Nutrition and Calorie Tips

A summer treat..

A summer treat.. 🍦

What’s better for a summer dessert than some ice cream. I don’t know about you but once I start on a tub it’s gone before I even realise it!

Whilst there’s no problem with including any ice cream you like in your diet, if you are trying to lose weight/fat you may find that fitting a whole tub into your calories quite tricky. So you have two options – either limit the amount you have, or swap from a calorie dense type of ice cream to something that’s similar tasting, but lower calorie. There are the obvious swaps to the low calorie brands like oppo or halo top etc but another option is to switch to something else entirely.

In this example switching from the Häagen-Dazs mango and raspberry ice cream to twisters makes a massive calorie saving. You could have 4 twisters for almost a third of the calories of the Häagen-Dazs. As an added bonus the chances of you eating 4 twisters in a row is considerably less than working your way through a tub anyway. Psychologically it’s much easier to work your way through an open tub than help yourself to 4 lollies in a row.

So if you do want to enjoy some
Ice cream but save some cals try going for the lower cal, higher volume option if you can.

🤗xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Fat Loss is Simple – Not Easy

Tuesday Tip: Fat Loss is Simple – Not Easy 💪

Fat loss is simple, just eat in a calorie deficit but simple doesn’t mean easy. Hunger, cravings, and energy dips can make even the best plan feel impossible. So if you’re struggling to stay on track, here are five tips that can help you feel fuller, reduce cravings, and stay consistent when it feels tough:

#1 Move Daily
You don’t need to workout for hours every day, but daily movement matters. Walking helps manage hunger hormones, boosts your mood, and burns extra calories. It’s one of the most underrated fat loss tools.

#2 Eat More (Volume)
Load up on high-volume, low-calorie foods like vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. They fill your stomach without costing you tons of calories so you feel satisfied, not deprived.

#3 Thicker = Fuller
Meals with more “viscosity” (oats, Greek yogurt, chunky stews etc) digest slower and keep you full longer. They’re more satisfying than thinner or liquid-based options.

#4 Chew It
Foods that require more chewing (like apples, raw veggies, or lean meats) naturally slow down your eating. This gives your brain time to register fullness and helps you avoid overeating.

#5 Sweet Swaps
Low calorie treats can help scratch that sweet itch without wrecking your progress just don’t let them take over your diet.

Most importantly remember consistency is more important perfection. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be consistent. Progress comes from daily effort, not all-or-nothing thinking. Show up, stick with it, and the results will come.

You’ve got this. Keep going!

Happy Tuesday! 🤗
xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘I’m pretty good at estimating my calories….. ‘

‘I’m pretty good at estimating my calories….. ‘ 🥑

I’m always telling my clients to try to be as accurate as possible when they’re tracking their food and calories. This means actually weighing things – particularly anything that is calorie dense.

Very often people tell me that they’re “pretty good” at estimating the amounts they’re having, that they have the same thing each day so they know what it looks like now, that they can estimate pretty well etc. I’m sure some can, but I know I can’t. I can at first but then often amounts creep up without you even realising it.

In this example on the left is an amount that was estimated at around 40g avocado by a number of people I asked, (calories excluding the toast), on the right is the actual amount – 120g! Now I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t have thought it was that much but look at what a difference it makes in calories. 40g can look very similar to 120g when layered on toast and you may not even realise how much you’re having. The same goes for nut butters, spreads, cheese etc – anything high calorie. With less calorie dense foods it won’t matter as much but with these calorie dense foods when you get it wrong you’re adding a large number of calories. This is also why measure like “a small avocado” are no good – what’s small? my small may not be your small… etc

So if you are trying to lose fat/watching your calories maybe it’s time to go back and get those scales out and double check those estimates and see if you really are as good as you think you are.
🤗
Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Are you Dehydrated?

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

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Ice creams / Lollies for 100 cals or less …

Ice creams / Lollies for 100 cals or less … 🍦

The weather has been extremely warm lately so Ice creams and lollies have certainly formed a large part of mine and my client’s diets! There’s a perception that ice creams / lollies are ‘bad’ and something that is a bit ‘naughty’ so if you’re trying to lose weight you might deny yourself these cooling treats believing them to be ‘bad’ (aka high calorie). However, there’s no reason you have to give up ice creams and ice lollies to lose weight as it ultimately comes down to whether you’re in a calorie deficit.

Obviously there are many frozen desserts out there which are high calorie and some can be 300 cals or more. So if they’re on top of your main meals then you might end up racking up unwanted calories. However in this weather everyone needs a cold snack or dessert right? So if you do fancy an ice cream or lolly, but want to stay within your calories then here are a selection of lower calorie options at 100 cals or less. This list is by no means exhaustive – but it’s just a range of the options out there.

Oppo Salted Caramel balls 22 cals each

Mini milk 32 cals

Rocket lolly 39 cals

Mini twister lolly 39 cals

Fruit pastille lolly 57 cals

Little moons mochi balls 70 cals each

Fab lolly 75 cals

Regular twister lolly 76 cals

Jude mini ice cream tubes 70

Jude mini ice creams 94 cals

Exotic Solero lolly 98 cals

Calipo Lolly 100 cals

So you can fill up on ice lollies to stay cool this summer without worrying it’s going to derail your progress!

Enjoy 🤗

Xx