Category

Weight Loss

Oct 06
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Should You Rely on the BMI?

By Health, Weight Loss No Comments
Most of us are familiar with the BMI, or body mass index, which compares your weight and height and suggests where you sit between underweight and obese. As a guide, it has some use. It might confirm what you already know. However, the scale was designed for sedentary people and - in my opinion - has become overused as a primary method of diagnosing overweight or underweight with no regard for whether the weight is from fat or muscle. When you're going about fat loss in a healthy way, gaining muscle promotes a faster metabolism and reduced body fat. It's quite possible to weigh the same on the scale yet have less fat and more muscle - this would suggest an improvement, but would not be reflected on the BMI scale. Comparing weight to height isn't always a reliable measure across the board. So, use the BMI as a rough guide if you like to. But, also let yourself look at the wider details of your weight. How's your energy? How's your sleep quality? Are you getting stronger in your workouts? Are you in a consistent exercise routine? What's your diet like? And, perhaps most importantly - are you happy with your body, and the way you're living your life?
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Jun 17
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Can Eating What You Crave Promote Weight Loss?

By Mindset, Weight Loss No Comments
I stumbled upon an interesting study the other day. It showed that people who ate a bit of what they craved alongside a generally balanced diet actually did better and lost more weight over a year than those who didn’t. And their cravings remained manageable for the following year too. Really, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Despite the fact that we all feel convinced that if we are to lose weight then our diet must be pretty much perfect. We’re either eating well and losing weight or we’re doing the opposite. But yet again, the middle ground is the place to be! By not outlawing your favourite foods, but learning to eat them appropriately alongside an otherwise decent diet, you’re much more likely to be able to maintain the changes to your diet for the long term. And when you’re able to keep showing up, good things happen - even if you’re not going about things in the perfect way you think you should.
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May 14
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The Best Kind Of Exercise?

By Fitness, Health, Weight Loss No Comments
I know you're expecting me to say strength training (and as a whole package, strength training still wins hands down) BUT As something with pretty much zero knowledge, equipment or other requirement, walking is awesome. Even if you already do a couple of workouts a week, if your daily step count is low, you'll gain benefits from walking. Although the 10,000 daily steps target is often spoken about, 7000-8000 steps likely brings the same amount of benefits. You don't need to start here though. Find out how many steps you're already doing each day, and set a realistic target to strive for. Once that becomes easy, you can increase it again until you can manage 7000-8000 steps a day. You can spread your step count out across the day. In fact, this arguably has some benefits over doing them all at once as it helps you avoid longer periods of inactivity. The benefits of regular movement are huge. If you can walk for even 10 minutes after each meal, you'll notice improvements to your blood sugar immediately. You'll notice your energy levels increase, and you'll see positive effects on your mental health, sleep quality and general sharpness of mind. Longer term, you're at a reduced risk of chronic diseases too. So, don't overlook the positive benefits of walking. Even if you already have a regular exercise routine, if you are otherwise pretty inactive, working on your step count will provide big and far reaching benefits.
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Feb 26
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Semaglutide & Osteopenia

By Health, Weight Loss No Comments
I thought we'd pick back up on the semaglutide topic, as there's been a bit of negative press about it being linked with osteopenia. Obviously, I'm not here to suggest that everyone should be taking a GLP-1 inhibitor, but I also don't think it's a bad thing for the right person, with the right support. ANY diet which involves an extended period of a very low calorie intake, particularly if the protein intake is also low, will lead to nutrient deficiencies. When you add a lack of strength exercise to the mix, your body is receiving a loud message to reduce calorie expenditure on anything unnecessary - and muscle is an expensive thing to maintain if it's not needed! The issue isn't the semaglutide, it's the combination of very low calorie, a lack of protein and no strength exercise! So, if you are considering a GLP-1 inhibitor, please make sure you have some good support to help you use it for what it's best at: helping make it easier to bring positive and sustainable changes into your lifestyle. Take care that you don't swap one health issue for another!
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