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

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Emotional Eating

Tuesday Tip: Emotional Eating 🍫

You might think you just need more willpower to stop emotional eating or that once you lose the weight, everything will click into place. The truth is emotional eating isn’t about control. It’s about unmet needs and unaddressed feelings. Many of us est not out of hunger, but to cope with stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, fatigue. And it doesn’t always look like the classic ‘crying into a tub of ice cream’ scenario. Often it’s more subtle such as:
– Snacking when you’re overwhelmed
– Eating late at night to fill an emotional gap
– Reaching for food just because you’re tired

These patterns can become habits, and over time, they build up creating a pattern that feels hard to break.

Emotional eating is a spectrum. Whether it’s the occasional stress snack or something more persistent, the common thread is using food to soothe emotions.

So what can you do?

Instead of relying on willpower, focus on building awareness. Ask yourself – What am I really feeling right now? Learn to connect with your emotions before turning to food. Create strategies like journaling, walking, or talking to a friend etc that help you meet emotional needs without raiding the fridge.

Just like adjusting calories when weight loss plateaus, emotional eating requires us to check in, reassess, and get curious about our habits and pattern, not punish ourselves for them.

Awareness is the first step toward change.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

How to get bikini ready..

How to get bikini ready.. 👙

Summer holidays are on the horizon and already people are talking about wanting to get bikini body ready… so here’s my top tips for getting a bikini body! You probably assume you need to lose weight, cut out food groups and foods you enjoy, live on salads, do loads of workouts etc…

Nope – it’s a very simple 2 step process to getting your bikini body.
Step 1 – have a body ✅
Step 2 – put a bikini on it !

Ta da!

Now I realise it’s actually not that simple – and that wanting to look a certain way in your swimwear is totally valid. If you want to lose weight to feel more comfortable when you’re on the beach then that’s great – go for it! However whether you prefer a bikini, a swimsuit, a swim dress , a tankini, a sarong, T-shirt and shorts… whatever.. you’re entitled to wear whatever you like however you like. You deserve to enjoy the sunshine regardless of your shape or size. You don’t have to lose weight to do that! Find a style you like and rock it!

Happy summer!

Xx