Tag: calorieburn

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Don’t weigh yourself daily

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Don’t weigh yourself daily 🤗

I tell clients not to weigh themselves too often, or worry about short-term weight fluctuations, but why? Your body is 60% water and it’s one of the first things you lose (or gain). Fat mass can’t change overnight so being 1-2kg heavier in a day won’t be fat. Average water loss/gain over 24hrs ranges from 0.5 – 2.5 kg. To lose a 1/2 kg fat in a day you’d need to burn approx 4,500 cals; a massive extra calorie burn for one day! Water however is lost (and gained) due to:

#1 Low-carb diets – when you cut carbs you lose water as the body uses glycogen for energy. It’s stored with water so using it releases water which you pee out.

#2 Increased protein – Protein breakdown creates urea and nitrogenous waste which need water to be removed from the body – the water flushes them out, so more water is lost.

#3 Salt – If your diet is high salt your body will retain water to dilute the excess sodium e.g. a particularly carb heavy, high salt meal will lead to greater water retention. In addition high salt results in high blood pressure which long term can cause cardiovascular damage.

#4 Caffeine – is a mild diuretic i.e causes water loss and increased urination. This is more pronounced if new to caffeine. If you regularly drink it the effect will be small, but a very heavy coffee day could impact your water weight.

#5 Alcohol – this prevents the release of vasopressin, a pituitary hormone that regulates water loss. Water loss (dehydration) is a side effect of alcohol (hence the hangover) so this will reduce your water weight too.

#6 Exercise – if you exercise intensely, or in hot weather, you will sweat more and lose water. Try it – weigh yourself pre and post a really intense session and see how much water you’ve lost.

So it’s normal for water-weight to fluctuate which is why weighing daily or multiple times a day is pointless (and leads to unnecessary upset). Long term weight changes result from changes in fat and lean muscle so if you’re seeing big losses in only a day or so then you know it’s water loss, and if you wake up a few kg’s heavier than the day before you know that’s not fat either!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Turning fat in to muscle

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Turning fat in to muscle 💪🏼

How do you turn fat in to muscle?

Sadly you can’t! Fat is fat, muscle is muscle – totally different types of tissue. Both can be lost or gained – that’s it. So what’s happening when people say this? Well in reality people are losing some fat, and gaining some muscle, which is why it may seem like fat has “turned into” muscle. Fat is lost when you have a calorie deficit, muscle is gained by having a calorie surplus, working out (a muscle building stimulus) and having the raw materials to do it – protein. In most cases if you’re losing weight you are mostly losing fat, though if you are also upping your exercise then there will be some increase in muscle too – which is one reason why weight loss is often not a perfectly linear process. This will work best for those with a reasonable amount of fat to lose, on a moderate calorie deficit i.e. no starvation diets, who also increase their activity. This is what I design for many of my clients. It means you’ll be losing fat and also gaining a little muscle too. As muscle is denser than fat you’ll also shrink (they weigh the same… muscle just takes up less space than fat).

So what about when you stop working out? Does muscle magically turn in to fat?

Nope! it can’t! What happens though is if it’s short term your muscles are just less “pumped” so you “feel” fatter. Longer term you simply lose some muscle and probably gain some fat. This is because when you remove the stimulus which tells your body to build/maintain muscle (i.e. strenuous physical activity) you will lose the muscle mass. You’ll also end up burning fewer calories both through less activity, but also less muscle mass means a lower bmr (basal metabolic rate – i.e. calories burnt at rest), and so you are more likely to end up in a calorie surplus and put on fat.

The only way to prevent muscle being lost long term is to continue to workout! But you can prevent fat being gained – simply by ensuring you don’t eat more than your maintenance level of calories (easier said than done – though not impossible!)

So bottom line – fat can never be turned into muscle, and muscle is never turned into fat!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Meal frequency and weight loss

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Meal frequency and weight loss 🥘🥗

There’s lots of confusion about meal frequency and weight loss: eat more often to lose weight, or eat less often to lose weight? Actually how much you eat matters more than how often you eat. If you want to lose fat the most important thing is to reduce your calorie intake.

Eating more small meals = faster metabolism = more weight loss?

Sadly not – yes digestion increases metabolic rate BUT it depends on the amount of cals, not how often you eat. Eating 1200 cals in one meal or 3 small meals makes no difference. Studies have shown that when total cals are controlled eating more or less often makes no difference. What it might do though is affect your ability to stick to those calories!

Skipping meals is bad? Scientifically it’s not, it won’t suddenly cause you to enter starvation mode and magically store fat – it all comes down to calories. What it may do is make you hungrier later or cause you to snack more or make bad choices, equally it could mean you don’t have the energy to workout and make you less active, burning less cals. So stick to what works for you.

Consider eating less often if:

⁃ many small meals doesn’t fit your lifestyle

⁃ you don’t want to think about food all the time

⁃ you have any digestive problems (longer breaks between meals gives your body a chance to digest)

– you enjoy larger portions

Consider eating more often if:

– you struggle not to snack and want to spread your cals over the day

– you’re trying to gain weight and can’t eat enough in one meal

– you have an active job and high cal demands

– you’re an athlete

– you feel “hangry” all the time

There’s no magic number of meals per day for weight loss. Trust yourself – if you like smaller meals more often then go for it, if not stick to 3 meals or whatever. Whichever you choose though? stick to it as studies show that meal irregularity can have negative health impacts – so whether it’s 2, 3, or 6 meals a day that’s fine. But don’t forget – regardless of how many meals you split it in to, it’s the total calories that matter!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Satisfying Portions

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Satisfying Portions 🍲

Recent studies have shown that portion size is a major issue when it comes to weight gain (or lack of weight/ fat loss). So here are a few tips to curb your appetite but still feel satisfied?

#1 All the veg

Vegetables are not only low in calories, but filled with fibre and so great at filling you up. So try to make sure at least 50% of your plate is filled with veg: broccoli, green beans, asparagus etc are great, as are mushrooms, carrots, cucumber, salad etc. Also try snacking on carrot and cucumber while you’re preparing your meal to fill you up and stop you overeating.

#2 Clean eating can be dirty

Just because a food is touted as “clean” or a “superfood” doesn’t mean you have a free reign to eat as much as you like. Nuts and avocados are prime suspects here – yes they’re great for you, but the’re also full of fats (good fats) and calorie dense. So just be mindful of how much you’re eating of them.

#3 Have a treat

Don’t cut out the treats. Studies have shown that indulging in your favourite treats now and then can aid weight loss… IF you stick to measured portions and keep track of what you’re having. So if you fancy an ice cream – have it, just have a normal portion rather than the whole tub.

#4 Measure your food

Most of us aren’t as good as we think we are at judging weights and measures of food, so get those scales out and see how much you’re really eating. It’s also worth looking at the recommended portion sizes of foods from the manufacturers tosee if you’re eating a lot more than that.

#5 Eat enough

Whilst it’s important to keep portion sizes under control there is no point going for tiny portions and starving yourself. You may eat less at that meal but you’re likely to be so hungry that you overeat later, and will undo any calorie deficit you’ve built up that day (or week!). Eat enough to feel comfortably full, not stuffed and ensure you’re actually hungry before your meals – if you’re not then you’re definitely eating too much.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Post-workout Munchies

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Post-workout Munchies 🥤🥪

Feeling very hungry after your workout? Regular workouts boost your metabolism and often increase your hunger. Those dreaded post-workout munchies can make you reach for extra snacks and eat more than you want to which could derail your fitness goals.

# 1 Reconsider your burn

Did you really burn as much as you’re about to eat? Studies have shown that we usually underestimate the calories consumed through food and overestimate the number of calories burned by exercise. As I’ve said in previous posts those fitness machines almost always over estimate and even fitness trackers aren’t as accurate as we’re led to believe. So be realistic when it comes to choosing post-workout foods. Go for something with protein, carbs and fat – and if it’s not a main meal then aim for only about 150-200 cals. A glass of milk (dairy or soya) or chocolate milk is an excellent post workout refuel.

# 2 Are you really hungry?

Ask yourself are you really hungry? Unless it’s a definite yes don’t reach for that protein shake or snack (and remember as I said last week – protein shakes aren’t really necessary for most of us anyway!)

Drink a big glass of water first and then decide. Try not to just get in to the habit of eating after workouts for the sake of it.

#3 Eat regular meals

If you’re starving after your workouts then maybe you haven’t eaten enough earlier in the day. Studies have shown regular meals with a good balance of proteins, carbs and fats results in less desire to eat extra snacks post workout and curb that hunger.

# 4 Schedule your workouts

If you always feel hungry after working out, then simply make sure to schedule exercise before one of your main meals.

That way you won’t need to eat any extra snacks, and thus additional calories, between meals.

# 5 Don’t try to earn calories to eat later

Try not to workout simply for the reward of eating later. Again something I’ve talked about before – try not to reward yourself with food. Exercise itself should be the reward so find something you enjoy – cycling, running, classes, dancing etc and then enjoy the endorphins!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx