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How to manage your weight.
Download these free documents that will help you on your way to managing your weight... An Absolute Beginners Guide to losing weight. An introduction to losing weight. Carbs, proteins & fats: The basics. Changing behaviours & developing habits. Why some people who "go to the gym" fail to lose weight. The healthy eating pyramid: or "what to eat & how much". Our lifestyle: The foundations of being fit, healthy & controlling our weight.
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Free weight control articles.
But if you are after a bit more information, below you will find all my articles on food, drink and weight control. Feel free to take a look
3 golden rules for strength and fitness success…
Do you want to get fitter?
Do you want to get stronger?
Follow these 3 golden rules and improve your chances of success...
...Click here to read more.
Which exercise machine burns the most calories?
Which exercise machine burns the most calories?
This is a very common question. The short answer is:
...Click here to read more.
Over 40% of cancers due to lifestyle, says review
You may have noticed this story in the news:
Over 40% of cancers due to lifestyle.
If not, click here for the story, and click here for an explaination of the story from the excellent NHS "behind the headlines" website (I love this place, it explains the millions of health related stories you read in the papers and helps you decide which ones you can totally ignore!).
If you want to change your lifestyle for the better, click here to download my very simple guide to help you.
...Click here to read more.
Do I need a protein drink?
I was asked a common question the other day. A young lad came up to me and asked if he should be having a protein drink like he sees all his friends having. He trains once or twice a week and when I asked, he said he had no specific goals. He seemed the perfect example of the average lad doing recreational exercise for general health.
This was an easy one to answer...
...Click here to read more.
Recommended Reading: What’s your poison? A special report on alcohol in the media.
Is a small drink good or bad for you? Does a small glass in the evening give you health benefits?
Read this special report from the NHS for an analysis on "the media’s relationship with research on alcohol, the science behind it, and what all this means for us when we consider raising a glass."
The report covers:
...Click here to read more.
Recommended reading: Fitness, nutrition and a Peruvian fruit stall.
If you follow this link, the guy talks of being in Peru and being guided round a local fruit stall full of unusual fruit. The line I like is:
"...the future will not be about finding information, but rather, finding reliable interpreters and guides..."
I feel the same way when someone comes to me with the latest internet exercise craze. I remind myself to upgrade my internal "bullshit filters", so I can recognise people who know what they are talking about, and who are just trying to sell me something.
...Click here to read more.
Recommended Reading: The Healthy Eating Plate.
The Harvard School of Public Health has just published their Healthy Eating Plate.
I am going to use this Healthy Eating Plate in conjunction with their Healthy Eating Pyramid and my 10 Simple Rules for healthy eating as the basis for helping people improve their diet.
Read the following quote I shamelessly stole off them...
...Click here to read more.
Limiting Factors and Weakest Links. What’s holding you back?
Our bodies are very sophisticated, complex things. So complex that usually, many different things have to happen for an end result to be produced. I have talked before about walking. It is an everyday task, but in spite of this it needs:
...Click here to read more.
New physical activity guidelines for adults in the UK.
"New and important guidelines" have been released today about recommended physical activity levels for people in the UK. Click here to read them and see how you compare.
Here are just a couple of my thoughts...
...Click here to read more.
The USA’s new “My Plate” food guide.
The USDA revamped its guide on what to eat the other day. It used to be a funny pyramid with lots of stripes on. I was never very keen on it, because it wasn't very clear to me.
But I think I like this new one. It is clear and simple. And importantly, it is very clear that half of what you eat should be made up of fruit and veggies.
...Click here to read more.
Recommended Reading: Supplements: Who needs them? A special report.
Supplements. Do you take them? Do you know what they are? Are they worth the money we spend on them and are they even actually safe for us?
If you don't know the answer to any of these, click here to find out.
This NHS report gives you unbiased information from actual science studies (not from an advertising exec.) on:
...Click here to read more.
Waist fat ‘increases heart risk’
Click here for the news story.
It says how where you carry your bodyfat can have a big impact on your health and risks of disease. It talks about the waist/hip ratio. Or how much fat you are carrying around your belly. This is a very easy measurement to take. In fact, you can do it right now! All you need is a tape measure.
I have written about the hip/waist ratio back in 2009. So click here to find out all about it!
...Click here to read more.
Superfoods! Discover what foods will kill you dead, and save your life!
One of my favorite websites I keep going back to for reliable information, is a section on the NHS site they call "Behind the Headlines". Here they take a look at some of the major health stories in the papers, and give you the facts.
Take a look at just a few of the ways the papers blow a health story out of all proportion, and you will understand why one of my favorite saying at the moment is:
...Click here to read more.
U.S. study finds obese people more motivated to shed pounds if they’re paid
I stumbled across this story. Basically, people were paid money if they managed to lose bodyweight. And they were more successful than another group of people who were not paid money.
But, when they were measured again 9 months later, they had regained most of the weight.
...Click here to read more.
It is SO difficult to get hold of fruit and veg here!
I just remembered a chat I had with a friend the other day. We were discussing healthy eating, and he mentioned that it is so difficult to get hold of fruit and veg these days.
Pardon? 
...Click here to read more.
How central heating is making you fat(?)
I read this story in the Daily Mail. It suggests that the reason 2 thirds of the UK population is overweight or obese, is because of central heating.
The thinking goes, if we are in a warm cosy environment (like a centrally heated room) our bodies don't have to burn so many calories to keep us warm.
Now that is a very good theory, and it sounds totally plausible to me. It is true, the colder your body, the more calories it burns to maintain your body temperature...BUT GET REAL!
...Click here to read more.
Recipes: Creamy Veggie Korma
The following recipe for creamy veggie korma came from:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1089641/creamy-veggie-korma
...Click here to read more.
Healthy recipes from a rubbish cook.
As I may have mentioned before, I am enthusiastic, but very un-talented in the kitchen. I come from the "chuck-it-in-the-pot-and-see-what-comes-out" school of cooking (while I do own a set of kitchen scales, I have never yet actually used them when cooking). And while this is fine with me, I know that it is not good enough for most normal people.
But this is the internet, and there are millions of people out there who can cook. So I am going to start posting (simple) recipes that I have found during my wasted wanderings around the web. If you know of any places where I and others can find simple, healthy recipes...leave a comment below!
...Click here to read more.
Recommended Reading: Food – a fact of life
I can't remember how I stumbled on this webpage, but it is aimed at school teachers/parents trying to teach healthy nutrition to kids.
Having said that, I know for a fact that most adults (myself included) can learn a lot from it. Just some of the things on the webpage include:
...Click here to read more.
Taking regular breaks from desk ‘good for the heart’
Taking lots of breaks from sitting at a desk is good for the waistline and heart health, research suggests.
Research showing that if you sit around all day, you will get unhealthy. But if you regularly get up on your feet (even for a minute or so) you can improve your health.
Click here to download the actual study paper.
...Click here to read more.
Psychological tricks to keep you on your New Year diet
5 simple things anyone can do to help them manage their weight. Click below to see the video clip explaining them:
...Click here to read more.
Absolutely free healthy cook books.
One of my trainees asked me yesterday for some healthy recipes to help them lose some weight. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I am not a very good cook (enthusiastic, yes...good, no!). I am very much a "cook by the seat of my pants" type of person in the kitchen. My idea of cooking is to lob it all in the wok, turn it up to 11, and see what happens.
...Click here to read more.
Get the basics right, and the details may not matter at all.
I carry on a lot about getting the basic fundamentals right and not stressing about the little details. This is totally unsexy and not at all what people want to hear when they ask my advice. But what the hell. I'm paid to get results, and I don't have a warehouse full of "Ab-Dominator!" machines to flog.
...Click here to read more.
Aim for “perfect”, but settle for “good enough”
This is my quote for the day...Aim for "perfect", but settle for "good enough".
This means, be aware of and recognise what you want in a "perfect world", and every day strive to get there. This can mean the perfect job, perfect girlfriend or the perfect move done with perfect technique and perfect timing.
But recognise that this is not a "perfect world", and be happy when you have something that is good enough, effective and does the job.
...Click here to read more.
Marketing magic for a healthier diet: Do try this at home!
I was shown this internet blog by a nutritionist friend of mine. It shows a few ways to "trick" yourself into eating better.
I especially like it because it uses actual, real world marketing tricks that supermarkets use to make us buy the things they want us to buy. And I am a firm believer in shamelessly stealing good ideas from people!
Marketing magic for a healthier diet: Do try this at home!: SELF.com.
If you are a marketing guru, or if you just work in retail, think how you con convince your punters into choosing your products, and leave a comment below.
...Click here to read more.
Getting ready for Christmas
I have mentioned periodisation before (click here). It is the "big picture" view of training. It is about managing your training in such a way as to maximise your results.
I talkd before about doing things in a certain order, but it also means managing when you can work hard and when you need to ease off to recover. In this way, periodisation works on many time scales, such as:
...Click here to read more.
Has the calorie had its day?
Have you noticed this story? It is asking if we should change the way calories are marked on food labels.
It is an interesting read. It mentions how some foods are processed differently in the body, so this affects how many calories we get from them. There are 3 bits in it that caught my eye:
...Click here to read more.
Background Activity, Active Design and New York
I've talked before about increasing a persons "Background Activity" (click here, and here) to help improve their health and weight. And it looks like New York city has the same idea!
Click here for a BBC documentary about how architects in New York are trying to make it harder for people to get about in order to give people more exercise.
...Click here to read more.
Weight loss, gain and maintainance diets.
I've noticed that when I talk to people about diets, we often end up talking at cross purposes, and they don't always understand what I'm on about.
To your average person, a "diet" means one thing...a short term, drastic change in their eating/drinking habits which they "go on", in order to lose some weight.
When I think about diets, I prefer to use the following definition:
...Click here to read more.
Relax and don’t worry about it
Over the last couple of days I have given the same advice to 2 different people, for 2 different reasons. And none of it had anything to do with reps, sets, intensities, speed etc. Instead it was quite simply to:
...Click here to read more.
Recommended reading: Feeding your kids fruit and veg – 5 a day.
I don't have kids, so there are some problems that I have (thankfully!) never experienced. One of these problems is how to get your kids to eat enough fruit and veg. But my friend who does have children asked me this the other day...so if you have this problem, try reading the following link...
...Click here to read more.
Recommended reading: The Minnesota Starvation Study
During World War II, 36 conscientious objectors participated in a study of human starvation. This Minnesota Starvation Experiment was a grueling study meant to gain insight into the physical and psychologic effects of semistarvation and the problem of refeeding civilians who had been starved during the war. During the experiment, the participants were subjected to semistarvation in which most lost <25% of their weight.
...Click here to read more.
Large waist size linked to ‘higher risk of death’
Here is another news story suggesting that your waist/hip ratio is a better assessment of your health, than your total bodyweight or your BMI.
...Click here to read more.
Why do we eat?
About 2 thirds of the UK population are overweight or obese. This is because we eat/drink too much and don't exercise enough. We all know this, but we still continue overeating. Why?
Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 major reasons why we eat/drink:
...Click here to read more.
NICE guidelines for managing your weight before/during/after pregnancy.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have released weight management guidelines for women before/during/after pregnancy. You can take a look by clicking here.
I'm the first to admit I am no expert in this department, so if you are, let me know where I'm going wrong. But the guidelines are 60 pages long, so here are some of the bits that caught my eye...
...Click here to read more.
Recommended viewing – Food inc.
Just watched the film Food inc. It is a documentary about the food industry in America.
I highly recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in food and where it comes from. One of my favorite quotes from the film was the very last line. It was spoken by a farmer upset by what he was forced to do to make a living...
...Click here to read more.
The Healthy Eating Pyramid
I am a firm believer in keeping things simple whenever I can.
Not only does this mean that I can keep my life nice and easy, but I also find that simple things make the biggest differences in life. Especially when it comes to food, drink and weight control.
So probably the simplest thing that any of us can do to improve our health and give our bodies the resources they need to perform at a high standard, is follow this healthy eating pyramid:
...Click here to read more.
Slimming pills: Do the claims add up?
News story looking at 5 slimming pills to see if their claims to help you lose weight are actually backed up by any research.
Click here for the full story.
...Click here to read more.
Link between inactivity and obesity queried
Researchers have challenged the assumption that a lack of exercise causes children to put on weight.
Click here to read the whole news article.
...Click here to read more.
From the General to the Specific – How to get good at absolutely anything.
So you want to get good at something? It could be getting good at your sport, your diet, your job, your relationship or your school subject.
But there are good and bad ways to go about this. One of the best ways is to work from the general to the specific.
This means you spend time getting the fundamental, foundation principles right before worrying about the minute details. Get good at the general stuff first, then move on to the specifics. For example:
...Click here to read more.
Carbohydrates, proteins & fats: The basics.
Food is probably the third most important thing in our lives after oxygen and water. But hardly any of us know anything about it.
Do you know what carbohydrates, proteins and fats are?
What do they do?
Where do we get them from?
...Click here to read more.
NHS watchdog NICE calls for trans-fats ban in foods
Trans-fats should be eliminated from food in England, NHS watchdog NICE has said.
Click here to read the rest of the story from BBC news.
...Click here to read more.
Do you have a healthy lifestyle?
Some things are just more important than others.
Some things just need to be nailed before others.
Some things are just so fundamental that without them, other things are simply not going to work.
Some examples include:
...Click here to read more.
Fat and fit
I think I depressed one of my work colleagues today. I was showing them the scales that work out your body fat percentage. Unfortunately it gave a higher percentage than they hoped (it classed them as obese).
So he asked how can he be classed as obese if he does so much training?
Well, fitness and fatness are two different things. Here in the UK, they do usually go hand in hand. In other words, most fat people you meet will also be unfit. But this isn't always the case. 
...Click here to read more.
Priorities of losing fat
With 2 thirds of the UK population classed as overweight, there are plenty of people out there who want to lose some bodyfat. There are hundreds of diets to choose from, and thousands of "fat loss tips" to take in. And this can make things a little confusing for people. Which ones should you try? Which ones will work better? Which things are more important?
...Click here to read more.
Common mistake: “What’s the best thing for…?”
A common mistake I've seen from many people I have trained with (from absolute beginners to those who are really very good). They want to know "The best thing for..."
...Click here to read more.
Are you born fit/strong/fat or do you become fit/strong/fat?
I managed to have a lie-in this morning, and I ended up hearing this short discussion on the radio (click here to listen. It lasts less than 6 minutes). They were asking if great athletes are born, or are they made through training?
And the line that really caught my ear was:
"...the limiting factor in the vast majority of sports and most real life situations, is software"
...Click here to read more.
Consistency part 3
OK, after this and this post, this will be the last rant about consistency. But this comes about after spending 2 hours(!) in a waiting room yesterday with nothing but a pile of trashy womens magazines for company.
...Click here to read more.
Consistency…an update.
Following on from my previous post about consistency, a couple of people came up to me to ask:
"So shouldn't I change my current workout then?"
Due to me never reading my posts before I publish them, I want to be a politician for a moment and "clarify" what I meant...
What I meant to say was...
...Click here to read more.
Consistency
A very important factor that decides if an outcome is achieved or not, is consistency (simply doing something time and again and again and again).
Do the following stories sound familiar?
...Click here to read more.
Nearly a million obese Britons may be eligible for weight-reduction surgery
If you are in a good mood and want something to put a real downer on your day, take 2 minutes to read this story here...
...Click here to read more.
Many cereals ‘have more sugar than desserts’
In my usual glance through the news, I saw this story (click here). Would you have ice cream or a jam doughnut for breakfast? I hope not! But the story tells how many of our "healthy" breakfast cereals have more sugar than either of these unhealthy sweets.
...Click here to read more.
Should I eat more?
I'm back! I went back home to Aberystwyth for my holiday and have a fantastic time by the sea!
But I'm back now with just one story from when I was away. Chatting to an old friend who is very enthusiastic, and always wants to make sure she is doing the "best" thing to help her lose weight. And she showed me this story here, recommending average calorie levels be increased. So she wanted to know if she should now suddenly start eating more.
...Click here to read more.
You want me to do WHAT to lose weight??
A couple of months back I wrote about the basics of the 3 main reasons people come to the gym to exercise. One of these reasons is to lose weight.
...Click here to read more.
Prevention is better than cure.
In the news today, it mentions that "two key treatments do not halt diabetes in people with early signs of the disease". Click here to read the full story.
...Click here to read more.
Keeping it simple brings real results
A regular in the gym I work at came up to me asking for newer, more elaborate exercises, because the ones she is doing now "aren't working".
Now I'll be the first to admit that there is nothing wrong with doing new, funky exercises...but do them for the right reasons.
...Click here to read more.
Exercise and hypertension (high blood pressure): how one can help the other.
I came across this article (click here) about hypertension (high blood pressure) this morning. In my work I regularly come across people with hypertension, so here is some key information about it...
...Click here to read more.
Its official: The importance of Background Activity.
A couple of weeks ago I explained how many people go to the gym, but don't get the improvements in their weight/health that they want.
And guess what? The government has just agreed with me!
...Click here to read more.
The dangers of being obese.
"There has been a "dramatic rise" in deaths in England in which obesity was a contributory factor, researchers say."
This is the first paragraph in a story from the BBC news website (click here to read the story).
The bit that struck me was near the end when it says:
...Click here to read more.
It’s the start of Lent. So what is your willpower like?
It was Pancake day yesterday, so that must mean today is the first day of Lent! Traditionally the time when we give something up until Easter. Perfect excuse to try changing your diet for the better.
Every single one of us already say to ourselves:
...Click here to read more.
Don’t be miserable and have a pancake!
I'm one of those people who are not at all religious, but still use holy days as an excuse to have a good time.
...Click here to read more.
Why some people who “go to the gym” fail to lose weight
With nearly two thirds of the UK population classed as overweight or worse, a very common goal in the gym is to "lose weight". It is February, and the New Year influx has mostly died away now, but loads of people who joined to "lose weight" have unfortunately failed to do so.
They are coming to the gym 3 times a week, their diet is "pretty healthy"...so what is going wrong?
Here is one common reason...
...Click here to read more.
Back to basics for the “holy trinity”
Most people start exercising for one or more of the "holy trinity":
* To lose weight
* To get fitter
* To get stronger
Here are the most basic things to remember about how to get them...
...Click here to read more.
An absolute beginners guide to losing weight
It's the new year and we have loads of people coming to the gym for the first time wanting to "lose weight".
There are 3 places where we lose fat. In order of priority, these are:
...Click here to read more.
Why EVERYONE should train for performance, rather than their waist line.
Take a look at this news report here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8425161.stm
It backs up why I keep banging on about why people should be more concerned with their ability to perform physical tasks, and less so with just how they look.
...Click here to read more.
Assessments: Food diary and diet analysis
This is my first post in a while. I've been testing out my new diet analysis on a few unlucky guinea pigs and so far it is working out quite nicley! Apparently, a study showed that most people underestimate their food intake by up to 50%! This means that however much we think we are eating, we're actually eating up to half as much again!
...Click here to read more.
Choosing a good breakfast
In my list of 10 simple food rules to live by, rule #2 is
"Always have a good breakfast every day."
So is your breakfast a good or bad one?
...Click here to read more.
Recommended Reading: Precision Nutrition
There is a lot of crap information out there. We all got to be carefull what we believe.
But here is a place I have got a lot of quality info from! 
...Click here to read more.
Assessments: Body Composition part 2 – Body Fat
Here in part 2, I'm going to cover ways to measure your body fat. And this is the important thing. A common goal of many people is to lose weight, when they should be trying to lose fat. The following methods are ways to measure how much body fat you are carrying. I would say that it is much more important to maintain a healthy fat level, than an arbitrary weight.
...Click here to read more.
Assessments: Body Composition part 1 – Body Weight
I've split the Body Composition post into 2 parts. In this part I'll brief you on 3 simple ways to assess your body composition (Bathroom Scales, BMI and Waist/Hip Ratio).
In part 2, I'll go over some less common and more specialised ways to assess just how much body fat you have.
First of all...What is body composition?
...Click here to read more.
Supplements – Sports drinks and Protein Shakes. Do you need them?
Look in any sports shop, fitness magazine or gym and there will be adverts for supplements and protein shakes promising to change your body in ways you only ever dreamed of. But should you spend your hard earned cash on them?
...Click here to read more.
Is this food healthy for me?
Clients regularly ask me if they should be eating this food, or that food. This is my opinion...
...Click here to read more.
Your fat…and you don’t know it!
According to this report from the BBC news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8269462.stm), it seems that most of us don't know how bad we are.
...Click here to read more.
Introduction to How to Lose Weight
1. Losing weight, or losing fat?
First of all, you need to decide if you want to lose weight, or if you want to lose bodyfat.
Losing weight is simple. Just stop drinking any fluids (water etc) for a few days, or simply chop off a leg or two. I guarantee the scales will show you losing weight, but it is far from a healthy option!
...Click here to read more.
Good Eating: Simple rules to live by
What do I need to eat?
There are 6 basic parts that are essential to a healthy diet. These are:
Carbohydrates.
Protein.
Fat.
Vitamins.
Minerals.
Water.
But we will look mainly at the first three:
...Click here to read more.
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