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.

I want to help busy working Mums lead a healthier, happier life through offering a personalised one to one service, focussing on a combination of fitness, nutrition and mindset – WITHOUT you having to make huge sacrifices.  I truly believe with the right mindset, you can have it all.  You can go for meals out, eat the food you enjoy, have drinks with friends and enjoy life whilst making progress towards your goals.  

My 5 week programme will help you develop the basic strategies you need for a long term, healthier life – no fad diets here!  I offer real, no-nonsense, practical advice, plans and support which will help you create the best version of you and I promise to do this in a way which isn’t overwhelming.

I will find out about you, about your history, about what you struggle with and what your goals are and together we will design some targets to aim for.  Small tweaks which really add up to big changes over time. Making some lifestyle changes, having someone in your corner and being accountable for your actions can help you develop the habits you need for a healthier life and I want to help you do that.  

If you’re tried to lose weight in the past, if you’ve tried fad diets or cutting out whole food groups in a bid to lose weight in the past, then I’m here to help you get out of that short term mentality.  We are in this for the long game – that’s the key here.  No more over-restriction or yo-yo diets! Yey!

If this sounds like something you need help with, please reach out.  I’ve worked with a number of women who are all seeing incredible changes in mindset, fitness, health and wellbeing, which is ultimately where my passion lies!  This is not rocket science, but more often than not, if you focus on the health benefits and consistently apply the methods and habits we work on, then you will achieve your health goals, with weight loss being an added benefit!  

I’m inviting you to change the narrative, think of the long term and develop new habits over time.  We concentrate on different things each week, I will check in with you regularly and help you work through challenges.  I want you to win at life!  

In order to do this, you need to want to improve your lifestyle and your daily behaviour.  You need to be open to new things and be prepared to talk openly.  Weight loss and developing new habits isn’t always easy, it takes patience and discipline, but if you want it, I am here to help.  

If this sounds like you, and you’re keen to head to the ‘Get Started’ page and fill out the questionnaire here https://kayelouisefitness.co.uk/questionnaire/

I’d love to hear from you! x

The post THRIVE IN 5 appeared first on Kaye Louise Fitness.