Tuesday Tip: Protein for breakfast? 🍳

Should you eat protein for breakfast? This is a question I often get from clients and there’s a lot of info in the media suggesting we should but do we really need to? A recent study has reviewed the impact on protein consumption at breakfast on muscle strength and health,

They found that sufficient protein intake was linked to increased muscle mass, especially in older adults. It found that if the total amount of protein consumed over the day was sufficient then it didn’t matter when it was consumed. So for those meeting their protein goals, missing protein at breakfast won’t have much of an impact if their daily total is enough.

Protein itself is essential, especially for maintaining and building muscle, so it helps with recovery and is also great at keeping you feeling full. But the reality is most people’s diet includes more than enough protein as it is. Average daily recommended intake is 55g for men and 45g for women’s (with heavy exercisers needing a bit more: 1.2 – 1.7g per kg body weight). It’s not hard to get that in your meals e.g. 1 egg: 6g, 1 chicken breast: 20g, 30g cheddar cheese: 7.5g, 1 serving cooked beef mince: 18g, 1/2 pot cottage cheese: 18g, 1 tin of tuna: 25g, 1 serving Greek yogurt: 18g etc.

The only possible benefit to having it at breakfast is its ability to help keep you fuller for longer which may help with sticking to your calories later in the day.

If you enjoy your current breakfast and it works for you then adding protein probably isn’t necessary. If you’re already eating a good diet then all you’re doing is taking on extra calories you don’t need, which could stall your weight loss attempts.

So if you’re eating a balanced diet, and working out at a normal level (i.e. not an Olympic athlete!), and your current brekkie satisfies you, then don’t stress about when you have your protein.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip: Maintain to lose 🤔

Believe it or not weight loss isn’t actually about dieting – it’s about maintenance. People wrongly assume that maintenance is something you do once you’ve reached your goal weight, when in reality maintenance begins on day one of your ‘diet’

Quick fixes and fad diets are really appealing and everyone wants to feel better about themselves as quickly as possible – I get that. But what then? You start a new ‘diet’ and do it religiously for weeks or months, then the diet ends and you go right back to ‘normal’ eating again and your old behaviours and you gain the weight back.

Think about it – your ‘normal’ behaviour and eating hasn’t helped so far has it? Otherwise you wouldn’t be wanting to diet to lose weight. So a quick fix fad diet and then returning to it isn’t the answer to life long weight loss. That’s the issue with these diet clubs / shakes/ cleanses / trendy diets – none of them actually address the root cause of why you’re overweight or the behaviours and habits that have got you there.

The reality is the habits and behaviours that help you lose weight are the ones that will help you maintain it as well. You can’t expect to keep the weight off if nothing has changed. I often tell my clients they need to behave like the ‘slimmer’ / ‘fitter’ / ‘stronger’ (whatever THEIR goal is) version of themselves . What would that person do? That person probably can’t get away with 3 takeaways a week, or boozy lunches at the weekend etc. It’s about finding things you enjoy (both food and exercise) that fit into your goal lifestyle. Swapping behaviours and habits for new ones. For example – not restricting foods you enjoy, but learning to include them as part of your eating plan, trying to be as physically active as possible for you generally and doing exercise you enjoy etc

Don’t waste your money on fads and quick fixes. Instead look at how you’re approaching your fitness and diet goals and ask yourself – is this something I can maintain for the long term? Because if it isn’t, you’re going to struggle to make (and later maintain) progress.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx