Category: Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Can you boost your metabolism? 🤔

You may have read about various ways to boost your metabolism and burn more calories. But is this really possible?

‘Metabolism’ consists of 3 components:

⁃ 60-70 % basal/resting metabolic rate (bmr) – energy burnt at rest

⁃ 10 % Thermic effect of food (TEF) – energy burnt digesting/storing food.

⁃ 20-30% Activity Energy Expenditure (AEE) – 10-15 % is energy burnt through physical activity (intentional exercise) and the remainder is Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) -all activity that isn’t intentional exercise. NEAT is the most variable component of your metabolism and can account for 15% of total energy expenditure in sedentary individuals and up to 50% in active individuals.

Can you boost these? Short answer not by much sadly!

Your BMR is determined by age, sex, height, muscle mass, genetics which you can’t change much (I’ll come back to the muscle mass).

Eating more protein can increase your metabolic rate as it has the highest Themis effect (takes more cals to digest) BUT TEF only accounts for 10% of total energy expenditure. So this isn’t going to have a significant effect.

Increasing physical activity will increase your metabolic rate BUT, unless you train for several hours per day, the magnitude of this

increase isn’t as much as you think. What about increasing muscle mass? Well yes more muscle increases your BMR so you burn more at rest BUT again the overall impact isn’t as great as you’re led to believe. 1kg muscle burns around 13 cals per day so if you added 5kg muscle (which is a lot!) you’d be burning an extra 65 cals a day.

What about metabolism boosters/fat burners etc? The main ingredient in these “metabolism boosters” is caffeine. And while it’s true that caffeine has a “thermogenic effect” 100mg of caffeine only increases energy expenditure by 3-4% and it diminishes as you build a tolerance.

The one component that can significantly impact metabolic rate is NEAT (e.g. walking, standing, fidgeting, house work, gardening etc ). In studies most of the variability in energy expenditure between individuals is due to differing levels of NEAT which can vary by over 1000 calories per day.

So really the most significant impact on metabolism is to avoid being sedentary and to move more throughout the day like interspersing sitting with standing, taking

breaks to walk and move, using the stairs, etc. So avoid those expensive supplements and fad diets/exercise trends and stick to the basics!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip: Are you Dehydrated? 💧

Obviously the hot topic this week is the heat wave so it seemed wise to discuss hydration this week. Our body contains 5 litres of water and we can lose 2 in a single workout. Dehydration is a risk, and once you’re thirsty you’ve probably already been dehydrated for a while. So what should you watch for?

#1 Dry skin

Skin is 80% water so if you’re not drinking enough your skin will show it; dull, peeling, dry skin can mean you’re dehydrated.

#2 Fewer loo trips

Kidneys use water to remove waste from blood. When dehydrated they don’t function as well and you’ll need fewer loo trips. So if you’re pee-ing less than normal, drink more!

#3 Dark pee

Generally the darker your urine the more dehydrated you are (some foods also colour your pee). You want straw coloured pee!

#4 Cramps

Muscles are 75% water. If you’re dehydrated the body will divert water and blood from muscles to essential organs so you’ll get cramps.

#5 Blood pressure changes

As you dehydrate your blood becomes thicker as the water-containing plasma becomes more concentrated. With less blood volume to pump blood pressure can drop making you dizzy or light headed.

#6 Headache

The brain is sensitive to the chemical changes lack of water causes, resulting in a headache, often in the back of the head and may get worse when you bend over. A sports drink or rehydration sachet will help.

#7 Constipation

Dehydration causes the intestinal cells to extract more water from food waste in the intestines, causing the waste to become hard, leading to constipation.

#8 Joint pain

Dehydration causes cartilage in joints to rub; weakening and wearing over time. Lack of water delays repair to these damaged joints, causing pain.

#9 Bad breath

If you don’t have enough water then you won’t have enough saliva, so you’ll get a dry mouth and bad breath.

#10 Fatigue

The brain is 85% water. Water deficiency can result in a reduction of the brain’s energy supply, which leads to fatigue, lethargy, and even depression.

Never drink the 2-3 litre daily water quota in one sitting, instead drink regularly, and eat hydrating foods e.g. melon, cucumber, grapes, celery etc.

Get Sipping!

Happy Tuesday!🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip: Macro Tracking? 📈

Clients often ask me whether, in addition to calorie tracking, they need to be tracking their macros i.e. amounts of protein, carbs and fat. As a general rule the answer is no – but like most things concerning nutrition there is no one size fits all.

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 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. 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 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).

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip: No Progress? 🤔

Are you stuck and not making progress? When things aren’t going the way you want it’s easy to give up, here’s a little kick up the backside to hopefully prevent that happening!

1 ‘I just need to find my motivation’

You don’t need motivation, you need action. Motivation isn’t going to magically appear; you have to decide to make a change. That will be what motivates you, not a pretty Insta quote (but we love them anyway 🤣).

2 ‘It’s not my fault…’

It may not be your fault but it is your responsibility. We can all find reasons why we can’t do things. Yes it may be harder for you; you might have a health condition or responsibilities that affect your ability to exercise/lose fat etc. But what’s the option? Not bothering just because it’s going to be harder? Of course not! Anything is better than nothing! 🤗

3 ‘I’m just not prepared to give up….’

Some things are going to have to change if you want your body to. The ‘you’ who has lost 10kg fat isn’t doing what you’re doing now, so if you want to get there you need to make changes. You have to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice; switch your 1200 tub of ice cream for a 320 cal one? Cut back on meals out? Switch tv time for a 30 min walk? The choice is yours.

4 ‘I just can’t say no…’

The main reason people don’t lose fat is because they can’t say no. ‘Fancy a cake with coffee?’, ‘want another drink?’, ‘how about a take away?’. Try saying no and choose something nice but lower in cals! Prove to yourself that you have the ability to choose!

5 ‘It’s been 3 days and I’ve lost no weight…’

The body you want is the sum of all the small actions you do today. Eating 300 fewer calories today, or going to the gym when you don’t want to, doesn’t seem like it’s getting you that result today, but do it consistently for 1, 2, or 3 months and it will.

Life happens, things get stressful – it happens to everyone. Don’t let that stop you doing something. Can’t make it to the gym? Do a 15 min walk, Blown your cals? Get straight back on it tomorrow. Do something, no matter how small, every day that takes you closer to your goal.

Happy Tuesday 🤗
Xx

Tuesday Tip : Reframe those goals 😃

When you’re at the start of a weight loss journey it can seem very overwhelming and almost impossible to achieve. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose (which is of course is a different figure for different people – a lot could be anything from 5 to 50 kg!) then focusing on that as your goal can actually be counter productive.

Rather than trying to lose 15kg why not try losing 1kg 15 times. That changes the perspective – losing 1kg feels achievable right? Once you’ve lost one kg then you lose the next kg etc. It all comes down to your mindset and that will dictate how you approach your weight loss journey, and that will determine whether you’re successful.

Take everything in bite size pieces and small steps. That goes not only for your goals but everything. Instead of trying to overhaul your entire diet and exercise routine just focus on one small change at a time. Maybe adding in an extra walk, or one exercise class a week for example? Or perhaps eating more veggies, or reducing the number of nights a week you drink alcohol, or just starting to track calories (even if not reducing them) etc. One step at at time makes things seem much more achievable and means you’ll feel more successful – which in turn means you will be less likely to give up after a few weeks!

Happy Tuesday🤗xx