’… 😈

With Easter just behind us I’m hearing a lot of people saying how ‘naughty’ they’ve been or how they’ve been having lots of ‘naughty’ snacks. When you’re trying to lose fat it’s natural to try to avoid ‘junk’ food or foods high in sugar and fat. One such ‘naughty’ snack is the Cadbury chocolate orange mousse bunny . It’s chocolate so very often it’s perceived as a bad thing to be eating and is therefore accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame. But eating the cacao and almond ball is viewed as healthy and something to feel virtuous about.

In reality in terms of calories, sugar and fat the ‘healthy’ snack is not really much better than the chocolate! Yes the cacao ball has a little more protein (which can help you feel fuller for longer), and more micronutrients, so it is a slightly more balanced snack, but that doesn’t mean the chocolate is necessarily a bad option. Contrary to what many people may think the chocolate also has less sugar too (again something that is often vilified unnecessarily). The calories are very similar between the two.

Overall calories and overall nutrition across your entire diet are what count – and if you’re trying to lose fat you need to be in a calorie deficit – and in that scenario either would probably be fine if you have enough calories for an approximately 170 cal snack, especially if you’re eating a balanced diet and getting protein and the other nutrients in your other meals.

Emotional well being is also important and depriving yourself of foods you enjoy and instead choosing the cacao ball under the misguided impression that it’s a healthier option or isn’t good for long term sustainability or a healthy approach to food.

As an additional aside – the bunny is only 40p and the cacao ball is £1.85! So you’re saving yourself a good few pennies too!

So if you have a few Easter chocolate bunnies still hopping around at home don’t feel guilty about eating them!🤗

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Don’t exercise to earn food

April 11, 2023 Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Don’t exercise to earn food 🍫

With the recent Easter weekend there will undoubtedly be a lot of talk of exercising to ‘burn off’ those Easter eggs. In fact the media usually produces a list of activities and the equivalent amount of Easter chocolate it would burn. This is actually totally misguided and a really bad way to approach food and weight loss. Aside from the fact that it’s almost impossible to out exercise diet (mainly because we grossly over estimate the amount of calories we burn exercising) it’s also an extremely unhealthy relationship to foster between food and exercise.

If you are choosing to eat something you enjoy, that you want to eat and that fits into a balanced, flexible diet then eat it! You do not need to earn or burn your food with exercise. Food and exercise do not exist in an exchange-based system.

Choose exercise that you enjoy – if running isn’t your thing then walk, if you hate spin classes then try a different class etc. Eat to
nourish and fuel your body, it will then use that fuel as needed on a daily basis. So don’t skip lunch because you missed a workout that day or avoid dessert because you skipped the gym. Remember that your body still needs fuel to function – to fuel the brain, to fuel your muscles to get you from a to b, to fuel all your bodily functions. And remember that you won’t have actually burned as many calories exercising as you think anyway so it’s a futile effort.

So the next time you workout think to yourself – why am I exercising? Is it to feel good? Is it to relieve stress? Is it to move your body in a way that feels good? Or is it punishment or to earn/burn food?

Eat to fuel your body, and exercise because you enjoy it. In regards to that Easter chocolate you may have eaten – view it as fuel to help you workout IF you want to – not something you have to exercise to burn off!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx