‘Diet’ red flags 🚩

Diet culture is full of ‘solutions’ for weight loss. People pray on people’s desire for ‘guaranteed’ fixes and social media is FULL of “guaranteed” ways you can lose weight/fat. 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.

There are a number of red flags to look out for when thinking about ‘dieting’.

Replacing whole foods with Juice Cleanses / Supplements or going on a ‘detox’ can result in fewer calories and rapid initial water loss and a possible calorie deficit from meal replacement. Supplements may also provide a laxative effect or promote excessive bowel movements etc which result in water loss. None of which are sustainable or healthy long term aproaches
to weight loss.

Labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or having ‘cheat’ meals are other terms to be wary of.
No food is good or bad – all foods are good, it’s just about quantity. Food and morality have nothing to do with each other and we shouldn’t attach guilt to eating certain types of food which we enjoy.

Excluding whole food groups (carbs/sugar/ etc) is also unnecessary and unsustainable. Unless you have a medically diagnoses reason to exclude a food then all foods can fit into a healthy diet.

Labelling foods and taking about diets and foods in these ways that cast judgment just leads to increased anxiety and confusion. Allow yourself food freedom, remove the guilt from certain foods and accept that all foods are permitted – it will lead to a far healthier relationship with food and a far happier path to weight loss. It also means you can save your pennies and avoid paying people for these products which make promises they can’t deliver.

🤗
xx

‘One Medium Avocado…’ 🥑

If you like them then avocados make a great addition to your meals. They’re full of unsaturated fats, high in fibre and vitamins C, E and K. They’re also high in magnesium and folate.

However, if you are trying to lose fat/weight and watching those cals then it’s worth just being aware that avocados can pack a punch when it comes to calories and they also vary significantly. If you’re using a calorie tracking app you’ll often find entries like ‘one medium avocado’ or ‘half a medium avocado ’ with the associated calories. You’d probably just enter that and assume you were pretty much right. But what exactly is ‘medium’? Medium to me may be small to someone else and the calorie differences are pretty significant!

The difference between these two avocados is nearly 100g and both are sold as ‘medium avocados’ – not small or large. So if you were regularly eating the larger one you’d be taking in almost 160 extra calories every time. That may not sound like much but over the course of a week or month that will add up. I’m not suggesting you stop having avocados if you like them – they’re fab! But just have a go at weighing your portion the next time you have some
avocado you have and see exactly how many calories it does contain.

Knowledge is power right? And if you’re trying to lower that bodyfat then every calorie counts! The more aware you are of what goes in to your mouth the better!
Enjoy 🤗
Xx

Ice creams / Lollies for 100 cals or less … 🍦

The weather has finally been warm lately so Ice creams and lollies have certainly formed a large part of mine and my client’s diets! There’s a perception that ice creams / lollies are ‘bad’ and something that is a bit ‘naughty’ so if you’re trying to lose weight you might deny yourself these cooling treats believing them to be ‘bad’ (aka high calorie). However, there’s no reason you have to give up ice creams and ice lollies to lose weight as it ultimately comes down to whether you’re in a calorie deficit.

Obviously there are many frozen desserts out there which are high calorie and some can be 300 cals or more. So if they’re on top of your main meals then you might end up racking up unwanted calories. However in this weather everyone needs a cold snack or dessert right? So if you do fancy an ice cream or lolly, but want to stay within your calories then here are a selection of lower calorie options at 100 cals or less. This list is by no means exhaustive – but it’s just a range of the options out there.

Oppo Salted Caramel balls 22 cals each
Mini milk 32 cals
Rocket lolly 39 cals
Mini twister lolly 39 cals
Fruit pastille lolly 57 cals
Little moons mochi balls 70 cals each
Fab lolly 75 cals
Regular twister lolly 76 cals
Jude mini ice cream tubes 70
Jude mini ice creams 94 cals
Exotic Solero lolly 98 cals
Calipo Lolly 100 cals

So you can fill up on ice lollies to stay cool this summer without worrying it’s going to derail your progress!
Enjoy 🤗
Xx

‘It’s only a couple of biscuits a day’…

A couple of biscuits with coffee or tea are a common staple of many homes and workplaces.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, biscuits on their own don’t make you fat, but if you’re having them by default, out of habit, on top of a diet which is already providing you with enough calories then you will gain fat (or fail to lose fat).

The issue with biscuits is that they’re so easy to munch through without even realising you’re doing it, it’s a quick few hundred cals you won’t even notice you’re having. You only need a deficit of 2-300 cals a day to see fat loss so that’s your potential deficit gone right there. Over the course of a month it’s a whopping 9,688 cals!

So, if you’re goal is fat loss, perhaps it’s worth just being a bit more mindful about those biscuits with your tea/coffee, or if you’re having them then log and count the calories and include them within your daily calorie goal! And if you are trying to cut calories then maybe those biscuits are an ‘easy’ cut to make.. just going for half the amount would save you over 4,500 cals…

Simple! Enjoy those biccies 🍪

What we think makes up calorie expenditure .. 🏃🏼‍♀️

When people think about energy expenditure (calories burnt) most people focus on exercise as being the most significant factor. Exercise obviously contributes to our calorie expenditure but for the majority of people, it is not a large percentage of total expenditure.

In reality exercise actually forms a small percentage of our total calorie burn. The majority of your calorie expenditure is from your basal or resting metabolic rate (BMR)- calories burned at rest for the body’s basic functions. A small portion comes from the thermic effect of food (TEF) – calories burned through the process of eating and digestion (this is 10% max). Exercise forms the smallest contribution – it’s dependant on how many workouts you do but usually less than 15%. The most significant contribution, aside from resting metabolic rate, comes from non-exercise activity thermogenesis – calories burned through movement that isn’t formal exercise. This includes fidgeting, standing, walking, house work, gardening etc) and accounts for 15 – 50% depending on how sedentary you are.

These percentages vary between individuals of course. For somebody who is mostly sedentary, then calorie expenditure from exercise and NEAT are much lower. Someone very active or with an active job will burn a large amount from NEAT.

For most people whilst your calorie expenditure might vary a bit day to day depending on whether you workout it’s not going to make a significant difference overall and is far less than a lot of people think.

What does this mean?

Well for a start it means it’s not the end of the world for your weight loss journey if you miss a workout. It’s also a reminder that exercise isn’t a great way to try to lose fat as it would take a huge amount of exercise to produce a significant calorie deficit (which is why what you eat is more important).

It’s also a good reminder that you don’t need to eat a lot less on days you don’t workout or a lot more on days that you do. You just need to have a sustainable calorie deficit on average. Separate the two – focus on food for weight loss, and exercise for health and well being.

Enjoy 🤗

Xx