Need to Know: Eat more, Lose Weight!

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Wrong. Let me explain…

I’m going to bring about that old car analogy, useful for some many situations. 

Weight gain: you’ve put too much fuel in the tank and it’s overflowing now! That's the excess body fat. Weight management: you’re keeping the tank topped up nicely and, as a result, everything is running smoothly. And now weight loss: the tank is empty and running on fumes, ultimately, it can’t run anymore but first, as this is your body we're actually talking about, its going to look for its own 

fuel.

Like a car, our bodies need fuel to work and function effectively. Too much and we put weight on but also a little confusingly if you’re new to this, too little fuel and we hold onto the fat we already have and any more that we take in.

Too few calories and our bodies effectively go into starvation mode. Not knowing when the next proper meal is coming, it stores all available energy to keep it going. On top of this, the body can start to breakdown muscles to acquire the energy it needs…the less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism, the less effective you are at burning calories at rest. It’s a vicious cycle guys!

So you may be sweating away at the gym and putting in the effort that should see the weight dropping off but sadly that's just not the case. Simple changes and actually upping the amount you eat could be all it takes to reach the goals you've set yourself.

My advice?

1. Eat breakfast. Let's assume you're on the ball and bagged yourself 8 hours sleep. Your body has fasted and eating a healthy, hearty breakfast in the morning kickstarts your metabolism setting you up for a good day of eating. See here for my take on the most important meal of the day
2. Snack well. To keep your body ticking over (that car analogy again!) snack on a handful of nuts, some fruit or yogurt, some rice cakes and PNB or hummus and veggie sticks (perhaps even a tasty homemade brownie) 2-3 hours after eating breakfast
3. Make yourself a balanced lunch. Get some carbs, healthy fats and protein in there; a wholegrain sandwich with chicken or tuna and avocado with BIG colourful salad, a baked potato with cottage cheese and smoked salmon or mackerel 
4. Sit down with the family and eat dinner together! Take the time to catch up on the day’s events and again, incorporate wholegrain starches (rice, pasta, potatoes) and veggies, more protein and some healthy fats
5. If you’re hungry before bed, then listen to your body. The old rule ‘don’t eat before bedtime’ is outdated! If you’re hungry chances are you won’t enjoy a restful sleep anyhow. Just opt for something light, this isn’t another meal in itself…some yogurt and fruit, a banana or a small bowl of cereal or porridge

Don’t know if you’re eating enough, too much or too little? Then why not take advantage of my NEW Nutritional Guidance package! On a month-by-month basis we can calculate your optimum calorie intake depending on your health and fitness goals taking into account your daily routine and habits and your energy expenditure.

Click into my ‘services’ page for more details or contact me for more details!