My Secrets To Enjoying Food During Weight Loss

So you want to know the secret of how I dropped 5kg, a dress size, and gained muscle whilst also enjoying my meals; including cookies, brownies and pizza?

THE REAL SECRET STARTS WITH YOUR MINDSET

I’ve been on many “healthy eating” journeys throughout my twenties – from paleo, to eating under 1000 calories, to [trying] to gym on my own and eat lean etc. But all of these never produced any real results. I still couldn’t get a size 10 petite mini denim skirt up my hips and bum, and I constantly felt bloated and tired. Trying to juggle climbing the ladder in my career, living independently (which also comes with huge financial responsibility as well as cooking, cleaning, washing etc!), and keeping up a social life with friends and family who are scattered across the UK, was taking up so much time and energy that I couldn’t fully focus and commit to a real fitness journey.

Or so I kept telling myself…

These were, in fact, all of the EXCUSES I was making up just to make myself feel less guilty.

Eventually I came to the realisation that I just wasn’t mentally strong enough to do this on my own, so I decided to find myself a Personal Trainer.

Now if you’re going to do this, you have to find someone who will do this for YOU, because essentially you need to feel like your money is being well spent. How will you know this? You will see results, you will progress, and above all, you will have the confidence to go to the gym on your own! They also need to understand you as a person, your goals, and most importantly, your lifestyle and MINDSET.

I am a huge foodie. I have grown up surrounded by food and experimenting with different dishes and cuisines from a young age. I know myself enough to know that if someone tells me I need to eat 3 chicken breasts and veg for dinner every day, with no snacks or sweet treats, I will be miserable and just give up. To be honest, until I met my PT I genuinely thought there was no other way and I was going to have to get used to this fact if I wanted to look good.

I couldn’t have been more wrong…

Sure, if you have the motivation to do so, you can take this route, however it’s more for people who are looking to really ‘body build’. Most of us just want to shed some kilos and get rid of the additional curves and jiggly bits without looking too pumped, and just genuinely feel stronger, healthier and look toned. If this is you, read on…

[This is me at the start of my fitness journey (left) vs now (right). Taken 6 months apart: not only has my body changed, but my confidence has grown too, all whilst eating all of the food that you will find here on my website!]

I have to give credit to my incredible PT! Although she rightly advised that I do need to up my protein intake as well as remain in calorie deficit, she never dictated my diet or told me I couldn’t eat out or indulge every now and then – just as long as it was within the parameters of my macros (I will explain these a little later on). This is the point at which I realised that I could really do this if I put my mind to it. Food was my main concern and if a professional was telling me it is possible to enjoy food as well as lose weight, then I literally had no excuse!

Check her out here: www.interconnectedfitness.com

and on Instagram: @interconnectedfitness / @herzonefitness

SECRET NO.2: THE MAGIC THAT IS MYFITNESSPAL!

This app has forever changed my life and the way I eat. I genuinely cannot live without it, and I feel so much more educated about what I put into my body and how my diet should be since using it.

Many of you have probably heard of or even used this app. Unless you know what you are doing or looking for, it can seem overwhelming and you probably aren’t using it to its full potential. I have never paid for the premium version, the free version does the job just fine. So the only investment you need to make is to find the time to log your food.

I mentioned macros earlier, and you’ve maybe heard it being thrown about in fitness/diet articles, or by peers who are on a diet. I’m no nutritional scientist, so I will keep it simple. Macros (aka Macronutrients) are a group of nutrients found in food that give us energy - Protein, Carbohydrates & Fat. You need to be eating the correct percentage of these to be able to successfully lose weight. When you plug in all of your goals and information into MyFitnessPal, it generates the percentage of each macro you should be eating daily – for weight loss this is generally 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs. If you stick to this alongside some exercise, you are guaranteed to see results.

In addition to your macros you also need to remain in calorie deficit, i.e. if you are given 1200 for the day, don’t go over this. The higher your deficit, the quicker you will lose weight. However, when you log in any exercise you will be given extra calorie allowance (yay!), hence the more you exercise the more you can eat – it’s a win win really. Just remember, do not deprive yourself of food just to stay in deficit, you should be eating enough to keep your body fuelled, and you should definitely not be eating under 1000 calories.

[example of the macro percentages and intake allowance in grams to help keep you on track with your diet]

So now you are probably thinking “how does this tie in with ENJOYING food and losing weight?”

Simple. If one day I’m craving chocolate and decide I want to make brownies, then I will tailor the rest of my meals around that i.e. brownies are higher in fat and carbohydrates (depending on how you make them) so I know I will need to have protein for the rest of my meals, therefore I will ensure to make some chicken or quorn. It takes some time and getting used to before you begin to know which types of foods are highest in fat, protein and carbohydrates. Then before you know it, you will be a whiz at deciding what meals to make for the week!

Also, PORTION CONTROL is very important. It is so easy to get over-excited about your favourite dish or snack, lord knows I have! There will be days where you tell yourself “but I’ve been so good these past few days I think I deserve a treat”. This is fine to do once in a while, however if you are determined to see results then you need to have the courage to say no to that little devil in your head.

Positive reinforcement: The key to curbing your cravings

One thing I’ve learnt is that a weight loss journey is a lot like being in a parent/child relationship with yourself. The more you tell your child that they cannot do something, the more likely it is that they will do it (I’m sure all the parents reading this are nodding their heads!) The best way to go about this is to discipline them in a way that will give them what they want, but with conditions. That way you are both satisfied and there is no resentment. This is the same when it comes to cravings. If you reject these, your mind won’t stop thinking about them and you will feel low, which will eventually lead to you giving up and binging what you wanted in the first place, or even something worse. Or it can happen the other way around – you give in to your cravings then feel guilty about it. Sometimes this guilt can work in your favour by providing the motivation to exercise the next day, but sometimes it can have an adverse affect and you end up in a spiral of binges.

So the moral of the story is: it is okay to treat yourself every now and again, just a long as you have the strength to control it.

MY FAVOURITE SECRET: MAKE HEALTHIER VERSIONS

Treats don’t always have to be naughty. There are so many healthier alternatives out there that have the same result as their original counterparts. However it is always best to try and make it yourself as that way you know exactly what is going in, and you can control each and every ingredient.

Take my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for example. Simply by switching out normal brown sugar with unrefined Demerara sugar, I’ve cut the sugar content by 16g! Plus the use of almond flour/ground almond in the place of plain flour instantly reduces the carb content. It literally is as simple as that.

[healthier peanut butter chocolate chip cookies: recipe here]

Or even these delectable pots of Avocado Chocolate Mousse, with only 3.6g saturated fat, and a whopping 11.8g protein per serving! Just by using avocado as the base you are feeding your body healthier foods whilst your keeping your taste buds happy with a yummy chocolate flavour.

[avocado mousse pots: recipe here]

It takes some research to learn what the better options are, and also to know what would work and what wouldn’t. Here’s a few that I have picked up along my journey:

• For recipes that call for sugar use: demerara sugar, coconut sugar or muscovado sugar. Alternatively in some recipes you can use honey or maple syrup as the sweetener, provided the recipe can take additional ‘wet’ ingredients without ruining the texture or consistency.

• Switch out flour with almond flour to reduce the carb content, or you can even use oat flour/ground wholegrain oats which is higher in fibre.

• Add in protein powder if you can. It works particularly well in muffins, cupcakes, brownies or even some cookie recipes. Check out my Protein Cookie Bites and Protein Banana Cake Bites as an example.

• For any chocolate recipes, use dark chocolate, ideally with 85% cocoa solids or higher.

• Have 0% fat yoghurts as these have a higher protein content. Good brands are Fage Greek Yoghurt and Skyr.

By following these simple changes, I’ve managed to indulge from time to time without the guilt, as I know I’m still eating the best combination of ingredients for my body. You can find the recipes for some of these delicious non-guilty pleasures here.

[protein banana cake bites: recipe here]

This rule also applies to meals:

• If you are craving a curry, try having quinoa, or even better – cauliflower rice – in place of basmati rice. Check out my Vegetable Quinoa as an example - it's super easy to make too!

• Taco night? Use lettuce wraps in place of tacos.

• On Fish n’ Chips Friday you can make a healthier version such as this.

• Try using soy bean spaghetti or edamame fettuccine in place or your normal pasta.

• Pizza can also be healthy! Make a cauliflower base, or a thin and crispy oat base.

• Need a packet of crisps to go with your sandwich? Try quinoa, lentil or humus crisps.

Finding ways to make your usual meals healthier, more nutritious and higher in protein is the best way to help you keep in line with your macro goals.

[oat base pizza: recipe here]

“Does this mean I shouldn’t eat out?”

This is another question a lot of people ask, including myself. The answer is NO, it doesn’t.

Since the health and fitness industry grew exponentially in the past decade or so, restaurants have started to be more conscious about healthy eating and using organic foods and healthier ingredients. There is so much choice that a meal out is just another meal. If you know you are going to be eating out then choose a dish that will balance out with what you have eaten the rest of the day. Or if you can plan ahead, tailor the rest of your day’s meals around the dish you’ll be ordering – so it’s a good idea to look at the menu beforehand if you know where you are going or ordering from. For example, if I’ve had a carb heavy lunch and end up going on a spontaneous outing to a local restaurant, then I will make sure to choose a protein heavy dish. But if I’ve eaten enough protein throughout the day, then hallelujah, bring on some Italian! Same goes for take outs.

However, I would suggest keeping the this to a minimum, purely because you end up having less control of your meal. Cooking at home means you know exactly what is going in and you can control your portion, something you can’t do with restaurant food. Remember, every ingredient counts!

THE NOT-SO-SECRET SECRET – EXERCISE!

No matter how well you eat, you won’t see results if you don’t exercise regularly.

This was initially the hardest part for me. Finding the motivation sometimes can be tough, especially when Autumn hits and it’s gloomy and raining almost everyday. You literally cannot find any reason to get up off the sofa or from under that snuggly blanket and go for a run, to the gym, or even do a quick HIIT workout at home. You constantly feel drained from having worked 7+ hours, and your brain is fried. So you try to see if you can do something in the mornings... NOPE, it’s too dark outside and too cold to get out of bed. I hear you, I do. Because that was me (it still is sometimes…)

The best way to overcome this is to start small: do 1 hour 3 days a week, then build up to 4. Or start with 30 minutes a day then build up to 1 hour. There is no point going all in at the beginning if your body isn’t used to it, because eventually you will crash and will then find it difficult to harness the strength to get back at it again.

The truth is that your body will feel different every single day. Some days you will have so much energy that you will be able to knock out an hour session non stop AND go for a jog. But then some days you will just about manage to do 30 minutes of low impact HIIT before you feel like you’re going to collapse! As long as you do something, you are going in the right direction. Then before you know it you will be doing 1-2 hours a day, 5 days a week no problem!

The thing is, I can’t tell you the perfect recipe for your exercise routine, as it is different for everyone (and I am also not a professional!). But the one thing I can tell you from my own experience is that you MUST continue to exercise regularly in some shape or form i.e. if you really do not want to do weights or HIIT, then go for an hour walk. There’s 400 calories burned right there! I also found that breaking it up throughout the day helped me, especially if I was experiencing short attention spans or focus – I would do 30-40 minutes of yoga in the morning then 30-40 minutes HIIT in the afternoon. Just try different things until you find what is right for you then eventually you will fall into a routine that you are able to stick to.

[Me at the start of my fitness journey (left), only able to stiff leg deadlift 25kg vs now where I just hit my personal best of 46kg!]

[I could only squat 25kg (left) at the start, but now I've just hit my personal best of 51kg (46kg pictured on the right]

AT THE END OF THE DAY...

You need to find the balance that it right for you. As well as pushing yourself to do better, you also shouldn’t neglect your cravings. Losing weight and delicious food and sweet treats can go hand in hand, just as long as you don’t go overboard. Making small changes to your regular diet can make the biggest impact on your goals. Eventually you will not only start to see the results, you will feel them too!

I really hope this has provided some kind of motivation for you to start or continue your own journey in a way that you may have never thought was possible. And above all, be able to achieve your fitness goals WITHOUT compromising on good food.