A reminder today to try to get rid of the guilt around food. I talk about this a lot but losing weight really is all about balance. You really don’t need to demonise or shun your favourite foods to hit your goals. If you use a flexible approach then any food is fine in moderation.
Breakfast doesn’t always need to be a nutritionally balanced meal of yoghurt, muesli and fruit (as delicious as that is). Some days you may fancy a Greggs bacon roll – and that’s absolutely fine. You can fulfil your emotional needs with the bacon roll and fulfil your nutritional needs in the rest of your diet. Calorie wise it’s not even that bad! Plus a bacon roll is also likely to keep you nice and full as it’s a great combo of protein, carbs and fat.
So you can have that bacon roll – just be aware of the calories and account for it. Then make sure you’re getting a range of micro nutrients in your other meals and that you’re still within your calories on average over the week.
Balance occasional indulgences with more nutritious daily decisions: enjoy the bacon roll every once in a while, but not every day
So Autumn is certainly in the air; cooler, darker evenings and mornings. For me, and many of my clients and class members this is a tough transition. It’s hard to find motivation to continue regular exercise, and we crave warming, comfort foods. I’ve posted this before but it’s always a useful reminder at this time of year.
Low energy, low mood and low motivation makes us want to hibernate rather than work out. So how can you keep that summer mojo going? Focus on shorter workouts if you’re struggling to find motivation for long sessions. In an ideal world you’d aim for 30-45 mins of high intensity exercise 3 x week: a class, a home hiit workout, or a cycle or run. But anything is better than nothing so if you can only do 10-15 mins then that’s fine! Don’t forget all the other ways you can exercise too like gardening, walking, swimming etc
Find a gym buddy; it’s harder to skip that workout when you’re doing it with someone else. Join a colleague for a lunchtime run, or meet up with a friend at the gym or at a class. The social side of fitness plays a massive role in keeping you on track.
Try to sneak exercise in whenever you can: park further away, take the stairs, walk over to speak to colleagues in the office rather than phoning or try a walking meeting with colleagues. If you’re watching the kids play sport then walk the sideline instead of standing still.
Exercise isn’t about losing weight, it’s great for stress relief and at this time of year when things can be a bit manic it’s a great release. The endorphins will lift your mood and help energise you. Make the most of those bright autumnal days and go for a walk outside.
Focus on warming, filling foods like soups and casseroles. I also like to stew up a load of fruit (apples, pears, plums, berries – whatever!) and use it as a snack or pud. Warm it up, sprinkle some oats or a little cereal on it and a dollop of Greek yoghurt – a great comforting dish!
Oh and just because it’s not hot you still need to be drinking plenty of water. It’s even more important to ensure you’re properly hydrated at this time of year as it’s when most of us forget – so get sipping while you workout!
Don’t let the changing seasons get you down – embrace it – enjoy it and have some fun this Autumn 🍁
There are lots of brands out that that are using the marketing power of “protein” to sell their products. The unspoken idea is that protein = better or healthier etc. The reasoning behind this is the fact that increased protein can help with improved satiety (feelings of fullness) so CAN help to prevent overeating. Also those working out may want to focus on protein to help with muscle building. For most people a balanced diet will contain enough protein so you don’t need to go out of your way to take in extra protein unless you’re a bodybuilder or professional athlete. However you may still wish to focus on higher protein foods and snacks to help keep you feeling full.
So you may well see this protein cookie and think it’s a good option. It does have a reasonable amount of protein – 14g, though that’s not that high for the calories and it’s quite a lot of calories for a snack. In contrast 6 nuggets might be perceived as a ‘bad’ lunch option, definitely not a snack, because it’s junk food isn’t it…? Yet the nuggets contain more protein (15g ) for fewer calories.
In terms of weight loss both will probably do the same basic job -they provide a decent amount of protein for under 300 cals. But don’t be fooled into thinking the protein cookie is a ‘better’ option for weight loss than any other snack. Don’t be swayed by the “protein” label – actually check the nutritional info and then choose the snack you want!
If you’re trying to lose weight here are a few prices of key information which should help.
# ANY diet that causes you to lose weight over an extended time frame does so by decreasing calorie intake. Whether it does it under the guise of some other mechanism or not it all ultimately comes down to a calorie deficit. Keto, intermittent fasting, weight loss clubs, etc – they all only work if they result in a calorie deficit.
# Despite what you see online calories in vs calories out is not a myth. It has the largest influence over what we weigh and our bodyfat. Thousands of studies support this.
# While calories matter, food quality still matters. Eating fewer calories will undoubtedly cause you to lose weight but if you also want to feel good and be healthy then it’s worth ensuring you’re still including nutrient dense foods too.
# 1kg of body fat is made up of approx 7,700kcal. Of your weight changes quickly within a day or so then it’s simply not possible that it’s all body fat.
Large changes in weight in short time frames (whether up or down) are mostly due to changes in weight from water, glycogen and food rather than actual body fat.
# Eating more protein doesn’t directly help weight loss. However it does increase feelings of fullness and satiety, can help ensure muscle mass is preserved when you do lose weight (assuming you’re also working out too) and does very marginally increase calorie burn.
# Consistency is key. Trying to eat
“perfectly” 100% of the time is unlikely to work. Having some degree of flexibility can help improve consistency over the longer term.
# You need to find what works for YOU.
Energy balance applies for everybody – it’s always about a calorie deficit. But how you achieve that calorie deficit and what works best for you and feels good long term varies from person to person.
Why it’s generally harder for women to lose weight than men 👫
I encounter this a lot with my clients, especially couples. A man appears to change very little in their diet and loses 3kg in a week, whilst a woman cuts carbs, cuts booze, workouts tonnes and gets a stomach bug and puts on 2 kg! Now obviously this is just a humorous example but it’s not actually that far from the truth. Men really do tend to respond faster than women when it comes to weight loss, so why is this?
Generally, men will burn more calories at rest than women due to them being taller, heavier and naturally more muscular. This means they will need to consume more calories to maintain their weight. It also means they can consume considerably more calories and still be in a calorie deficit. For example a 6ft man, weighing 95kg needs around 2,600 cals to maintain so anything below that is a deficit. In contrast a 5ft 6inch woman, weighing 67 kg needs approx 1800 cals to maintain and less to lose weight. That’s almost a 1000 cals difference and makes a huge difference when trying to accommodate your meals, snacks and then social stuff on top.
This is even harder if you’re a couple as you may be likely to eat similar things/portions so if you’re both eating around 1600 cals then the man will be at an even greater deficit so will lose weight much more rapidly.
Whilst it’s not possible to out exercise diet obviously there is also some impact from the amount of calories burnt and men will naturally burn more calories than women due to their height, weight and muscle mass.
Women may see higher fluctuations in weight too (which makes the process harder) as they can be more susceptible to fluid retention in response to stress and other hormones. In addition there are psychological reasons it’s harder for women. ‘Diet culture’ is so prevalent and affects women from a very young age. Most of my female clients have been on and off diets since they were teenagers to some degree. These repeated attempts at trying to find dietary success can completely fracture anyone’s mindset around their bodies and food. Whilst men do also face these struggles it’s not usually to the same extent.
What you can do about it?
Women can increase their chances of weight loss success by increasing muscle mass (which increases your BMR so you burn more calories at rest).
And whilst it is indeed harder for women to lose weight that doesn’t mean the law of thermodynamics don’t apply. If you are in a calorie deficit you will lose body fat and you may still be losing fat even if the scale doesn’t necessarily show it. So make sure you’re tracking accurately so you know you’re eating in a calorie deficit.
Work on any habits, thoughts and behaviours that may have held you back due to diet culture (e.g. move away from overly restrictive dieting or cutting out food groups).
Overall don’t give up! Use objective measures to keep track of progress beyond the scales and don’t worry if your other half or men in your life seem to be ‘doing better’ – it’s not better – it’s just different!
Every Step Fitness 