‘That’s so unhealthy – it’s full of sugar’… 🍫🥛

Let’s kill the sugar myth real quick…

There’s a pervasive myth that sugar is bad – particularly sugar in processed foods. However the view is that ‘natural sugar’ is absolutely fine?

A mars bar contains around 30g sugar and a 600ml glass of milk also contains 30g sugar. However people will demonise the chocolate bar on the basis of its sugar content but will say milk is the ‘healthier’ choice, despite the sugar content? Why? Because the sugar in milk is ‘natural’ so it must be better, right?

Not exactly. Sugar is sugar. Whether it’s added to a chocolate bar or naturally found in milk as lactose, your body processes it the same way. What matters more is the context: how much you’re consuming, how filling it is, and whether it fits into your overall diet.

In this example the Mars bar contains around 225 cals and 30g sugar, whilst the milk contains around 300cals and 30g sugar. That’s the same amount of sugar and more calories in the milk. But most people wouldn’t blink at drinking a big glass of milk with breakfast, while feeling guilty over snacking on Mars bar.

Now obviously the milk has other benefits in terms of more protein and other micronutrients but in the context of the argument around sugar it’s no better than a mars bar. It’s not about “natural vs added” sugar, it’s about your whole diet. If you’re having a load of whole foods and protein in other meals then the Mars bar isn’t an issue if you can fit it within your calories. If however you’re eating 4 of them and your meals are also high in calories and low in micronutrients then it probably isn’t a great idea. The milk might be a better ‘snack’ but it still contains a significant number of calories so that needs to be accounted for.

We need to stop demonizing sugar based on its source and start looking at the bigger picture: calories, satiety, and how everything fits into your goals.

Both milk and Mars bars can have a place in a balanced diet, if you manage portions and priorities.

🤗

Xx

‘It’s only a little sauce on the side, and a bit of oil for cooking – I don’t need to track that…’ 🤔

If you’re hoping to lose fat in a sustainable way you need to be aiming for a deficit of around 200-300 cals a day. Most people are pretty good at tracking the big stuff – the sandwich, the packet of crisps, the porridge for breakfast etc but how often do we overlook the little stuff. That little bit of ketchup on the side, that chilli sauce on your rice, that dash of oil in the pan…. And how often when you’re trying to lose fat do you deny yourself something you really want simply because you’re ‘on a diet’.

A cheeseburger comes in at around 797 cals – this is something you may not feel you can have whilst on your ‘diet’ and yet you probably don’t even think twice about the 1,284 cals you might rack up in sauces and oil (and tbh that’s a conservative estimate on the oil!). In one week that’s your whole deficit gone and you may not even realise it.

I always tell my clients to track everything – right down to the oil they’re cooking with as that can be the difference. So if you’re tracking cals and hoping to lose fat make sure you include these, and if you’re just trying to cut some cals maybe they’re a good place to start being more mindful too?

Oh and if you fancy a cheeseburger – just factor it in to your calories and have it! 🤗

Remember – calories count! 🤗xx

‘Just a drizzle…..’ 🍳

If you’re trying to lose fat and are working on reducing calories then you’re probably going to be recording your cals somehow. But are you really recording everything? It’s very easy to overlook some things because they seem so insignificant.

Oil used in cooking is a great example. So many of my clients will say they’ve just used a ‘drizzle’ of oil when cooking, so it’s not much. As a result they perhaps don’t measure it and don’t factor in those calories. Now aside from the fact that one person’s ‘drizzle’ could be another person’s ‘pour’ there’s actually a pretty good chance that you’re adding 100-200 cals a day to your meals with that ‘dash’.

That ‘drizzle’ of oil in the pan is probably around 25 ml, which depending on the type of olive oil will be at least 200 cals… But hey, that’s not worth recording right? Wrong! A sensible calorie deficit for fat loss is around 200 – 300 cals per day. So you’ve already eaten into your deficit with that one drizzle and turned a potentially low calorie meal like a stir fry etc into one that takes you over your allowance, for minimal satisfaction. You won’t notice those extra calories, and you’ll consume them without them really affecting how full you feel but they can really add up. If you’re cooking once a day that’s 1400 extra calories a week.

Now I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t use oil – if you want to then go for it! But if you are trying to lose fat, or your fat (weight) loss has stalled perhaps go back to basics and double check whether the amount you’re using could be more than you realise. And be a bit more mindful of this, or simply record it and have it within your daily calories. If you want to reduce the calories from cooking with oil then invest in a one calorie oil spray (you can get olive oil ones so you still get the health benefits if those monounsaturated fats) – 20 sprays will only be 20 calories, rather than the 200 plus cals from the ‘dash’ of oil

🤗 Xx