Category: Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

I’ve been good….

Dr Nancy P

I’ve been good…. 🤔

It’s very easy to get sucked into the idea that certain foods are inherently “good” and others are “bad”. I hear this sort of thing so often… a client may be feeling pleased that they’ve had a “good” snack – raisins, cashews and a protein smoothie. On another day they would be beating themselves up because they had a really “bad” day because they had a Mcdonald’s for lunch. The often feel like they’re blown everything, they’re disappointed and angry with themselves and feeling guilty.

Now I’m not suggesting a Mcdonalds is a “healthy” option, nor am I suggesting it’s got more nutritional benefits than the fruit and nuts. They’re both very different nutritionally, and they both taste very different too. But for many people trying to lose fat or weight they might naturally assume that the McDonald’s is a terrible option and that by having it they’ve ruined their day (diet -wise). Whereas if they chose the fruit, nuts and smoothie they would be feeling guilt-free and virtuous and like they were on track. However in actual fact the good snack has more calories and a lot more sugar, than the 6 nuggets, small fries and coke. The McDonald’s does have more fat and less protein, but is fewer calories overall.

So if you had to grab a McDonald’s (or just fancied one) it’s not THAT bad. I’m certainly not suggesting your whole diet be made up of “junk food”, but it’s important to be aware of the facts to avoid unnecessary guilt. And remember that lots of the foods we perceive as being “good” or “healthy” may in fact be higher calorie and therefore unhelpful for weight loss if you’re consuming them without realising the calories. At the end of the day, as always, it comes down to calories. If you want to lose fat or weight, then you need to be at a calorie deficit. It’s important to still have foods you enjoy as part of an overall balanced diet. So don’t sweat it if you end up with a McDonald’s now and then if you want it, but then have a dinner with a range of whole foods and vegetables etc.

Be curious about what you’re putting in your body, look at the nutritional labels on food and don’t always assume the “health” food is the best choice.

🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

What you need to lose fat/ get fit…

Dr Nancy P

What you need to lose fat/ get fit… 🏋🏻‍♀️

At this time of year, and even more so during lockdown, social media is FULL of “guaranteed” ways you can lose weight/fat and/or get fit. You’ll see plenty of self proclaimed fitness/health/well being “coaches” and influencers trying to suggest you really need to do whatever it is they’re selling. For example:

Replacing whole foods with Juice Cleanses / Shakes / Supplements can result in fewer calories and rapid initial water loss and a possible calorie deficit from meal replacement. Supplements provide a laxative effect or promote excessive bowel movements etc which result in water loss.

“Detoxes” (cutting certain things from your diet (like meat or carbs) or taking certain products) allegedly remove toxins from your body and cause fat loss. Fad diets/ diet clubs (5:2, intermittent fasting, slimming world, WW etc) often restrict the window of time you can eat, what you eat, or assign points/labels to certain foods. They usually involve regular weigh ins or rewards of some type.

Diet or fitness based challenges are also very popular, 7 day, 21 day, 30 day etc e.g. 30 day squat challenges etc. They can be great fun, but more often than not they’re just a hook to get you into a ‘private’ group or to sign up for longer term plan later.

All of these things can result in fat loss, but how many of them are sustainable long term, educate you on managing energy intake, fit your lifestyle and build new long term habits? Some are actually damaging: laxative supplements and fasting can cause bowel damage, kidney damage and development of silent acid reflux etc, as well as promoting disordered eating. And almost all require you to spend money.

Obviously if you want to do any of these things then go for it, but you really don’t need to. All you need is a calorie deficit, to move a bit more than you do now (any way you enjoy), to have functioning organs (if you didn’t you’d be hospitalised so don’t fret!) and to eat a balanced diet. That includes all the things you enjoy eating, but in moderation. So skip the expensive fads and focus on these fundamentals! 🙂

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Practical New Year’s Resolutions…

Dr Nancy P

Practical New Year’s Resolutions… ⭐️

It’s January which means many of us are full of New Year’s resolutions and wanting to make a fresh start at health and fitness. Often these resolutions will be things like to “lose weight” or to “get fit” or perhaps “eat healthier’. Now whilst these are all great goals they’re quite hard to achieve without some practical steps. They’re outcomes of changes you need to make rather than actual resolutions per se.

So if you are making New Year’s resolutions about your health and fitness, then instead of making generalised statements try to focus instead on small actions you can take every day that will lead to those end goals.

So instead of resolving to lose weight, perhaps instead resolve to identify where the excess calories are in your diet. Are they coming from alcohol? Extra snacks? Take aways? Portion sizes? And then you can take steps to reduce them and therefore reduce your calorie intake (leading to fat and weight loss).

Instead of resolving to “get fit”, instead focus on upping your daily steps. Rather than choosing an arbitrary goal of 10,000 steps, instead commit to increasing your steps. If you’re already hitting 12,000 steps a day then aim for 14,000, if you’re getting 4,000 aim for 6,000 etc. Also consider adding some exercise 1-3 times a week. It doesn’t matter what that exercise is really just pick something you actually enjoy; dancing, running, weight lifting, swimming cycling etc.

Rather than resolving to “Eat healthier” commit to adding a portion of fruit or veg to every meal. Aside from the fact that it will increase your overall nutrition, it will increase fibre levels, and will probably help reduce overall calories as by filling some of your plate with fruit and veg you’re going to eat less of other, more calorie dense foods.

This approach is far better than making massive changes, subscribing to fad diets/detoxes/challenges etc which may well cause you to lose weight quickly but will also see you putting that weight back on once you’re back to eating normally again. Take small sustainable steps and you’ll find you’ll hit your goals and be able to maintain it within your lifestyle too! 🙂

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Happy New Year!

Dr Nancy P

Happy New Year! 🥂🥳

Another short and sweet one today for the upcoming New Year. I’m sure a few glasses of Champagne will be raised tomorrow night after the year we’ve all had! Enjoy! And at only 95 calories a glass it’s a bargain!

Happy New year 🥳🎉🌟xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Healthy Christmas brekkie….

Dr Nancy P

Healthy Christmas brekkie…. 🍫

Short and sweet (literally) today as it’s nearly Christmas! And I thought it might be good to offer a little reminder that it doesn’t always have to be about the nutritional value of the food you’re eating. Food serves a purpose beyond pure fuel – it’s also an emotional activity. We enjoy eating and we enjoy food, and we enjoy the associations we make with food.

So you could wake up on Christmas morning and have a nutrition breakfast of greek yoghurt, fruit and a little muesli, with a small cappuccino. It will undoubtedly taste delicious and set you up for your day. Or, because it’s Christmas, you could decide you’d rather enjoy the perfectly acceptable breakfast of a bag of chocolate coins! It’s only a day, and unless you’re eating chocolate coins for breakfast everyday you’ll be fine. And as you can see from the comparison – if calories are what’s important to you – the coins are lower anyway! lol!

Enjoy! Merry Christmas 🎄🍫xx