Weight Loss Blog

(for my Muscle Growth Blog click the link)

Friday 20th August 2010

Before I became a personal trainer myself, I had a series of personal trainers in London who used very different approaches to fitness, which was great experience for me. Although I didn't need to lose much weight myself, I always asked then what they thought was the best way for someone to lose weight.

One said that diet was the key, focusing mainly on cutting out junk food, and reducing portion sizes. He spent most of the session talking about optimum nutrition while I peddled away on the exercise bike. Another said that exercise was the key: build muscle to raise your metabolism which in turn will burn the fat faster. He had me lifting heavy weights and I was always sore the next day.

These personal trainers were each half right. But you'll only succeed if you put the two halves together. The key is to incorporate both good nutrition AND exercise into your daily life. One without the other will produce very slow progress. Both together, firing on all cylinders, will accelerate your progress no end.

Sunday 1st August 2010

Does Bikram Yoga and Hot Yoga help you lose weight? Check out this week's hot topic.

Friday 16th July 2010

Holland & Barrett have brought out a great new drink, produced in Brazil. It's Vita Coco pure 100% coconut water - packed with electrolytes and zero fat and no added sugar. You can order it through this site. Simply click the Holland & Barrett banner at the top of the home page, and when you get to the Holland & Barrett site, type Vita Coco in the search box and click, then buy a pack online. I recommend it!

Saturday 10th July 2010

Tempted by ice cream in this hot weather? Instead, get a pot of low fat plain natural yoghurt, mix it with summer berries in a small pyrex bowl, and pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Result - a very healthy snack, nice and cold to enjoy in the summer heatwave. Every bit as yummy and refreshing as ice cream, but without the saturated fat and excess calories.

Tuesday 29th June 2010

What's the best way to get rid of cellulite? But first, what exactly is cellulite? Cellulite is the lumpy pockets of fat trapped between the connective tissue just below the skin (herniated deposits of subcutaneous fat), which give a dimpled appearance to the skin, mainly around buttocks, thighs, and stomach. The dimpled or puckered appearance of the cellulite has led to descriptive nicknames like 'cottage-cheese skin' or 'orange-peel skin'.

Women suffer from it far more than men, as it's partly due to female hormones and female genetics. But there's a lot you can do to reduce cellulite. Surprise surprise, the answer is to eat healthily and exercise regularly, so that you reduce your body-fat levels, improve your circulation, and regulate your hormonal balance.

Cellulite is more likely to occur if you are inactive, have poor circulation (both blood circulation and lymphatic circulation which eliminates waste products from the body), and eat lots of refined sugary foods and saturated fat. If you lead a stressful life with poor sleep and insufficient periods of relaxation, you may be more prone to cellulite due to the hormonal effects of your lifestyle.

And if you don't drink enough water, this can contribute to cellulite, as even mild dehydration makes it harder for the body to burn fat and transport waste products from the body.

One more point on good circulation, make sure you're not restricting your circulation by wearing excessively tight underwear, or tight belts, or even shoes that are too tight. All these can impede your circulation, which restricts blood flow and the flow of lypmhatic fluids (your lymphatic system is like a secondary circulation system, in addition to your blood vessels, which helps to eliminate waste products from the body).

Work on all these areas, and you can reduce your cellulite levels.

Tuesday 8th June 2010

How's your weight loss programme going? If you find it hard to stick to your regime, why not inject a bit of variety? Find a fitness buddy to train with you, or simply vary your exercise routine to keep it fresh. Or hire a personal trainer to give you that extra focus and motivation you need.

And if you find healthy eating boring, try some new healthy recipes to spice up your diet. You can boost your veg intake by making lots of nutritious salads, and add pieces of grilled or stir-fried fish or chicken to make it a protein-rich meal. And to make your salad complete, why not cook some bulgar wheat, drain in a sieve, run cold water through it, and mix it into the salad for a complex-carbs boost.

Wednesday 26th May 2010

We've had some hot days, and it looks like we might get a hot summer. That means less clothing and more exposed skin. Time to tone up those bat wings, the beer belly, and the thunder thighs! Here's some tips for summer exercise:

1. Drink more water when the weather is hot - and particularly if you're exercising outdoors. If you exercise intensively in the heat, such as a game of tennis, water alone is not enough. You need some electrolytes in the water to replace the minerals you're losing as you perspire. I use Dioralyte powder, just half a sachet in half a litre of water, to replenish my electrolyte levels.

2. Wear sunscreen whenever you're outside in the sun, even if you're just walking to the shops for 15 mins. Don't forget the neck, face, ears, particularly nose. And good quality sunglasses that deflect the harmful rays of the sun, will protect the skin around your eyes. If you sweat a lot, make sure you re-apply sunscreen regularly. And if you feel faint or unwell, get out of the sun immediately and sip water to rehydrate. Heatstroke can creep up on you suddenly if you're not careful.

3. Don't exercise intensively outdoors on hot days when the sun is at its hottest (from around 11am - 5pm). Exercise indoors at these times, or exercise outside earlier in the morning, or after 5pm. I prefer my personal training sessions in a nice cool gym during hot weather!

Monday 17th May 2010

If you're looking for a fun and different way to burn off those excess calories, try Zumba. It's a form of dance/aerobics, a fusion of latin dance styles. Zumba is like clubbing but without the drugs and alcohol. It's popular in South and Central America, and recently the craze has hit Florida, particularly Miami and Orlando. Anyone can do it, the moves are easy to pick up, and you'll be in a sweat in no-time. Now the bug has reached the UK, with gyms and fitness studios and even personal trainers including it in their range of classes. Give it a try.

Sunday 9th May 2010

On the way home from one of my personal training clients, I came across this great frozen yoghurt bar called Snog. Fat free, no artificial colours, no sugar (the sweetness comes from Agave nectar), the frozen yoghurt is high in calcium and protein, and live active cultures. You have a choice of fruit toppings and nut toppings. The place reminded me a bit of the Milk Bar in Stanley Kubrik's film A Clockwork Orange, with it's weird and stylish decor, in psychodelic colours.

There are 4 Snogs in London:

South Kensington (32 Thurloe Place, SW7 2HQ)
Covent Garden (5 Garrick Street, WC2E 9AR)
Soho (9 Brewer Street, W1F 0RG)
Westfield (Ground Floor, Westfield, W12 7SL)

Try it out - it's a healthy and fun alternative to the masses of junk food outlets London is drowning in. Open 7 days a week from 10am til midnight.

Tuesday 4th May 2010

Fight the Flab with Hypnotherapy

Fighting the battle of the flab is a difficult one. There always seems to be a bar of chocolate or pizza standing in the way of your goal weight. Hypnotherapy can help you overcome cravings making it much easier to say no to that extra scoop of ice cream or biscuit.

Hypnotherapy works by altering your subconscious mind. A hypnotherapist can talk to your subconscious and basically tell it, you don't really like cake any more, or whatever food it is that destroys your diet. So next time you are faced with these foods you won't want them and your diet can stay on track.

There is now a website, the Hypnotherapy Directory, which offers you a wealth of information on hypnotherapy for weight loss and help you find a hypnotherapist near you. Each hypnotherapist listed on the site is fully insured and qualified, so you can be assured of their professionalism. You can search for your local hypnotherapist by searching by postcode, town or county. So to find a hypnotherapist near you visit www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk today.

Tuesday 27th April 2010

Did you know that exercise has many other benefits apart from reducing excess body fat? Here are just a few:

1. You'll sleep better, and plenty of sleep is crucial for good health (both physical and mental health)
2. Exercise reduces stress, and helps you put your problems in perspective, not least because exercise releases endorphins, which produce a natural high.
3. Regular exercise lowers your blood pressure, reduces your cholesterol levels, and cuts your risk of heart disease and cancer.

Remember, fat loss is not the only benefit. There are many good reasons to exercise.

Wednesday 7th April 2010

One key element of achieving weight loss is to have strong motivations. If the 'why' is strong enough, you can endure almost any 'how'. In other words if your motivation is strong enough, you'll do whatever it takes to lose weight. Just remember that you need to lose weight in way that does not jeopardise your health. So forget about crazy diets and just eat healthily.

Here are several motivators:

1. You'll have more sex-appeal
2. You'll reduce or prevent lower back pain
3. You'll replace bat wings (a common complaint among overweight women) with toned arms, and replace your beer belly (common gripe of overweight men) with a flat stomach
4. Holidays will become much more fun - you won't be ashamed to show off your body, and you'll have the energy for more sightseeing.

Find the motivators that will trigger your desire to lose weight, and to do what it takes to stay the course.

Wednesday 24th March 2010

Remember, losing weight isn't necessarily about eating less, it's mainly about eating different things. If you're overweight, you might be eating too infrequently, and eating too little (if any) fruit and veg and complex carbs (like yams, sweet potato, bulgar wheat, porridge). Cut out processed and refined foods, and foods high in saturated fat, and eat more of the good stuff. And make sure you drink plenty of water between meals. You'll be less tempted to snack when your stomach contains water.

And beware of fad diets, detox diets, and crazy unsustainable eating regimes. Just eat healthy food regularly. Fat burning only works when you eat regularly, otherwise your body goes into starvation mode and hoards fat if you skip meals.

Friday 19th March 2010

People ask me why they're not losing weight after months of running on the treadmill or cycling on the exercise bike. The reason is that cardio is not the most effective way to burn fat. Cardio is primarily for strengthening the heart and lungs, very worthy and necessary goals, but to lose fat you need to include some muscle-toning exercise. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, so that you burn fat 24 hours a day. With cardio, you only burn fat for the 20 mins you're doing the cardio, plus a little in the following couple of hours. So to boost your fat-burning, you need to do some resistance exercise with weights and/or exercise machines. A personal trainer or gym instructor can advise you on the best exercises and how to perform them correctly, and this site has plenty of tips on what to do.

Thursday 4th March 2010

Thinking of joining a gym? Unhappy with your current gym and looking to change? Consider these points:

1- Home Gym

Perhaps you're better off not joining a gym at all, if you don't like gyms or don't use your gym enough to merit the fees. Why not invest the money in some home gym equipment instead? And to supplement your home sessions, you could use the local park, go jogging, or try a variety of London's pay-as-you-go fitness options, like a swimming pool.

2- Location

You want your gym to be in a convenient location, or you won't use it enough. Ideally your gym should be within 15 minutes of home or office. A gym near your office might be the best option, so think when you're most likely to use the gym. If you're after weekend workouts, or if you're self-employed, a gym near home is best.

3- Times

When's your favourite time to exercise? Make this the time you check out a gym before you join. If it's crowded at your favourite time, at least you know what you're letting yourself in for. And check opening hours, so you know if a very early or very late session is an option.

4- Vibe

How does the gym feel to you? Is it friendly or hostile? Clean and bright and energy-boosting, or dirty and dingy and a drain on your energy? The only way to find out is to visit and trust your instincts.

5- Changing Rooms/Showers

Always check out the changing area and showers when you check out a gym you're planning to join. Make sure the lockers are spaceous, the area is clean, and no 'out of order' signs on locers and shower cubicles. And are the loos clean?

6- Equipment

Decide what exercise you most want to do, and make sure your prospective gym caters for your needs. So if it's free weights workouts you want, make sure the dumbbell area is spaceous, with plenty of mirror space, check that the dumbbells are labelled with the weight (so annoying when you have to guess the weight), and that they have the range of weights you want. If you want 40kg dumbbells, check they have them. And how tidy is the free-weights area? Are the weights stacked neatly, or strewn all over the place like a bomb's just dropped? If you want cardio machines, are there plenty of your favourite machine? Look out for 'out of order' signs on machines - this is not a good sign.

7- Instructors

When you're being shown round, see if there are instructors on-hand to help out the members during their workouts. Do the instructors look keen and friendly (if there are any in sight) or do they look bored, unfriendly or unattentive? If you're new to the gym, keen and helpful instructors are vital. Does the gym have its own personal trainers, and what do they charge? Or if you want to bring your own personal trainer into the gym, what's their policy on that?

8-Initial Consultation

A good gym will give you an induction. This should include a health questionnaire, questions about your goals, a blood pressure test, a body fat composition test, and a qualified instructor showing you round the machines. Ask if this is included at no extra charge, and if it's not being offered as standard, ask for this to be included.

9- Price

Last but not least, price. Will you get your money's worth? What's the minimum contract period and cancellation policy? Is there a joining fee? Make sure you know what you're signing up for.

Thursday 11th February 2010

Obesity is on the rise in the UK, according to today's Metro newspaper. In 2008/9 obesity was the main cause of illness for 7,990 patients, up from 5,020 in 2007/8.

Libby Dowling of Diabetes UK says: "Being overweight makes you more at risk of developing diabetes, which in turn can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation."

Not everyone can afford a personal trainer, but if you want to lose weight you can afford to eat smaller portions, cut out junk food from your diet, and walk more. Check out the recipes section on this site for ideas on healthy eating.

Wednesday 27th January 2010

My raw juicing is going well. The juicer took a while to set up first time, but when you've done it once, it's easy and quick to set up again. If you buy the juicer that I bought (see details in blog entry below) let me know how you get on with it. Any problems setting it up, send me a message and I'll point you in the right direction.

To secure it to your kitchen worktop, open one of the cupboard doors so that you can access the lip of the unit for more space to secure the juicer. And I recommend you put a plate under the end where the dry pulp comes out, so it doesn't splurge all over your worktop.

You'll find that you need to chop the raw veg into narrow strips so they feed easily into the machine as you turn the handle. And don't be surprised if no juice comes out until you've fed quite a lot of veg into the juicer. Just keep turning the handle.

When the juice collector is half-full, pour small amounts of water into the juicer and keep turning the handle, to flush out any remaining juice. Then drink the juice diluted 50/50 with water.

One combination that works well is 2 carrots, and a small bag of Tesco fine trimmed green beans. To spice it up, add fresh herbs such as fresh mint, or fresh corriander.

I recommend you drink raw juice 3 times a week. And make sure you eat plenty of veg as well (at least 3 portions a day), for the fibre. Juicing is not a substitute for eating lots of veg, it should be an additional thing. Give it a try!

Tuesday 29th December 2009

I've just ordered a masticating juicer after a friend reported dramatic fat loss as a result of drinking raw juice. He says it's only masticating juicers that extract the juice with all nutrients intact (rather than centrifugal juicers which don't extract all the juice, and the juice they do extract is nutritionally diminished due to the centrifugal action which oxidises the juice).

The one I've bought is the Easy Health Masticating Manual Juicer - it was just £40 - bought it online from electricshopping.com.

Watch this space - I'll let you know how good this juicer is when it's arrived and I've tried it out. And then I'll tell you what effect it has on my energy levels, body-fat, youthful appearance etc! As a personal trainer in London it pays to look young and healthy - so this may be the best investment ever.

Monday 14th December 2009

People are asking me for tips on healthy eating during the Christmas break. Try these:

1. Don't deprive yourself of your favourite Christmas treats. Just eat small portions, savour the taste in your mouth. Put your knife/fork/spoon down between mouthfulls, and chew thoroughly to get the full flavour before you swallow. That way you'll really appreciate the treats and eat less too. I'm a London personal trainer and even I don't deprive myself of the odd mince pie, turkey stuffing, small dark chocolate truffle. The trick is to eat small amounts and savour them.

2. Instead of fatty desserts, try grilling a range of fruits under the grill, or on a baking tray in the oven for 10 mins. Good fruits to grill are slices of banana, pear, pineapple. Then serve in a bowl with zero fat natural yoghurt and a drizzle of honey. The sweetness of the fruits really comes out when you heat them up.

3. To keep your metabolism ticking over, go out for brisk walks regularly. Don't fall into the trap of staying indoors all day, or you'll get sluggish and your digestive system will have a hard time coping. Don't be put off by freezing/snowy/grey/cold weather - wrap up warm and get out there - it's invigorating!

Thursday 19th November 2009

If you're not losing weight, try reducing your portion sizes slightly. Don't go on any crazy starvation diets, or even crazier diets where you eat tons of fat and protein and no carbs.

Just reduce your portion sizes until you're losing weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs per week on a consistent basis, til you've reached your goal weight.

Make sure vegetables form the main bulk on your plate, then moderate amount of complex carbs, and moderate amount of low fat protein. Then snack on fruit and nuts between meals.

Saturday 14th November 2009

After years as a personal trainer in London helping clients lose weight, I've found that those clients who use the following 3 key strategies make the best progress:

1. Eat loads of veg. Forget the government '5 a day' - that will get you nowhere. Eat 3 portions of fruit a day, and 5 portions of veg a day. And make sure you get a wide range of veg. Don't stick to the same thing. When did you last eat broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, sweetcorn, red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers, courgettes, cauliflower, tomatoes, sprouts, spinach?

2. Cut out all junk-food. And cut right down on alcohol. Junk food isn't just burgers, chips, ready-meals, and fizzy drinks. It's white bread, white rice, all processed foods, bacon, sausages, the list is massive.

3. Do resistance training with weights. This is by far the most effective exercise for fat loss, because it creates muscle, which raises your metabolism 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (ie the rate at which you burn calories). Cardio exercise is not the most effective for fat loss. Cardio is for heart strength. 20 mins cardio three times a week is all you need. Focus on training with weights if you seriously want to burn fat. And no, women won't get big bulky muscles from the kind of weight-training I prescribe for my clients. That's one of the biggest myths around, and just another excuse people use for doing no real exercise at all.