Six weeks ago we gained a new family member - 11 month old rescue dog Maxi and my goodness how our life has been turned upside down!!! Not that we expected anything different, I've had a rescue dog before and know that fundamentally they will be hard work in many different ways. We are definitely being run ragged and I for one am pretty exhausted most of the time - she is one physically and mentally challenging animal. One minute she is the most adorable, calm and loving dog - "ah this is why we got you", and the next she is a flipping nightmare chewing the lead and or our ankles and fighting to be pack leader - "grrr, why did we ever think this was a good idea"! However despite the latter we adore her and are working hard to create a good home and, of course, a happy dog. She's a beautiful pupster!
The purpose of this post though is not to bore you all with the trials and tribulations of Maxi dog (my clients get these on a regular basis anyway) but actually to illustrate a point that I am often reiterating to clients (especially new ones who are looking to lose weight) - mixing things up and understanding the concept of the energy balance! Yes that boring old 'calories in versus calories out' equation!
Some months ago, probably before Christmas I noticed I'd put on a few pounds and as time went on they refused to leave! But why would they if I didn't act upon it?? Nothing particularly mysterious about the reason for this increase. I was in a fairly static routine as far as physical activity was concerned made up of my own workouts, runs, session planning and whatever I did with clients in those sessions. However, the small changes in my diet had begun to make their presence known. Since last September my daughter has been living at home whilst she sorts the next stage of her life out after university. What that has meant is that we spend more time eating together as a family, more effort being put into family meals. All very nice, but this translated into there being a bit more on the plate than there should be, maybe a few more sides of garlic bread, tortilla chips with the chilli, one too many naans and chocolate increasingly creeping in again - you get the drift! Suddenly I was creating an unfavourable energy balance for myself. So my equation was now looking more like:
calories in > calories out
The issue with this of course is that if that situation continued then inevitably there will be a shift in weight in the wrong direction! My equation was now giving me the wrong answer!
calories in > calories out = weight gain
Whilst I was not too bothered about the number on the scale I was bothered about the location of extra weight, that 'round the middle blubbery bit' that all us ladies of a certain age (or any age to be honest) really hate! So I knew some action was required. I just had to get my head into the right place, identify my 'why' (what will drive me to make any changes) so that I would buy into whatever plan I came up with. However, fate intervened and along came Maxi dog!!!
Suddenly no conscious plan was required, I was thrown into a whirlwind of activity. Maxi is an active, intelligent and a large (and growing) puppy so from the word go it's been full on. Within a couple of weeks I realised that my new jeans that I'd bought (which fitted perfectly slash a tad tight at the time) were now feeling a wee bit loose! Mmm, time for a quick weigh in and hey presto a smaller number had appeared on the scales.
Again no big surprise. All that had happened was that I'd mixed things up and created a more favourable energy balance. I was involved in two dog walks a day covering in total about 4-5 miles. The pace is pretty speedy, certainly no stroll with this dog! So that in itself would be approximately 9000 steps and, based on the speed and type of walking (Box Hill is a favourite), about an extra 400 Kcals burned each day. Admittedly I was probably doing a little less running so some of those extra calories were not necessarily extra but overall I was consistently moving more. Add to that the general running round the garden and constant effort to occupy and train the dog meant I had mixed up my usual exercise regime, great for getting the body to burn a few more calories as it gets used to the new routine. The consequence of all this was that I had less time in the day for a post lunch coffee or a coffee date with my running buddy, along with the rubbish snacks that would inevitably go with them. I had unwittingly created my calorie deficit required to shift those extra pounds. By mixing things up and creating a favourable energy balance, I'd achieved my goal. Fab, job done!
Sounds so easy right? Well actually I think most people will agree that it's not, especially when you are consciously trying to change things. Successful weight management is complicated and everyone is different. We all have different lifestyles, different preferences, different needs, different levels of motivation. So the way we manage our weight will also be very different.
There is, though, one fundamental rule - a calorie deficit, anyone who wants to lose weight must be in a calorie deficit:
calories in < calories out = weight loss
On this occasion I did not go down the road of examining what I was eating, how many calories I was consuming over what I should be etc. I knew I was in a calorie deficit because I was losing weight.
To lose weight it is not always necessary to plan and record meals, count calories, hit the gym 7 times a week or run a marathon. Sometimes all that is required is an honest look at what you are currently doing both nutritionally and exercise wise and shake things up a bit to create a more favourable energy balance and a more healthy lifestyle.
Always start with nutrition, exercise alone will not get you to where you want to be if weight loss is your goal. Make small changes. For me I knew what I was doing wrong, I was eating too many snacks and sides at dinner times and was fairly static in my exercise routine. Admittedly it was canine intervention and the arrival of Maxi dog that initiated the change but the principle is the same, weight loss comes from a calorie deficit! You choose how you get there but Maxi just reiterated the fact that nutrition and exercise work together to provide the best outcome.
You can find out more about weight management here or please contact me if you have any questions or would like some help.
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