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Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Weekend pattern…

Dr Nancy P

Weekend pattern… 😬

Weekends are often the time when people feel like they ‘fall off the wagon’.

It’s natural – it’s often a time when you’re not at work, your routine is different, you’re relaxing and de-stressing from the week. Often there are lots of social events to navigate and it can become one big ‘cheat’ weekend.

It doesn’t have to be like that though and if you want to make long term, sustainable progress then you need to find a way to make weekends less of a blow out.

It’s common for people to undereat during the day, to starve themselves and save calories for the evening. Whilst it’s definitely a good idea to save a few calories for an evening out you do have to be careful how you do it. If you don’t eat all day you will arrive at the event starving hungry. This leads to overeating and binge type behaviour as you will struggle to maintain control. Instead have smaller, well balanced meals during the day and save some calories over the course of 3-4 days for a night out. Have a small snack before you go so you’re not starving hungry too.

Whilst it’s obviously fine to have a few drinks at the weekend the calories can really add up. Instead of having 4 or more drinks every evening over the weekend (which often stretches to Thursday night too right?) just limit yourself to 2-3 drinks … in total. You will save hundreds of calories and reduce the likelihood of alcohol induced munchies too!

Just because it’s the weekend and you’re relaxing doesn’t mean it has to be an entire ‘cheat’ day or weekend. I hate that term anyway – if you have a sustainable diet you don’t need to ‘cheat’. It just creates a bad relationship with food. Instead – incorporate all the things you enjoy in your diet ALL week in portions you can accommodate in your calories.

Instead of making all your social events focused on food try to find other ways to socialise with friends. Or consider meeting for drinks or dessert rather than whole meals? Try to stick to one meal out or takeaway a weekend rather than one every night.

Most importantly if you do overeat then try not to beat yourself up, feel guilty and then think ‘f*ck it’ and sabotage the rest of your weekend. You don’t need to wait until Monday to start. Just move on, make the next meal/snack a sensible one and get back on track. Take the time to plan for the week too so you have a sensible week ahead, rather than punishing yourself with an overly restrictively Monday just because you overate at the weekend.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

Enjoy

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Feeling ‘Fat’?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Feeling ‘Fat’? 🫣

We all have those days when we say to ourselves that we ‘just feel fat’, even though nothing about your body or the scale has changed? What you’re actually feeling usually isn’t fat, it’s stress, disconnection, or emotional overwhelm. It’s hard to sit with that emotion. Your brain often deflects that discomfort onto something more tangible – your body.

Here’s what your body might really be saying:

  • I’m tired
  • I need comfort
  • I feel vulnerable
  • I feel lonely
  • I feel sad
  • I miss feeling at peace in my own skin
    For many women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, our bodies have become battlegrounds shaped by years of diet culture, perfectionism, and unrealistic beauty standards.
    Research shows that up to 80% of women feel dissatisfied with their bodies, even when they’re at a healthy weight.

This constant sense of ‘not enough’ isn’t just about looks. It’s linked to mental health, confidence, and how fully we live our lives. Feeling ‘fat’ often reflects internal conflict, a clash between how we feel and what society tells us we should look like.

So what’s the fix?
Pause and try to identify the true feeling. This activates your brain’s logic centre which calms the emotional storm and helps you stop a spiral of self-criticism or unhelpful behaviours. Stop trying to fix your body. Start listening to it. Rest when you need to. Nourish it, don’t starve it. Move because it feels good, not because you feel guilty.

Next time you ‘feel fat’, pause and ask yourself is actually hurting right now? What and why is this coming
now? What do I really need?

The more compassion you give your body, the more freedom you’ll find living in it.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Recipes

Trick or treat? ..

Dr Nancy P

Trick or treat? ..🎃🍫

It’s pumpkin season and there’s a multitude of pumpkin spice snacks out there. Pumpkin is often promoted as a health food (pumpkin itself does indeed have many health benefits) and there are lots of snack bars out there that are marketed to imply that they are a “healthy” choice. This is a perfect example – this bar definitely looks like it’s a healthy choice. It’s got nuts and pumpkin seeds in it – great for good fats, vitamin A, and a host of other benefits.

So you might decide to reach for this rather than reaching for a pumpkin spice caramel chocolate square thinking it was a better choice. Well that may not always be the case.

It does contain a good range of nutrients (and fat and sugar) and is definitely a good snack to give you energy and keep you full and will cost you 202 cals. But you could actually have 2 of these chocolate caramel squares for fewer calories. So if you were trying to lose fat/weight and looking for a snack, then rather than reaching for a “healthy” snack bar when you don’t fancy it, you’d be better off just going for a snack you actually want – like the chocolates if that’s what you fancy. And if you do want the ‘healthy’ bars then be sure to read the labels carefully as some are extremely high in calories.

Ultimately, if you’re trying to lose fat or weight, it comes down to calories. So enjoy a balanced diet overall and just be mindful of the calories in what you’re having.

Happy Hallowe’en 🤗
xxx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Pilates to build muscle?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Pilates to build muscle? 💪

Pilates is elegant, challenging, and amazing for mobility and core control but can it replace traditional strength training for muscle growth and strength? Social media says yes but let’s see what the evidence says.

#1 How Pilates Builds Strength

Pilates uses bodyweight, springs, and controlled movement to improve balance, stability, and endurance. You’ll definitely feel it especially in your core and smaller stabilizing muscles. But feeling the burn doesn’t always equal muscle growth. Research shows Pilates improves functional strength and posture, but not maximal strength (how much weight you can lift). Without heavier resistance or progressive overload, the larger muscle groups (glutes, quads, lats) don’t get the same challenge.

#2 What About Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)?

To build muscle, your body needs enough tension and load to trigger adaptation. Traditional resistance training (using weights, bands, or machines) creates that through progressive overload (gradually lifting more over time). Pilates, while great for endurance, doesn’t generate the same muscle stimulus. You might see small changes if you’re new to exercise, but not the same growth or metabolic boost that comes from lifting. When we look at research on strength, lean muscle gain, cardiovascular improvements, and bone density, Pilates falls short compared to traditional resistance training and conditioning.

#3 The Best of Both Worlds

Does that mean ditch Pilates? Not at all. Think of Pilates as the side salad, not the main course. It’s perfect for improving mobility, posture, core control which are all vital. But if your goals include muscle gain, bone strength, or boosting metabolism (and these should be everyone’s goals to age well)make resistance training your foundation and let Pilates complement it.

Pilates is fantastic for core strength and movement quality but for real gains in muscle and strength, weights still win. So don’t listen to social media and think you can rely solely on Pilates. If you love Pilates then combine both, and you’ll have a balanced, powerful body for life.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘I’m trying to lose weight so I’m avoiding carbs ….’

Dr Nancy P

‘I’m trying to lose weight so I’m avoiding carbs ….’ 🍞

There is a common misconception that carbs are inherently ‘bad’ and that in order to lose weight you need to cut them out or avoid them completely. This usually means people cut out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc.

However they continue to eat fruit and veg without thinking twice when many actually contain more carbs. For example compared to a slice of bread a small Banana contains more calories, 3 times as many carbs and 15 times as much sugar! Now that doesn’t make the banana bad either – but why would you avoid the bread if you like it, yet happily eat the banana if you’re trying to avoid carbs?

In reality there is no reason at all to cut carbs from your diet. You can lose weight with or without carbs – it’s all about calories. Now obviously some people have medical reasons to avoid things like bread (coeliacs etc) but for the majority of people these foods are fine. The reason you may see weight loss when cutting these sorts of carbs is simply because you’re reducing your overall calorie intake. However unless you never want to eat carbs again then you’re not really setting yourself up for sustainable, long term weight management.

Obviously different carbs have different pros and cons – complex carbs will keep you fuller longer, whilst simple carbs (fruits mostly) will provide a faster hit of energy, you’ll get different nutrients from the different types too.

It’s important to have a balanced diet – including a range of carbs from bread to fruit. What works for you may not work for someone else and you may prefer to reduce consumption of carbs, but it’s important to be informed about what’s actually in the food you’re eating before you make that choice. Cutting out whole food groups is never a sensible or sustainable approach though.

Personally I enjoy all sorts of carbs – from bread, to fruit, to pasta, to potatoes – to doughnuts! Eat the carbs you like and enjoy and just be mindful of the calories! 🤗
Xx