Best Macros for weight loss ? 📊

Clients often ask me whether, in addition to how many calories they should aim for, what proportion of macros they need to hit i.e. amounts of protein, carbs and fat. Well like most things concerning nutrition there is no one size fits all but essentially it’s whatever suits your lifestyle.

So first off why might you want to track macros? Well if you are an athlete or are trying to build serious amounts of muscle then yes it may be useful to track your macros as you may need to ensure you’re getting sufficient amounts of carbs to fuel your training or enough protein to ensure muscle building. However for the vast majority of us who are exercising for health and enjoyment or just trying to lose weight then there is no need to hit certain amounts or track them.

If you enjoy data and find that keeping track of macros helps you stay on track generally then of course go for it! If you have an interest in seeing how your body responds to different macro ratios then absolutely go ahead and track them and play around with the percentages of each one. If however you’re trying to lose weight then you don’t actually need such a high degree of control over the details. Tracking calories and hitting a specific calorie deficit itself can be enough of a challenge, and I’ve found if you then ask people to try to hit certain protein or carb ratios on top of that it can become too much. The amount of focus, concentration and planning required can mean it becomes unsustainable and ultimately leads to failure. It can also lead to burn out, disordered eating behaviour and severely limits social life and enjoyment. In addition the database in these tracking apps is often not accurate enough anyway to allow such a high degree of macro manipulation.

For most people, a balanced diet will be providing plenty of protein, carbs and fat and getting hung up on whether you’re hitting 50 percent or 45 percent protein or carbs etc is really meaningless. A focus on more protein based foods/snacks can help with feelings of fullness and therefore help prevent overeating but you can do that by simply choosing higher protein foods if you so wish.

So in short, don’t stress about the macros. Focus on hitting a calorie deficit and just ensure you’re eating a balanced diet including protein, fats and carbs, nutritious whole foods, fruits and veggies, and foods you also enjoy (even so called ‘junk’ foods).

Enjoy 🤗

Xx

‘Healthy’ rice cakes vs ‘naughty’ chocolate…. 🍫

We all have cravings for certain foods or drinks at certain times. It may be for chocolate, biscuits, cheese, toast, wine – etc, whatever it is it’s usually perceived as a “naughty” food.

If you’re trying to lose fat/weight then when a chocolate craving hits you may avoid it at all costs. Why? because it’s “naughty”. It’s not a snack packed with protein or fats, or vitamins or all those things we know we should be eating. It’s full of sugar (omg!) so it is definitely evil and must be avoided at all costs…..So you avoid it. But you’ve heard rice cakes are a healthy snack and there are some dark chocolate covered ones so you have 3 of them instead and feel virtuous.

Whilst they’re pretty tasty you didn’t really

went a dark chocolate rice cake – you wanted some dairy milk! But it’s ok cos at least you’ve made a good decision in terms

of your weight loss goals…. Or have you ?

A 45g bar of dairymilk is 240 cals, whereas 3 dark chocolate rice cakes are 243 cals (and they come in a packet of 6 so if you’re anything like me you’d probably have the whole packet). So you haven’t actually saved yourself anything by avoiding the chocolate – you’ve just made yourself miserable for no reason.

So, if you are craving chocolate then maybe just have it! You don’t need to earn it. You don’t need to justify it. Funnily enough, the more you label foods as ‘naughty’ and try to avoid these foods, the more power and the more the craving you’ll have for them. When you enjoy the foods you crave or want to eat without guilt, they begin to lose their power over you and your urge to overeat them diminishes. Over time, you’re able to eat anything, without eating everything.

Enjoy 🤗 Xx

If you want to lose weight… be boring! 🥱

I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear – but to be totally honest, the best way to actually see long term sustainable results when it comes to weight loss is to be really… boring!

When we start a new weight loss journey we expect it to be super exciting – and the act itself is – it’s exciting to be investing in yourself and your health – no question! But we also expect the day to day aspects of it to be exciting too – which is one reason trendy diets are so enticing. Exciting new meals, an exciting complex exercise regime full of weird and wonderful new exercises, exciting special supplements/drinks etc.

The reality is though that what really works is consistency and the best way to achieve that is by becoming more ‘boring’! And no I don’t mean you can’t go out and have fun or socialise – that’s still totally doable. What I mean is you need to eat roughly the same things at roughly the same times, do the same basic exercises/classes at the same times, go to bed and wake up at the same times, have the same morning routine etc (i.e. build habits and routine). So for example those that have most success will tend to have a base of say 10-20 meals that they like and enjoy that fit within their calories and they’ll stick to them. They’ll have a straightforward workout schedule of say 3/4 classes/sessions a week, focusing on the same basic exercises, they’ll have a similar sleep routine and morning routine most days. Obviously they’ll be days they go off piste but 80-90 percent of the time they are sticking to their routine.

Consistency over time is what achieves and sustains results. If you want to lose weight you have to work on habits and routines that support the new lower weight goal. Also by being ‘boring’ you also remove the ‘decision fatigue’ – so it becomes second nature. You don’t need to waste energy and time figuring out what to do all the time. You can focus your energy elsewhere.

So have a think – if you’re at the end of January and don’t feel you’re progressing maybe you need to embrace being ‘boring’ instead and simplify things!

Enjoy!

🤗

Xx

Eating certain foods doesn’t make you a ‘bad’ or a ‘good’ person… 🍩

I lose count of the number of times I hear clients tell me they’re ‘bad’ because they’ve eaten something they feel they shouldn’t have. How often do you eat something and label it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and by extension consider that you’ve been ‘good’ or ‘bad’?

If you succumb to a doughnut at coffee you tell yourself you’ve been ‘bad’ and that you’re a ‘bad’ person. Yet if you have an apple and some almonds (30g in this example) you’d be feeling very virtuous and like you’re a ‘good’ person.

It’s really time we stop labelling foods as good or bad. There are no good or bad foods. There are simply foods which contain a greater or fewer number of nutrients. The foods themselves aren’t bad – the quantities may be though. You are also not a bad person for eating those foods. It’s time we stop attributing some form of morality to snacks etc. What you eat or don’t eat has absolutely no bearing on your worth as a person. You’re not a bad person for snacking on a doughnut. You’re also not a good person for choosing an apple and almonds.

Yes the apple and almonds will have more fibre, more micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and and more protein. The doughnut undoubtedly has fewer vitamins and minerals, but it will provide you with energy and joy! If you were trying to hit a certain number of calories then the doughnut may even be a better choice as they’re fewer calories but neither is inherently good or bad. They both have a place in a balanced diet. The only reason to describe either as good or bad is in terms of how you think they actually taste! And personally I think they both taste good!

Enjoy!

🤗

Xx

Not all biscuits are created equal 🍪

There are more obviously more nutritious snacks than biscuits of course but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a biscuit with a cuppa when you fancy it. The natural assumption is that they’re ‘bad’ and not compatible with trying to lose weight. This is certainly not the case. The main issues with biscuits are usually that you almost eat them without noticing and therefore it’s really easy to eat more than you realise. Clients often say they can’t stop once they open a packet – I know that feeling! You start with one and before you know it you’ve hoovered up 4! However there’s quite a difference between having 4 party rings and 4 chocolate digestives!

The reality is that not all biscuits are created equal so being aware of the calories in various biscuits allows you to make a more informed choice. 4 party rings is only 112 cals which is easy to factor into your daily calories, whereas 4 chocolate digestives are 332 cals which is a much more significant amount. Being aware of the lower calorie options might just help enable you to enjoy a biscuit whilst still moving towards your weight loss goal.

So here are some of the more popular biscuits on the market (calories are for one biscuit) Oh and yes I know I’ve slipped the Jaffa cakes in there… which are officially cakes (for VAT purposes)… but I mean they’re clearly not are they 😉.. and whatever they are they’re still yummy with a cuppa.

The biscuits pictured are:
Party rings, lotus snack pack biscuits, Rich tea biscuits, Nice biscuits, Malted Milk biscuits, Jaffa cakes, Oreos, Custard Creams, Digestive biscuits, Hobnobs, Jamie Dodgers and Milk Chocolate Digestive biscuits.

So remember knowledge is power and biscuits are a perfectly good snack if you want them!

Xx