I admit I comfort eat sometimes...

I have this other passion other than health and fitness I partake in on my day off if I can - wildlife photography, I have a specialist subject, I research the best place to go and sit and wait, sometimes for hours!

You always have to be prepared to wait for hours and for nothing to happen!

Only when nothing happens, you feel totally aggrieved it starts to make you question your life!

So as some of you know Sunday is a day I don't exactly follow my normal nutrition plan, I don't eat that much during the day, so when I get home feeling aggrieved and hungry, what do I do?

Sometimes sensibly I eat something relatively healthy to feel satisfied, but I don't stop there, what ever is hiding in the cupboard is not safe! With two little boys around there is always a tasty treat or two or three...

I am really hungry when I do this? No!
Do I feel better? A little bit, but not for long! Do I eat more than usual, oh yeah!

Apparently that is the difference between healthy eating and emotional eating, I am no expert on emotional eating, but apparently the first step is to recognise it, hunger is a different feeling, hunger can wait a bit, hunger doesn't always need a specific type of food, apparently I am supposed to pause before I eat in that situation, I should try that :).

Luckily for me, I only get the one day off!

But I understand sometimes me saying it's all about good habits and just choosing to eat healthier doesn't always work.

Recognise it if you can and just keep doing your best.

Didn't you know all Personal Trainers do a bit of wildlife photography on the side? Actually no your right, just me :))

To sign up to regular content to your inbox like this and for a free weight loss report of the system I have used to get thousands of my clients results over the years; go to: edshealthyweightlossfreereport.co.uk

Advice for sticking to and getting weight loss results.

It's definitely new year, the gym is busy, in fact at peak times the gym is heaving!

The regulars in the gym get upset with suddenly having to share.

I saw something, I think on Facebook that said "to all the regular gym members complaining about us newbies, we didn't mind having to share our pubs and favourite drinking establishments with you over the Christmas break". 

The regulars usually snidely remark that the newbies will all be gone by March.

Unfortunately it is mostly true and it does sadden me a bit.

For me it's trying to reach them with a few key points:

1). After a break from exercise the body needs time to adapt to exercise, to begin with not all muscle fibres are fired to engage in a particular activity, the brain to nervous system to muscle link takes time to recruit more fibres, this makes it harder in the beginning, but the body adapts! Eventually to get used of the continuing demand the body improves, usually people have given up their routine because it's still too uncomfortable by this point, which is a shame.

2). The number of joggers post Christmas increased my way, which is great and very healthy but if weight loss is the goal, 70-80% of results happens in the kitchen and I don't mean doing crunches on the kitchen floor, I mean your eating habits :).

3). Relying on just measuring your body weight can be demotivating, your hydration levels fluctuate day to day by a few pounds so this makes a difference! If your goal is to improve visually then be brave and take a before picture, don't dwell on it, it's there for when things get habitual and you can take another soon, revert back and see the progress you have made. Or go by how your clothes fit, or measure different circumferences, like your waist, but give it a least a week or two of good habits.

That's the key, don't aim for the perfect lifestyle, I don't have one of those! Just do your best to make the realistic habits you have put in place habitual, because that's when things start to happen!

Weight Loss; back on track!

For me today is the day, back to normal with the eating habits, since the 24th December I have not been following the usual nutrition plan, but even yesterday a salad seemed appealing for once!
However, the festive period gave me an insight into some of the struggles you face.
Temptation all over the place! Being at home more meant every time a cupboard was opened something was there ready to be eaten, no preparation needed, just a packet to open!
Children being very generous with sweets and leaving things (don't like waste).
All those invites to eat out or at someone's house, "right the Personal Trainer obviously wants double portions of bennoffie pie and pescottie!" (Obviously don't know deserts well enough to be able to spell them :)) but how are you meant to refuse?

But it gave me an insight to how it can be year round for others, all the Mums are faced with these challenges, lots of temptations and food left on a plate, serving them deserts when you are very hungry, thinking "I will just have a little bit myself"...

If you work in an office, all the snack food temptations, or eating out on business lunches, or if you are dining out with colleagues or customers, they may not all relate if you exclaim "hold the alcohol" and "where's the Paleo dish on this menu?".

I understand it will be a constant challenge, but as soon as you can after the festive period, set a day to get back on track, yes somewhere down the line you may succumb to just have what the children are having or the restaurant doesn't have a healthy option. Just do your best, remember keep reminding your self why you are doing it, after a slip up resolve to keep going. Going through consecutive days of slips ups? Set a day as soon as you can to get back on track!

To get a free weight loss report of the system I have used with thousands of my clients to get results and to sign up to regular content like the above sent straight to your inbox, head to:  edshealthyweightlossfreereport.co.uk

The Power of having a specific Weight Loss goal.

So it's the last week of the year, most of us are not quite there in terms of healthy lifestyle motivation.

My nutrition is better than the last few days, but it hasn't quite returned to normal!

If you were just starting an exercise programme or updating your programme at the beginning of the new year, how would you describe your goals to a trainer?

The likelihood of you achieving your goals hugely increases when you know exactly what you would like your outcome to be.

If you say to your self " I want to lose a bit of weight" or I want to get fitter" these goals are very broad.

Try and be as exact as you can.

If your goal is to lose, to lose how much exactly? Is it to be lighter on the weighing scales, has a Doctor advised you to lower your BMI? Is it to change visually? How? What will the new you look like? Is it to fit into different clothes, or change clothes size? Is it to be healthier? To decrease the load on the body to move without joint pain, to increase life expectancy to see your children/ grand children grow up?

When you define and give clarity to your goal, I bet you found your motivation increasing a little?

Avoid the weight gain at Christmas!

Probably the time I'm the least popular with my advise is right about now!

And it's incredibly hard to write any advise, without me thinking of you out there exclaiming "oh just let us enjoy Xmas!" "Here he is, the fun police again". 

Thought I would put together a few tips for having your cake and eating it, so to speak, as I would explain to my mother when she used that phrase on me " It's cake what else are you supposed to do with it?"

2kg gain- that's the average weight gain during the festive season apparently.

Easily done, so to avoid for those still reading here we go with my top tips!

1). Portion Size: too much of any food and drink source that the body can't process in one go, gets stored. So try and graze, good for those busily preparing Christmas dinner, nibble on the go, so even if it's not healthy if you only have a small amount at once, less chance of storing.

2). Don't go to parties or wait to eat until you are very hungry, try and have something every so often.

3) watch the alcohol, yes an obvious one because it's empty calories, but consume lots of alcohol and you will probably consume more food also.

4). Try and have higher Protein foods first, they need more processing, so fill you quicker, so it's hard to eat lots and lots of food after.

How to lose fat from stomach, bottom, thighs, hips, back of arms...

I don't spend that much time on Facebook I promise (do we all say that?:)) but occasionally I see something I like.  

Obviously I'm friends with a lot of other fitness people on there.

Whilst I'm not that interested in a video of someone Dead lifting, I did quite like the picture poster of an in-shape stomach with the words "want this then do 3 sets of eat less bad food!"

Working in a gym it's a question you get all the time from everyone; "can I have an exercise for my stomach, my backside, hips, legs, back of my arms..."

Resistance training does improve metabolism, but you can't turn fat into muscle, two very different things. 

To get any kind of shaping or weight loss result, it all starts in the kitchen!

There is always a look on someone's face when you have to explain it (could be the look you have right now!) but believe me I take people through exercise routines if it was all down to the exercises I prescribe I would be very happy!

But it isn't, it's mostly down to nutrition habits, I wish it wasn't the case, if any information comes out to say different with scientific rationale, then you will be the first to know!

Have a question? Leave me a comment.

Like the content? Join my email list and get a free report of my weight loss system for signing up at: 

www.edshealthyweightlossfreereport.co.uk

Weight Loss, the power of convenience!

When it comes to my lifestyle habits and those that I work with, it seems the ones that are the easiest to implement and to stick to are always the ones that are the most convenient.

We all lead such busy lives, looking after children's needs, working longer hours.

The reason fast food and coffee shops are so successful is that it's fast.

But what we need to do is combine healthy with fast if weight loss is our goal.

My other half loves watching cookery programmes and a lot of the time the chef says the meal is quick and easy to prepare, in reality it's not!

If you are having to resort to buying food out and on the go, there aren't many healthy options to choose.

If this is the case for you, When you next do your food shopping, try finding foods that are healthy and fast.
For instance stir fries are quick, it can all go in the pan, just go easy on the sauce. 
Nuts and dried fruit to snack on, or Hummus with vegetable dip.
Even children like this one!

I don't like vegetables myself, I try and eat them because I know how good they are, getting me to eat them as a child was always a challenge for my parents, but if there was Hummus then it would have been easier, it contains healthy fat and very low carb too.

When it came to supplements before, I would get on my high horse "we should be eating real food" I would say, but now if you have time and access to whole food then that's the best option, however if a protein bar or balanced shake is better than what you would normally have and you rely on it for the convenience, then it's the best option!