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Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘It’s not worth recording…..’

Dr Nancy P

‘It’s not worth recording…..’ ☕️

If you’re trying to lose fat and are working on reducing calories then you’re probably going to be recording your cals somehow. But are you really recording everything? It’s very easy to overlook some things because they seem so insignificant.

This is just an example of an average week for many people and where extra calories can sneak in. An extra spoonful of granola with brekkie every day (282 cals), a dash of milk in your tea or coffee (assuming 2 cups a day – 560 cals), a scraping of mayonnaise on your lunchtime sandwich (3 times a week – 300 cals), a slug of oil for cooking (3 meals – 360 cals), a sneaky spoonful of peanut butter because you’re hungry (237 cals), low sugar squash (a mere 18 cals for 100ml, but 3 litres of squash over the week – 540 cals), a few cashew nuts in the afternoon (a few every day – 221 cals), a squirt of ketchup with meals (5 meals – 172 cals), a drizzle of dressing on salads (3 salads – 540 cals), and finally gravy or similar sauces on your Sunday Roast (200 cals)…. That little lot totals 3, 412 cals over the course of a week. And let’s be honest for many of us we probably have even more of some of these….

But hey, they’re not worth recording right? Wrong! A sensible calorie deficit for fat loss is around 200 – 300 cals per day. With this little lot you’ve wiped out your weekly deficit without even noticing. All these little extras sneak in without really affecting how full we feel and without us noticing but they can really add up.

So if you are trying to lose fat, or your fat (weight) loss has stalled perhaps go back to basics and double check where some little extras could be coming in? And be a bit more mindful of these, or simply record them and have them within your daily calories. 🤗
Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: How Much Cardio Is Actually Enough?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: How Much Cardio Is Actually Enough? ❤️‍🔥

Cardio gets a bad rap, either it’s too much, or it’s too little, or it prevents muscle gain, or wrecks your hormones, or even wastes your time and it seems it’s trendy now to avoid cardio. But is it really bad? Nope!

1. Cardio Is Necessary (Not Optional)

Cardio isn’t punishment and it isn’t the enemy of strength. Your heart, lungs, muscles, mitochondria, and brain all need it. Regular cardio lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and early death and improves performance both in and out of the gym.

2. The Guidelines are the minimum

For general health, the evidence-based minimum is 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity cardio, or

75 minutes/week of vigorous cardio, or A mix of both (1 min vigorous ≈ 2 min moderate).

These are minimums but being below them doesn’t make it pointless – every bit counts. Hitting them is great but going beyond them if you have the time and capacity can bring extra benefits.

3. More Can Help

Up to approx 300 minutes/week is associated with greater improvements in aerobic fitness, VO₂ max (a strong predictor of longevity), and mental health. Beyond that, benefits tend to plateau so you don’t need to go mental.

4. What Actually Counts as Cardio

Cardio is any activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it there. Moderate is roughly 50–70% of max HR, whilst vigorous is 70–85%.

Options include brisk walking, cycling, swimming, hiking, running, intervals, rowing, dancing—if your heart rate is up, it counts. Short bouts matter too and even 2–10 minute bits add up, especially across the day.

5. It’s About Fitness

Intensity matters – the goal isn’t just to ‘do cardio’ but to Iomprove aerobic capacity, build mitochondrial density and increase VO₂ max. Ultimately you want to be able to do more in life with less effort


Cardio isn’t punishment and just because it’s not trendy on social media doesn’t make it pointless . Aim for consistency first, and do something, progress when you can, and train in ways you actually enjoy. Your future heart will thank you!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Body Composition Changes: Is it Ageing or Menopause?

Dr Nancy P

Body Composition Changes: Is it Ageing or Menopause? 🤔

The top trendy topic at the moment on social media is menopause. There’s a strong tendency to blame changes in body composition — losing muscle, gaining fat, feeling ‘different’ in your body on menopause. And it’s completely understandable. It’s a big life transition, symptoms can be tough, and your body may not respond the way it once did. But how much of this is due to menopause and how much is just ageing which affects men and women? Why does it matter? Because people are preying on menopausal women and selling magic supplements and training programs as a way to make money.

On average, men and women actually lose muscle with age at a very similar rate. Body fat percentage also tends to increase gradually over time in both sexes at similar rates . In other words, many of the changes we notice are driven by aging itself rather than menopause alone.

That doesn’t mean menopause is irrelevant, far from it. Hormonal changes can affect where fat is stored, often leading to more central or abdominal fat gain, which can feel especially frustrating. Menopausal symptoms like poor sleep, low mood, hot flushes, joint pain, or fatigue can also make it harder to train consistently or stick to usual eating habits. That disruption can absolutely influence results because it impacts your behaviour and diet.

But it’s good news because it means women aren’t doomed, broken, or ‘past it’. Men and women of all ages can gain muscle with effective resistance training. Body fat can be reduced with a sensible calorie deficit. Progress may look slower, and strategies may need adjusting, but the fundamentals still work.
So rather than blaming menopause or feeling defeated, focus on what is within your control- sensible training, adequate protein, enough calories to fuel life, and realistic expectations. The power of exercise and nutrition is unequivocal for everyone, at any age.

🤗xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Does Exercise Variety Matter?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Does Exercise Variety Matter? 🏃‍♀️🏋️‍♂️

We often hear that more exercise is better. More steps, more minutes, more sweat. But a new study published in BMJ Medicine (2026) suggests that it’s a little more nuanced. It’s not just how much you move, but how many different ways you move that may matter for long-term health and longevity.

So what did the researchers actually find?

# 1 Variety Was Linked to Lower Mortality.

People who engaged in the widest range of physical activities had a 19% lower risk of death from all causes, and a 13–41% lower risk of dying from major causes such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory illness. That’s a meaningful difference, linked not to extreme training, but to diversity of movement.

# 2 More Isn’t Always Better.

Interestingly, the relationship wasn’t perfectly linear. Benefits didn’t increase endlessly with more activity. Instead, there appeared to be a ‘sweet spot’ where gains levelled off. This challenges the idea that you always need to keep pushing harder to get health benefits.

# 3 Active People Had Fewer Risk Factors.

Those with higher overall activity levels were also less likely to smoke, and less likely to have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. While this doesn’t prove cause and effect, it highlights how movement often clusters with other healthy behaviours.

# 4 The Bigger Message

Being active in itself is beneficial. Long-term engagement in multiple types of physical activity may help extend lifespan.

So don’t just aim for MORE movement, aim for different movement. Think walking, cardio, strength, mobility, HIIT etc. Your body adapts best when it’s challenged in varied ways. No extremes required. Just consistency, variety, and movement you actually enjoy.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘It’s only a little sauce on the side, and a bit of oil for cooking – I don’t need to track that…’

Dr Nancy P

‘It’s only a little sauce on the side, and a bit of oil for cooking – I don’t need to track that…’ 🤔

If you’re hoping to lose fat in a sustainable way you need to be aiming for a deficit of around 200-300 cals a day. Most people are pretty good at tracking the big stuff – the sandwich, the packet of crisps, the porridge for breakfast etc but how often do we overlook the little stuff. That little bit of ketchup on the side, that chilli sauce on your rice, that dash of oil in the pan…. And how often when you’re trying to lose fat do you deny yourself something you really want simply because you’re ‘on a diet’.

A cheeseburger comes in at around 805 cals – this is something you may not feel you can have whilst on your ‘diet’ and yet you probably don’t even think twice about the 1,284 cals you might rack up in sauces and oil (and tbh that’s a conservative estimate on the oil!). In one week that’s your whole deficit gone and you may not even realise it.

I always tell my clients to track everything – right down to the oil they’re cooking with as that can be the difference. So if you’re tracking cals and hoping to lose fat make sure you include these, and if you’re just trying to cut some cals maybe they’re a good place to start being more mindful too?

Oh and if you fancy a cheeseburger – just factor it in to your calories and have it! 🤗

Remember – calories count! 🤗xx