Theo Fit

Go to the gym and eat healthy but not losing weight??

5 common reasons why to help you!

1.
You need to track your food intake. And if you are, it's not accurate.
- Eating 'healthy' can still cause you to be in a caloric surplus. Unless you track (and stick to it) you can still go over your caloric needs. Be true to yourself. Track everything. Drinks, sugar and milk, and that one extra biscuit that "doesn't matter as its only one" really matters. Download the MyFitnessPal app.

2.
You need to spend your time in the gym wisely.
- Get there. Smash it. Get out. Have a plan before you go, book onto a class! If you get there and just have a gentle walk on the treadmill then go home, you've likely not burnt many calories and have also wasted your own time. Work hard. Every few minutes ask yourself "out of ten, how hard am I working?" Make sure you're hitting a good 9/10. Up the intensity. If you end up spending hours in the gym and not see any results you'll resent it. Work hard for yourself.

3.
Increase your NEAT (Non exercise activity thermogenisis)
- And no, not tidying your bedroom. However this would contribute to your NEAT!
Essentially, move that body more. Walk, get up and go to the printer, walk to the water machine. All the fidgeting adds up! Sedentary at work? Wake up 20 mins earlier and go for a walk before work. It's only 20 minutes of 1440 in a day. Get home and before you grab anything to eat, grab a bottle of water and go for a walk. Make it a habit and it will all add up nicely.

4.
You think you drink plenty of water but you're still really dehydrated
- A really common one. "I drink 4 to 5 glasses a day" isn't enough I'm afraid! Most females need 2.5-3 litres water per day, and more if exercising. Yes you will wee more. But then you will increase your NEAT running to the toilet so it's a win win! My best advice is to keep a 1 litre bottle of water with you. One before lunch, one after lunch and before dinner, and one after dinner. If you get hungry between meals, get chugging. Add low calorie squash or lemons if needed for taste!

5.
Your meals need to be more balanced
- but what is "balanced?"
A decent chunk of protein, enough carbs for your needs, a small amount of fat. A general rule of thumb. First pick a protein source. Lean meats like chicken, tuna, white fish (Oh and heck chicken sausages, my staple) Then add veg or salad to bulk it up still considering calories. Then pick a carb source, but know how much you need. Rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cous cous. Workout what the fats of the meal are and add if necessary (fats are in many other foods so may add up already)

These are 5 common tips to get you started. Make sure you have these nailed before wondering why your body fat isn't changing. I've not written them to confuse you, so if there are any questions please message!

Had a lot of messages about this on Instagram and thought it was worth sharing! This can be applied for many things in life too, not just fitness
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**DO YOUR EXCUSES HOLD YOU BACK?** ..
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You are the only person stopping you from producing the results YOU want. You're completely in control of your health and fitness. If you don't feel in control, then change your mindset towards it. See fitness as an investment, not a punishment
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It's really common for people to make excuses for why they can't reach their goals. Some people use the excuses so often that they start to genuinely believe them.
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But when YOU accept responsibility for YOUR lack of progress that's when you can turn things around and make some incredible changes.. do something for yourself that makes you proud
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Losing weight, gaining weight, getting fitter, adding muscle mass... the same rules apply for everyone. It's the same difficulty for Jane as it is for Linda.
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But if Linda is more truthful and her mindset is more positive than Jane's, this will make it easier and Jane will progress faster.
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Do you watch evening TV? There's an hour gone. Compare what you will gain from a reality TV show for an hour to an hour in the gym. One produces the results you want, one sets you back. ..
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You're in control of which one you do. You're in control of how much you invest in yourself. You're completely in control of your progress.

*PROTEIN HYPE*

So what’s the hype about protein? Nothing really... but many people find when they observe their diet that they don’t intake enough, and therefore many products have been made like protein bars and shakes as a way of getting their intake higher.

Shakes and bars are not essential if you have enough protein in your diet anyway, they are just an easy alternative for some people. However, eating more protein doesn't mean you'll magically grow muscle, you've got to lift those weights too!

Protein is pretty damn cool. Our bodies use protein to build just about everything. Skin, hair, muscles (hence why bodybuilders need so much), organs, even the hemoglobin in your blood is made of protein. Our immune systems depend on protein to make antibodies.

Protein molecules also aid the transfer of messages between the neurotransmitters in our brains. And many hormones, including insulin and other metabolism-regulating hormones, are proteins as well. Basically they are super important and help our bodies recover from the stress we put it under!

But where is protein found?

Chicken breast, any white fish, tuna, turkey, lean bacon medallions, egg whites and whey are all lean sources of protein. Meaning they are lower in fat.

Salmon, chicken leg or thigh, pork, beef, whole eggs and mackerel are all good sources of protein and full of nutrients too, but are higher in fat, and therefore higher in calories, so we just need to be aware of how much of these we eat.

There are also some proteins found in more dairy products and nuts but a much smaller amount.

Whether you train or not, it is definitely worth making sure your protein intake is high enough to ensure you are allowing your body to repair! Happy to give guidelines on amounts if people aren't too sure!

*THE GOOD OLD SAMMICH*

So now we know carbs aren’t making us fat, we can still take a sandwich to work for our lunch., wahooo!

Although we can easily overdo it on the calories in sandwhiches, here’s a few easy ways to get them down...
Use bread with less than 100 cals per slice. So if you’re using thick, swap to medium. Most medium sliced loaves fall just short of 100 caloires. White, brown, wholemeal... it’s up to you. Brown and wholemeal may be a little higher in fibre which can help us feel fuller for longer but white has no more calories, which is the important bit.

Then there’s the spead... butter. Butter is a source of fats which are the highest calorie macro nutrient, therefore small amounts of fats still add up to large amount of calories. Try to use this sparingly or even better still, swap this to a low calorie sauce..
In a 15g serving of butter (a tablespoon, about the amount you would cover 2 slices of bread) there are 100 calories and 12g of fat, swap this to ‘Lighter than light’ mayo for 10 calories and only 0.5g fats. Ketchup and bbq sauce are also pretty low (about 20 calories per 15g, whereas 15g full fat mayo will add a lot of unnecessary fats again and back up to 100 cals) just start checking the labels of products and seeing where you can make some easy swaps! All these little swaps add up

Then there’s the filling. This is where we add our protein to help keep us full and satisfied, and the bit that helps our muscles recover. Try to keep this ‘lean’ which just means the lower fat meats, for example, chicken breast, ham, tuna, bacon medallions, turkey bacon, chicken sausages...
Add salad, or a side salad, to bulk it up a bit if you want!

My faves........
Ham and lighter than light mayo mixed with mustard
Bacon medallions with ketchup
‘Heck’ chicken sausages with bbq sauce
Tuna with lighter than light mayo
Chicken breast with lighter than light mayo mixed with some spices (paprika, curry, tandoori)

What’s your favourite sandwich? Bet we can easily make a swap to save some calories!

"BUT DIET COKE IS BAD FOR YOU, IT CAUSES CANCER"

Is aspartame dangerous?

Simply put. No, it isn't. You will however have either read or been told it is.

Diet drinks are a fantastic way of hitting sweet cravings without the added calories. Extremely useful if trying to lose weight but craving sweet things!! There's 140 calories in normal can... which, I don't know about you but, I'd much rather eat my calories!

It's just one of many simple changes you can make which will really start adding up😊

Formic acid is formed in the chain of chemicals aspartame breaks down into.
Your body can clear formic acid from the system very quickly. So if too much is present it won't be for long.

So, how much aspartame is toxic...??

Studies have been done using a dose of aspartame that in a 50kg female (about my size) is equivalent to 55.5 cans of diet coke. There was no change in formic acid levels in the subjects being tested. So the aspartame wouldn't harm you, but you would internally down by having to drink 13.5l of diet coke first 😂

*SPOlLER* - CARBS.

Carbs do not make you fat.
They're not evil.
They are not to blame for being overweight.
They are actually really important for our bodies.
Carbs are our friends. Tasty friends.

"But Julie lost weight on the keto diet"
"And Helen dropped a dress size on the Atkins diet"

Maybe they did. Makes sense. If Julie and Helen were eating a high carb diet, then cut carbs out, they just reduced their overall calorie intake. Calorie defecit = weight loss, right? It's not the carbs that are the problem. Carbs are just 'easier' to overindulge on as they're convenient snacks!

But Julie and Helen missed carbs, then after 3 weeks "caught up" with what they missed out on. Annnddd we're back to square one. Very few people are able to sustain a low carb diet and those who do, often feel awful on them! So much so that they can't face exercise.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for activity. They fuel our central nervous system and cognitive function and prevent impaired mood (just you know, really important day to day things!)

SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE EATING TOO MANY?

Many overweight people will just be eating too many carbs for the amount their body needs. You need a range of carbs in your diet to ensure you're getting sufficient nutrition, but knowing how much to eat comes with having a little bit knowledge. The best place to start is to track your current food intake. Work out how many you have, and then how many you need. Making small adjustments to your current diet is much more sustainable than changing your diet completely!

The App "MyFitnessPal" is one of many food trackers and you can scan barcodes to make it really easy! But writing it down and getting someone to have a look is another great start. Sometimes writing your food down also just makes you think twice about whether you actually need/want it!

Nutrition can be made super simple. Please never hesitiate to ask any questions!

I love Phil's work and follow his content closely. I'll be attending more of his seminars to expand my own knowledge on all things training, nutrition and business

I'll be working hard to provide some more content to help people achieve their goals. Some simple food swaps, exercises and mindset support will be coming your way👌

**INVEST IN YOURSELF**

One thing I will promise as a coach is to continue progressing my own knowledge to ensure the standard of my service is always as high as it possibly can be

The more I invest in myself, the more value I can provide to my clients

Brilliant hypertrophy seminar at with and
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you were a reasonable training partner too 👀😂

SO WHICH IS THE BEST DIET?!?!

The word 'diet' is often associated with weight loss and has negative connotations but really, a diet it's just what we eat, and we all like food, so give the word a break 😂

Who has followed a certain diet and lost weight? Then regained it all back? Yep, yep me too! I did that one where you shot aloe vera 👀🙈

But why??

Juice plus, atkins, herbalife, forever living.. come on.. help me name more...😂 all have one thing in common. They severely restrict calories.

So you stick to it for a few weeks, the scale number goes down, job done right? Then you eat 'normally' again... guess what happens? Up they go again!

The diet that will genuinely help you lose weight long term is a sustainable diet which will become the 'norm'. One where you don't have to cut out loads of certain food so you crave them so badly. One where you're not severely hungry and re bound, or completely cut carbs and feel awful (you don't need to!!)

With a bit of knowledge and support you can learn to evaluate your diet and see where a few changes can be made which will add up to huge results.

When these small changes become habits it becomes the norm and you can sustain it. That's when you no longer feel like you're on a diet and you can make informed decisions about food👌

*Which diet is best?* (in regards to weight loss)

I've had quite a few messages asking me this!

So... the diet that is best for YOU is individual to YOU

To lose weight, it's simple. A bit of maths actually. Your body needs to burn more calories in a day than you eat. I didn't say necessarily 'easy' but definitely simple, and will get easier the more you learn and understand.

Like a car runs on petrol, our bodies run on calories from food (and drink.. cheeky Christmas coffees🙈🙊)

Your body already requires so much energy to live and function daily. This is you Basal Metabolic Rate. So on top of this is your extra expenditure through steps/movement in the day and exercise.

The best results are found when you lower your calories AND increase your expenditure to make that defecit bigger everyday

To create this defecit doesn't mean eating lettuce for every meal. Nor does is mean shakes, skinny coffees, weight loss drinks, tablets or fat burners.

Tomorrow I'll explain why, and how to create a sustainable plan of action 💪

Sunday morning thoughts....

Boxes are being ticked 🤗 insurance sorted.. logo being designed and first aid course booked 👍 (though I'm not quite sure why I need the 1 day'er when I've got advanced but.. we gotta do what we gotta do!😂)

The Gym is opening week beginning 19th Nov for 2 weeks for a nosey round and a chat! I'll upload the hours I will be there as soon as I know them💪

So.. although I will have my 1 to 1 clients this page is also designed to aid ANYONE wanting some support on their fitness journey's by providing some info about training and nutrition.

Whether it's fat loss, strength gain, fad diets or busting some diet myths I'm all ears and want to get some good content written up for you all.

Please comment below or inbox me if anyone has any questions or topics they would like me to discuss!!!

Have an amazing Sunday!!❤