Tag: healthy eating

‘Just a dip to go with my Pizza…’ 🤔

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. You’d probably be pretty aware of the pizza or garlic bread you order but might not think twice about the dip on the side.

A great example of this is the Domino’s garlic and herb dip – which is now available in a larger size (though still feels like a small side). You’d probably assume it would be a couple of hundred calories … maybe overlook recording it… in reality it has more calories in it than an entire meal, including a small glass of wine! Now that’s not to say you shouldn’t have the dip – if you want it and like it then have it! Just be aware of the calories in it before you do.

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?

Remember – calories count! 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Hunger Management 😝

Hunger management plays a crucial role in successful weight loss. People often over restrict and starve themselves which, whilst obviously may work temporarily , usually leads to cravings, binge eating, and hunger. All of which derail progress and of course make it unsustainable.

With a sustainable calorie deficit there will still be some mild hunger. This isn’t a cause for concern and it’s to be expected but it’s helpful to have some strategies to help manage this so you can stay on track. Essentially it comes down to making food choices which maximise feelings of fullness whilst minimising calories. Remember total calories still count when it comes to weight loss so these are all within that context.

Here are a few things that can help:

#1 Higher protein intake may lead to improved feelings of satiety and less cravings. But, if you already eat a high-protein diet (1.6g/kg+) then it won’t make much difference. Also be aware that prioritising protein too much may lead to to eating fewer carbs which you also need and can mean you end up low on energy and more hungry. So don’t remove carbs either!

#2 High fibre foods help by bulking food volume, slowing digestive time and increasing gut fermentation – all

Of which lead to feelings of fullness. Low energy dense high fibre foods like fruit and veg are a great option.

#3 Fats can help with feelings of fullness (especially when combined with protein) but

they may not be the best option for

hunger management, especially if you

have a tight calorie budget. Fat provides more then double the energy of carbs / protein so it easy to eat more cals with a smaller serving of a high-fat food, compared to a high-carb food

# 4 Go for high volume foods or combinations of foods. If you’re having a lower calorie snack bulk it out with things like fruit or veggies, or a zero cal drink (water or soft drink) to help.

#5 include whole , unrefined carbs as they aid in satiety, muscle recovery and training performance /energy levels (and they’re tasty!)

#6 Our beliefs and perceptions impact feelings of fullness. Perceptions of what a ‘normal’ portion size is impacts whether we feel full after eating it. Equally our beliefs about certain foods have the same effect e.g. if you believe a protein in bar is more filling it will feel that way. Increasing knowledge around calorie content can help with this.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Not all burgers are created equal… 🍔

Often when tracking calories it’s easy to underestimate. Very often this isn’t deliberate or even conscious – we either try to estimate based on other known meal items or we search for a similar meal on the database and use that. There’s a subconscious desire to make the calories fit too and a natural tendency to err on the lower side. This has been proven in multiple studies.

In this example if you’d been out at an independent pub (without calories on the menu) and chose the cheeseburger and fries you might realise that the calories will be high. You’d possibly look up some other similar meal items and then assume it would be close. If you for example looked up the McDonald’s version you’d see that a cheeseburger and large fries is around 742 calories. Most people would realise that a pub style burger is likely to be more (the burger itself is usually bigger and of better quality etc) so in my experience with my own clients people estimate around 950-1000 calories.

However as you can see an average pub cheeseburger and fries actually comes in at over 1600 cals and can be as much as 1850 calories with sauces etc. That’s a huge difference and a very substantial amount of calories for one meal. To put it into perspective – one McDonald’s cheeseburger is 298 cals – so that’s the equivalent of eating five and a half of them in one sitting! You’d never do that would you? So why is it ok to eat that 1642 calorie meal?

Obviously if you want to spend your calories on that as a meal then that’s absolutely fine – it’s your choice, and your body. There’s no need to feel guilty but just do so knowingly rather than kidding yourself that you’ve had 1000 calories. Remember knowledge is power!

🤗

xx