NUTRITION & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Weight management is basically the ability of an individual to maintain a certain weight.  Success will depend on technique and the physiological processes individual to each person.  Your weight will be determined by many factors, some easier than others to influence - age, genetics, metabolic rate, eating habits, level of physical activity, hormones, medical conditions.  If you are looking to lose weight then it is advisable to understand some of the basics, keep it simple and find what works for you.

Top Tip: Don't be tempted to cut out whole food groups (carbs, protein, fat), you need them all!  Calories are not your enemy, they are your energy.  Start by focusing on portion size and eat slowly - it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to signal satiety which translates into eating less as well increasing the enjoyment of what you are eating. 

Top Tip: follow the 80/20 rule

80% healthy choices and 20% flexibility for less healthy options.  

THE BASICS - ENERGY BALANCE

Whether you are looking to lose, increase or maintain weight then success will depend on getting your energy balance right (calories in vs calories out).  To lose weight your energy in (calories in) needs to be less than energy out (calories out).  To be successful you will need to have some idea as to what this looks like so it's worthwhile knowing what your Total Daily Energy Needs (TDEE) are, the total number of calories we burn in one day. 

To lose weight you will need to create a calorie deficit below your TDEE so that the body is forced to use stored fat to meet the shortfall.  Click here to learn more. 

Top Tip: You cannot out train a poor diet!

Any weight loss programme starts in the kitchen.  The overwhelming advice is always to create a healthy well balanced diet.  Do not be tempted to cut out whole food groups or over restrict calories, but equally do not over consume.

Top Tip: Yes it is a science but it is not a perfect science and you don't necessarily have to count calories all the time!

You can achieve much of what you want by following 'all things in moderation', watching your portion size, top up on vegetables and fruit and by following the 80/20 rule.  Both the NHS and British Nutrition Foundation have some very helpful information.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Physical activity plays an important part in weight management as it is the one thing that we can easily influence in relation to our TDEE.  Physical activity can be anything that makes you move more from adding in a few more steps per day to structured exercise sessions.  You will need to decide how much time you have available, what you enjoy doing and what it is you are hoping to achieve.

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Everyone is different and will have different needs, abilities and preferences when it comes to the type of exercise they undertake.  However the benefits are the same for everyone: reduced risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, some forms of cancer as well as having a positive impact on mental health.  It will also improve your ability to carry out daily activities.  Click here for the NHS physical activity guidelines.

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Top tip: Do not rely solely on exercise to achieve your weight loss goals, it will be your chosen diet that drives this with exercise playing the supporting role.  Combine good nutrition with regular exercise for optimum results.

Top tip:  Incorporate a variety of different activities and training techniques such as aerobic, resistance, flexibility, core stability.   This will tick all your boxes for health and ensure that muscle mass is maintained/increased whilst losing fat.