Tag: getfitwithnancy

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Starvation Mode Myth

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Starvation Mode Myth 🥗

I am often asked whether consuming too few calories causes your metabolism to slow down so that you stop losing weight, and even gain weight, as the body “hangs on to fat”. People say that to get out of this “starvation mode” you need to eat more. One small problem – starvation mode is a myth!

As long as you have a calorie deficit (eating less than you burn) you will lose weight – regardless. Calories in vs calories out is what matters. A long term calorie deficit does cause adaptive thermogenesis (metabolic rate slow down) BUT it is not significant enough to stop weight loss and can’t cause weight gain! It just slows the rate of weight loss down, but what slows it even more is the fact that you’ve already lost weight so the body isn’t burning as many calories as it did initially. That’s why you need to adjust your calorie intake as you lose weight and why plateaus are common. In one famous large scale study – the Minnesota study – 36 men were put on a 24 week low calorie diet (1560 cals) and also had to complete physical tasks. ALL the men lost approx 25% body weight and ended up at approx 5% body fat. No one stopped losing weight, no one gained weight. You can’t defy the laws of thermodynamics – you need energy to fuel your body, you can’t magic it out of thin air, if you don’t eat enough you will lose

So what’s the moral of the story? If you’re not losing any weight/fat or your shape isn’t changing over a significant period of time, it’s not because your calories are too low, or because you’re in starvation mode. It’s because there is no deficit. Even if you think there is… there isn’t. If there was, you’d be losing weight!

Happy Tuesday🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Finding time to workout

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Finding time to workout 🏃🏼‍♀️

I understand being busy – and I understand how it can feel like you barely have time to eat and sleep let alone workout but we’re rarely actually as busy as we think we are and you can probably find time to workout – you just need to be a bit creative! You won’t regret it.

Here’s some ideas.

# 1 Something is better nothing

5-10 mins while you’re waiting for dinner to cook, or between chores etc is enough – so a few mins skipping, some squats, jump jacks, push ups? Or do a mini circuit as you get out of bed in the morning? Push ups, squats, lunges, sit ups – done!

# 2 Social media time

I bet you spend at least 20 mins on social media a day? And much of that is mindless scrolling. Replace that time with a short workout instead.

# 3 Work it in to your day

Just ramp up your daily activities – walk instead of driving, speed walk instead of ambling, dance while you clean the house, take the stairs instead of the lift, do a few squats while you’re on the phone, march up and down while you brush your teeth..

# 4 Use your break time

Studies have shown you’re most effective when you focus intensely for 25 mins and then take a 5 min break. So in that break take a walk around the halls or a quick one outside if you can. In your lunch break take a slightly longer walk if possible.

# 5 Analyse your time

If you really can’t use any of these tips then make a detailed, honest, log of your time for an average week. Is there anywhere you could be more efficient or something you could cut or do differently to enable you to make some time to get active? This is a great exercise anyway to make your life a happier, healthier and more balanced one.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: The Spot Reduction Myth

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: The Spot Reduction Myth 🔍

A common thing I hear from people is that they want to lose fat from one particular area, usually stomach, thighs, butt or arms. Often they’re trying to achieve this by focusing on that area; so if it’s belly fat – lots of ab exercises, thighs – squats, lunges, hip abductor machines etc, arms – loads of bicep and tricep work etc.

There’s just one problem: it’s impossible to target fat loss! Spot reduction (i.e. losing fat from specific areas) is a myth. You can’t magically lose fat from a specific body part just by doing exercises on that area. Our bodies can only lose fat from the entire body as a whole and where it comes off first is down to genetics and can’t be changed. Some people lose fat first from their thighs, others from their belly etc. No workout or exercise, or magic slimming drink can change this.

What does happen is that the muscles underneath get worked and get stronger, so when you do lose fat from that area you will look muscular/toned/ shapely etc. So ab exercises will target your abdominal muscles, but not the fat that sits above them. Studies in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning research” and “Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport” confirm this. They had participants doing ab exercises and found no effect on abdominal fat. Another study on professional tennis players looked at the impact on fat of the extra use of one arm and found no difference between the playing and non-playing arm.

So if you can’t spot reduce fat what do you do? You lose fat from your whole body! At some point the fat will also come off from the body part you wanted to lose fat from in the first place. Sadly you can’t influence when that happens. How do you lose body fat? By eating fewer calories or burning more calories (or a combo of the two) – all you need is a calorie deficit and you will lose fat. So you can stop those hundreds of sit-ups and focus on the food side of the equation instead!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Top weight-loss foods

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Top weight-loss foods 🥗

Sadly there’s no such thing as magic food that makes you lose fat or weight! Only one thing achieves this – a calorie deficit ie eating less than you burn. But there are still things you should be eating. They won’t cause fat loss, but will improve your chances of success.

#1 Protein

After total calories, protein is the next most important thing to help fat loss. Why? Because it helps you feel full which means you’re less likely to over eat. It also helps preserve and repair muscle, important when working out. It has the highest thermic effect (ie you burn more calories digesting it than other nutrients – though the difference is small). Aim for 1g protein per pound of target body weight and spread it across your meals – from any source. BUT don’t sacrifice total calories to hit your protein goal – if you go over your daily calories to get your total protein goal you won’t lose fat.

#2 Fibre

Fibre is also vital to help you feel full. It forms the bulk in food – high volume, low calories – so a large portion of veg (fibre)with your meal will make you feel fuller than the same amount of calories with little fibre. It also helps to stabilise blood sugar levels by slowing digestion meaning you’re less likely to get that blood sugar crash and desire to eat more. Aim for 10 – 17g fibre per pound of target weight a day, and spread it across your meals. High fibre foods include whole vegetables and fruits (not juice), beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds etc.

# 3 food you enjoy

Most important – eat foods you like!

Don’t force yourself to eat foods you hate  or are a pain to prepare – you won’t stick to it and it will only lead to failure. That doesn’t mean go and live off junk food, but if you hate broccoli don’t eat it, choose veg you prefer instead; really dislike brown rice? then eat white rice instead; not a porridge person? go for a different nutrient dense carb source. As long as your total calories are what you need each day it will make zero difference to your fat loss. But it will make a big difference to your enjoyment and likelihood of success!

Happy Tuesday! 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Getting back on track

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Getting back on track 🙌🏼

We all gain weight sometimes and at this time of year, with Summer approaching, it can really get you down and make weight loss seem overwhelming. Here are a few tips to get you back on track.

# Do something

Stop saying “I’ll start tomorrow” you never will! So start small and start today. If it’s exercise that’s slipped then just commit to 5 mins of something – whatever it is, once you do 5 mins, it’s easier to do 10, 15 maybe even 20 mins. Same goes for food –  start with something small – cutting out post dinner chocolate, only having 1 glass of wine, watching your portion size. Small steps quickly equal big leaps.

# Ditch the guilt

It’s natural to feel guilty, embarrassed , even ashamed if you’ve regained weight. But everyone gains sometimes – Beating yourself up over that chocolate bar won’t help, so instead focus your energy on how you’ll make sure your next meal is healthier. Strive for progress, not perfection.

# Plan to succeed

Meal planning is helpful to prevent you reaching for easy, not so good, options. It doesn’t need to be a highly detailed plan – just decide on main meals for the next few days/week and have a list of snack options. Write it out and put it somewhere visible (like the fridge)

# Friends

Tell your friends what you’re doing and ask for their support. You could even suggest doing a challenge together. Also get your family on side and ask them to hide their junk food or better yet not bring it in the house. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

# Ask for help

Whether it’s from the dr, a nutritionist or a PT it can help to have someone to hold you accountable. A professional can help unpack why you may have gained the weight and what you can do to make a change that sticks. If you’re coming back from injury then speak to a physio to learn what exercises you may have to modify or avoid long term. I often work closely with clients’ physios to design safe and effective programs for them.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so if you’re struggling don’t give up or feel defeated, we all feel like this and you’re not alone.

Happy Tuesday 🤗 xx