Food swaps for less calories

There are loads of food swaps you can use to save yourself calories, we also have to think about drinks too, obviously alcohol is loaded with sugar and can have quite an impact on your progress, however some alcohol free drinks can be just as bad, just check the labels.

Coffees, juices as other such drinks can also be loaded with calories, Some of the drinks in places such as Starbucks can set you back 500-600 calories! Innocent smoothies really aren't innocent, again loaded with calories 250ml strawberry and banana smoothie is around 250 calories. Personally i'd rather eat my calories than drink a smoothie plus you feel fuller.

It's really about being mindful of drinks as well as food if you are trying to lose body fat. If you're doing exercise regularly and consistantly and not seeing loss of body fat its probably a good idea to track your food and drink for a while. There are some good tracking apps available for free, a good one is MYfitnesspal, however my advice would be just to use it for tracking food do not use it to calculate how many calories you need as they are very restrictive. Message me if you need any tips or help, i promise you after a week or so it becomes part of your day.

Tor x

Getting to grips with your nutrition

It can often be confusing as to what the right way is to sorting out a balanced nutrition plan. You might want to lose body fat, change your body composition as a whole or just generally have better food choices. There are hundreds of quick fix ideas, " drop a dress size in 14 days etc" and yes they will probably work for a short period of time but long term given the aggressive nature of the nutrition and workout plans 99% of the time you simply wont sustain it.

Here's a few tips and a few recipes for high protein meal ideas.

Get to grips with Macros(macronutrients) Fats, proteins and carbs, make protein your priority and aim for a good source of lean protein with each meal. If you work on an 80/20 theory so 80% good nutrient dense food with 20% of your favourite things, cakes, vino, takeaway etc then you're not denying yourself anything its just included in your week.

You're body needs to be in a calorie deficit to lose body fat, it doesn't matter how you do it, slimming world, portion control its all the same things just dressed up different ways.

If you calorie count, take your calorie amount each day and multiply by 7 to give you a weekly amount, some days you may be over some days you may be under but as long as you stick to that amount you'll be fine. Remember this isn't a one size fits all, each person requires different calories( i can work that out for you just give me a shout) This doesn't mean you'll be counting calories forever, once you get into it you learn pretty quickly whats in what and for most we eat similar foods each week.

Please shout if i can help at all!!

Scales are for Fish!

I'm sure many of you do or have spent time jumping on scales to see what you weigh. How many times have you overindulged at Christmas or birthdays and hop on the scales two days later to see the number has increased? The truth is that number on the scale doesn't really mean anything and certainly doesn't give you a true reading of your progress. It is literally the weight of your body which includes, bones, water, muscles, organs, body fat etc, and as women (for most anyway) we change pretty much on a daily basis. That number you stare at on the scale will change due to a variety of reasons. Here are a few:

Challenging workout - As part of this healing process, the body will retain fluid in the muscle making you weigh more.(temporarily)

Eating food that was higher in carbohydrates - Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted into energy used to support the bodily functions and physical activity . Glycogen is stored along with three grams of water. If you eat a high carb meal, your body likely uses some of those carbs to replenish your glycogen stores. And since your body stores water along with glycogen, your weight may increase at that time.

We need carbohydrates, it is one of the bodies major source of energy so cutting them out isn't a great idea, if you like bread, have it, its not a class A drug it wont kill you, have it just don't eat the whole loaf!!! Its all about moderation unless of course you have allergies or intolerances.

Hormones - the fluctuation in hormones can lead to water gain and bloating.

Lack of sleep -a lack of sleep or poor sleep can affect your mood, increased hunger leading to a higher calorie intake , decreased physical activity and ultimately weight gain.

In general our normal bathroom scales don't really tell us much, for me the best way to measure success and progress is to take before and after photos or simply find an item of clothing that feels snug or tight and use that as a guideline. Be consistent and patient, quick fixes aren't sustainable.

The expression "muscle weighs more than fat" is rubbish! a pound of fat, a pound of muscle, its still a pound, its and equal amount. You cannot change fat into muscle they are very different. Muscle is much denser, its solid, it takes up less space and uses up more calories. It also changes your body shape and you will look more toned and feel much stronger and have more energy. Fat is fluffy takes up more space and not at many calories needed.

Pretty much the only time i ask a client to weigh themselves is to workout their calorie intake if its needed.

In my opinion Scales are for fish!