Earlier this year I was told to stop doing squats due to the the pressure the weight exerts on the spine - and I had just been diagnosed with issues in my lumbar spine region. Obviously I was gutted as squats made up a significant part of my weight training. After a couple of months went by and I did some research, and got some professional advice, I have recently started doing front squats again. The muscle groups that front squats work more are the quads and upper back rather than the glutes and lower back which you work more with back squats - although both versions work all of these groups, just with different emphasis, and they both still work the core and most other muscles in the back and legs. So here I am back to squatting again and I couldn't be happier about it! I'm feeling no ill effects in my lumbar region and feel that I get a good workout whenever I do them. We've started low in weight and are gradually building it up, but its not about what weight I can achieve now, its all about being able to do the exercise, feel the benefits, gain strength and enjoy the lifting. Thanks to my trainer @thefitnesschef_ for his suggestion to start front squats again, his guidance to get and keep form right, and his encouragement through some despondent times! #gym #gymlife #squats #frontsquats #fitfam #fitfamuk #fitspo #fitness #fitnessmotivation #fit #girlswholift #ladieswholift #healthylifestyle #health #healthy #muscle #hustleforthatmuscle #shiftingstones

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We live in a society where instant access to everything has become expected. Getting information from the Internet, shopping, texting, messaging - its all instant and if its not we tend to become impatient. So its no surprise then that we become impatient when trying to lose weight and don't see instant results. And why we're seduced by the quick fix diets telling us we'll lose x pounds or drop x dress sizes in just a few days or weeks. Its just not going to happen. For this one time we do need to be patient, we need to celebrate the small achievements, setting and reaching goals along the way. Patience is key to success. Along with consistency and making smart food choices. More exercise will help you along the way, but its not a vital component of losing weight - your diet is. So if you're currently trying to lose weight and you don't think you're doing that well, take a look at where you started and begin to appreciate your efforts and your successes and then build some smaller goals into your plan. Never take your eye off why you started and never let anyone else derail your progress. You will get to the point where they'll be asking you how you did it. #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #weightlossmotivation #fitspo #calories #caloriecounting #caloriedeficit #diet #progress #patience #nutrition #nutritionist #fitfam #fitfamuk #fitspo #dietplan #food #foodie #shiftingstones

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This is a very serious subject, whether or not you're trying to lose weight. When we "comfort eat" we don't tend to reach for a salad or a cup of green tea, its usually foods such as crisps, chocolate, pizza, and other foods high in calories, saturated fat and additives which generally have little nutritional value. So lets look at this rationally - how much "comfort" are we really gaining from eating these foods? What is the actual outcome of eating these foods? Its likely a feeling of being bloated, perhaps a bit nauseous, greasy, full to the point of being uncomfortable. Comfort eating tends to happen in the evening after a bad day / week / receiving some bad news / being irritated by a situation, etc., etc. So can we have the binge, draw a line under it, go to bed and sleep? Probably not - the increased calories and indigestion late in the evening will probably not allow a good nights sleep, so we waken in the morning feeling sluggish and tired. And probably worse than when we started our comfort eating the previous evening, just compounding the original problem and solving nothing. The question is - why do we do this? If we're angry or upset at something, wouldn't talking it through with a friend be a better solution. If lonely or bored, wouldn't calling a friend or going for a walk, watching a movie, documentary or other interesting programme or reading a book, anything to occupy the mind be a better solution. All of these things will help clear the mind, put things in perspective and may leave a feeling of being a bit more uplifted and will certainly allow the opportunity for a better quality sleep, rather than feeling actually worse than when we started the binge. I've only scratched the surface in this little post and don't pretend that anyone will find a solution here, but next time you're tempted to comfort eat, stop and ask yourself just what you're going to gain from it. Tag someone who may benefit from this post! #health #healthy #cleaneating #healthyfood #healthyeating #calories #food #foodie #nutrition #nutritionist #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #fitfam #fitfood #fitfamuk #shiftingstones #listentoyourbody

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This is what I ate today - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. I'm eating in a calorie deficit at the moment for two reasons - firstly my training is not as intense due to injury and I'm also going on holiday in a couple of weeks and would like to be a little trimmer and more comfortable before going. I think it demonstrates that you can eat a lot of food and still lose weight, if you're smart with your food choices. At no point today did I feel depleted or especially hungry. I also had two cups of green tea, two black decaf coffees and 2 litres of water. - Total calories today 1413, protein 152g, carbs 102g, fat 44g, so macros pretty much hit. Fat is a little higher today than I'd like but thats due to having oily fish for dinner, so tomorrow's fat intake will be lower to compensate. - Its really easy to keep track of calories and macros when you use a calorie tracker such as MyFitnessPal. - What strikes me about this collection of photos is the amount of colour on my plates! This means that not only is my food interesting to look at, it also has a huge variety of flavours and textures, and my micronutrients are fulfilled too. - Fuel your body with a balanced and colourful diet, you will thank yourself for it! - Tag a friend who needs to see this!! #calories #caloriedeficit #caloriecounting #health #healthy #healthyfood #healthylifestyle #healthydiet #healthyeating #cleaneating #balanceddiet #iifym #food #foodie #nutrition #nutritionist #nutritious #instafood #fatloss #weightloss

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In this post I'm only going to look at Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes can affect anyone at any point in their life, although it is mainly found first in adulthood, and the reason for contracting is, in the main, lifestyle related. In most healthy people blood glucose is regulated by the release of insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, which allows glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream to migrate into cells where the glucose is combined with oxygen and burned for energy. When not enough insulin is produced, or where there is a very high level of glucose in the blood, a condition called hyperglycaemia occurs. Type 2 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterised by chronic hyperglycaemia which disrupts the metabolism of protein, carbohydrate and fat. -- Typical symptoms of type 2 Diabetes include (but not limited to): intense thirst, hunger even after eating, fatigue, dry skin, blurred vision, tingling in the hands and/or feet, unexplained weight loss, excessive urination. All or a combination of these conditions may indicate a presence of type 2 Diabetes. -- Those in danger of developing type 2 Diabetes have one or a combination of: obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, high levels of fat in the blood and low levels of HDL (good cholesterol). There are more health issues, some very serious, that can become a risk as a result of these conditions. -- Type 2 Diabetes can often go unnoticed and requires a test to ascertain its presence. If you are concerned you should request a test from your GP. Depending on the individual's particular set of conditions, type 2 Diabetes can be controlled by adopting a healthy balanced diet full of lean protein, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, eating regularly, exercising regularly and stopping smoking #diabetes #diabetesawareness #diabetic #health #healthydiet #healthylifestyle #food #foodie #fitfam #fitfamuk #nutrition #nutritionist #balanceddiet #fatloss #weightloss #obesity #shiftingstones

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Fibre keeps the digestive system healthy and functioning by speeding up the excretion of waste and toxins from the body. Insoluble fibre remains virtually unchanged during the digestion process until it reaches the large intestine, at which point it binds itself to faeces making them soft and bulky and more able to be excreted from the body. In so doing, it promotes regular bowel movements and so helps prevent constipation. Soluble fibre dissolves in fluid in the stomach and creates a gel like substance which gives a feeling of satiety. A meal containing foods rich in fibre will fill you up for longer than one without fibre, and so is good for weight loss. Most fibre rich foods contain both soluble and insoluble fibre - the foods depicted in the graphic are richer in that type of fibre. Eating a diet rich in fibre is good for overall health and can lower the risk of certain diseases and illnesses such as bowel and other cancers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diverticulitis and can also help lower cholesterol and keep blood sugar levels steady. Bottom line is that its smart to eat a diet rich in foods containing fibre - by doing so you will also be making sure that you get most of the essential nutrients that your body requires. Tag someone you know who doesn't eat enough fibre! #health #healthy #healthyfood #healthydiet #healthyeating #healthylifestyle #fibre #guthealth #digestivehealth #nutrition #nutritionist #food #foodie #instagraphic #infographic #instafood #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #shiftingstones

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This one is quite surprising, don't you think? The comparisons show that the calories per portion in the reduced sugar versions are actually higher than the calories in the original versions. Granted not by much, but you would naturally expect that reduced sugar meant reduced calories. It clearly doesn't always follow. There is no mis-representation here as both reduced sugar products do have less sugar than the original products that they are being compared with and they do not claim anything other than that. The only benefit in opting for the reduced sugar variety would be if you need to reduce your overall sugar intake, but as far as counting calories is concerned you may as well go for the original recipe as its slightly lower in calories and probably has more flavour. The important thing to take from this is that titles can be misleading - reduced sugar, reduced fat, lower sugar, lower fat. It just means in comparison to another product which is higher in sugar or fat, not necessarily meaning that its low in either, just lower than the comparison product. Reading food labels is the only way to understand exactly what is in a product and the only way you're going to know your intake of calories and what constitutes them. Never make an assumption, always get the facts. Please tag a friend who could benefit from this! #calories #caloriecounting #readthelabel #granola #breakfast #iifym #sugar #nutrition #nutritionist #food #foodie #healthyeating #healthydiet #fatloss #weightloss #fitfam #fitfood #fitfamuk #instafood #infographic #instagraphic #shiftingstones

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This is all too familiar a concept - busy lives, rushing here and there, trying to fit everything into not enough hours in the day. We find that we don't have time for all the things that we'd like to do, but when it comes to losing weight and someone tells me "oh I don't have the time", I just wonder how much time they think it takes each day. Eating happens anyway, why not be smarter about food choices. Moving the body happens anyway, why not move a bit more. Losing weight is what happens while going about our daily lives, but only if the eating and drinking equate to fewer calories than we're burning. So just how much time does it take? Well, a bit of time investment daily to think about what to eat, i.e. how many calories are being consumed, is it junk food,is it going to be detrimental to health, is it going to help with weight loss, but these are things that can be answered in a split second. Perhaps a bit of meal prep (which is time that will be used anyway at some point whether its just before eating or while standing in the takeaway queue). Keeping a food diary is a really good idea for someone who doesn't know the calories in each food (and lets face it, who really does?!), so yes that could take 20 minutes per day. But 20 minutes per day to lose weight and improve overall health - doesn't that sound like something anyone could make time for? #health #healthy #healthyfood #healthydiet #healthyeating #healthylifestyle #nutrition #nutritionist #fitfam #fitfamuk #fitfood #instafood #instagraphic #infographic #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #weightlossmotivation #food #foodie #caloriecounting #shiftingstones

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All of these diets (and many others not shown here) will allow you to lose weight quickly. Why? Because they all give you way fewer calories than you need (aka put you in a calorie deficit). Some miss out certain food groups for one or more meals, some replace meals with shakes or bars, some only allow fruit juice. All are a really bad idea if you want to lose weight for the long term. Why? Because they are all designed to be short term in nature. Most of these and many others state that you should follow the diet for a set period of time, so the makers of these diets know that the diet is not sustainable long term, and could ultimately be harmful to health since you won’t be getting all of the nutrients your body needs. So why are they so popular? Because we want to lose weight. NOW. Forget that it took how long to put the weight on….. 1 year, 5 years, 10? Doesn’t matter because all we want now is for it to be gone. Well that just isn’t going to happen. I doubt that anyone could do any of these diets for more than a week or two – I know I couldn’t! During that week or two I would be hungry, miserable, lacking energy and generally not that great to be around. So we get fed up with it, get back to “normal” and then the weight goes back on. Not overnight, but it goes back on. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to be in a controlled calorie deficit, eating the foods you like, still having a social life, not being hungry, being consistent and persistent, learning how its happening, learning why its happening and then understanding how you can perpetuate it for the rest of your life. You’ll never have to go on a diet again and you can spend your money on a new wardrobe instead of the latest fad diet products. Tag a mate who loves a fad diet and try to get them to start losing weight sensibly! #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #diet #dietplan #fitfam #fitfamuk #food #foodie #nutrition #nutritionist #infographic #instagraphic #shiftingstones #calories #caloriedeficit

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Another holiday weekend and its set to be a glorious one! If you’re trying to lose a bit of weight and have a meal out planned, then here are a few tips to help you stay on track while you still enjoy your lunch or dinner. Most restaurants publish their menus on their websites which makes it easy to take a quick look before you go and understand what your best options are. If there is something on the menu that you like but perhaps you would prefer it to be grilled instead of fried, ask them while you’re there – most restaurants are happy to accommodate easy requests in order to have happy diners. If the answer is no then you could have a “plan B” ready for ordering. Avoid the bread basket, not because bread is in any way forbidden, it just uses up calories unnecessarily and also takes the edge off your appetite so when your meal actually arrives you’re not as hungry for it as you were. Reduce your calories in the day or days leading up to your meal out in order to account for the increased calories your meal out will give you, keeping your weekly calorie intake within your target. Keeping a food diary is the best way to see exactly how many calories you are consuming. All of this is well and good but it you have a big celebration or if your meals out are few and far between, then I would suggest ignoring all of this and having whatever you want off the menu and enjoying every single mouth full. One meal out will not derail your progress. Just get back to normal with your very next meal. Tag a friend who you think would find this useful! #eatingout #health #healthy #healthyfood #healthydiet #healthyeating #healthylifestyle #calories #caloriecounting #food #foodie #nutrition #nutritionist #infographic #instagraphic #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #shiftingstones

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Most of us enjoy a glass of wine or G’n’T on occasions, whether its at a social gathering or just because its Friday night. And, if you’re a healthy individual who hasn’t been advised not to drink then there’s no harm in that provided that the recommended guidelines are adhered to. Currently guidelines state that we should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week – spread over the week and not saved up for one occasion. That equates to 6 x 175ml glasses of wine or 6 pints of beer or 14 x 25ml measures of spirits. But what happens when we’re trying to lose weight and drink alcohol? You can see from he graphic that there are considerable calories in alcohol and if you were to stick to the guidelines and have 6 glasses of wine in a week, that equates to 954 calories, which incidentally have no nutritional value whatsoever. So that’s quite a lot of calories, yes? The other issue with alcohol is that it often means you make poor food choices both while drinking and also the next day when you’re feeling perhaps a little under the weather as a result, aka hungover! I’m not trying to be the fun police and tell anyone not to have a drink if they want one, but if you’re trying to lose weight and you do drink alcohol then just be aware of how many calories you’re consuming - and remember to count them in your food diary. Its possible that the few glasses of wine that you have on a Friday are the reason you’re not losing the amount of weight you feel you should be. Tag a friend who could use this advice! #health #healthy #healthylifestyle #alcohol #alcoholawareness #calories #caloriecounting #fitfam #fitfamuk #iifym #infographic #instagraphic #wine #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #nutrition #nutritionist #UnexpectedWeightGain

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We all have a tendency to underestimate how much we consume each day. We forget about the snack we had mid-morning, or the milk in our latte, or the sugar in our tea. We also tend to underestimate portion sizes and often are eating more than we realise. This is when weight gain is unexpected – we think we’re not eating that much, but we must be because the weight is going on. So we blame it on hormones or “middle age spread”. But the fact is that if weight (fat) is increasing on the body then it will be down to consuming more calories than we need. But how can we be sure? Well, you figure out how many calories you should be eating for your height, weight, gender and activity level and then you keep a food diary to ascertain how many calories over or under that figure you actually consume. This is eye opening to almost everyone who does it. Just seeing on paper or on screen how much you are eating (and drinking) and how many calories this totals is in most cases surprising, and to some even shocking! It also highlights where your calories are going, i.e. you may be eating more calorie dense foods than you realise. MyFitnessPal is a good tool to use for this, but others are also available. Share in the comments below if you’re keeping a food diary now or have done in the past and what changes you made as a result. #UnexpectedWeightGain #calories #caloriecounting #caloriesincaloriesout #infographic #instagraphic #fatlossmotivation #fatloss #fatlossjourney #weightloss #weightlossjourney #food #foodie #fooddiary #nutrition #nutritionist #fitfam #fitfamuk #fitfood #fitspo #myfitnesspal

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