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Are You (Unintentionally!) Ignoring Your Progress?

By Mindset, Uncategorized, Weight Loss No Comments
First up, if you haven't already, please come and join my new Facebook Group - it's full of practical advice and ideas to think about when working on your health and fitness. If your goal is to lose weight, and you're only focussing on what the scales tell you - I think you might be selling yourself short. You see, when you're eagerly seeking weight loss, it can be easy to get disheartened when you don't see an immediate change on the scales. We can become convinced that nothing is changing, and this can contribute in no small part to the on:off cycle so many of us have with our health and fitness plans. But, if you make a point of noticing some of the other positives which come alongside making improvements to our health and fitness, then that's likely to help you stay on course. You could start monitoring the fit of your clothes, or even get the tape measure out. But also, you could consider the many other positives which come alongside making improvements to our health and fitness - things like: Improved energy Better sleep quality Clearer skin Less joint pain Better flexibility / mobility Feeling fitter and stronger Being in a better mood more often You might even notice specifics which you hadn't considered before.... The one I hear most often relates to being able to tie one's shoelaces more easily! Likewise, what about other non-outcome based positives you're likely to be seeing - things like: Sticking to a routine Eating more veggies Getting 10,000 steps a day consistently Doing two workouts a week To almost every client I've ever worked with, these things are as important as the weight loss goal - it's just that we often don't notice these other positives which come with improving our…
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How Much Should I Eat?

By Uncategorized No Comments
I've recorded this email as a video as well. You can find it on Facebook or Instagram. Much is made (by me!) of the need to make sure you're eating sufficient protein. And that is massively important, and perhaps even more so when you're aiming to lose weight. But, the question that follows is: how much of everything else should I eat? Well, the first part of the answer to that question is: if you focus purely on eating until you are satisfied rather than stuffed, and only eat nutrient rich 'real food' when you are hungry, you're not going to go too far wrong. For the majority of us, this is enough to achieve the weight loss we desire. Give this approach time to work (at least 4-6 weeks) before you try to move on - don't make things more complicated than needed! Sometimes, for a few people, eating in this way just doesn't quite work. Some people just prefer to work with numbers rather than feelings too. So, for these people, the next stage is to work out your numbers. Multiply your bodyweight in LBS by 15 in order to get a rough estimate of the calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. Then, take 10-15% off this in order to create a deficit. Always start by working out your protein intake first. Ideally, you need about 1.5 grams protein per KG bodyweight per day. Multiply this number by 4 in order to find out the calorie cost of this. Then, take the remaining calories and split them into carbs and fat. As a starting point, split the calories equally - so divide your remaining calories by 2. Divide this number by 9 to find out how many grams of fat you should eat a day. Divide it by 4 to find…
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My Advice On Relaxing The Rules

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In the email I sent at the beginning of February, I promised a follow up to my message about what to do if you're eating very little but not losing weight. And then, well, I forgot. Until I was politely reminded! So, a little later than intended, here are some thoughts on relaxing the rules. I've also removed myself from my comfort zone and recorded this as a video as well. You can find it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We discussed overall calorie balance in my last message, and how eating at a deficit during the week could be wiped out annoyingly quickly by relaxing the rules too much at the weekend. My advice here is to relax the rules MORE often, not to tighten the reins further. If the weekend stops being the green-light, time-limited opportunity to eat whatever it is you want, then those foods stop being a forbidden fruit, and stop holding such allure. This more relaxed approach makes it less likely that you'll go crazy and overeat, because it is not your only opportunity to eat it. Just to be clear though, this is not me suggesting you go around eating junk all the time. This is about understanding how different food makes you feel and makes your body function, and making your choices accordingly. Some foods satisfy your hunger and help keep your weight and health in check, and some foods contribute to a bad nights sleep, reduced energy and a foggy brain. Most of the time, you want to keep your weight and health in check, and you want to fill your body with real, nutrient rich food. But sometimes, you want to choose something simply because it tastes nice, or because its an important part of a celebration. When you make these choices, you're…
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