Tag: tuesdaytip

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Do you need protein shakes?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Do you need protein shakes? 🥤

Protein shakes – all the rage, essential gym kit eh? But are they really necessary?

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. So it’s pretty easy for most people to eat the required amount, with no shakes or powders required.

In an ideal world, if trying to build muscle then you do want to get some protein in within 30 mins of a strenuous workout. So that could be a reason to grab a shake. But you could save some pennies and instead go for something simple like a glass of milk (dairy milk contains 8g protein, soya milk contains 7g), or one of the best post-workout recovery drinks – chocolate milk (perfect carbs: protein ratio).

Aside from saving money you will also be protecting your health. Recent research shows that too much protein in the diet can increase your risk of osteoporosis amongst other health issues. Plus 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. They’re also not ideal as a meal replacement unless you combine them with other ingredients. For example as an grab and go brekkie option they’re great when combined in a smoothie with banana, milk, etc to give you a range of nutrients and a good balance of carbs too (but Greek yoghurt also does the same!).

So if you’re eating a balanced diet, and working out at a normal level (i.e. not an Olympic athlete!), then don’t stress about protein shakes as they’re really not necessary at all! Save your pennies!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Eating out, on track

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Eating out, on track 🍽

With restaurants reopening I know a lot of people are heading back our for meals etc. So I thought it would be useful to go over a few tips to help you stay on track, when when eating out.

Look up the menu in advance and decide what you will have, or a few options that you fancy. Then reverse engineer your day around it – log the meal, and fit your other meals around it.

You may want to prioritise lean protein for your main course e.g. steak and salad. But be mindful that restaurant portions are 2-3 times bigger than those you’d have at home, so consider a doggy bag.

Try to choose 1 or 2 courses rather than 3 if you can. Remember you’re the customer – if you want starter and dessert, or 2 starters, or even 2 desserts you can do that! You don’t have to go for starter, main and dessert.

Avoid extras – bread, olives, nibbles, oil, dressings etc. Ask for sauces on the side and you can decide how much you want to use. Ask for your veggies without butter etc too and be mindful of liquid calories (both alcoholic and non alcoholic).

Choose your indulgence – perhaps it’s booze, or the dessert, or the bread basket – whatever it is (for me it’s always dessert!), rather than having them all! It’s ok to enjoy a meal out but if you want to stick to your calorie targets then you can’t have it all.

Focus on the company and conversation – that’s what you’ll remember from the meal. It won’t be the food or that glass of wine, it will be the laughs and stories with your friends or family that you remember in months and years to come, not whether you had dessert or not!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Too busy?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Too busy?🤯

It’s really easy when you’re busy to feel like the additional stress of trying to eat well or exercise to lose weight is too much. I often hear people say they’re just too busy to even think about it. I get it, I really do, I know how hard it is when you’re busy and feel like you never have a chance to stop and breathe, let alone fit in meal prepping, exercise etc. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Here are some tips I use with my clients to help them reach their fat loss goals, despite being short on time.

First off; ditch the all or nothing mindset. You don’t need to spend hours exercising to see results, in fact you don’t even need to workout every day or for long periods when you do. You also don’t have to spend hours prepping meals and creating a pile of tupperware boxes full of perfectly balanced meals. You do however need to commit a little time if you want to change things. Take an honest look at your schedule and see if you’re wasting time anywhere that you could use for something else. I’m not talking about hours, but perhaps that 20 mins idly scrolling through social media? or 30 mins watching TV? I’m not saying you shouldn’t do those things but if you’re desperate to lose weight then could some of that time be redirected?

Schedule your workouts and walks, you don’t need long, ten mins is enough (try one of my ten min workouts for example). Commit to a specific time and put it in your diary. Multitask and walk while you make a business call if you can or walk instead of driving to the shops etc. And be realistic, workout on days when you’re less busy. Don’t try to cram a workout in on your most manic day. Be generally active; walk, stand, fidget – do whatever you can whenever you can.

Stay in a calorie deficit – consistently. Now that does require some sort of tracking but you can make this easier on yourself by sticking to a small range of ‘go to’ meals and snacks that you know the cals for. Then you only need to work the cals out once. If you have say 6 meals you regularly have then simply rotate them. Use pre-prepared snacks and even the odd ready meal if you need, then it’s easy!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Bread is bad! 🍞

Dr Nancy P

Bread is bad! 🍞

I’ve lost count of the number of times people tell me they need to stop eating bread, or that they’ve had a bad week with too much bread, or their main weight loss issue is their love of bread…..

There seems to be a common misconception that bread is inherently bad and that having it means you can’t lose weight. Bread in itself (white or brown) is not that high in calories – a typical slice of hovis is 88 cals, and even a small sourdough is only 120 cals or so. Bread in itself is not a problem, what you put on it is the problem. The scraping of butter that you barely notice almost doubles the calories that slice of bread/toast will give you. Butter and 30g jam nearly triples the calories, as does a serving of Nutella (without butter underneath)! If you’re a peanut butter fan then that 40g serving (without any butter underneath) brings that piece of toast up to 349 cals. A snack of a little cheese on toast (no butter) is around 255 cals whilst a brunch of toast, 75g avocado, egg and a little ketchup comes in at 324 cals ….

Technically it is of course possible for bread to derail you if you’re eating a huge amount, like any food, but it’s far more likely to be what you’re putting on the bread that’s doing the damage. Bread isn’t the devil; in fact it’s a great source of carbs, which we all need. It tastes good and it’s also a really convenient food for a snack or lunch (as a sandwich) etc and there’s no need to cut it out of your diet to lose weight, but it may pay to be aware of what you’re putting on it and consider some lower cal toppings if you are trying to watch the calories.

Enjoy bread responsibly 🤣

🤗 xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Are you in a Calorie deficit?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Are you in a Calorie deficit? 📉

We know that for fat loss to occur you need to be eating at a calorie deficit – i.e. eating fewer calories than you expend. People often say they are “definitely under their cals” (i.e. at a deficit) but they’re not seeing the scales drop. So here are some ways to tell if you are at a deficit that aren’t all scale-based.

Now before I mention any of these indicators it’s important to note that you won’t see results immediately; you need to be at a deficit for several weeks (not days) so the first thing you need to ask yourself is has it been long enough?

Here are some other indicators:

• Your measurements are dropping. If you’re losing cm’s but your weight hasn’t changed, then you’re probably in a deficit.

• Your clothes fit better. You may not notice specific measurements going down but those tops which are usually tight now feel looser. That means you’re probably in a deficit.

• Others are noticing. If you’re suddenly getting compliments or people are noticing you seem to have lost weight then you probably have lost some fat and are in a deficit (even if it isn’t showing on the scales)

• You are seeing more definition in certain areas – arms, collar bones, shoulders etc. That will mean you’re losing some fat and are probably in a deficit.

• Finally – the scales are going down, consistently. Though I would add a caveat that very sudden, large, weight losses are more likely to be fluid changes than fat loss. It’s also normal for your weight to fluctuate up and down so always focus on long term trends.

Fat loss is different for everyone – everyone responds differently and at different speeds. If you’re seeing any of the changes above then you are doing ok! All it takes is consistency and you will see the results you want. Conversely though, if you’re not seeing any changes, then it’s time to double check your food intake because it means you aren’t in the deficit you thought you were.

Remember it’s not all about the scales. If you woke up tomorrow with the body you’ve always wanted would you care what the number on the scales said? No you probably wouldn’t, so focus on the other changes!

Happy Tuesday

🤗

Xx