First off – I 100% think there is a place for them and it’s important for me to say; for those using them, those not using them, those curious about using them – I am here to help you all.  There’s no judgement here!  But what I will say is that if you are using them, the need to work with a PT is probably even greater….

Why?

Because GLP-1 injections can reduce appetite and support fat loss, but they cannot imitate exercise or build muscle for you.  There is no jab for that (yet?!).  So please bear in mind that whilst losing fat can be great, losing muscle is absolutely not so we need to do everything we can to preserve and maximise it.

So, I want to help disseminate what I’ve learned recently and also share my views on how I can work with you if you are considering using them, already using them, or considering reducing / stopping your dose…

So…

Part 1 – how do they actually work?

I’ve been doing my research as I’ve wanted to understand this properly…. Here’s a very high level synopsis of what I’ve learned.

• GLP-1 drugs were first used to treat Type 2 Diabetes and the first version was approved in 2007 (originally discovered in the saliva of a monster lizard – WTF?!).
• Most weight loss injections (Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic, etc) work in a very similar way (at a basic level).  They include varying doses of a chemical (hormone) called GLP-1 (Glucagon-like Peptide-1) but they contain slightly different versions and levels of it.

In order to understand how the drugs work, we need to know what happens naturally within the body…

• The body produces the GLP-1 hormone naturally when we eat; its purpose is to stimulate the pancreas to release insulin to help us break down sugars in the food we’ve just consumed.
• A secondary function of GLP-1 is that it tells the brain that we have had enough food.  It’s almost holding up a ‘closed’ sign…  ‘No more food for now please, we are busy processing what you’ve just thrown down your neck!’
• As these sugars get broken down, another chemical signal is released to remove GLP-1 from the body. It’s a quick, efficient, cyclical process, meaning we are often hungry at various times throughout the day when each of these cycles ends.

How do the injections work (simplified version!)?

• The injections contain a modified version of GLP-1, which essentially mimics the same actions as the naturally produced hormone.
• Clever scientists have modified the hormone so it is resistant to being broken down quickly after eating meaning it stays in the body longer.
• The increased availability of GLP-1 tells the brain to trigger the pancreas to release insulin as it thinks it needs to break down sugars from food recently consumed (stabilising blood sugar in the long term)
• The brain is also constantly receiving a ‘digestive system is now closed’ signal, which reduces hunger, removes food noise and suppresses appetite.

In a nutshell, this is how the injections work to aid weight loss.  I have simplified this massively, but I hope it’s helpful!  In Part 2 we will explore how and why it’s so important to eat & train  properly whilst taking these drugs…

The post Part 1 – Weight loss injections. How do they work? appeared first on Kaye Louise Fitness.

Real talk, No BS.  Sustainable fat loss: yes please.

As a PT and online coach, I wanted to share some honest, practical advice about achieving your health goals this year. No gimmicks, no quick fixes, no hacks, no magic supplements… because [spoiler alert] there aren’t any.  It’s consistency with the basics which will get you results.  

Let’s Talk About Real Weight Loss

First things first: sustainable weight loss isn’t about crash diets / juice diets / detox diets or giving up everything you love. Also, those ‘miracle’ solutions promising quick results? They usually lead right back to where you started. Instead, aim for steady progress of 1-2 pounds per week. It’s not exciting, but it works!

The Truth About Calories (Yes, They Matter!)

Here’s the simple truth: weight loss comes down to calories in versus calories out. If you’re not losing weight while “being in a deficit,” you’re probably not actually in a deficit. Start by reducing your daily intake by 200-300 calories. And don’t forget about drinks! While water, zero-calorie drinks, and simple tea/coffee are ideal, if you absolutely need that fancy Starbucks latte, just track it and include it in your daily calories.

Your New Best Friends: Protein and Fibre

Want to feel satisfied and energized? Pack your meals with protein (aim for 30-40 grams per meal) and fibre-rich foods. Think lean meats, fish, legumes, vegetables, and whole grains. Not only will these keep you feeling full, but they’ll also help balance your hormones naturally. (Pro tip: increase fibre gradually unless you want some unexpected trumpingtons! 😉)

Exercise: Important, But Not The Whole Story

Let’s bust a common myth: you can’t out-exercise a poor diet. That spin class might feel like it burned 500 calories, but the reality is a bit different. Focus on creating your calorie deficit through food choices first. That said, exercise is incredibly important for overall health and fitness. Aim for strength training three times per week and some cardio once or twice weekly. No gym? No problem! There are plenty of excellent home workouts on YouTube.

Practical Tips for Success

1. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking – even if it’s just something small to start
2. Keep triggering snack foods out of the house (or portion them carefully)
3. Aim for 8 hours of sleep (yes, it really matters!)
4. Drink more water throughout the day
5. Increase your daily steps gradually
6. Be realistic with your time – if you spend hours scrolling, you can find 30 minutes for exercise!

The Most Important Part: Being Kind to Yourself

Remember, you’re human! You’ll have days when everything goes off track, and that’s completely normal. Don’t punish yourself with restriction the next day – just get back to your healthy habits. This isn’t a race; it’s about making sustainable changes that last.

You deserve to feel healthy, strong, and confident. Start with one small change, master it, then add another. Before you know it, these healthy habits will just be part of who you are.

A Final Note

As women, we often put everyone else’s needs before our own. But taking care of yourself isn’t selfish – it’s necessary. You deserve to be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself.

Ready to start your journey?  I’m here to help! Please drop me a message with any questions, and let’s support each other in creating lasting, healthy changes…  Remember – I want you to WIN!  

The post How can I lose weight FOR GOOD this year? appeared first on Kaye Louise Fitness.

Sounds simple!  Why don’t we all just massively restrict what we eat for a period of time and lose weight then?!  Because – LIFE! Events happen, special occasions occur, we are short on time, we opt for convenience, temptation is all around us and it’s bloody HARD to be hungry all the time!  

Tracking calories (i.e. logging what you eat in a food diary) is commonplace these days – everyone has heard about it but not everyone does it…  There are apps such as My Fitness Pal (MFP) which you can use to track your calories.  When you join MFP, it will ask how much weight you’d like to lose per week and if you are overweight, the temptation will be to plug in the highest number you can – that’s just human nature – but this will result in the app calculating your target calories to be ridiculously low.  

Technically, there’s nothing wrong with this as the science makes perfect sense.  Keep your calories low and your output moderate and you will start to lose body fat, that is true, but for the vast majority of people (who still want to have a quality of life) it is unsustainable in the long run.  

Keeping calories really low for a period of time results in hunger, low energy, tiredness, low mood and poor cognitive function.  It’s basically no fun for anyone!  And periods of low calorie consumption often lead to high calorie food binges.

Say, for example, you somehow managed to stick to 1200 calories per day all week, Monday – Friday.  By the time Friday night arrives, you are likely to want a break!  You’ve been ‘good’ and you’ve restricted yourself all week, so what’s the harm in a takeaway, or a few drinks, or some of that ‘treat’ (high calorie, high sugar) food over the weekend?  The harm is that too much is often consumed…  A weekend off is around 33% of your whole week – if you have over-restricted during the week, you are likely to over-eat at the weekend and that will essentially put you back at maintenance calories, meaning you are no longer in a weekly calorie deficit, meaning that you don’t lose any weight overtime because you’ve effectively ‘eaten back’ the calories you ‘saved’ during the week.  I wouldn’t recommend this approach to anyone – it creates a poor relationship with food and encourages a binge/restrict cycle, which may not necessarily result in weight gain, but it will affect an individual’s view of how they consume food.  

Instead, I encourage all of my clients to eat within a sensible calorie range ALL OF THE TIME.  I will set calorie targets based on my own calculations and those targets will ensure you are eating within a calorie deficit, but not to the extent that you feel completely restricted with what you can/can’t eat.  No food is off the table (literally).  You can eat whatever you like within that calorie range and you will lose weight over time.  Yes, the rate of weight loss will be slower, but it means clients can still have the flexibility and freedom to live an enjoyable life.  

The difficult part is learning to accurately track what you’re eating and understanding how to stick to calorie deficit effectively, over the longer term.  And it’s this part which I can help with.  There are a number of strategies we can employ to ensure a client’s diet is nutritionally balanced, without feeling restrictive and once this is nailed, it’s easier to stick to, leading to much more successful and sustainable weight loss over time.

The long game wins out here – and it’s much more effective than the binge / restrict cycle so many of us get caught up in.

I offer coaching to clients who struggle implementing this.  Thrive in 5 involves setting targets around calories, but also around movement, nutrition and workouts.  It provides a structure for you to follow and I do this based on your individual circumstances.  It’s a 5 week initial programme where we work on your mindset and make you more aware of your lifestyle choices… I will encourage you to make small, incremental changes which make you feel GREAT and over time, this focus becomes second nature.  

Please feel free to message me about coaching and how I can help you get started on your health and fitness journey.  

The post Calorie counting for weight loss; an approach which actually works appeared first on Kaye Louise Fitness.