Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fab time celebrating the New Year coming in. Now is a great time to start thinking about your 2013 Resolutions and I've got a few tips for you to think about if you're keen to set any diet or weight loss goals! Here goes...
Look out for more top tips and New Year's Recipes *coming soon*
Have a great week!
Nic x
P.s I'll be announcing the winners of my Healthy Hamper Christmas giveaway (to help kick start your NY resolutions!!) this Sunday (there's still time to enter!!) .. just click [here].
Did you know that the average person gains 5lb over Christmas?! Here are my top 5 tips on what you can do to prevent the holiday weight gain – is that worth 4 minutes of your time?!
Thanks for watching! - you can check out more of my You Tube videos by clicking [here]. And in case you're wondering, those delicious oranges are from Spain.. and taste amazing.. you can buy them from Vivavida Gourmet and I will be writing a review blog post on them this week!
When it comes to weight loss, it's true that your 'diet' plays a pretty big role.. and indeed exercise is crucial for burning off excess calories, stabilising blood glucose (sugar) levels and toning (helping us look good).. but exercise is even more important when it comes to keeping the weight off.
When we lose weight we want it to be fat, and not muscle. Muscle burns calories and so the more we have the more calories we will burn day-to-day. Building exercise into your routine is a must if you are planning on either maintaining your weight loss efforts, want to improve your over all health or just want to 'tone up'. Paul Mumford is an elite personal trainer and sports coach based in Essex and he kindly offered to 'guest post' on my blog for everyone who's thinking of embarking on a training plan - it's all too easy to rush into a training regime without proper advice, however here we have some fab tips from Paul - so you don't make any of the most common mistakes!!
Spending plenty of time in a gym, as I do, I see people doing some pretty horrific things. Most of them think they are working out correctly, some of them have just become lazy, some of them would rather look good lifting a heavy weight badly than lifting a lighter weight correctly. So, it's a good time for a few reminders, here are 6 of the most common mistakes people make when working out.
1. Doing the same workout every time you go to the gym.
Doing the same workout all the time can increase your risk of injury as well as lead to muscle imbalance, weakness and just plain boredom. I've seen some people coming to the gym and still doing the same workout they were given at their induction months ago. It's important to vary your workout regularly. When I work out for myself or plan a programme for a client, I never make two routines the same. Mix push ups with chest press, try a pull up instead of a lat pulldown. It's actually wrong to call it a workout routine because that implies you need to do the same thing every time you train. Muscles get bigger and stronger when you constantly challenge them with new exercises or ways to move.
2. Never have a rest day. Rest is an often overlooked part of a workout routine. If you don't plan to rest or schedule recovery days into your training, you actually limit your ability to train. Your body gets stronger after exercise stress, so you need to allow time for the rebuilding of muscle tissue. Any good workout plan will include regular periods of rest and recovery. This allows you to adapt to the exercise and you return bigger, stronger and faster. Rest also allows you to recover mentally and emotionally and avoid exercise burnout.
3. Train through the pain.
Many people get into the groove during exercise and forget about some key principles for safe and effective workouts. Exercising when you have pain is one of them, and it's the fastest way to develop a serious or persistent injury. Minor aches and pains can easily become chronic overuse injuries that plague us for years. If you feel pain during exercise, stop, rest and look for the cause of the pain. Sometimes all you need to do is make some minor adjustments to your equipment or body position to sort the problem out.
For example, if you are walking and feel the burn of a blister developing on your heel, immediate treatment may prevent the problem altogether. Letting it progress may lead to a painful and long-lasting blister. Pain is your body's way of warning you of a problem. Pay attention and you will often find you can quickly recover and return to training faster than if you push through.
4. Ignore proper form and technique.
This should have probably gone at the top of the list because I see this almost every day. No matter what sort of workout routine or exercise you enjoy, using incorrect technique will reduce the effectiveness of the workout and put you at greater risk for getting injured. Take time to learn proper technique whether you're lifting weights, doing yoga, running or whatever it may be. Even if you have been playing a sport for years, you'd be surprised at what you can learn by taking a lesson or having a refresher session.
5. You play to your strengths.
I see a lot of guys (and a few girls) who spend all of their gym time working on the muscles that look good in the mirror. By ignoring the muscles on the other side of your body you wind up with bad posture and you're more prone to injury. When you head for the gym spend the same amount of time on every part of your body. If you don't like working your legs for instance (and not many people do) try hitting them first, then you're less likely to skip them when you're tired and thinking about heading for the showers.
6. Scared of getting muscles.
Women in the gym have a huge fear that resistance exercise with heavy weights will make them puff up like a shot putter or look like Jodi Marsh. Well it won't. Most women I come across strive to get 'toned'. Well muscle 'tone' is actually achieved by having larger muscles with less fat around them, and larger muscles burn more fat in the first place. Training your muscles with heavier weights and with lower reps will achieve this. There's also a good reason why guys in general have more muscle mass than girls, testosterone. That's something women simply don't have and without spending several hours a day in the gym or taking supplements they will never achieve it either. So go for the heavy weights and don't panic. Even most guys have a hard enough time gaining muscle mass.
Thanks Paul for such a great blog post! You can follow Paul on twitter @pauldmumford and can visit his website (and sign up for his free newsletter) here.... PaulMumford.co.uk
Have a great weekend everyone - I'm going to be vlogging protein cookies for My Protein so look out for the recipe on my YouTube Channel!
You may, or may not have heard of 'Meat Free Mondays' or 'Meatless Mondays'. Meat Free Mondays is a campaign fronted by the McCartneys and aims to encourage people to give up meat one day a week. I was recently interviewed by Sainsbury's Magazine on my thoughts on Meatless Mondays, or 'Semi-tarianism' as they like to call it, and I thought I'd share it with you all. To see my quotes in print you can pick up the new Sainsbury's magazine in stores this month (p.135).
Page 135.. Semi-tarianism
So what did they ask me? And what did I say? Read on to find out...
1)Why do you personally think meatless Mondays are such a good idea? I love the idea of 'Meat-free Mondays' as it invites meat lovers to try something new and different, just once a week, with possibly pounds and lb's saved along the way! A tin of chickpeas can cost as little as 59p, meaning Jamie Oliver's 'Quick Chickpea and Spinach Curry' is not only relatively low in fat and high in soluble fibre, but cheap too.
I personally recommend a mixture of lean meats, oily fish and meat-free dishes with 'cottage cheese and sweet potato salad’ and ‘walnut moussaka’ being very popular! - Mornflake have a great recipe video for walnut moussaka [click here] for the video link!
Vegetarian diets have been associated with lower risks of diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and colon cancer.Vegetarian diets can also often be lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre than meat-filled diets, however care must be taken not to see 'cheese' as the only source of protein for those who exclude meat but not dairy within the diet. Cheese is both high in saturated fat and calories which could cause weight gain if eaten too frequently.
Page 135 of the October Sainsbury's Magazine...
2) If people want to go fully vegetarian, what are the nutritional issues they need to be careful of and how to you avoid them becoming issues?
The key to a nutritious vegetarian diet is to have a variety of different meat-free protein foods over the day to ensure that the body receives all of the essential amino acids it needs (the building blocks of protein) e.g. chickpeas, lentils, beans, soya, nuts, seeds and grains such as quinoa. If individuals are looking to cut out meat altogether, then care should be taken to ensure adequate intake of iron, which is found in fortified breakfast cereals, wholemeal bread, green leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, sesame seeds and dried fruit. Vitamin C helps to absorb iron in the body which means that including vegetables or fruit with your meal is a good idea. Stricter vegetarians who cut out dairy foods and eggs should also be mindful about their calcium as well as vitamin B12, B2 and D intake. Fortified soya milks and yoghurts, as well as tofu are good sources of calcium withfortified breakfast cereals and yeast extract providing vitamins B12 and B2. Vitamin D can be created from sunlight however certain people may need supplements; you can speak to your GP about this if you are concerned.
Do you take part in meat-free Mondays? And if not, why not give it a go?!
Eating out should be a fun, enjoyable and pleasurable experience. However for people who are trying to lose weight or wanting to eat 'healthier' it can be highly stressful.. 'what do I choose?', 'is that portion size too big?', 'how is it cooked?', 'what's in that?!' .. these thoughts can cause some people to avoid the 'eating out' experience altogether.
'is that 500 or 1500 calories?'
Common tactics often used by 'slimmers' are 'asking for more vegetables than potatoes', 'ordering the salad on the side', 'having baby potatoes instead of chips' and 'sharing a dessert' ... but what about the butter on the potatoes and vegetables, and what do you do with the dressing on the side?! Pour it all over?! And what if you want a WHOLE dessert to your self?! Eating out can really be a tricky business when it comes to calorie counting.. and only the chef really knows what is in the dish!
So, does it really matter? The answer is yes. A typical evening or larger lunch meal for someone trying to lose weight should be around 500 calories .. however some dishes can be over double this. Take, for example, the humble Chinese prawn balls.. 10 in batter, and a sweet and sour sauce can be ~1200 calories, where as a Chinese lemon chicken might be only 300 calories (portion size dependent) - and don't forget about the rice and prawn crackers too!
Some restaurants are already jumping on the 'healthy' bandwagon by either highlighting 'healthier' food choices such as those dishes that are less than 5% fat, or even labelling the calorie contents of their meals online. Others have chosen to develop a 'lighter' range of their meals with all meals shown equal to or less than 500 calories.
So what can be done? In my opinion, restaurants have a few different options.. which one they choose (if at all) will depend upon the restaurant and client type. Here are my suggestions (taking into account what has been done already too!):
1) Having smaller portion sizes of all main meals available
2) Labelling dishes that are less than 5% fat or 500 calorie with a symbol e.g. 'h' for healthy range
3) Having a separate section of the menu dedicated to lower calorie dishes
4) Showing the calorie contents of meals online or in an in-house pamphlet
5) Having fat-free dressings, sweeteners, fruit, yoghurts and salads always available
Supermarkets are now legally required to make nutritional information of foods easier to read, so what about restaurants and other eateries? Restaurants should endeavour to make every diner's eating experiences as positive as possible.. so if this means offering healthy dishes for those who are watching their weight or simply wanting a lighter meal then why not?
As more and more restaurants are realising the potential of displaying if meals are '500 or 1500 calories' we are seeing new ways in which healthy eating can be achieved - in truly delicious ways! It is however down to the individual ordering as to what they choose.. and if eating out isn't a regular event then who cares about calories. High calorie foods can be eaten as part of a healthy diet.. it's just how often that these foods are eaten that matters.
The decision is always ours.. but all I am asking for is a little information to help us make informed decisions about the meals that we are paying to eat. If the calorie information is online/on the menu then take a look.. and if not then check-out myslimmer's guide to eating outfor a helpful guide! You can also check out my You Tube video to hear the public's thoughts on the nutritional information currently being displayed in shops and fast-food outlets here (3 minutes onwards):
Thanks for watching and happy (healthy) eating out to you all!
So, I finally took the plunge and made my very first Vlog (Video Blog)!
In this video I give you my top 5 tips for breaking those bad diet habits that could be halting your weight loss attempts or be causing weight gain. Please give it a 'thumbs' up and comment if you like it!
You can subscribe to my You Tube channel by clicking [here]
I'm planning on making more You Tube clips and have already had some fantastic suggestions of them on Twitter so thank you - if you have any more please leave them in a comment below or email me!
Do you snack between meals? If you're trying to lose weight then the two most important things are 1) That you eat regularly i.e. don't skip meals and 2) That you burn off more calories than what you are taking in. Snacking between meals is perfectly healthy if you are hungry and your chosen snack is within your calorie allowance for the day. As a general rule, I like to keep snacks under 200kcal. If I'm just peckish then I normally choose fresh fruit and/or a yoghurt, however if I feel a bit more hungry or I'm being a bit more active than usual, then a cereal/snack bar is my usual snack of choice! The key is to make the most out of your calories - eat for goodness & eat for nutritional value.
Nakd sent me a selection of their yummy products to try!
Nakd are a brand which pride themselves in not only being gluten, wheat and dairy free, but contain 100% natural ingredients as well. Nakd snack bars are made from raw fruit and nuts and contain no added sugar or syrups. The fruit-based bars also count towards one of your 5 a day (as do the delicious dried fruit packs - which are flavoured naturally .. fruit has never tasted so sweet without added sugar!).
At just 68kcal per bag for the raisins, and 135-157kcal for the snack bars they are an ideal snack either between meals or before exercise and they taste delicious! My favourites were definitely the cocoa variety. Looking at ingredients, The Nakd Cocoa Mint bar contains: 48% raw dates, 29% raw cashews, 17% raw raisins and 6% cocoa.
Soluble fibre - to lower cholesterol & maintain a healthy digestive system
Vitamin E - a powerful antioxidant & vitamin essential for skin health
Plant sterols - to lower cholesterol levels
Fruit provides our bodies with a variety of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre which together help to reduce disease risk and maintain a healthy body - we don't try to eat 5-9 portions of fruit and veg a day for nothing! More colours the better.
The only way to know what you're eating is to look at the label.. it doesn't take long, but the only way to eat healthy is to mindfully eat healthy. Check the ingredients list: if sugar/glucose/syrup is the first ingredient then personally I would leave it alone (sugar contains nothing but calories - no goodness!), and check the nutrition label: if the total snack bar is more than 200kcal (or 150kcal if you're trying to lose weight) then perhaps choose one that is lower.
I hope this mini review is useful to you!
Nic x
P.s There also is a new 'Oatie' range which are designed for those who are watching their weight.. at 100kcal each why not?! I can't wait to try them too!
Do you eat breakfast? If you care about your health, or want to lose weight then you should. Having a healthy breakfast improves concentration and performance, provides energy for physical activities, is a major contributor to daily nutrient intake and has been linked to lower levels of cholesterol. Breakfast eaters also tend to have a lowerBMI (body mass index i.e. weight for height) as well as improved blood glucose levels over the course of the day.
Dorset Cereals sent me a selection of their products (above). They believe in natural goodness and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.. their website is packed with healthy tips! [click here] for a visit :)
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and if you're looking for more reasons to 'break- the over night -fast' then look no further than the National Weight Control Registry: NWCR. The NWCR is a large database of information gathered from people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year. Most of the members report maintaining a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity, with 80% of the members reporting to eat breakfast every day.
A 45g serving of muesli with baked chopped apple & skimmed milk *yum*
I often hear 'I don't have time for breakfast', but grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl takes literally 2 seconds .. or surely getting up 5-10 minutes earlier to have a bowl of cereal is worth it for the benefits?! Some people report nausea first thing in a morning, so why not start with something small, such as a cereal bar or a glass of fruit juice - anything to kick start your metabolism and get your body burning calories. For those who like to 'save' calories, an average bowl of cereal and milk is typically less than 200 calories.. which can easily be exceeded by a high-fat mid morning snack (due to that hungry trip to the vending machine).
Research has shown that including protein at breakfast time helps people to stay fuller for longer.. so don't forget your low-fat milk or fat-free natural/Greek yoghurt on your cereal or in your smoothie, or have eggs on toast.
Adding milk or natural yoghurt to your smoothie increases the protein & fullness factor
A balanced breakfast is one that contains a mix of food groups: carbohydrates, protein/dairy and fruit/veg.. Try any one of the following low glycaemic (release their energy slowly over the morning) suggestions:
- Porridge topped with chopped banana or strawberries & cinnamon
So I guess the only question left to ask is.. what's for breakfast?! Have a great week everyone!
Nic x
P.s I just wanted to end with a little comment about the programme 'The men who made us fat' ... Episode 3 was shown last week on the BBC. Although the programme had some very good messages e.g. that just because a food is labelled healthy doesn't mean that we can eat as much as we want of it without piling on the pounds, I also feel it had some rather misleading messages, particularly at the beginning..
The presenter started by comparing the calories in a can of Coke with an Innocent Smoothie.. as though calories were some evil substance that we should not consume! Just for the record, a smoothie is a perfectly healthy start to the day (and a can of Coke is not) .. a smoothie contains vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre.. a can of coke does not. I know where I'd like to spend my daily calories! We should count the nutritional content of food/drink.. not just calories.
The show then went on to point out that there is more saturated fat in Dorset Cereal's Granola than Weetabix.. after looking into this, Dorset Cereal's is not indeed a 'high' sat fat food and contains a lot higher healthy fats and less salt! - hardly looking at the full picture!
I guess what I am trying to say is to be aware of 'media sensationalism' and to research the facts before making up your mind about a food. No food is good or bad, it's the amount of the food that we eat that matters!
So, I'm back in the UK now and I'm NOT loving this 'summer weather' !! - for non-UK readers it is just non-stop rain here! Anyway, I thought I'd use this time to share with you one of the best books I have ever read. I ordered this book as my 'summer read' and read it cover to cover whilst I was in Spain (and I also plan on re-reading it.. it is that good!!).
Mindless Eating, Why We Eat More Than We Think - by Brian Wansink PhD is like no other book I have ever read before. I only ever buy books on recommendation and am often put off buying books from their title/back cover alone.. I often find myself thinking 'I've heard this before' or 'This isn't new' .. but this book seemed different. It seemed to tackle obesity and over-eating from a completely new angle, and I was fascinated about the author's job title: a 'Professor of Marketing and Nutritional Science' - visit his website [here].
Mindless Eating analyses eating behaviour.. it looks at the factors that influence food choices and how much we eat.. with some surprising results! Brian Wansink refers to his own practical research and studies throughout the book with 'real-life diners' being studied in special restaurants. In each chapter Brian provides practical take-home tips of how his research findings can help you to control your eating habits and ultimately help you to lose weight.
Mindless Eating aims to educate the reader on how to mindlessly eat better.. which means you will never feel deprived, and weight loss will be slow but gradual.. meaning more chance of keeping it off for good. The book is easy to read and is not just solid text - a few funny illustrations makes the book really enjoyable to read. Brian also writes in a really friendly manner - and although he has an amazing ability to translate science into easy to understand facts!
"The best diet, is the diet that you don't know you're on" - I love his motto!!
What is your summer read?
P.S. To see what I was eating on my holiday click [here] !
Phew.. So we're here.. the final part of my Successful Slimmer's Weight Loss Journey.. Part 5. For Part 1 [click here], for Part 2 [click here], for Part 3 [click here], and for Part 4 [click here].
Temptations are just around the corner...
We've seen what the months of January, February, March, April, May and June entailed and I have to say that the hard parts are over with.. the lifestyle changes are setting in and healthy habits are replacing unhealthy ones.
The healthy option is now becoming the 'easy/default option'
Salad... a healthy side dish
So what's happening now? What is the plan for the next two months?
The final lifestyle adjustment is...
Self-monitoring.. daily or alternating between days.. remembering that "Complacency is just around the corner" ...
The key to weight loss, as we have seen, is consistency... this weight loss journey has taken place over 6 months.. with another 2 months of self-monitoring to ensure permanent lifestyle change (giving a total of 8 months). There are many ways to self monitor.. from food diaries to weekly weights. There are also many phone apps that can help you to monitor your calorie intake, you just have to work out the right one for you - my advice would be to look at reviews and ask friends if they recommend any in particular. I personally like carbs & cals.
Food diaries can reveal more than you think..
Weigh yourself no more than once a week..
This successful slimmer didn't see 'a diet', they saw a 'lifestyle change'.
Are you keeping up?! Welcome to *part 4* of my successful slimmer's weight loss journey.. for Part 1 [click here], for Part 2 [click here]and for Part 3 [click here]. As you can probably guess.. we're now at the months of May & June.. SO, what did they bring?
Buffet: Balancing healthy and higher calorie foods
Given that weekly weight was now being assessed, I can report that the average week to week weight loss was 1.5 pounds (lb).. A weight loss of 1-2 lb a week (0.5-1 kg) is recommended as people who lose weight gradually, have a higher chance of keeping it off for good.
What does 1.5 lb look like... well, one and a half of these...!
Fat loss is something to be proud of! Pound by pound...
The Successful Slimmer was now becoming much more mindful about dietary intake on a daily basis, with a need to balance calories over the day/week/month.. here is what happened step-by-step..
16. Social/celebratory events were planned ahead - ate less during the day if hard to avoid high calorie foods in the evening.
17. Constant awareness of foods prepared at meal-times e.g. monitored frequency/portion of high-calorie foods such as avocado (if already having salad or other fruits and vegetables) and olive-oil dressings (if fats/sugars already present in the meal).
18. Began weighing pasta/rice for main meal (reduced by 10-30g dry weight).
19. Never deprived high calorie foods, but instead, limited portion e.g. weighed recommended portion of oven chips/ate 50% of ready meal/consumed 1-3 chocolates instead of packet etc.
20. If hungry at night, consumed low calorie snack e.g. piece of fruit/small tin of fruit with yoghurt/slice of toast/glass of milk etc.
I hope you're enjoying this series of blog posts.. and if anything can take one or two'real life' hints and tipsto having a healthier lifestyle.. Part 5 (the finale ..) coming soon!
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