Well, let’s say you skipped breakfast and only 2 meals a day? Your chances of overeating on calories that day may be lower…
Which means you will lose weight.
That said, fasting MAY also help you if you have prediabetes by improving how quickly your cells can take up blood sugar and respond to food.
In some, it can also help with hunger.
In short, fasting can be a simple way to reduce calories without having to count them.
therefore, you might lose weight without counting calories
Ideal if you can’t be bothered to count them…
HOWEVER…
For others?
It results in a restrict – binge scenario.
All you think about is food all day. And you end up giving in to the cake in the office…followed by the F it Mindset, start again Monday…
Take Home:
Ultimately, losing body fat will improve the health of most people, regardless of whether you did it by fasting or not.
The principle behind this is creating a calorie deficit. Which means more out, less in.
The TACTIC you use to get there has to fit your lifestyle.
Don’t like eating breakfast and feel like you’re forcing it down?
Why not delay it until mid morning and see how you go? Maybe it’ll help you if you struggle at that mid afternoon crash time of the day?
Enjoy breakfast?
Keep it eating it. Just be sure to control your portions in your meals 🙂
But I get that you probably know that already.
In fact, through working with thousands of people and helping them to lose fat and tone up, I’ve found that most need 3 things:
1) A simple personalised fitness and food plan that gives you the freedom to eat the foods you love (including your prosecco and Gin and tonic…) but some structure so you know what and when to eat so you can lose weight (and stick to it even on your busiest days)
^^^ As you probably have enough choices to make on the daily, right?
2) Accountability so you do the things that you know you need to do (and get a nice polite kick up the bum to help 😉)
3) Support from like-minded ladies all in the same boat looking to tone up, get fit and have some fun doing it so you don’t lose motivation when it gets tough…
Congratulations. You are invited to Matt’s birthday party.
Everyone will get presents
And you will all get a prize during pass the parcel
Ok, so today is my birthday.
But what I wanted to share with you today is something that got a lot of attention in the media with all the debate about whether kids should keep score and league tables in sport at schools
And you might not like this, but here’s what this American footballer, James Harrison, said:
“I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies!
While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy.
I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned
and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best…
because sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better…not whine until somebody gives you something to and keep you happy”
I have to admit…
I do agree.
I’m passionate about family life and seeing everyone around you be happy
^^^ hence why I’m always talking about NOT letting crazy diets stop you eating your favourite foods and enjoying meals out with friends and family (as I once did)
But sometimes, I wonder if trophies like this are priming us to miss the value of DOING THE WORK.
Don’t you think?
It reminds me of all these crash diets
We start the diet super motivated thinking that it’s going be all glitter and that when we drop a few pounds doing whatever it takes that we’ll be happy
Only to then get a harsh dose of reality when
We have that ‘hard’ week
We lack that motivation
Even though we know what to do
We still don’t do it..
And this is frustrating..
But like James Harrison says:
You should be proud of everything you do
But it doesn’t mean it is enough to get the outcome you are looking for.
My favourite part?
The things you learn from DOING
Will give you the tools to make sure that these habits are there for good 🙂
And although you might think having ‘good habits’ means never messing up?
What if it actually meant that no matter how ‘rubbish’ you felt your day was?
So this week we have a talk from Dr Adam Bibbey who’s a researcher into psychology and motivation…
And given this
What I am about to say may surprise you…
Or it may not..
After all
I’m proud to say that I often talk about the same things time and time again..
Why?
Because why make things more complicated than they need to be?
So back in 2001, a study was completed in the UK with a group of people to try and build improved exercise habits. [if you’ve ever struggled with motivation in the past then you are going to find this very interesting]
The group was divided into 3.
GROUP 1 – The control group – were simply asked to track how often they exercised.
GROUP 2 – The motivation group – were asked to track their workouts BUT also to read material on the ‘benefits’ of exercise.
The researchers also explained to this group how exercise could reduce the risk of heart disease.
GROUP 3 – The planning group – They did all of the above BUT were also asked to do a plan writing down when and where they would exercise the following week.The specific sentence they had to write down was:
‘During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of exercise on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE]”
The Results – What % then actually exercised at least once the following week?
Group 1 = 35%
Group 2 = 38%
Group 3 = 91%
The reason for there being such a high success rate in group 3 is because of something called.. Implementation Intention.
“When situation ‘X’ arises, I will perform response ‘Y’”
THIS IS THE KEY to you finally being successful with your health and fitness goals [in fact you can apply this to absolutely any goal that you set]
This is why just joining a standard gym and even some slimming clubs might not always work….
This is why just saying “I’m motivated this time’ is not enough.
This is why just saying “I’m going to eat more healthily’ is not enough.
MOTIVATION was never your problem.
Having the right plan in place probably was..
Simple? – Yep
Easy? – Actually yes….providing you just focus on 1 day at a time…
Start this now.
Write the above sentence down and fill in the blanks – you have a 91% success rate of turning up if you do this. Then book your sessions.
Once you’ve booked your sessions….write it down.
And as Woody Allen said, we all know that 80% of success is…….. ‘Showing Up’
How to stop falling off the bandwagon (even if you have a holiday)
Luckily
(and I say “luckily” as who knew where we might have been when Lockdown 3.0 was announced for January)…
Some of us will now be thinking about Summer holidays…
(Despite this rain I see as I stare out of my window)
Get aways
Days out
Weekends away
Festivals
Concerts
But most importantly
More time with friends and family..
And I know a lot of the ladies recently starting on the Kickstart programme have mentioned
About wanting to feel more confident about going away this Summer.
In fact, it’s come around so quick..
So had this question:
“Any tips for not falling off the wagon completely on a holiday??”
We’ve all been there. Putting off starting a new ‘diet’ or fitness programme because you have a holiday, a wedding, birthday / social event etc…
Or
Worried that a holiday, wedding, or birthday / social event will derail all your progress and that you can’t have both…
But is this the problem?
That is, you’re ALWAYS trying to lose weight?
You’re never happy with lowering your expectations a little bit?
You’re never happy being OK with putting on a few lbs enjoying yourself on holiday even though you’ve lost 10lbs?
It’s like we either have to be losing 10lbs in 10 days or gaining 10lbs in 10 days right?
Well, that’s if you listen the BBC and the Daily Mail
^^^ Who’s job are NOT to provide nutrition advice…but rather to entertain you. Even some of the doctors knowledge on nutrition is very questionable and I would recommend questioning everything. Even me. Especially me, actually.
Anyway, this weight loss and healthy lifestyle stuff doesn’t have to be this ON / OFF, all or nothing thing
Of course, you have to make SOME compromises. But if you can’t enjoy yourself? What is the actual point?
Like seriously, why do you do all of this? Or why do you want to do any of this health and fitness stuff?
For me?
It impacts my energy
^^ not much you do doesn’t rely on this…
Which is the single biggest factor in me being productive
And Better to be around
Which is what I really value both for my family, friends and my work.
So, here’s a few tips to not completely fall off the wagon on holiday but still have a life:
1. Go Explore
Get walking.
Go explore the local areas and – if possible – avoid taxis and public transport.
When on my honeymoon in the Caribbean years ago (yes, somehow I am still married)
I don’t think we would have seen such beautiful places if it wasn’t for some of the walking
and bike tours (where I realised just how unfit I was on a bike as a token family of 4 wait at the top of the hill for me haha)
If you want to do some exercise, do a hotel room workout: squats, leg raises BEFORE brekkie
2. Think “full” and “satisfied” –
It can be difficult to get enough protein in when you’re away
but it will help keep you full and satisfied.
fill your plate with fish, beans, lean meats etc.
(accompanied with fruit and veggies for your fibre and don’t forget WATER with every meal!!)
3- Eat less often but when you do…GO BIG? –
This strategy is useful for when you’re exploring and out and about.
For example, you might have a big, satisfying breakfast (think eggs) but then not eat again until the evening
which kind of means you have a fast and allows you to have some flexibility to enjoy local food?
So, by not picking throughout the day and sticking to “usual” meal times (e.g. lunch)
it means you can still enjoy your favourite food and drinks and minimise the possibility of overeating.
4- Focus on company NOT food
5- Aim for pretty good NOT perfect
6- Remind yourself there’s a difference between being ‘full’ and ‘having enough’ and use the 50% rule….
The 50% rule means looking at your dinner and assessing whether you are still hungry when half of your plate is gone.
Still hungry?
Eat another 50% of what is left and assess again.
7- Remember you are choosing what you eat. You’re not missing out. You’re aligning your actions / behaviours with your goals.
8- Walk around the buffet before picking up a plate
Finally, don’t stress too much. The stress and worry is probably more detrimental than the ice cream by the beach 😉
Or even the mojito by the pool if you’re in the safe zone…
And don’t forget that you’re on holiday to enjoy yourself and create memorable moments that you’ll cherish forever.
After all, life is for living.
And if your ‘diet’ or “Healthy Lifestyle”
doesn’t allow you to make the choices that make you happy
Whether that’s having a drink and enjoying your favourite foods or not..
You might need a new one ..
You do what makes YOU happy.
And if you’re waiting for the perfect time before you start
then you probably have things the wrong way round.
There I was promising myself I would choose something different..
Only to go for the Tikka again…
But the thing is, eating out and on-the-go when trying to lose some weight, get fit and drop a few dress sizes is one of the most common challenges I hear from the ladies i work with…
“What’s the best thing to choose?”
or even…
“Maybe this isn’t the best time to start?”
“Will it still work if I eat out a lot?”
Almost like you have to choose one or the other…eating out or losing weight…
And I guess it comes down to what you mean by ‘work’…
it’s only going to ‘work’ if you fit the ‘diet’ to YOUR lifestyle….
And I’m pretty sure, that your lifestyle will involve meals out…
Holidays, Christmas, birthdays, Easter, and even your local nutritionist inviting you to curry nights out (can’t wait to do that again)…
So what can you do?
Well, not only did I ask some of the ladies in our Fit For Life Programme what they do when eating out, but I also combined this with what the sciencey stuff says about eating out and still losing weight…
1. Choose the social events you’re going to enjoy and others where you’ll make healthier choices
2. Walk around a buffet before picking up a plate
3. Know there’s a difference between being full up and having enough
4. Focus on company not food (it is a social event)
5. Know that you are not missing out, but simply aligning your actions with your goals.
how much of what you choose to eat is based on what other people do?
One study showed that when 2 out of the 3 friends opted for the ‘healthier’ option, the 3rd friend followed
6. Think Debits and Credits – Whether you’re tracking points, calories, syns, or just trying to eat ‘heathy portions’, all can work.
But how might your mindset around thinking ‘F it, I’ll start again on Monday’ change if you knew that you COULD allow more on certain days to compensate and less on others?
Put it this way, if you had a budget of £100 for a week and you spent £80 in 1 day, you wouldn’t think ‘F it…might as well spend £800’
Yet that is essentially our mindset when it comes to food…
Causing you to spiral from one bad meal to one bad day to one bad week to ‘what’s the point’…
And it’s blooming hard getting started again…
Key take home?
Eating out is probably a part of your lifestyle.
So by saying you can’t start or there’s no point in starting if you’re eating out
Is basically saying that you either have to give up your social life or stay the same as it’s not ‘perfect’
And -again – it comes back down to that belief you have that it has to be ‘perfect’…
Which stops you sticking to something for long enough to see the results you want to see…
You see, time with family and friends and having some fun (which you’re allowed to do)
is probably the reason why you want to invest some time and energy in your health and fitness…
To have more energy. Confidence. Feel great in the clothes you wear. How you feel.
Eliminate aches and pains..
Sure, some compromises have to be made…
and you’ll probably get quicker results if you never eat out and deprive yourself…
