Tag: healthy foods

Tuesday Tip

Walking in Weighted Vests

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Walking in Weighted Vests 🏋️‍♂️

Another month another social media fad – walking in weighted vests are the latest thing fitness influencers claim are essential. Now whilst a weighted vest can make a walk feel a bit tougher, it’s not the muscle-building, fat-burning, bone-strengthening miracle some influencers make it out to be.

Let’s look at the claims. It claims to effectively build muscle. Wearing a vest doesn’t come close to traditional resistance training. It might offer a slight challenge for beginners, but for real gains, you need proper lifting with progressive overload. Could you do squats, lunges, and jumps with a vest – yes sure but it won’t help with moves like deadlifts, presses, and rows etc.

They claim it improves bone density, however studies show that even when worn for over 7 hours a day, the impact on bone density is minimal. Exercise itself is the real driver behind stronger bones.

What about increasing fat loss? Wearing a weighted vest might increase calorie burn slightly (about 1 extra calorie per minute while running with 10% bodyweight), but to see any meaningful fat loss effect, you’d m need to wear it for 8+ hours a day, which also increases the risk of back pain and injury. That’s a steep trade, off for a tiny reward.

So in short

⁃ Walking with a weighted vest is not a fat loss hack

⁃ It won’t build muscle or strengthen bones on its own

⁃ It can add variety or intensity to your walks or bodyweight workouts for some exercises.

If wearing one makes your walk more enjoyable, go for it! All movement is good movement. But if your goal is meaningful fat loss or strength, stick to what works: lift weights, move consistently, adjust your nutrition, and stay patient.

No trendy shortcut can replace the basics. Don’t let social media ‘experts’ derail your progress.

Happy Tuesday 🤗
Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Should you weigh yourself?

Dr Nancy P

Should you weigh yourself? 📉

When you’re trying to lose weight (by which we mean body fat, as that’s what actually changes body shape), it’s important to find ways to measure progress. The scale can be a great tool to assess whether you’re making progress. However, the number the scale shows is JUST a number. It’s simply your relationship to gravity at that moment in time. It’s meant to be used as a data point to track progress over time.

If you decide to use the scale, you need to overlook the day-to-day changes you’ll inevitably experience. Scale weight is affected by lots of factors; food in your system, hydration, glycogen levels, hormones, salt intake, recent exercise, type of food you ate yesterday (diff foods can cause more/less water retention), etc. None of these reflect how much fat you’ve lost or how your shape has changed. Think about it, if you had the body you wanted and felt confident wearing anything, would it matter what that scale number was? No!

Data is king, and the more data you have, the better decisions you can make. It’s not good to rely too much on one method of tracking progress since all are subject to daily fluctuations that make it harder to view and interpret trends. Using things like body measurements and how clothes fit are useful ways to see if you’re losing fat. If you do use the scale, it’s better to take regular readings, then average them for the week or month and compare to previous averages to see the overall trend.

Should you weigh at all? First ask yourself, what’s your relationship with the scale like? How much power do you give that number to define how you feel for the rest of the day? Are you thinking about all the factors influencing that number? If you find it hard to overlook fluctuations, dread the scale, or let the number impact you emotionally then no, it’s probably not a good option right now. Use other progress markers like photos, measurements, how clothes fit, performance, mindset shifts, and confidence changes instead. If you like data and know the scale will fluctuate and that doesn’t faze you then go for it!

🤗
xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Does when you eat matter?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Does when you eat matter? ⏰

Let me preface this by saying that fat loss is all about calories in vs. calories out. To lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. No timing trick or magic eating window can override that. But when you eat can make it easier (or harder) to stay in that deficit.

Your body isn’t just a calorie calculator, it runs on a 24-hour cycle called the circadian rhythm. This internal clock responds to light, dark, and food. Insulin, the hormone that helps manage blood sugar, plays an important role in this. Insulin sensitivity is naturally higher earlier in the day, meaning your body processes glucose more efficiently at breakfast and lunch than it does at night. So what does this mean! You’re better equipped to burn, not store, energy earlier in the day.

On the flip side, eating late, especially close to bedtime, can work against you. Studies show people who eat most of their calories late at night tend to store more fat and have a higher risk of weight gain. Why? Because your body is winding down, not ramping up for digestion and energy use.

So what can you do?

• Frontload your meals: eat more earlier in the day when your metabolism is more active

• Don’t skip breakfast (unless it genuinely works for you and if you’re not getting the results you want then it isn’t working)

• Try to finish eating at least 2–3 hours before bed

• Avoid late-night snacking, even “healthy” snacks can quietly tip you out of a deficit

No need to overhaul your schedule overnight, but small shifts can make a big difference in how easy fat loss feels.

Consistency still wins but timing can be your secret weapon to help you stay on track.

Happy Tuesday 🤗
Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Menopause misinformation…

Dr Nancy P

Menopause misinformation… 💁🏼‍♀️

Menopause Misinformation Is Out of Control. It’s the latest trend – everyone is suddenly a menopause specialist. Social media fitness ‘experts’ are overcomplicating menopause, health, and fitness, and using women’s vulnerability to sell unnecessary products.

What does the science actually say?

⁃ Hormone therapy may help with symptoms, but it won’t build muscle. Lift weights, but not necessarily heavy ones. Resistance training to failure works, whether that’s heavy with low reps or light with high reps.

⁃ All exercise is good for health. Cardio remains important during and after menopause. Don’t skip it in favor of just lifting

⁃ Weighted vests? Not needed unless you like them. There’s no solid evidence they help build muscle just by wearing them while walking which is the current trend.

⁃ Calorie deficits still work. Menopause doesn’t break biology. Your calorie requirement may change, but fat loss still comes down to a calories deficit consistently, over time, and patience.

⁃ Glucose and cortisol spikes are normal and necessary if you’re healthy. You don’t need to monitor or control them.

⁃ Your liver and kidneys detox your body. No magic food, drink, or cleanse is needed. Eat nutritious meals with enough protein and fiber.

⁃ Menopause supplements? They’re unregulated and untested and most don’t do much. Many have too little of anything useful to matter.

⁃ Biohacks like cold plunges and red light therapy sound exciting, but there’s no strong scientific backing. Save your money

You’re not broken. Your body still responds to exercise before, during, and after menopause. Pick a routine you’ll stick with. Fat loss and muscle gain take time so stay patient.

There’s no magic diet, workout, or supplement. If a message sounds overly complicated or too good to be true, that’s a red flag. And usually the person giving that message is selling something.

The boring basics work. Consistency is key. Patience is paramount.

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Scale not moving?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Scale not moving? ⚖️

You’ve committed to your plan, you’re tracking your intake, hitting a calorie deficit daily and yet the scale hasn’t budged. Frustrating, isn’t it?

Before you start second-guessing everything, here’s something to keep in mind: fat loss does not equal

weight loss, at least not on a day-to-day basis.

A daily 500-calorie deficit theoretically equates to around 1/7th of a pound (65g) of fat loss per day – that’s about a spoonful in actual fat volume. It’s small, subtle, and easy to overlook. Add in the fact that your body constantly fluctuates with water retention, food volume, and glycogen storage, and it’s no wonder the scale doesn’t always cooperate.

So you could be steadily losing fat while the number on the scale stays the same. This is completely normal, especially in the early stages of fat loss when changes are microscopic or when you’ve only got small amounts of fat to lose. It’s easily hidden by other factors like hydration levels, digestion, and hormones.

So what can you do?

⁃ Zoom out. Look at trends over weeks, not days.

⁃ Measure progress in other ways, like how your clothes fit, your energy levels, strength, and measurements.

⁃ Stay consistent. The process is working, even when the scale isn’t showing it.

⁃ Trust that the deficit is compounding and will eventually become visible change.

Most importantly: don’t quit just because the data doesn’t look dramatic right now. The work you’re putting in is adding up behind the scenes.

Patience, consistency, and perspective go a long way on this journey. Keep going – you’ve got this!

Happy Tuesday 🤗
Xx