Tag: caloriescount

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Portion Control

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Portion Control 🥗

Portion control is super important for healthy eating and long term, sustainable fat loss but it’s one of the hardest things to master. Here are a few tips to help you naturally control portion sizes and develop healthy habits.

# 1 Aim for 50/25/25

Start by filling your plate half full of veg or salad, then a quarter with protein and the remainder with whatever starchy veg or carb you’re having (potato, rice, squash etc).

# 2 Set aside leftovers

If you plan to eat some for lunch tomorrow etc then set it aside at the start rather than after – that way you won’t be tempted to keep picking after you’ve eaten your portion.

# 3 Share

When you’re out at restaurants or cafes consider sharing with whoever you’re with. Portions are usually massive at restaurants so it can easily feed two, especially with things like potatoes or chips.

# 4 Smaller plates

Lots of studies have shown that eating from smaller plates leads to less calories being consumed (even when subjects are allowed to top up the plates). So choose side plates and small bowls to trick yourself into eating less. We’re conditioned to clear our plates, even when we’re already full, so this way you can clear your plate and not over eat.

# 5 Take a whiff

As well as our eyes our noses are heavily linked to feelings of satiety. Take time to smell the food you’re about to eat – breathe in the scent and savour it. Studies have shown this helps to limit the number of calories consumed by tricking your brain in to thinking you are more full than you are.

# 6 Don’t eat from the bag

Put your food or snacks out on a plate before eating then, rather than eating from the bag. Visually seeing your what you’re eating sends a message to the brain about the quantity you’re consuming and leads to less likelihood of overeating.

# 7 Put away distractions

When you’re eating focus on eating. If you’re distracted by TV, phones, etc then studies have shown you’re likely to over eat. Pay attention to what’s going into your mouth and you’ll be better able to recognise when you’re full and stop before you overeat.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Accept you’re not doing it right

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Accept you’re not doing it right 🙌🏼

How you think about your fat loss has a profound impact on how you cope with sticking to a sustainable fat loss plan.

If the weight isn’t dropping and you’re saying to yourself ‘I’m doing ‘everything right’ but I’m not losing weight (fat) – it must mean I need a new program or diet or there’s just something wrong with me and I can’t lose weight right? Wrong. If you’re not losing fat then quite simply you’re not doing everything right.

Not losing fat or weight is the ultimate proof that you’re not doing everything right when it comes to fat loss. It means you’re not at a consistent calorie deficit. If you were you’d be losing fat. But the bigger issue is that this sort of thinking of ‘I’m doing everything right’ immediately puts you on the defensive. If you’re doing everything right, then there can’t possibly be anything to correct – because everything is right? So there’s no impetus to change your own behaviours or actions or find a solution.

With the ‘I’m doing everything right’ thinking you can’t possibly be consuming too many calories? You can’t possibly be incorrectly estimating portion sizes , you can’t possibly have forgotten to log some of those calories, it can’t possibly be that you’re doing something (probably subconsciously) that means you’re eating more calories than you think… because you’re ‘doing everything right’.

What we need to do is be a bit more

open minded and accept that we must be doing something wrong so we can then figure out what the solution is and how to fix the problem. So if you’re not making progress and feeling like you’re doing everything right try to take a step back and rephrase it; ‘I’m not losing fat, I must be doing something wrong’ and then you can find out what that is and try to fix it.

That way you’ll be more likely to solve the problem and continue on your fat loss journey

Happy Tuesday 🤗 xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Practice random acts of fitness!

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Practice random acts of fitness! 🏋🏻

I know how difficult it can be to fit everything you want to in to your days, and sometimes it’s things like classes or gym workouts that suffer. As I’ve said in previous tips, it’s not just those “big” workouts that matter though when it comes to losing or maintaining weight and fitness (see my tip on fidgeting from a few weeks back), it’s the rest of your day that matters. So as well as being generally active, try to practice some random acts of fitness!

Sneak things in to your day whenever you can – lots of day to day tasks actually burn a good few calories – gardening, hoovering, washing the car, carrying the shopping from the car (try to bring as much as you can in one go to increase the intensity), unloading the dishwasher (as fast as you can!) etc for example. Or try adding in some little bits of fitness throughout the day e.g. ten squats before you sit down, marching your feet while you watch tv, or setting challenges for each other while you watch – one push-up for every advert in the break etc… have you got a skipping rope? .. then how about one min of skipping before you make dinner…. or how about a quick hula hoop, or maybe a game of catch with your children (or fetch with the dog)…. 30 secs of fast feet in the kitchen while waiting for the kettle to boil…. single leg squats while you brush your teeth…..That’s just a few ideas, I’m sure you lot have loads more!

Don’t think that just because you can’t devote 45 mins or an hour to the workout that it doesn’t count.. it does! Although it’s not going to massively increase your cardiovascular fitness or muscle strength, it’s still really valuable and a great thing to do when your busy and can’t fit in your usual workout. You could easily burn an extra 200 – 300 calories a day with these random acts… that’s the deficit you need to lose weight…

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Beating post workout hanger

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Beating post workout hanger 🍔

Working out in the morning is fab but if it’s leaving you so starving that you end up over-eating later in the day then here are some mistakes you may be making, and tips to help.

#1 Not eating before you workout

If you’re working out first thing your blood sugar and energy levels are low and you’ll be using stored glycogen to fuel you. So when you finish you will crave food (especially sugar). If you find you can’t control these cravings then try to have a 100-200 cal snack an hour before your workout e.g. apple and nut butter, greek yoghurt and fruit, half a protein smoothie etc.

#2: Too little sleep

Lack of sleep causes release of ghrelin which increases hunger. Studies have shown that losing just 80 mins sleep can increase calories consumed by 550 cals the next day. So if you’re getting up early to workout you have to make sure you’re in bed at the right time the night before.

#3: Too many carbs

You definitely need carbs after you workout but if you go for a very carb-heavy snack/meal you’re priming yourself to crave more sugary carbs later in the day. If you can withstand the cravings then have whatever you like, but if not then have something that’s got a balance of protein, fats and carbs e.g wholegrain porridge and fruits, greek yoghurt and fruits and nuts, toast with nut butter and banana .

#4: Too little water

It’s even easier to be dehydrated after a morning workout as you may well be dehydrated from the night too. Ensure you have a big glass of water when you wake up and ensure you drink plenty during your workout or after if you prefer,

#5: Too few cals

When you start the day well with a workout, it’s easy to get hooked up on wanting to stay in a massive calorie deficit. Whilst it shouldn’t be an excuse to pig out, equally you don’t want to be too restrictive as you’re likely to end up over eating later. Eat a normal balanced meal with protein, fats, carbs and fibre after your workout (be it brekkie or lunch).

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Metabolism Myths

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Metabolism Myths 🌶

Social media is full of claims about things that will speed up your metabolism so you burn more calories but sadly most of these claims are false. Here are a few of the myths.

#1 Smaller frequent meals speed it up

Smaller, more frequent meals won’t do anything to your metabolism. Eating 6 small meals or 2 large ones really just comes down to preference. More small meals can lead you to overeat unless you’re being very careful with the portions. So, rather than measuring the size and frequency of your meals, pay attention to calories.

#2 Skipping meals slows it down

Skipping meals isn’t necessarily something I’d recommend but it won’t affect your metabolism. You’d need to be at a massive calorie deficit for considerable time to enter “starvation mode” and impact your metabolism. The issue with skipping meals is you are more likely to binge later, but if skipping a meal works for you and doesn’t make you eat more later then go for it.

#3 Caffeine speeds it up

Yes, caffeine does raise your metabolism, BUT crucially only for a short window of time. To get a significant effect on calorie burn you’d need to keep yourself caffeinated which causes poor sleep, heart issues, jitteriness. Caffeine is a diuretic (you pee more) which dehydrates you, which actually slows your metabolism! If you like a coffee, or need a bit of energy before a workout, then go for it, but don’t think it as a free pass to eat more!

#4 It’s fixed

Metabolic rate is affected by age, gender genetics, health, and muscle mass. More muscle = higher metabolic rate. So it’s important to do some resistance training. Cardio training also spikes your metabolism for a few hours afterwards. Aim for > 90 mins vigorous aerobic work (spin, attack, HIIT, running etc), and >2 strength training sessions a week.

#5 Chilli speeds it up

Chilli makes your food taste better, but it won’t give you much of a boost. The capsaicin in chilli peppers does very slightly increase your metabolism for a short while, but adding it to your food or taking pre-workouts/fat burners with it in won’t make you shed kgs I’m afraid.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx