Calorie counting yay or nay?

• Newbie
• Calorie counting
• Healthy lifestyle

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  Rebecca Robinson

  1/5/21, 1:53 PM

  Hi Queens! 👑  im a newbie and hoping for some advice please! I have been going to a boot camp for about a year and a half and my fitness improved but my weight just fluctuated. We were given a pack to follow with how many calories we should be consuming but I found it extremely hard to stick to and felt hungry most of the time (which is when I would fall off for a snack or two 🙈) is calorie counting the way to go? or is there another way? I dont want a quick fix but just a healthier lifestyle? Please help a girl out 😊

   

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  Sinead Corcoran

  1/5/21, 2:32 PM

  Hi Queen!

  I can understand your frustration but first of all congratulations on your improved fitness! What a great achievement! It's so important to remember that weight does fluctuate it can be from muscle gain, hormones or water retention (which can be caused by the foods we eat, salt, intense exercise and hormones). Have you noticed any difference in how your clothes fit? this can be a really positive way of measuring progress.

  I don't personally advise calorie counting as everyone is so individual there really isn't any one number that works for everyone!

  If you are looking to make a healthy lifestyle change my top 3 tips would be

  1) Plan your meals - 3 healthy meals a day with the focus on Protein, Vegetables and a small portion of carbohydrate.  1/4 plate protein, 1/4 plate carbohydrate and 1/2 plate of veg (as a rough guide) and then a portion of healthy fat so a tsp of oil, a small handful of nuts or some avocado.

  2) Plan your snacks and have them available so your not tempted to reach/buy. Some ideas are a piece of fruit, greek yogurt, oatcakes and nut butter, homemade protein balls, carrots and hummus, etc (Remember Portion Control). Ask yourself are you hungry before you snack and make sure you are drinking atleast 1.5 - 2l of water minimum!

  3)  I always advise 80/20. Allow yourself a little of what you fancy don't deny yourself and end up having a weekend binge. A few squares of chocolate a day won't hinder your goals as much as  having a family sized block on a friday night which then sends you spiralling for the rest of the weekend will! 

  If you've any questions please feel free to reach out! You've got this!😘

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  Leonie Mcnulty

  1/5/21, 3:08 PM

  @Rebecca Robinson have to say I'm a big fan of tracking calories to start! I yoyo'd for years doing workouts galore and never losing any weight and never seeing much of a difference to be honest! 

  I tracked from March for 6 months consistently - didn't avoid any food or treats or anything like that just worked them in and I lost a stone doing that and walking! 

  I stopped and sort of entuitively eat then which worked fine I'd sort of go up and down a couple of lbs but back tracking now for an extra push. Its good to see what different portions amount too without going too over board, I just bought a scales and had what I wanted within a deficit! I looked at a calorie calculator to work out what my defecit would be, it wasn't 800 or 1200 kcals like I'd done in the passed either!! 😂

  I think the trick is to still have nice things and foods you like it's all a balancing act😊

   

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  Audrey Browne

  1/5/21, 3:21 PM

  @Sinead Corcoran fantastic advise Queen. I love it. 👑 👑 👑 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

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  Audrey Browne

  1/5/21, 3:30 PM

  @Rebecca Robinson I'm with @Sinead Corcoran on this one. After years & years of trying this, that & the other kind of diets I went back to basics like Sinead suggested. I found it worked better for me as I was training hard & heavy. It meant that I was getting all the nutrients my body needed while training & resting. Also I found I didn't crave or need as much snacks or sugarary stuff that I craved for on other diets. I was fuller for longer. My body is seeing the benefits of it too. Nutrition is very mportant especially now that u will be burning a lot of calories with these workouts, plus a good diet helps the body to get & stay stronger & aids in the prevention of injuries. Hope this helps. As sinead said ask anytime 👑👑👑❤️❤️❤️

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  Rebecca Robinson

  1/5/21, 3:54 PM

   

  Thank you all so much for the amazing advice! Everyone is so helpful! 🥰 

  I have to admit I feel prep may be my downfall! Its too easy to just grab something sweet when I'm out because its convenient! I love the portion breakdown of the plate as well thank you! I think will will take more notice of how my clothes fit rather than what is on the scale 😊 thanks again and im sure I will have more questions as I go on 😅 can't wait to get stuck in to this challenge 😁❤

  (I'm not sure how to tag you all in to say thank you so I hope you see this! 😅)

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  Beth Haughian

  1/5/21, 4:11 PM

  Hi Rebecca! I tend to calorie track when I want to be more focused but it can be difficult at times. My advice if you want to calorie track is: 
  
  • Plan your meals for a few days and add them into a calorie tracking app (e.g. my fitness pal) beforehand, rather than adding your meals in as you eat them! It means you'll have everything planned out and you can allow for little treats. There is nothing worse than hitting your max calories at 5pm and then you fee the need to starve the rest of the night 😂
  
  • Make sure you're calculating the correct amount of calories you're supposed to be eating! We need food to fuel our bodies and keep them running, especially for our exercise so finding a balance is important (and it can be difficult, so don't panic!) 
  
  • Try not to fixate on them too much. Just because you're few hundred calories over what you intended, it isn't a big deal! Focus on your overall goals and dont be too hard on yourself if there are a few bumps on the way ☺️
  
  

  Hope some of this helps! Good luck with your journey queen!!! 👑💕

   

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  Sinead Bergin

  1/5/21, 4:45 PM

  @Sinead Corcoran thanks for this amazing advise. I enjoyed reading this. 

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  Katie Rynne

  1/5/21, 5:04 PM

  Loved reading all of these - it's defo a balancing act for me and a happy middle ground that works for me mentally and physically. I defo still have treats (I may have mentioned once or 1000 times 😂 that mini milkyways are life hahah), but try to drink lots of water and have balancd meals with protein, greens and a small amount of carbs. I think trial things out and see what 1) makes you healthiest and happiest and 2) what can be sustainable. You totally got this Queen!!! xxx

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• MO

  Maeve O'Keeffe

  1/5/21, 5:15 PM

  I personally wouldn't advise calorie counting, as @Maeve Madden  says herself there's no point in getting too caught up with the numbers as we'll end up overrestricting and then eventually giving up altogether.

  A few years ago I used My Fitness Pal for a few days. You can clock the food you're having in there and it gives you the nutritional information of it. I found this really useful to give an overview of what my daily food intake was. I wasn't focused on calories but moreso my vitamin intake. Whatever you're interested in it will show you your calories, macro, sugar fibre, vitamin etc intakes for the day. It was insightful as an overview of my usual eating habits and any changes I needed to make - reducing sugar etc. It also gives you a really good understanding of the foods you typically eat in a day and maybe highlights some that you could change slightly to make your choices healthier.

  That's just one way of getting to know the food you usuallt eat but overall I wouldn't dwell on calorie counting. Instead make sure you know the contents of the foods you're eating. Also make sure you're getting enough fibre in your diet as 90% of Irish people don't get their recommended amount! Fibre will make you feel fuller for longer and might reduce snacking on less healthy foods. Also try and avoid added sugar in foods where you might not expect to see them. I'm always surprised at the amount of unnecessary sugars added to some foods and reducing these will ensure that your blood sugar and food cravings remain more balanced!

  I hope that helps 😊 

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  Lucy Mcsweeney

  1/5/21, 6:01 PM

  Hey Rebecca, I've never calorie counted but recently started taking photos of everything that I eat and add the photos to a folder on my iphone, I'm not strict with what I eat but I find that when I look at what I ate at the end of the day it really helps look at quantities/to see if I'm eating the right foods. Also if I ever have a brown food day you can really tell haha! 

  Give it a go, you might like it 🙂

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  Rebecca Robinson

  1/5/21, 8:27 PM

  Thanks everyone more amazing advice from amazing helpful queens!!

  That is exactly what happens with me I end up over restricting on food then giving up because for me its too hard to maintain!

  I think I need to find my happy place inbetween haha! Mostly good with a little bit bad so I don't binge! I like the photo idea, I bet i eat more then I think I do thought the day! 

  What is a good breakfast to start on? I always end up grabing a belvita because its quick 🙈

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  Maeve O'Keeffe

  1/6/21, 2:21 AM

  @Rebecca Robinson Porridge with fruit and nuts is a great option especially on cold mornings - add toppings to make it filling 

  Also granola with milk/yogurt can be super quick and you can add some fruit to it too. I just posted a recipe on the "healthy recipes" section of the forum if you want to try make your own! 

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  Rebecca Robinson

  1/6/21, 10:41 AM

  @Maeve O'Keeffe oh brilliant thanks ill go have a look 😊 

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  Sinead Bergin

  1/6/21, 10:59 AM

  @Maeve O'Keeffe this is fantastic thank you.

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  Audrey Browne

  1/6/21, 5:35 PM

  @Maeve O'Keeffe that's my go to brekky I love it 👑👑👑❤️❤️❤️

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  Maeve Madden Staff member

  1/8/21, 11:17 AM

  @Rebecca Robinson Hi Rebecca, wow lots of advice here to read and as you can see, sustainable lifestyle living is very personal to you.  What suits one person wont necessarily suit another.  Luckily we are bringing on a new Nutritional expert who will be able to advise on a professional basis.  Which is so exciting.  Although both myself and @Sinead Corcoran are both qualified to give nutritional guidance which is a win, our new queen is a specialist in sports nutrition and womens health.  

  I myself do not calorie count, however, if like alot of people you have no idea about nutrition and macros sometimes counting for a week or two can be beneficial to get a better understanding on what is in your food.  We are releasing a new guide next week with a full menu.  I find menu planning an excellent way to keep yourself on track.  When we dont have a schedule we tend to often drift off course and just grab something convienent which might not necesairly be what our body needs.  

  I personally also find that having proper meals keeps my body sustained so I dont snack as much.  By cutting down on our main meals, we are more open to feeling hungry. For example : some people may think oh ill just have a bowl of fruit for breakfast and thats being really healthy.  Yes a bowl of fruit is healthy but is that going to give you enough energy for the day, probably not.  Wr I would for example may have something like eggs, avocado, toast and a bowl of fruit.  Which would keep me full right up until lunch time or longer.  

  I hope this gives you a better idea and we will most definitley be focusing more on guiding our queens in the coming weeks 

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  Rebecca Robinson

  1/8/21, 12:04 PM

  @Maeve Madden so much great advice! Everyone is so helpful! ❤

  Oh wow! A nutritional expert and a guide/menu sounds amazing! I want to learn so I can make better choices 😊 breakfast is definitely where I need to improve, and actually have a proper breakfast not just a belvita and like you said I will be set up better for the day! I have started ordering hello fresh, that way I can plan out my evening meals and they are already portioned out for two people, my portion size is definitely bigger than it needs to be 🙈  its all a learning curve but I will get there haha! 

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  Roisin Leo

  1/8/21, 2:08 PM

  @Maeve Madden this is so exciting I'm really looking forward to a nutritional expert!

  I am in the same boat as you @Rebecca Robinson I have improved my fitness loads but I'm finding it difficult to keep my nutrition on track. I tried calorie counting too but I find it very restrictive and not practical when socialising or eating out (not much of a problem these days).

  What worked for me is actually thinking about the effect of what I eat on my body. So for example, I am studying at the moment and during exams, I made a conscious effort to fuel my body with good nutrients as opposed to my normal habit of binge eating. The way I looked at it was that I will retain the information better and have increased concentration if I eat healthily.

  Another motivation I have used to eat healthily is my fitness goals. I feel so happy and proud when I improve on my team queen workouts so when I am eating I bear in mind that how I fuel my body impacts my performance.

  There are some interesting psychological theories on how people change bad behaviors like the Behavioral Change Wheel (it is worth a google). This shows that we need to understand our motivations to succeed in changing. I used to think losing weight was my main motivation for eating healthily and exercising but as I've grown older I've realised that it's not enough. Our weight can change based on so many factors as @Sinead Corcoran mentioned above so I think our goals need to be more focused than a number on the scales. 

  So my advice would be to write down your motivations for eating healthy and really dig deep to what they are and that will keep you motivated 😀 

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  Rebecca Robinson

  1/8/21, 3:09 PM

  @Roisin Leo it does sound slike we are in the same boat! Thanks for the advice, I will google the behavioural change wheel, that's  great tip! I've been saying I want to loose weight for my wedding but with everything going on and moving my wedding it may not be enough to motivate me at the moment, might need to look further into it, something to think about thanks Roisin! 😊 

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