Hannah Sweetman

What is unconditional permission to eat?

The freedom to choose what you eat, when you eat it, and how much you choose to eat.

Unconditional permission to eat is freedom of choice. We are removing the restrictions placed on food and providing a healthier food relationship.

It supports the removal of labelling foods (good, bad, cheat, dirty) and the guilt or associated negative feelings people feel around their food choices. It backs food neutrality, the concept that all foods have the same moral value.

How does unconditional permission to eat help me if I’m trying to lose weight?

Losing weight requires a calorie deficit. For many, it will require individuals to make choices and possible lifestyle changes to meet their reduced calorie intake. The diet choice is the individual's choice; therefore, that individual always has the choice to eat what, when, and how much they choose, even if this means they over-consume their energy requirements.

Having the choice allows the individual to assess what they value at a particular period and, therefore, make an informed decision that lines with their values. Your values guide your behaviour and your choices in life. They are what you believe to be meaningful and worthwhile in your life. Therefore, if you value your health and well-being, you will feel strongly about making healthy lifestyle choices to support that value. If losing weight supports a healthier body at a current period of your life, then you will choose to make informed food and activity choices that support a calorie deficit to achieve weight loss.

To read more on unconditional permission to eat, read my blog by following the link here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/unconditional-permission-to-eat.html

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How to manage cravings.

If you find that you are having cravings, then moving far past the satisfied feeling into feeling physically ill due to overconsuming a particular food and may feel guilt or shame off the back of consumption, I suggest using the following strategy to look deeper into the problem.

A 4-step strategy to help manage food cravings.

IDENTIFY

The first stage in handling a food craving is to identify it. Just become aware that you are craving a particular food right now.

CONSIDER
What are you craving?
Where could this craving be coming from?
What do you want from the food you are craving?
Consider things like:

The balance in your food choices today.
Red button syndrome. Are you telling yourself you can't eat something that makes you want it more?
How are you feeling physically and emotionally? Are you looking for food to soothe a particular emotion?
Where are you, and who are you with?
Sometimes, you will want the food, and that’s okay! That’s helpful information to have. Sometimes, you’ll recognise that the root of the craving runs a little deeper.

PLAN
Before you decide to eat, create a list of alternative options, e.g., if you find that this craving is influenced by stress, what are other ways you can destress? A walk, listening to a podcast, taking a bath with some soothing music, calling a friend or family member for a catch-up, etc.

Permission to eat is always an available option, no matter where the craving is coming from. If you don’t permit yourself to eat foods, you crave the craving and will likely get stronger.

REVIEW
The last step is to review what you did and how it went. You want to ensure you have a neutral outlook, as reviewing what didn’t go so well is an opportunity to develop. Write down what worked, didn’t, and what you might do differently in the future, if anything. You can evaluate any future trends or patterns by having a written log.

Food cravings are normal. Become aware of them. Try to understand where they may be driven from to decide on how you would like to respond.

If you would like a FREE worksheet to help you manage your cravings, please head to https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/cravings.html

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How to fit calorie-dense food into your diet.

We all want to be able to eat the indulgences we enjoy and socialise over tasty food and drinks, but how do we do this and lose weight simultaneously?

The first thing you want to do is choose what your indulgence is. Indulgent foods will be a personal choice. Some may like savoury calorie-dense food such as crisps, and others may like sweeter calorie-dense food such as cake.

Decide on the portion of the calorie-dense food you wish to consume. This will allow you to align your portion size (calorie intake) with your goals. You may decide that your weight loss goals are currently a high priority. Therefore, your portion will be smaller than when you try to maintain weight. For example, while dieting, your indulgences may look like two squares of chocolate. While maintaining your weight, your indulgence might look like a dessert while socialising with friends.

What time do you wish to have your indulgence? An example may be that you know you are going for a social meal on the weekend and wish to have two courses instead of just a main. Therefore, you plan to have smaller or less frequent indulgences throughout the week to allow for bigger weekend indulgences.

Where do you wish to consume calorie-dense foods? You always want to enjoy your indulgences and be mindful while consuming them to truly appreciate and enjoy the moment. Choosing a setting that allows you to be entirely in the moment is always good. This may be out at a restaurant or without distraction in a room in your home.

Then, you must analyse your confidence to stick to your agreed portion size. You can write this on a scale of one to five. One means you are not confident. Ranging to five, you are highly confident. If you find that you feel less confident in your ability to stick to your agreed portion size, I advise consuming calorie-dense food out of the house, such as in a cafe or restaurant setting. There, they will serve you an individual portion. The other option is to buy a small amount or individual pre-packaged single serving of calorie-dense foods. This will ensure that there is not an abundance of that indulgent food sitting in your house if your confidence level is low.

Finally, you want to have a plan that you can execute if you feel that after consuming your indulgence, you wish to consume more than your agreed-upon portion size. An example of a plan would be: If I want more than my agreed portion size, I will go for a walk, distract myself by calling a friend, wait at least 20 minutes and see if I still want more, brush my teeth, or remove myself from the kitchen. These are all examples of how you could plan to help manage the feeling of wanting to consume more than your agreed portion size.

Calorie-dense foods should be savoured and consumed mindfully without any distractions. You want to be able to tap into the point where that food loses its fantastic taste and you have had enough.

To read more, head to my blog by clicking here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/calorie-dense-food.html

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The logical dose of enjoyment refers to knowing how much of a particular type of food you need to enjoy. For example, can you share a slice of cake and seek the same enjoyment as having a whole slice? Can you have one glass of wine instead of three and still enjoy the occasion?

Approaching food with a logical dose of enjoyment requires you to slow down and be aware. To tune into the taste of your foods or beverages and find the point at which the food or beverage loses its pleasure. At this stage, you can decide to stop and finish your meal/drink or to take the rest home for a later time or day.

Learning and understanding what a logical dose of enjoyment of foods is to you removes the power food has over you. You become less likely to overconsume high-calorie food because of social pressure or to finish the whole packet of biscuits because you were distracted watching television.

By teaching ourselves to slow down and be present while eating, we become aware of our body’s cues for fullness or taste.

To read more, head to my blog by clicking here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/logical-dose-of-enjoyment.html

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Who are you? (identity).

What is Your Why? (purpose).

What do you believe in?

Who am I?
Kiwi-European New Zealand born and raised.
I see myself as Fit, healthy, lean and mildly athletic.
I’m caring and compassionate,
I believe I am viewed by the world, and the characteristics that define me are that I
deeply care about my health and well-being and put my body first.

What is my Why?
The purpose that drives me out of bed in the morning is to be in the best physical shape I can get into. Having undertaken many athletic sports, I know I’m best when driven and have something to work on that is within my reach. I love connecting with family and friends, with family being my priority. I strive to be the best coach I can be via relationships and how I present myself.

What do I believe in?
We all need to work together to make our world a better place where health and well-being must be prioritised.

We can be diverse and different, but we should all live in a way that does not hurt or hinder one’s health and well-being.

This self-discovery activity can be one of the most enlightening activity’s you get to discover what you are about and if you are currently living true to whom you want to be.

If you would like to find out more and download a FREE template to be able to complete the activity yourself, head to my blog and download the free template here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/who-are-you.html

P.S. I also LOVE ice cream!

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ARE YOU READY TO CHANGE?

This is something I focus on with clients.

Behaviour change is a gradual process that occurs over time.

The client will progress from being uninterested, unaware, or unwilling to make a change. This is called the pre-contemplation stage.

The client will then move to consider a new behaviour or making a change to their lifestyle. This is called the contemplation stage.

Then over time, the client will decide and prepare themselves to be able to make a change, the preparation stage.

This is followed by definitive action and attempts to maintain the new behaviour over time. This is called the maintenance stage.

Clients can progress in both directions in the stages of change. Most people will "recycle" through the stages of change several times before the change becomes fully established (Zimmerman et al., 2000).

This is where the coach-to-client relationship is fundamental in helping the client establish realistic goals and timelines for change. Alongside positive reinforcement, encouragement, and support throughout the client's journey.

Currently, I'm working with clients to ensure we understand what level of change they are ready for, understanding that we are currently undergoing many life changes on a week-to-week basis.

I pride my coaching on adapting plans and targets to individual client requirements.

Coaching will help you with strategies to help manage your nutrition around your lifestyle and help to ensure your plan is tailored to you. Contact me today at [email protected] to learn more.

www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com

WHAT IS CALORIE-CONSCIOUS?

Being calorie-conscious is a philosophy that no foods are off-limits to you. However, you are aware of the caloric content of different types of foods. This enables you to remove any guilt you may feel when eating your favourite foods that are likely higher in calories while understanding how these foods fit into a well-balanced diet. This is part of the education you receive when working with an online nutrition coach.

If you feel like your mindset is holding you back from achieving your health and fitness goals, you might benefit from the article I have just published. Click here to read it https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/what-is-calorie-conscious.html

To lose weight, you will need patience.

The reasons people struggle to lose weight and keep it off are:

They are too impatient.

They believe that once they get to their desired weight, then that’s the end of that lifestyle (diet).

They think every day/week must be perfect, and they won’t experience roadblocks and struggles during the weight-loss period.

Achieving your weight loss goal is going to be extremely difficult.

Weight loss isn't easy.

The statement eat less, move more infuriates me.

In my opinion, people who judge other people’s body composition are naive.

You shouldn't judge someone until you've walked in their shoes.

A calorie deficit required for weight loss doesn't consider life's many struggles. A few of my clients' struggles include injuries, work stress, family stress, having a small child to care for, emotional eating and probably the biggest one is that weight loss results take longer than people think.

People give up on weight loss because they have unrealistic time frames on how quickly they expect change, and they must be perfect every week.

Have you given up on weight loss because you didn’t see a change or drop in weight in 1, 2 or even 3 weeks?

Does this sound like you?

If so, head over to my blog post and find out how you can fix this issue.
https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/lose-weight-patience.html

FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCE

Nutrition doesn’t have to be about tracking your intake with numbers and apps. We can learn to create a healthy lifestyle by getting the fundamentals correct.

Click here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/guidelines-for-creating-balanced-meals.html to download and print out my free resource sheet on how to make educated meals that will support optimal health and well-being.

IS STRESS HARMING YOUR HEALTH AND WEIGHT LOSS GOALS?

Learn how to manage stress outside of your control.

Many situations in our lives can cause stress. Some situations are within our control, and some are sadly not. To help manage stress, we must bring clarity to the situation. We can achieve this by analysing the situation and providing a pathway to manage or eliminate the stress from our lives.

Use the following questions to help you analyse the situation:

When and how are you triggered?

When does it happen?

How does it affect you?

What are the actions of this person/situation that trigger you?

What is the most important aspect that is affecting you?

What actions can you take, and how would these fix the situation?

Come up with a list of possible solutions. What are the positives and consequences of those solutions?

If you have found this post useful and would like to read the full article, head over to my blog page here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/how-to-control-stress.html

HOW TO STOP YO-YO DIETING...⁠
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Become accountable for your decisions and accept that some days you will consume more calories than on other days. That is normal eating.⁠
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My goal as a nutrition coach is to educate all my clients that you are not on a diet one day and off it the next. ⁠
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We must all own our decisions in life, including our health and well-being. For example, if your goal is fat loss (a goal that you are choosing to pursue), you can, in social situations, choose the lower calorie option or control your portion size. Remember to focus on why you are there to enjoy the company you are dining with. ⁠
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You can also use the option of banking calories...⁠
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To read more, head to my blog by clicking here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/how-to-stop-yo-yo-dieting.html

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What is the best diet?

This is a question I often get asked in initial conversations with clients. It's a great question, as there are so many FAD diets on the market and many ways to lose weight successfully. However, if you are in the market for weight loss and still looking for the next best diet plan, I would suggest that the best diet is the one that leads the individual to optimal health.

Read my article here on how to work out the best diet by clicking the link here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/what-is-the-best-diet.html

Comment below and let me know what you think.

www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com

A simple way to look at high-calorie meals...

When consuming foods or meals that are higher in calories may cause us to exceed our calorie requirements or the calorie deficit we require to lose weight, we need to ensure it is worth it. Like most things in life, we assess the cost versus the benefit. In the case of a high-calorie meal, I suggest asking if it is worth it.

Worth it foods will be individual to you. What one person loves to eat; another person would place in the not worth its box.

We all love higher-calorie indulgent foods and drinks. Clients find the best way to keep higher-calorie foods within limits is to enjoy them when they are worth it. Worth-it situations might include enjoying a meal, cake and coffee with friends, or having ice cream with the family. It can also be less of an event, such as consuming a bar of chocolate eaten with no distractions.

Being responsible for your own choices allows you the freedom to choose. Situations I discuss with weight loss clients include being mindful of calories consumed at restaurant meals. Order a starter and main or a main and dessert instead of all three courses. Other situations have included going out for a cake (baking) or dessert once a week and making it an occasion instead of consuming it because it is in the office lunchroom. Many clients enjoy alcoholic drinks. Discussions with clients have included going alcohol-free throughout the week and only drinking in moderation (i.e., not more than 2-3 drinks) on the weekend.

It can be beneficial to plan a specific portion of high-calorie foods you wish to consume using the Logical dose of enjoyment method that I educate clients on. To use this method, ask yourself how much of this high-calorie food you need to enjoy. This way, you can pre-portion an amount to satisfy your palate. This helps you become a mindful eater who pauses, allowing space for a thoughtful decision-making process which supports your goals and what you value.

For more ideas on losing weight and still having a social life, head to my website and read some of my blogs.

Click the link https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/a-simple-way-i-look-at-high-calorie-foods.html

HOW TO STOP OVEREATING...

Trigger foods are defined as food(s) that drive you to crave and overconsume more than a logical portion. Trigger foods are consumed out of habit, not necessarily hunger. Your trigger food(s) are something you probably feel addicted to and are likely high in calories with little food volume, therefore not satiating.

No foods should be off-limits or have negative connotations around them. Restrictive eating is caused when foods are placed off-limits. When you restrict foods, you are more likely to want that food more and could initiate a binge restrict diet cycle or an unhealthy food relationship.

A nutrition coaching method used with clients to support them with overeating trigger foods is to start by recording down all foods and drinks they are triggered by.

Next, we have them write down food/drinks around which they have negative connotations.

The goal is to reintroduce these foods back into the diet, slowly and gradually have them once a day, and start with one trigger food at a time.

The client learns and understands that consuming these foods has no dire consequences. This allows for fear and food restriction to dissipate slowly.

Once the client masters one trigger food, they move on to the next one once no fear or anxiety is present.

Adapting yourself through regular exposure to your trigger foods over time dilutes the appealing quality of your once-forbidden foods.

To read more, head to my blog by clicking here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/trigger-foods-should-you-have-them-in-the-house.html

CALORIE COUNTING TO LOSE WEIGHT

Tracking your calorie intake is a tool nutritionists use to understand how many calories approximately a client needs. The client's calorie requirements, such as weight loss, depend on their goals. Other factors influencing calorie intake include the client's age, height, s*x, and energy output, which can be influenced by daily activity or formal exercise.

Tracking provides an education process on portion sizes, calorie awareness, and how to eat calorie-consciously to achieve the individual's goal. This makes it a great feedback tool for nutritionists working with clients online and in person.

Many people assume that using a calorie-counting app such as My Fitness Pal is the only way to lose weight. When working with a nutritionist at Hannah Sweetman Nutrition, you will work as a team to find the best method to support your educational journey as you learn to become calorie conscious.

Some of the different methods used to educate clients on calorie awareness are:
• A calorie tracker such as My Fitness Pal or Nutra Check
• A food log. This can be handwritten or logged-in notes on your phone or a spreadsheet. It must include timings, all foods and drinks, and the amounts consumed. (Food logs can also be used to help track emotional eating).
• Photos of all foods and drinks consumed.
• Use meal templates that have been custom-made to give you meal ideas. These can also be used to make your templates with the template builder.
• Cycle tracking and only tracking what is needed. e.g., tracking four days per week instead of seven or tracking only protein and calories. Only track meals that change often and stick to a rotation of a few choices for other meals.
• A foodscape or meal planning with a coach.
• Habit tracking (using a tick box habit tracker).
• My portion control guidelines sheet.

To read more, head to my blog by clicking here. https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/do-I-need-to-track-my-food-forever.html

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HOW MUCH HIGHER CALORIE/LESS NUTRITIOUS “TREAT” FOOD CHOICES CAN I EAT?

One serving of discretionary food contains 143 kcals. Nutrition Australia advises limiting your intake of discretionary choices (indulgences) to a maximum of one serving per day.

Next time someone tells you to have that food in moderation, or it's 80/20, then you know that means roughly 143kcals should be coming from your indulgent treat foods, with the rest of your food intake from nutrient-dense foods for optimal health and weight management.

What is important to consider regarding treats is why you are having them. Sitting down and mindfully enjoying a dessert your friend has prepared for you or enjoying a scoop of ice cream at the beach versus eating half a packet of biscuits while watching TV or drinking alcohol every night to help relieve stress are very different reasons for consuming discretionary calories.

If you are worried about your health and want to ensure you eat enough vitamins, minerals, and fibre, take a food-first approach. Include indulgences in your diet sparingly at your discretion. Remember, the primary purpose of indulgences is enjoyment. Find the logical dose of indulgent food you require to enjoy the moment.

To read more, head to my blog by clicking here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/how-much-junk-food-can-I-eat.html

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LEARN HOW TO GET RID OF BAD HABITS AND DEVELOP GOOD HABITS.

Make a list to increase your awareness of your habits.
Write out your good habits and your bad habits. This will allow you to recognise what you need to work on and what habits are already ingrained in your lifestyle that may need changing.

Use habit stacking.
Habit stacking is when you pair a new habit with something that you already habitually do.

Design your environment.
Make it obvious to create a good habit.
Make an invisible to remove a bad habit.

Implementation of intention.
The simple way to apply this strategy to your habits is to fill out this sentence: I will (BEHAVIOR) at (TIME) in (LOCATION). A past client example has been I will WORKOUT at 6 PM in my local GYM.

These are just 3 simple steps to help you eliminate bad habits and help set up good habits. For more simple steps, please read my full blog post.

To read more on habits, read my blog by following the link here https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/how-to-eliminate-bad-habits.html

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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF-CONTROL AROUND FOODS YOU TYPICALLY OVERCONSUME.

Make bad habits harder. Make good habits easier.
Making bad habits harder to initiate places a thought barrier before an automatic action. Bad habits are usually performed on autopilot and without any thought process.

Control your food environment.
Place trigger foods or foods you easily overconsume out of sight. By putting these foods in areas that are out of sight, you have fewer visual cues towards making a mindless decision.

Look for the cue that starts the bad habit and replace it with a new routine.
An example could be, instead of post-dinner eating, choosing to brush your teeth and remove yourself from the kitchen. Or develop a 20-minute post-meal window where you wait and distract yourself before reaching for more food when potently not wanting or needing it.

Planning using the if-then backup plan.
Planning is great when everything goes right; however, life is unpredictable, so we also need backup plans. Having an if-then plan gives you a strategy for when unexpected distractions occur.

Turn I have to into I want to, or I choose to.
Remember, you are always in control of yourself and your own decisions.

Plan your indulgences.
A life without indulgences would be very boring. You don't need to go completely without them, but you want to enjoy them mindfully with full enjoyment. Plan them into your diet, knowing how much of them you will have when you have them and what environment you'll be in when you have them.

If you feel like your mindset is holding you back from achieving your health and fitness goals, you might benefit from the full article I have just published. Click here to read it https://www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com/blogs/how-do-I-improve-my-self-control-around-food.html

www.hannahsweetmannutrition.com