How Many Calories?

1. Total Calories for your goal 
At different times you may have different goals. The most common goal that most trainers and coaches are asked for guidance and support about are weight loss or fat loss. This means the client will need to be in a calorie deficit, through nutritional intake and activity.

Another goal may be muscle building. This requires a calorie surplus - eating more to provide energy for muscle growth from resistance training.

There is also a growing body of evidence to support having calories around maintenance level - in balance of energy needs. Body weight should remain stable and there is potential for muscle growth. This is known as recomposition or recomping.

Another reason to have times at maintenance calories is to take a break from being in a deficit. This may be every 6 to 8 weeks of a fat loss plan. It helps to replenish glycogen stores for energy and to include some foods that might have been reduced in the deficit phase. These “diet breaks” have been shown to help with overall adherence - being able to stick to the deficit. This can help with longer term, sustainable progress.
  
2. Prioritise Protein
Protein can promote the feeling of fullness after a meal or snack. It will maintain muscle whilst in a deficit, help recovery from training and with gaining muscle while recomping or in a surplus. A greater percentage of protein is needed in a deficit, but more is not always better as the calories are best balanced with carbs and fats for energy and other physiological functions.

3. Carbohydrates and fats to suit you
The makeup of the rest of your nutritional intake is flexible to suit you and your day to day preferences. Carbohydrates and Fats both provide energy and are needed for other functions. 
Having flexibility with carbs and fats can help with staying on track with your total calories, as you don't have to exclude things you enjoy, example sweet treats and or an alcoholic drink. 
Complete exclusion of some foods can quickly become unsustainable. This can lead to not following these nutrition principles over the time required to see the desired results.

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For many improving health and fitness can be become a cycle of all or nothing. When there is a routine of exercise and activity and consistent nutrition then it is going well. Difficulties occur when an event or night out, a tough day at work or other life stress becomes more than a little bump in the plan. A few days later it can seem all the previous progress is gone and it is back to square one.

This is where embedding small, but significant, habits to fall back on will help feel like you can get back on track. This is also true if you are starting out in being more mindful of your health.

Whilst there are many factors we can change around health and fitness there are some that are simple and effective. Starting with a new habit that we can have success with helps create layers of success to tackle bigger changes in the long term.

To be successful change one thing at a time, for example drink 2 litres of a water a day, to keep hydrated and ensure we aren’t thirsty when we think we are hungry. Plan and prepare to do this. Get a new water bottle to keep with you through the day, this sets up your environment to maintain the habit. Next build consistency as you implement your new habit. This might mean setting a reminder in your phone to drink every 2 hours throughout the day. Tick off the days done to remind you of your progress. Finally it is easier to create a new habit if you do it with others. Encourage a colleague or family member to do it too and you are much more likely to build the new habit into being something you do consistently.

These principles can be applied to many changes to improve health and fitness. Set an alarm to go to bed early. Join a daily steps challenge through an activity tracker and set a reminder part way through the day to see your progress and plan to get the steps in. Plan weekend walks with friends to increase weekly activity.

One successful new habit can lead to another until a few add up to a significant change in lifestyle. Then, when things do go awry, the habits are there to fall back on and get you back on track without too much effort.

This article was originally published in the October Issue of Idle Talk Magazine.

The term diet usually describes the restrictions we put on our eating in order to fit into a new dress, get beach ready or lose that holiday weight. Diet ‘wisdom’ is offered by friends and the media, ‘no carbs before Marbs’, ‘five small meals a day’, ‘never miss breakfast’ and a whole host of other plans. However short term success is often followed by slipping back to the original starting point.

One thing these strategies have in common is that they all reduce the amount of calories we consume. Everything we eat and drink contains calories which our bodies need to function properly. We have an energy balance of calories in and calories out. In simple terms, if we use more energy than we consume then we will use the energy already stored in the body and weight decreases over time. Conversely if we use less energy than we are consuming the excess is stored and body weight increases. At the end of the day, no matter what diet plan you choose, the reason it will work is if you are using more energy than you are consuming.

Most people have heard about calories in vs calories out but here’s where it can get tricky. If all you do is dramatically restrict your calories your body will not have the energy it needs to perform well. Over time, this will have a negative impact on your weight loss and overall health. As with many things in life the key is balance. Your body needs calories to function so let’s look at how you can start making changes that will bring you long term results.

Small changes have a big impact… over time. Start by substituting sugary cereal and pastry for scrambled eggs or a green smoothie, swap that lunchtime sandwich and crisps for a tuna salad (skip the creamy dressing!) and enjoy a delicious chicken stir fry in place of fried chicken and chips for your evening meal. Remember, no crazy plans are needed, just consistent healthy choices will start you on the road to diet success.


This article was originally published in the August issue of Idle Talk Magazine.

A few months ago many people set themselves New Year’s resolutions, often only keeping them until the end of January!  If you are still persevering well done - you are in a small minority that keep any resolutions, especially those involving food and exercise.

As with many goals, starting out is the easy bit, continuing through the inevitable difficulties is where the struggle really is. A big night out, cold mornings that trap us under duvet and the scales not moving are just some of the reasons that cause us to slow down or give up entirely.

These are, though, legitimate things affecting anyone with health and fitness goals. It is how we respond to the bumps in the journey that is the difference between reaching the goal or being back to square one.

That is where keeping it simple is important. Try adopting these simple principles and take steps to a healthier and fitter you!

1. Move more
2. Eat a bit better
3. Enjoy 1) and 2)
4. Keep going with 1) and 2) long enough to see and feel the results

There is so much health and fitness advice (good and bad) readily available through all media channels we should be the healthiest generation ever. Yet the opposite is true! Find an activity you enjoy - walk, cycle, play in the park with your kids, use a fitness app - just do something you enjoy and you will be able to keep going.

When it comes to eating habits the key is sustainability and simple swaps. It will be a lifelong
struggle to eat a certain “healthy” diet if it is time consuming to prepare and unenjoyable. Swop sugary cereal for oats and fruit, the lunch time sandwich for a salad option, forgo a pudding a couple of evenings and drink a little less each weekend and the changes are more sustainable and realistic.

So keep it simple… seriously - you can enjoy getting healthier and fitter if it is enjoyable and sustainable.

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This article was originally published in the June issue of Idle Talk Magazine.
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