Tag: fitness tips

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Just a quick festive drink…’

Dr Nancy P

Just a quick festive drink…’ 🥤

It’s that time of year when all the coffee shops have their range of festive coffees, hot chocolate and baked goods. You may be out Christmas shopping, or meeting up with friends and family, and you might decide to just grab a quick festive drink and snack to enjoy and get you into the festive spirit. You’ll drink it in minutes, and inhale the snack, without really thinking or noticing. But that’s ok, because it’s just a festive coffee and snack, and it’s Christmas… and you’ve been walking around the shops all day….

These drinks do vary but are all pretty high calorie. This particular example is a Starbucks grande gingerbread latte at 315 cals, and one of their mince pies at 401 calories , with a combined 27g of fat and over 70g sugar.

On the other hand those two Cadbury chocolate Santa’s are only 479 cals with 50g sugar and 27g fat. Now whilst I’m sure you could eat 2 of these Santa’s in one sitting (I certainly could) most people probably wouldn’t . You’d probably spread it over a few hours or possibly days, rather than eating it all in one go.

Christmas is definitely a time to relax a bit on calories and certainly a time to focus more on sharing memories and happy times with people you care about. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of the calories in some of the treats you are having.

Knowledge is power so being aware of the calorie content of things, and also of our own perceptions of the things we consume is always a good thing.

If you want the festive drink and snack – have it and enjoy it. If you want to eat your way through 2 chocolate Santa’s in one go then go for it. Just be aware of the calories so you’re making an educated choice!

Merry Christmas 🎄

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Fat burning isn’t Fat loss

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Fat burning isn’t Fat loss 🔥

Many of you will be familiar with fitness trackers that tell you how much of your work out was in ‘fat burning’ mode etc. You’ll also see workouts and supplements marketed as ‘fat burning’. What’s important to remember is fat burning and fat loss are not the same thing.

Fat is a great energy store for the body – a a lean adult man can store around 130,000 cals in fat (enough to survive for 65 days) but of course too much fat is bad for your health. In order to lose fat those fat stores need to be mobilised and used as energy (or burnt). The fat is broken down and released as fatty acids into the blood stream, where it’s transported to the tissues requiring energy and it is oxidised to create ATP to fuel the tissue.

In simple terms fat cells have two receptors – alpha and beta which influence fat loss. Alpha receptors tell the cell to store fat, beta ones tell it to break it down and release it. Essentially the goal is to stimulate the beta receptors to break fat down and inhibit the alpha receptors so they’re less likely to store fat. Exercise (at certain levels) can stimulate the beta receptors through the release of adrenaline and related hormones. Hence the ‘fat burning’ zone during workouts. The alpha receptors are inhibited by diet, exercise and possibly some supplements.

So that’s great – you can do your workout, burn fat… but that won’t necessarily mean you also lose body fat. Because you STILL need to be in a negative energy balance (calorie deficit) to then actually lose body fat because otherwise the food you’re eating will just be stored as fat, replacing what’s been burnt. Using fat as a fuel and losing body fat aren’t the same thing. If you burn fat through exercise or some expensive supplement but are still eating more than your burn you won’t lose body fat. If you eat less than you burn you will definitely lose fat – irrespective of being in a ‘fat burning’ zone/workout or not because you’ll need the fuel.

So don’t focus on that ‘fat burning’ zone or workout – instead exercise for enjoyment and health, and focus on the food side of things for fat loss.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Why you think you’re struggling with weight loss ….

Dr Nancy P

Why you think you’re struggling with weight loss …. 🤔

If you’re struggling to lose weight you may look to things like your metabolism, stress levels, hormones, lack of sleep, amount of water you’re drinking etc as the reasons why you can’t achieve your goals.

It’s true that all these areas can and do have an effect and some will certainly impact on things like your appetite and ability to ‘stick’ to a calorie deficit. However it’s actually rare that these are the main reasons behind stalled progress. They do however get a lot of attention – why? Because they are much easier to accept than ‘You’re eating too much’. It’s a lot easier to focus on the idea that your metabolism or stress levels are preventing your weight loss rather than a heavy social life being the issue.

Of course things like snacking, increased portion sizes and booze can be a response to lack of sleep or stress, or hormones, but it’s far better to focus on these habits instead. Why? because they’re the direct cause, they’re tangible and easily identifiable and they’re the thing that needs to change. Rather than trying for some vague notion of ‘increasing sleep’ or ‘reducing stress’.

Obviously nutrition and weight loss can be complicated but if you try focusing on things like reduced portion sizes, fewer or lower calorie snacks, less booze you will see progress. Managing meals out or reducing them (it’s extremely hard to eat out multiple times a week and maintain a calorie deficit without some proper planning), and increasing general activity (note this isn’t just exercise sessions but general activity – walking, fidgeting, moving more!) are also things which are tangible ways to help make progress. You will probably find that despite any issues with sleep, stress, hormones etc you will be able to make progress. Certainly my clients can and have done! So if they can, so can you!

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Calorie calculators …

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Calorie calculators … 🧮

I often hear people tell me that they’ve been in a calorie deficit but haven’t lost weight… and then go on to blame something else (bread/ carbs / metabolism / hormones ) etc to explain why their body is ‘hanging on to fat’ despite a deficit. Now assuming they have actually been eating the amount of calories they think they have (and that’s a whole different topic!) and tracking accurately then what’s going on?

Well the simple answer is – they’re not at a calorie deficit. A true calorie deficit will aways lead to fat loss (over time). Usually people have created their calorie goal using an online calculator. The thing is whilst these calculators are useful tools they’re just an estimate and a starting point. You won’t automatically be in a calorie deficit just by typing your details into a calorie calculator.

Being in a calorie deficit doesn’t mean eating an arbitrary number of calories that an online calculator gave you. It means being in negative energy balance. In order to know if you’re actually at that level then you need to test the number of calories you get from these calculators for a good 3-4 weeks – consistently (so that means no big weekend splurges etc – average calories per day need to be at the amount or under the amount you’ve been set). If after 3-4 weeks you’re not losing fat and you really have stuck to it accurately then you know that for you that number is too high. So you tweak it down and test again. If you start to see progress then you know you’re now at a deficit!

That’s why with my clients I will always wait for at least 4 weeks of consistent tracking before we even contemplate changing the calorie goal.

Sadly there’s no magic formula and no quick solution – but also there’s no need to over complicate it. If you’re progressing you’re at the right calorie level, if you’re not… you need to reduce it! Simple!

Happy Tuesday 🤗
Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

What your weight measures…

Dr Nancy P

What your weight measures… 🧐

We are obsessed with the weight on the scales, when it goes up we berate ourselves, feel guilty, feel like we’ve failed.. when it goes down we congratulate ourselves, celebrate it, think we’ve succeeded. The scale going up must mean we’re getting fatter (putting on more body fat), and therefore if it goes down we must be losing fat right? And if your goal is body fat loss then scales going up signals disaster in your mind….

We need to remember that the weight on the scale measures a lot of things, and only a small portion of that is actually your body fat. It measures the amount of lean muscle you have, the amount of water in your body (hoe hydrated you are), it measures your organs, your bone mass, amy food in your digestive system etc. It simply measures your relationship to gravity at any one time.

The thing it doesn’t measure is your entire self worth! A number on the scale doesn’t define you. Whether you’ve gone up 2kg or down 2kg you’re still the same person. You are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depending on how that scale swings. Those swings are also totally natural and often nothing to do with body fat losses or gains.

So yes, of course, if you WANT to reduce your body fat because you want to fit into a certain clothing size, or be fitter and healthier to be around to play with your grand children etc then that’s brilliant, and that’s an awesome goal! But you haven’t failed at that, and the rest of your life, just because your weight may fluctuate on the way to that goal!

It’s worth trying to focus on goals that aren’t just a number on the scale. I often talk about using body measurements (mainly because they’re a good way to see body shape change – which correlates with decreased body fat and increased lean muscle), but how about other goals – being able to piggy back your nephew, being able to play football with your mates, being able to run for the train comfortably, reducing your blood pressure, being able to lift your suitcases in and out the car boot etc etc.

These goals are just as, in fact they’re probably more important than an arbitrary number on the scale that will fluctuate depending on how much water you drink, whether your last meal was salty, your hormones etc etc.

🤗

Xx