Weight Management - Physical activity and Calorie Reduction - UPDATE!

               

Hey everyone! Good to be back on here after a year's break! Some of you might have read this article a couple of years ago, but since then I have learnt some important factors which affect weight gain. Therefore, I will  discount my previous message 'eat less and move more'. Let's have a look at the why this model is wrong and what are the best solutions....

                                   

                                     

Why this model does not work

Many of us have been told that if we eat less, and exercise more we will burn more energy and subsequently lose weight. For some, this has worked for a short time because we have succeeded at reducing the energy the body needs at rest (BMR). However, this has only lasted for  short period and we have been taught this is due to lack of will - power.

 I have some good news, obesity is a hormonal issue not simply psycho-social. Here's the truth, hormones control how much energy we consume and how much energy we burn. If we eat less, we will burn less regardless of the amount of activity we do. Another important note, calories are not equal, therefore each nutrient will affect our metabolism differently.

The role of insulin in weight management

Some quick science, insulin is released from the pancreas (pictured above) and has two key functions. These include storing fat and using our blood sugars (glucose) as stored energy. I'm sure most of you are now thinking ''insulin is making me gain weight'', if this is the case, you're on the right lines. Each type of food we eat, carbs, protein and fat have a different effect on our insulin.

 Fat has no effect because it is not absorbed in the blood stream, but lymphatic system. Protein has little effect on insulin, however, carbs raises our insulin. The more refined and processed carbs we eat, the higher our blood sugars and the higher our insulin rise in the blood stream. Too much blood sugars causes insulin resistance because insulin is unable to convert excess glucose into energy and is converted to fats known as triglycerides. When this happens, the body is now in fat storage mode.

So what's the solution?

You need to work towards reducing our insulin and blood sugars. The only way we can achieve this is by reducing the amount of carbs in our diet, fasting  and possibly increasing our physical activity. You can follow a low carbohydrate diet  (50g>130g carbs, SACN, 2015), this will reduce insulin resistance and place our body in fat burning mode because insulin is not being used, so fat will be the main source of energy. This is the same for fasting. Physical activity helps insulin to convert our glucose to energy in our active muscle cells, so again, no insulin resistance.

   So what's the best type of physical activity?

• Any type of movement that keeps you warm and raises your heart rate slightly, e.g. brisk walking

• Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 x week, where possible

• Make sure it is something you enjoy, otherwise you're less likely to stick with it

• Aim for muscle - strengthening  exercises, twice a week, e.g. swimming or resistance training

                                   

                                     

                          

                                                        Soph's Nutrition Tips

                                    

• Have more protein and fats in your diet, for fullness

• Aim for carb reduction, not calorie reduction

• Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day

• Aim for more fibre in your diet, e.g. pulses and nuts

• Have more plant - based vegetables and less fruit

• Consider  intermittent fasting

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog, next content will be a surprise!

Soph x

Weight Management: Getting The Right Fats

Hey everyone! You probably thought I was missing in action but the good news is I'm back with part 2 of my mini series on weight management. The last time I posted I promised I would touch on getting the right fats so here it is, at last! I hope to share with you the good and bad fats, and some short tips on how you could add these to your daily diet.

   Good Fats

It is important that we consume foods which are high in Omega - 3 - fats because these foods help protect our hearts from getting clogged up, improves our brain function and helps us maintain a healthy weights. These fats can be found in avocados, oily fish, nuts, seeds and pulses. It's essential we have these fats in the right proportion as too much can lead to weight gain.

Bad Fats

These fats are usually known as saturated fats or hydrogenated fats. They cause many health problems such as clogging up our arteries, which raises our blood pressure; and if we don't burn off this extra energy it gets stored as fat around our waist. Sources of these fats include butter, lard, palm oil, coconut oil, chocolate, cakes, cheese and ghee.

Soph's Nutrition Tips

Here's a few tips how we can get some of these good fats into our diet and practical ways we can reduce those bad fats.

• Add some seeds and nuts (2 tablespoons max a day) to your breakfast if plain bran or porridge oats.

• Add some avocado to toast at breakfast instead of butter.

• Add nuts or seeds to your lunch or include as mid-morning/mid afternoon snack.

• Have at least one type of oily fish with your main meal such as salmon and mackerel per week.

• Aim for 1 tablespoon of oil a day such as rapeseed or olive oil.

• Consider fat as an acronym:

          Frequency - How often?

          Amount - How much?

          Type - Can I have an alternative?

Thank you all for reading my blog, hope you enjoyed it!  Stay tuned for part 3 in a couple of weeks time where I will discuss the role of physical activity and calorie reduction in weight management. Soph x