How Many Calories Do You Want To Burn?

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It's Monday.  The calorie scales after a weekend of fun groan from all the delicious cocktails you drank and yet, a smart and talented woman like you dare to ignore the chime of the clock as it strikes gym o’clock!

You promptly divert all thoughts about exercise to a black hole in your head and focus instead on your list of tasks to achieve for the week.  Exercise, surely it can wait right?  After all, why bother thinking about that tempting piece of cake or that delectable 5 course meal you shared with the new boy in town when you simply have got oh so much to do.  Right?  Wrong!

Admittedly, your body looks great in that new dress but what are you going to do when you have a little wardrobe crisis after a few more indulgent weekends like so?  There’s only so much bulge that even the ‘ultimate magic secret slimming firm control knickers’ can cope with. 

So let me rephrase; how many calories do you need to burn after your weekend?  I suppose it depends entirely on how many of the extra treats that 'shall not be named' you had.  

To avoid any panic attacks over clothes in the future, make sure that you fit in a date with exercise.  On a positive note, your options for burning calories truly are endless.

For example, assume a female weighing 60kg spends 45 minutes cycling to work.  She could burn 300 calories.  Increase the tempo on the bike and you could be burning up to 600 calories per exercise session.  

Walking is also a great energy busting activity, in that you could burn up to 200 calories depending on your speed.  Choose a route with hills and this could increase up to 300 calories.  

Running is brilliant as you could burn anywhere between 500 to 600 calories depending on your weight, speed and distance.  This really is an excellent calorie burner.

Swimming is not only relaxing but 45 minutes in the pool for the same female weighing 60kg could result in an energy deficit of around 400 calories.  If a slice of bread provides approximately 100 calories, then you are not doing too badly.  The butterfly stroke is another efficient activity and for this movement you could burn up to 600 calories.

Playing sport such as tennis, squash or volleyball are all fantastic options for burning calories so why not join a team?  It's also fun and a great way to make new friends.

Alternatively, you may prefer the gym whilst we head towards winter.  Even resistance training exercise with weights burn calories when you perform the activity.  As you build muscle tone and increase lean body mass, your metabolic rate will rejoice and utilise energy in the form of calories.  

Before you commit to hours and hours of exercise, research does recommend less calories in, so make eating fewer calories from treat foods your top priority.  

When this fails, balance the energy scales with regular activity to burn excess calories after a fun weekend, but to also keep your heart ticking happy.  

For tips on how to incorporate little bite sized portions of exercise through-out the day, read Keep Your Body Moving and visit my page dedicated to Exercise 'Push Yourself'

So next time it’s exercise o’clock, think back to your long, lazy, indulgent boozy lunches and dinners with girlfriends over the weekend.  Let me remind you...did it start with something like this?  That single innocent little drink...

That's right ladies, think real hard and say yes to exercise.  Your body and heart will thank you for it.

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Paleolithic Diet & CrossFit - A Bodybuilder's Winning Combo?

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I admit it – I was full of contempt when Joseph Hoang talked to me about the paleolithic diet experience.  You may also know this diet as the ‘caveman diet’.  I believe it’s taken the world by storm, but seriously; to me - it really is just another low carb and low energy diet..

Yet I’ve met Joe who swears by the diet.  Joe is 31 and is an IT consultant.  He is dedicated to his exercise regime of crossFit workouts and has successfully lost around 18kg since commencing the paleo diet.

How did you hear about the diet?

‘I hit a time in my life when I thought to myself, I need to do something about my body.  I want to look good.  My diet was unhealthy and I ate a lot of rubbish.  Takeaway meals such as Chinese, Lebanese or Indian used to be my usual dinners whilst cheesy crackers and chocolate biscuits were my staple snacks.' 

'I decided to exercise and I joined the gym.  I gave up smoking.  I got introduced to crossFit training and my coach in Australia at the time suggested that I give the paleo diet a go.'

 Your first impressions on the paleo diet

‘Being of Asian background I was worried about the restrictions such as rice, potato and milk.  I gradually took the approach by cutting out one food at a time.  I first cut out all refined sugars so out went the chocolate biscuits.’

‘By this stage I had reached 82kg and I thought it was all muscle.  I was gaining weight but I didn’t worry as I knew that muscle weighed heavier than fat.  I really thought it was all muscle.  Boy did I need a wake up call!’

  

'I commenced the diet in December 2010.  It took me 3 months to lose the weight.  I dropped down to 64kg which is a 22% body weight loss.  My waist used to be 35cm and I reduced this to 28cm.  I am a small guy so these measurements are better suited for me.’

Give me a quick example of what you used to eat like before your dramatic weight loss

Breakfast

‘Hangover food’ like bacon and eggs, a large bread roll with BBQ sauce and mushrooms

Snacks

A whole box of cheesy & salty crackers called ‘Shapes’.  I would then start on a packet of ‘Tim Tams’ (chocolate biscuits in Australia).

I would also drink three mochaccinos with whole milk and during the weekends I would drink a 1 litre bottle of fizzy drink per day.

Dinner

A large meal based on meat, rice, bread, potato and veggies.  Often take-aways.

‘At my fattest I was working full-time so I really didn’t have time for exercise.  I was also a smoker so I didn’t have the energy or even the lungs to run!  I was only able to run 200 metres without stopping.  Enough was enough so I quit smoking in 2009.'

What changes did you make first?

‘I joined crossFit, started exercising and cut out the biscuits.  As a result, I lost around 5kg but it was a struggle to lose more.  I had a huge appetite after exercise and really struggled to shift the weight.  I hovered around the high 70s for about a year.  By this stage I was running and swimming.  I even completed two marathons that year but still struggled to shed the extra body fat.  During this time, a friend at work recommended that I cut out carbs from my evening meal.  I tried it and this helped me lose a little bit more body fat.’

‘I then cut out some of my high fat snacks and replaced it with berries, apples, cherry tomatoes and nuts.  For lunch, instead of large sandwiches I chose large chicken salads.  For dinner, I ate roast chicken with steamed vegetables.  Once a week I’d treat myself to my favourite foods such as noodles or absolutely anything I wanted.’

What happened when you transitioned onto the caveman diet?

‘I cut out all of my high fat snacks and ate only fruit or nuts.  I also got inspiration from John Stone Fitness who took photos of his weight loss every day for an entire year.  My photos above are my weekly progress over 3 months.

Was there anything that you could eat on the paleo diet?

‘I did my own version of the diet.  This is how I ate.'

Breakfast

Coffee and 2 x hard boiled eggs

Snacks

Almonds and macadamia nuts.  If I felt naughty I ate cashew nuts, but always plain, never roasted.  I ate these in unlimited quantities, but you get so sick of eating them.  After about 20 nuts you can’t face eating another.  It kept me full until lunch.

Lunch

I ate the same lunch every day!  A small can of flavoured chicken or tuna.  Or fresh roasted chicken with lettuce, tomato and tabbouleh which was based on tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley prepared with olive oil.

‘I never felt hungry as I always snacked on berries and nuts.’

Dinner

Roast or grilled meat with vegetables such as broccoli or bok choy to name a few.  Potato and sweet corn were not allowed on the diet but I did eat avocado as this was highly recommended.

Dessert

Cup of tea with berries

‘This was the hardest three months of my life but the feeling I had afterwards was amazing.  My stomach felt tight like I had abs all the time.  I felt surreal.  I was eating such an unhealthy diet previously that I didn’t know what being healthy felt like.  This felt amazing!’ 

What was the hardest about the diet?

‘The first two weeks was the hardest as I had a huge energy crash.  I was highly irritable and was sleeping at my desk by 3pm.  My shirt would be untucked and my tie swung behind me the wrong way around.  I also had to cut out yoghurt and milk which I really loved.'

Did you take any multi-vitamins or any other supplements?

‘I took a multivitamin tablet a day.  The diet said that you didn’t need calcium from dairy alone, greens were sufficient.  I don’t recall the diet recommending a calcium supplement and I am not sure if the multivitamin tablet contained calcium.  The diet did not recommend additional supplements but I felt that I needed a vitamin tablet.’

How are you maintaining your weight loss?

‘I maintained the diet but re-introduced carbs.  I eat carbs only in the form of sweet potatoes as it's a low GI food.  I was not keen on pasta and rice as I always noticed that I felt sleepy after eating these.  If I was out with friends and I ate rice, particularly Jasmine rice, then I would be the first to be asleep at the dinner table!  I still have a cheat meal once a week where I still choose to eat rice, pasta and other favourite foods.'

What’s your diet like now?

Breakfast

1 x sweet potato with tuna, chicken or hard boiled egg

Lunch

Avocado and chicken salad with salad greens, tomatoes and another sweet potato

‘I continue to snack on fruit and nuts all day.’

                                                                                         

Dinner

Similar to lunch

‘I eat dinner quite late as I train after work for almost three hours.  Sometimes I feel a little faint during training and hence why I introduced carbs back into my breakfast and lunch.' 

Your last words before we bid you farewell?

‘It was the best thing I did.  At first it was one of the hardest 2 weeks during the crash, but then it all came together.  The satisfaction of securing tight abs made it totally worthwhile!   I’ve made it to the top 30 for crossFit and I have also made it on TV last week.  If you'd like to watch the clip where I am exercising then check out this video on 'The Box UK' on Ramp Training

  

The purple impression

Thank you so much Joe for sharing your inspiring story with us today.  The positive changes for Joe are that he stopped smoking and he is exercising successfully at a competitive level considering that he never exercised previously.  He is also eating fruit and vegetables which are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.  


I have recommended that Joe introduces carbs pre-exercise in the form of smoothies, fruit and yoghurt or in another format that is easy to digest and is acceptable for him.  This could help improve performance and avoid the ‘dives in energy’ that he has experienced previously.   


As he trains for up to 2-3 hours per each exercise session, he may benefit from a sports drink during training to replace electrolytes and provide additional energy.

The diet over a short period of time has clearly been helpful in reaching Joe's weight loss goals.  Joe was insightful and was able to recognise when he needed to increase his energy intake through carbohydrates to meet the high demands of his exercise routine.  


I still feel that Joe can reach peak performance if he increased his intake of carbohydrates pre and post training.  


What do you think?  

Is Protein Everything It's Hyped Up To Be?

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With a mantra of moderation, common sense and experience as a dietitian firing the way to optimal exercise performance, sometimes, even my own runs go wrong.

Make me drink a protein shake and you’ll soon see me shooting daggers your way, wondering why on earth you trade your carbs for protein.  If you love working out, but also want to stay slim, then why miss the fundamental rules and fill up on expensive and often unnecessary protein from this supposed magical potion – the ‘protein shake’? 

As a nation, we already eat protein in excess.  This is true even if you enjoy lifting heavy weights and exercise daily.  For the average gym bunny, you don’t need it.  You really don’t need the additional protein drinks to your already ‘protein hyped’ diet.  You really don’t.

Similarly, strength athletes requiring higher protein intakes up to 1.2-1.7g/kg can usually meet these requirements effortlessly through diet alone and without the use of protein supplements.  It’s usually the energy intake from carbohydrates that you might be slipping up on. 

Golden Carbs
You could keep pumping in the protein, but without the essential carbohydrate intake, your exercise performance could be compromised.  


Carbohydrate foods are what your body require to fuel your performance and facilitate the muscle building process.  It is also essential to get the energy balance right, to ensure that proteins are spared for protein synthesis and not in meeting your energy requirements.

I have been running since I was 16 years old.  It’s a ritual.  I do feel the stress and frustrations building up inside me if I don’t thrash it out over a 50 minute run.  Yet yesterday morning, I headed out without breakfast.  Very unusual behaviour I can assure you!  In my defence, I felt quite grotty after a rather large meal the previous night and could only manage a hefty mug of tea to pass my lips.

It was nearly time for lunch and grey clouds threatened to halt my promised run, so I quickly sculled a small glass of banana smoothie and out that door I went.

I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that I had headaches and a stomach cramp.  I was dehydrated and had limited nutrition in the way of carbohydrates backing me up for the 9K run.  


I was unable to enjoy myself and instead of hitting that euphoric feeling, I was spiralling downwards and dying to complete the run.  Shame on me! 

What To Eat Before Exercise

Prior to exercise, a meal or snack consisting of carbohydrates and some protein (the word some being key here) should be consumed.  It’s best to stick to familiar foods to avoid abdominal discomfort.  


Ensure that you drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration during and post your exercise session.

What Went Wrong For Me?  

I didn’t eat breakfast and my snack was consumed literally 10 minutes before I rushed out the door.  My usual porridge would have been the perfect choice.  It’s a low to medium GI carb meal.  


Oats provide the slow releasing carbs and protein is found in milk.  When eaten at least 3 hours before a scheduled exercise session this would have been perfect timing for maximal abdominal tolerance and blood glucose profiling during exercise.

What and When To Eat Before Exercise

To improve performance, eat a small snack an hour prior to your run or exercise session. My fruit smoothie would have been ideal, except that I needed to have enjoyed it at least an hour before my run to reap the benefits of optimal blood sugar levels.  Let’s not forget the risk of abdominal cramps when eating too close prior to a workout!  


Most importantly, I needed to drink up and the less than 250ml cup of tea didn’t quite cut it.  If you exercise after work, a banana or a slice of fruit bread and water will do the trick.

Breaking news..

So instead of the protein shake, reach for a fruit smoothie whereby banana blended with yoghurt or milk can be the winning combination for that spot on ratio of fluids, carbs and protein.  Just make sure that you drink it at least an hour before your scheduled exercise session.  A glass of chocolate milkshake will do quite nicely too.  You can even add a spoonful of skimmed milk powder to manipulate the protein content if required.  And remember, you need your golden carbs.

Carbohydrates are found in bread, pasta, potato, fruit and some vegetables.

How A Buddy System Can Be Effective

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What do you plan to do this Saturday morning?  Sport?  Lie in?  Chances are, you are either nursing a hang-over after a fun night out or enjoying a shopping spree, you lucky thing!

My recent obsession dominating every Saturday morning is ‘friendly boot camp’.  This was introduced to me by a lovely group of friends I met after travelling to Egypt one year.  We meet every Saturday morning at a local park to exercise and I am totally hooked.  I am also pleased to say that we are as equally committed to a delicious brunch afterwards.

My relationship with exercise has had its ups and downs.  Lately I have been struggling to squeeze in my usual 3 runs a week.  I love running, but grey clouds and freezing temperatures can be off-putting.  Treadmill running is frankly a little bit uninspiring.

Growing up in New Zealand, exercise was the easiest thing in the world as I had the three essential elements to a successful exercise plan – location, sun and motivation!  I lived a few minutes away from a large park called One Tree Hill and have enjoyed countless runs and walks there.

Days of sun shine are rare in London, but thanks to ‘friendly boot camp’, exercise is once again a lifestyle choice.  I have been re-introduced to boxing and the chance to exercise in an enjoyable environment amongst friends.  This increases the likelihood of me repeating this activity, every week.

A buddy system works well too.  

For example, on Thursday mornings, I meet with a colleague to exercise before work.  This is effective as neither one of us wants to let the other one down with a no-show.  It’s amazing how quickly we transform from sleepy heads to two energised individuals after just a 45 minute high impact work-out.  It’s also a great way of catching up together outside work.

Struggling to get back into exercise after winter?  Buddy up and pencil in exercise dates with a friend or colleague.  

The key is to select a day that suits you both.  

Soon you will be obligated to be loyal and you’ll quickly fall in love with the new routine.

Whether you create an after work exercise group amongst friends or a pre-work gym workout date with a colleague, the key is to select an activity or gym class that you can both commit to each week.  Alternatively, join a local running group or a zumba class at your gym.

Whatever you decide to do, select an activity that’s fun and enjoyable, preferably with a buddy to be successful in making exercise your new habit.

I also find that new exercise gear always gets me into the exercise spirit!  Check out Asics Apparel for ideas.  

Happy exercising!


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