Tag: motivation

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Avoid Overeating

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Avoid Overeating 🍔

We all overeat sometimes, it’s natural, but we can learn to spot the triggers to prevent it happening.

# 1 Friends and family

They often encourage you to ‘just have one more’ or question your choices. It’s tough, but be polite but firm. After a few occasions they’ll accept your choices and may even join you!

# 2 Crockery

Larger plates lead to larger portions. An easy tactic is to go for a smaller plate to reduce your portions.

# 3 Tiredness

Tiredness leads to overeating as a pick me up and is often mistaken for hunger. Focus on getting quality sleep, and if you’re tired pack healthy snacks in advance to stop you going for the easy fix.

# 4 Boredom

Try to focus on the root of the problem; distract yourself, call someone, go for a walk, read a magazine, anything that stops you raiding the fridge.

# 5 Booze

Booze makes you less likely to feel full and likely to reach for salty, fatty snacks, which then make you drink more, leading to more snacks. Plus you’re likely to overeat the following day. Alternate booze with water, have a proper meal rather than endless snacks, and get straight back to normal eating the next day.

# 6 Thirst

Thirst is often confused for hunger. Always have a large glass of water before you eat anything to check you really are hungry.

# 7 Gulping food

It takes 20 mins for the body to recognise it’s full. So chew each mouthful longer, or put the cutlery down between bites to slow you down.

# 8 Blown it

One small slip and we’ve blown it so we may as well go mad and eat the world! Stop and remind yourself that one small slip is better than a massive binge!

# 9 Feeling deprived

If you’re cutting foods you love out then you’re liable to fall off the wagon. Incorporate everything you like in moderation and factor larger treats in to your weekly calories.

# 10 Starting tomorrow

When you tell yourself you’ll start your diet tomorrow you’re far more likely to over eat today, as a ‘last chance’ to eat whatever you want. So instead start at your next meal!

Do you recognise any of these triggers in yourselves? I certainly do! That’s the first step to changing things!

Happy Tuesday

🤗 xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Easy Calorie Cuts

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Easy Calorie Cuts ✂️

When you’re trying to lose weight it’s all about being in a calorie deficit so finding ways to cut calories easily without leaving you hungry is key. Here are a few easy cuts that you’ll barely notice.

# 1 Non-stick Pan

Cooking with oils can adds 100s of calories to a meal without contributing much to the taste. So invest a a good non-stick pan and some light 1 cal oil sprays and you can cut those cals without even noticing.

# 2 Skip the condiments

Often we don’t even consider the calories in sauces and dressings. Avoid these sneaky calories by skipping them or going for smaller amounts, or swapping for a lower cal version. Things like balsamic vinegar, mustard and salsa are great options that are lower calorie but pack a punch.

# 3 Reduce liquid calories

We often forget the calories we drink but they can really add up e.g. milk in coffees/teas, soft drinks, smoothies, and booze. Try swapping milky coffees for Americanos, teas for herbal tea, soft drinks for diet versions, and lower calorie alcoholic drinks (e.g. slimline gin and tonic instead of beer)

# 4 Fill up

Opt for more filling foods whenever possible whilst still being mindful of calories. Foods higher in fibre and protein will keep you fuller for longer (but do check the cals). A recent study found foods such as potatoes, fish, oats, apples and oranges, wholewheat pasta, beef, beans, grapes, popcorn and wholemeal bread kept participants fuller for longer so consider including these in your meals.

# 5 Alternatives

Find alternatives for the foods you like that taste good but have less cals. Try swapping your normal ice cream for low calorie ice creams or swapping your dessert/snack to strawberries and 0% Greek yoghurt. If you’re a savoury fan opt for things like popchips instead of crisps, and low fat cheese for a savoury snack (e.g. light mini babybel)

# 6 Spice it up

Adding herbs and seasonings to your meals can add extra flavour to your food and give your meals a kick, without adding any extra calories. Studies have shown it also increases perceptions of fullness.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Manage food guilt

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Manage food guilt 😬

You succumbed to the biscuits, or had a bad day and had a pizza instead of the salad you planned and now you feel guilty that you’ve ruined your ‘diet’ and sabotaged your goals right? We all do this! There is nothing wrong with indulging in treats. What is sabotaging your weight loss goals is indulging in food guilt about it.

We’re conditioned to think that indulgences are bad, some foods are ’bad’ and we should feel ‘bad’ for giving in to our cravings, or at the extreme that we are ‘bad’ for having them. This will often lead to the “wtf” effect, making you eat even more as you think you’ve blown it.

 

A healthy balanced diet includes occasional treats. What you eat doesn’t affect who you are – indulging in treats doesn’t make you a bad person! Your character, your identity and your values don’t change just because you ate a bowl of ice cream.

 

Food is not good or bad. There are just foods that are better than others in terms of their nutrition. You can incorporate everything in a sustainable way that doesn’t leave you feeling deprived. Here are some ways to manage food guilt:

 

# 1 Don’t label food as “good” or “bad”. Food should be pleasurable, so enjoy foods you love but focus on balance. Having a doughnut as a snack as part of a balanced diet is fine!

# 2 Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are not good or bad because of what you put in your mouth. You won’t change if you have an extra piece of chocolate tonight.

# 3 Listen to your body. Are you eating that biscuit because you’re hungry, or are you stressed or bored and actually doing something else would be a better way to solve it?

# 4 Plan treats in. If you know your favourite treat is around the corner it is much easier to stay on track. Try either planning smaller treats in daily (e.g. a square of choc) or plan in bigger treats once or twice a week (e.g. a pizza at the weekend), but make it fit your calories

# 5 Be mindful when you eat and focus on the food not the TV, your phone etc. Put down your utensils between bites. Try to fit your favourite treat into your diet or find similar swaps that are lower calorie that you still enjoy.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Staying Healthy on Holiday

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Staying Healthy on Holiday🌴

We’re firmly in to the summer holidays now and many of my clients are going away and worrying about maintaining their fitness, so here are a few tips for staying healthy on hols.

#1 Workout anywhere

If you don’t have access to a gym or don’t want to spend your precious holiday time in one then no prob – take a resistance band with you and a skipping rope and you can do some cardio and resistance work wherever you are. 5 mins of skipping and a 5 – 10 min band workout is easily doable (crab walks, hip abductions, etc 2 – 3 sets of 10 -20 reps).

#2 See the sights

See the sights and get some activity in! Take walking tours around the city, guided treks in the countryside, hire a bike or a kayak, take a snorkelling trip etc. They are a fun way to get out, get active and see new places and make the most of your time away.

#3 Pack snacks

Finding healthy foods at airports and on planes/ferries etc can be tricky, so come prepared. Throw a few cereal bars in your luggage, pack fruit for the plane/ferry – this will hydrate you as well. If you’re out on day trips grab an extra apple or banana from brekkie and take that with you, or buy some local fruit and store it in your hotel mini fridge.

#4 Take time out

Emotional health is important too. Yes holidays are meant to be relaxing but they can bring their own stresses – especially if you’re herding small people around too! Try to take some time out to de-stress – try some yoga, meditation, even just a few mins of deep breathing.

#5 Try something new

What better time to try something new? If you’re at a hotel with outdoor activities give something new a go – paddle boarding, mountain biking, volley ball etc or perhaps they have classes etc so it’s a perfect time to try them.

#6 Explore

Don’t obsess about not finding somewhere to workout – just get out, have fun, explore and enjoy your holiday and you’ll probably find you’re more active than you realise anyway!

Happy holidays 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Lemon water

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Lemon water 🍋

There are many claims on social media that lemon water aids digestion, detoxifies, rejuvenates skin, aids weight loss, boosts metabolism, balances pH, reduces inflammation, cures cancer, boosts the immune system.. etc. So is lemon water really an elixir of life? Nope!

# Weight loss

Lemon contains pectin (fibre) which aids the feeling of fullness, but a squeeze of lemon only leaves trace of pectin. It’s more likely that the water is filling you up and stopping you reaching for a snack. No magic from the lemon. 

# Detoxification

The only things in your body that are going to get rid of toxins are your liver and kidneys. They don’t need help, certainly not from lemon water. Nothing you eat or drink can ‘detox’ your body.

# Balancing pH

The idea is that our bodies are too acidic (causing issues from ill health to weight gain), and you must neutralize this with ‘alkaline’ foods. If your blood pH changes it is a physiological problem (which can result in death) and needs urgent medical attention. Nothing you eat or drink alters the body’s pH. Similarly countless studies show that cancer growth has nothing to do with alkalinity. Even if you could alkalise your body enough to kill cancer cells you’d be dead from the alkalinity!

# Boost metabolism

Lemon water has no impact on your metabolism. Most “metabolism boosting” foods actually do very little or create only a temporary effect – certainly a little squeeze of lemon won’t do it.

# Digestion

Staying hydrated is what benefits your digestive system, helping your body absorb nutrients. Adding lemon won’t make a difference. 

# Immune boost

A whole lemon contains 18.6mg of Vit C. The daily recommnded dose is around 80mg! Unless you’re seriously malnourished, it’s unlikely that you need the additional micronutrient benefit that lemon water might give you.

Lemon water can actually do you harm. It causes tooth enamel erosion and digestive issues e.g. gastroesophageal reflux disorder (heartburn, nausea, and vomiting) and recent studies have shown a link to migraines.

So drink it if you like the taste or the ritual of it, but don’t expect any health benefits from it!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx