Super foods

Is it really all about calories?

 So often,  we take conflicting advice.  It's tricky to know if it really is all about energy in = energy out.

Will creating a calorie deficit really help you lose weight?

Or is it something else?

After several years of watching videos, reading books and journals,  I have drawn the conclusion that it is in fact all about energy.  

We have lots of information about energy dense food these days.  Another blog will follow about this.  But in this blog, the question is,  will creating a calorie deficit really enable you to lose weight?

Some believe the following the Atkins diet is better.   Cutting out the carbohydrates.  What actually happens while on this diet may surprise you.  By eating more protein - you feel fuller for longer.  This will keep you satisfied and less hungry for quite some time.  Also,  not having such great sugar crashes after refined carbohydrates.  In return,  you will consume less calories and create an energy deficit.

Alongside this,  there is also a mental shift that you can actually still have foods which may be banned on other 'diets' and therefore lets you believe you are not in a diet mentality and feeling more positive which is likely to keep your attention longer and prevent 'throwing in the towel'.

So my suggestion which I share will all my clients is this:  Download the free app called www.myfitnesspal.com and enter your details.  Simply, this gives you a daily allowance of calories which creates a healthy deficit for you.  You can track your food intake on your phone throughout the day and watch the excess fat burn off at a healthy rate of approximately 2lb per week.  You will be safe in the knowledge that this will be excess fat rathe than water weight or muscle mass.

Wishing you the very best of health.

How a client left me exhausted

As promised from the last blog,  I am going to share with you the mentality of weight loss clients who are very hard to 

1. Believe
2. Change their mentality
3. Help to lose weight

Just last week, I saw a client who was morbidly obese.  She was a wonderful lady and took great care in her appearance.  From this, I concluded that surely, weight loss would be of importance to her.  As she sat in my chair which was difficult for her,  she began to tell me all the best ways you can lose weight.  I sat for a few minutes in awe of her wonderful advice.  She certainly knew a few things.  yet, many she got wrong.

You must eat 3 meals a day. Or even 6 smaller ones.

Is this right?  Well,  you must consistently fuel the body in order to keep the metabolism active and stop it from becoming sluggish.  Not too sure about 6 meals.  That one is open for abuse by many clients who would eat 6 dinner type meals each day.  That’s not the idea.

Then she proceeded to tell me how she doesn’t eat much.

This is a trap that many overweight clients fall into.  Often they will not eat all day but consume more than their calorie allowance just before bed.  This lady however was different.  It took a good 5 minutes of justification for her to let me know why she made her bacon sandwich with 3 slices of bread instead of the usual 2 for breakfast.  This suggests she is in denial.  As many clients are.  

There is always a reason that the ‘cutting down’ starts tomorrow.

Then, after ‘trying everything’ they give up because they are over 50 now and it gets harder so they might as well stay like that.  I get frustrated.  I want to remind this lady that she will live longer and healthier if she loses weight now.  Giving up is like not going on holiday as you are waiting to die.

Chances are they haven’t tried everything.  If you create a calorie deficit for a period of time,  you will lose weight.  Assuming no other health issues such as thyroid.  This can easily be checked by the doctor.

There are any ways to get help to lose weight.  See your GP and ask for referral to a dietitian.  This can sometimes have a waiting list,  so you could invest in some private consultations if you prefer.  GP can also now prescribe you a number of weeks at a weight loss group.  

Yet all of this said,  the work of losing weight is all down to you.  People like me can help, for sure, but it does come down to you wanting it bad enough that you will not only try but you will do everything it takes to succeed.  Sometimes people say it can be really hard.  I have a few tips up my sleeve which can help you.  Feel free to email me to find out more for free and also follow this blog.

You will be surprised to find that it can be as easy as keeping a log of what you eat and you can still have some treats too.  Want to know more?

How food can change your body shape

How food can change your body shape

This might surprise some of you reading this.  There are many people who don’t understand that what they eat can change the weight and shape of their body.

A few years ago I worked for a world wide weight loss company and it never ceased to amaze me how many new members would join and not understand how they came to gain weight in the first place.  Educating those members was actually the easy bit. One lady asked me,

“So, if I change the way I eat, I could actually lose weight?”

Aha moment.  Yes I explained to her the advantages of why you should be at a healthy weight and all, including moving more and getting around from A to B just that little bit faster might all help.  So in other words

Calories in should be less than calories out and there you will see an energy deficit.  This will allow you to tap into energy reserves which have been stored as fat.  Hence losing weight and also creating a leaner body mass in the long run.

Can you guess the members who were the tricky ones to educate?  Sign up to this blog to find out in the next blog where I will tell you the flabbergasting facts of a client who left me feeling exhausted.

Food allergy or intolerance?

You want to understand the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?

The best way for me to understand it might help you too.  A food allergy is something you really can't live with.  Sometimes there may be more extreme reactions although not always.  An allergy to something means your body is going to attack as if a foreign object is in your body often creating an immune response.

As an example, if you are allergic to gluten - and you eat it - the body will begin the attack process needed to deal with it.  
However,  if you have an intolerance to gluten this process won't happen.  

What does happen with an intolerance?

You can feel sluggish,  bloated,  tired,  not have proper bowel movements.  There are many symptoms you could find.  The body simply does not function as it should if you are eating a food to which you are intolerant.  



There have been many theories on this.  It's suggested that you need to eat what you direct ancestors ate in the Blood grouping diet.
Eat right for your type in Amazon





Other readers of my blog have found the theories in this book have been a massive help too - the Optimum Nutrition Bible.
Optimum Nutrition Bible on amazon



Although I do think there are foods which suit us and foods which don't,  the best way to find out is to keep a food journal and to begin the elimination diet which can help you to listen to the body and adjust what you need to adjust to make your health feel better. 

Something that is important to understand is that the body is a complex tool and these days we are finding it a struggle to give it what it needs.  Keep the body moving to keep the lymph system flowing and detox,  don't eat food loaded with chemicals,  try and keep a balanced diet....the list goes on.

One rule to take away just for today is to start listening more to the body.  You will find a massive help there just with that one change alone.

Wishing you the very best of health.

Are carbs the enemy?

So if you've been watching your carb intake,  you might be noticing differences and changes in your body.

Some will be changes you want,  some won't.


Carbohydrates are a source of energy provider for the body.  When we eat carbs,  we convert them into a useful energy which we can then burn throughout our day.  Maybe you already know that.  Ok, so what happens when you eat less carbs?

On occasion,  you might initially drop some extra water you have been hanging onto.  This isn't a bad thing.  Keep an  eye on your fluid intake and just make sure you are hydrated at all times.

Folks who eat very low carb diets (VLC) can sometimes put the body into a state of "Ketosis".  This means that there are no stores of sugar for energy in the body and you will be burning fat reserves to use for energy.  During this transition,  you often find that there will be a lull in energy before a spike.

Ancient times showed us that occasionally,  fasting (and hence getting into Ketosis) can aid the body with repair,  digestion and just give it a good old break.  Also,  many individuals report that illnesses such as Epilepsy can find relief of symptoms from keeping the body in Ketosis.

So when are carbs a good thing?

If you have no extra fat to burn and use as an energy supply,  you will need to ingest more energy in the form of carbs.  Without this,  you could create more issues as the body looks elsewhere for energy such as the muscles and eventually,  your organs.

Carbs are not the enemy in my opinion.  Overeating can be and folks often get the two confused.

What are carbs?

Very often,  clients speak to me about carbs.  They think they are things like bread,  doughnuts and outer dough made items.  Often these items have yeast added too which can cause issues for those intolerant of yeast and if bloating issues arise,  carbs get blamed when in fact it may simply be the yeast.

There are healthy carbs too.  It doesn't mean flour.  It means food sugars.  The best way to think of healthy carbs are items with natural sugars such as fruit and honey.

Carbohydrates are a main nutrient that we are designed to eat.  In the right way of course. 
A healthy balance of all nutrients within your best calorie range is what will serve you best.



This months sponsor: Herts Mere Leisure.

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Healthy food haul and juicing

Hello there!

I've been busy in the shopping aisles of Tesco!  Bringing you some foods which you can get on great deals and are pretty healthy.

Let me know your favourites and what helps you!

It's nice to see the prices and know it's possible to eat well for less.

Soon I will be creating more blog posts on cooking tips and tricks for you.  Let me know what you would like to see.