‘I've learned so much about food I didn't know’ 

We hear this quite often at Body Shape Fitness. 

As part of our fitness programme we give extensive nutrition coaching and support to our members in order for them to get the results they came to us looking for. 

We work with our clients to help them understand calories and how many they need each day in order to properly nourish their bodies, but also create a deficit to enable them to lose weight or a clothes size.  

We educate them on the pitfalls of the misleading advertising in supermarkets, to avoid foods promoted as being ‘good for you’ or ‘a healthier option’ that are actually just junk.

The best way to get into really awesome shape is to be in a calorie deficit. You want to eat less than you burn off each day.

You can burn those calories off with gym sessions, walking the dog, swimming, cycling to work or any other form of exercise you want to partake in. There really are no rules.

So if you have been watching what you eat, and still aren't seeing results, what might have gone wrong?

Some of the things that cause confusion in the supermarkets are the diet or low fat options.
Now, they might be low fat, but usually that means they are higher in sugar as a consequence. Meaning you could actually be consuming more calories and artificial sweeteners than had you chosen the full fat version. 

The same can be said for the ‘high protein’ version of many things. Generally speaking they have no more protein than the standard version, and if they are a food that doesn’t naturally contain protein, you are then consuming a supplementary version, which could (almost definitely will) increase the calorie count on that food. 

 The best way to get into the shape you want is to eat a diet of foods that are as natural as possible. 

Whole foods, low processed foods, and protein from natural sources as much as possible. 

Fruits and vegetables of all colors and varieties, protein from natural sources. 

(Chicken, fish, turkey, beef, lamb, yogurt and eggs etc)

The best way to really know what you are eating and keep the processed foods low, and therefore the calories under control, is to make meals from scratch. Homemade smoothies, home cooked dinners and leftovers for lunch. 

And this doesn't have to be a time consuming task either. There are lots of meals that can be made in less than 30 mins that can provide the nutrition and protein needed to make sure you are hitting the body shape changing goals you want. 

Many of our meals can be made in less than 30 mins and are suitable for the whole family so there is no need to make multiple meals to feed everyone, and stay on target. 

Everyone benefits from healthy home cooked tasty meals and your calorie targets are easily smashed. It's a win win really! 

There are a few exceptions to the avoidance of processed foods. One can be the use of protein powders, if you are finding it hard to hit the protein goals. This is usually most helpful if you are a vegetarian or vegan, or convenience protein, such as premade shakes or bars when out and about and a ‘better’ option isn’t available. 

So in summary a few points you might want to consider next time you do the food shop. 

• Foods labeled low fat are usually loaded with sugar. 
• A food source not known for its protein content labeled ‘high protein’ probably doesn't have any more protein than the regular version. 
• Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be a laborious process. 
• Get a variety of fruits and vegetables into your daily meals
• Lots of good quality protein. 

If you want to be supported and guided to make the best nutritional choices, then get in touch with us at Body Shape Fitness, Ely.