Tuesday Tip: Key weight loss tips 📝

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.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip: Volume Eating 😋

One of the key tips I give my clients revolves around volume eating. If you’re trying to lose weight then volume eating can be really beneficial. Volume eating is all about consuming larger quantities of low-calorie, high-volume foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It allows you to eat more food and feel fuller while maintaining a lower calorie intake.

Foods like fruit (berries, grapes, pineapples etc), salad (tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, lettuce, mushrooms etc), and vegetables (pumpkin, leafy greens, broccoli etc) have high water and fibre content. It adds volume to our meals without adding many calories. Another advantage of volume eating is it can often increase the micronutrient content of the diet. Usually (but not always) these high volume foods are nutrient-dense, meaning they are rich in vitamins and minerals which is beneficial for overall health.

Volume eating can potentially help in developing sustainable eating habits too. Restrictive diets can lead to feelings of deprivation, but volume eating encourages incorporating varied food sources and decent portion sizes, so can reduce some of this restriction

Ways to do this include making sure that for your main meals 50% of the plate is made up with these high volume foods. Ensure you’re also having whole grain , unrefined carbs too as they aid in satiety, muscle recovery and training performance /energy levels (and they’re tasty!).

For snacks consider adding fruit or salad to your snacks. So rather than just having 2 biscuits, have 2 biscuits and a large portion of berries, or instead of having a packet of crisps have a lower calorie crisp option and have some cucumber and carrot sticks with it etc. Zero calorie drinks also help to add volume – especially to snacks.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip: Consistency is key 😇

I say it all the time and I’m sure you find yourself saying it too – ‘I just need to be consistent…and then I’ll start seeing results’. But whilst that is undoubtedly true the issue lies in what we think of as ‘consistency’. Often we struggle with consistency because our expectations and perception of what consistency looks like aren’t realistic. We assume it means being 100% on our nutrition every day, smashing out 1-2 workouts every day hitting 10,000 steps daily, getting to bed early every day, and being 100% on it and motivated every single day.

But who can actually do that every day? I couldn’t! We’re all busy with work, families, social lives and many of us are already running on close to empty as it is. Trying to eat and workout like an Olympic athlete isn’t going to work. You don’t have time and you can’t sustain it . And this is why you feel like you’re failing – your expectations don’t match your capabilities. The better approach is to have a realistic, sustainable plan based on what you can manage.

A good way to do this – every Sunday (or any day that works for you) have a think about:

• How many workouts you can realistically fit in and that you want to fit in that week? Maybe it’s 2 maybe it’s 4 … whatever is fine! Schedule them in.
• Food wise could I keep it simple with the same basic breakfast and lunch for a few days? If so what do I need to get for that?
• What social events/meals out do I need to plan ahead for?
• How many steps did I manage last week? Could I do the same or slightly more this week (500 extra steps for example).
• What small steps could you take this week to help reach your goal e.g. only drinking alcohol 2 nights instead of 4, swapping a heavy calorie snack for a lower calorie one etc

Focus on being consistent at things that you can actually fit into your life and you’ll find you’ll actually succeed.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Fallen off track? 🛤️

If you’ve fallen off track with your fitness this summer then here are a few things you need to know.

# 1 STOP beating yourself up about it..

Making yourself feel bad or guilty for not being consistent with your workouts during the summer is not the best way to motivate yourself. In fact, it’s just the opposite. If you want to get back on track, you’ll have to leave the guilt behind and move forward.

# 2 What made you fall off track in the first place?

Did you set unrealistic expectations? Was it a question of poor time management? Overextending yourself? Different routines? Or do you simply need to change your definition of the ‘track’? All these might be true, or there may be other reasons – look at them as data NOT a character flaw or sign of failure. Once you examine the why you can adjust accordingly.

# Consistency is key

Consistency can take many forms and will vary throughout the months/years. It’s important to realise that sometimes your best effort at consistency will be 2 workouts a week, or walking instead and at other times it may be 4/5 workouts a week. Don’t spend time comparing yourself to what you used to do, just focus on what you can do now.

# Be mindful of what you are telling yourself

Be mindful of what you are telling yourself
If you’ve developed a pattern of shaming yourself when you are falling short then this self sabotage will negatively affect your outcome and your mindset.

Whenever you repeat these thoughts you simply reinforce the idea that you ‘always do this’, or ‘this is why I can’t get results’ or ‘I’m useless’. Take notice when you do this and try to stop the spiral.

# Just start.

There’s no need to waste time overthinking it, or looking for how you can get motivated again. Just taking that next step and starting is the solution. There’s no need to overthink it.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip: Protein for breakfast? 🍳

Should you eat protein for breakfast? This is a question I often get from clients and there’s a lot of info in the media suggesting we should but do we really need to? A recent study has reviewed the impact on protein consumption at breakfast on muscle strength and health,

They found that sufficient protein intake was linked to increased muscle mass, especially in older adults. It found that if the total amount of protein consumed over the day was sufficient then it didn’t matter when it was consumed. So for those meeting their protein goals, missing protein at breakfast won’t have much of an impact if their daily total is enough.

Protein itself is essential, especially for maintaining and building muscle, so it helps with recovery and is also great at keeping you feeling full. But the reality is most people’s diet includes more than enough protein as it is. Average daily recommended intake is 55g for men and 45g for women’s (with heavy exercisers needing a bit more: 1.2 – 1.7g per kg body weight). It’s not hard to get that in your meals e.g. 1 egg: 6g, 1 chicken breast: 20g, 30g cheddar cheese: 7.5g, 1 serving cooked beef mince: 18g, 1/2 pot cottage cheese: 18g, 1 tin of tuna: 25g, 1 serving Greek yogurt: 18g etc.

The only possible benefit to having it at breakfast is its ability to help keep you fuller for longer which may help with sticking to your calories later in the day.

If you enjoy your current breakfast and it works for you then adding protein probably isn’t necessary. If you’re already eating a good diet then all you’re doing is taking on extra calories you don’t need, which could stall your weight loss attempts.

So if you’re eating a balanced diet, and working out at a normal level (i.e. not an Olympic athlete!), and your current brekkie satisfies you, then don’t stress about when you have your protein.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx