How to put an end to yo-yo dieting - part 1

Hi all! I have been absent for a while as I am going through some big life changes at the moment and consequently I am extremely busy. However, a chance conversation with a good friend last week has encouraged me to continue with my blogging and to do everything I can to ensure you get the correct information to assist you with your health and fitness goals.

It began with an impromptu lunch date and a chat about what we had been doing since our last meeting. She was telling me about the diet she had been following and how successful it had turned out to be.

'That's really good news' I replied, 'well done you!'

'Thanks' she said, 'I'm happy with my weight now and don't want to lose any more.'

I then asked her 'you have obviously been advised about the next step?'

'Oh,I don't really know, I hadn't thought about it' she said.

Unfortunately, this is so often the case with fat/weight loss plans, and many people end up reverting to their previous eating habits and gaining the weight they have previously lost. They then have to start again and end up where they began. And so on and on and on.........................

If this sounds familiar stay tuned for my next blog which will have all the information you need to stay on track and say goodbye to yo-yo dieting for ever!

Until next time,..........

Be the best version of yourself!

This week I am going to talk about realistic goals. The picture featured in this blog is of a client of mine who I trained for over 2 years. She made incredible progress but it didn't happen overnight - in the picture there is at least 18 months between the first and last images.

First of all Lu lost some weight (pictures 1 and 2) and then we began to build some muscle to make her look toned and tight (picture 3). The change in her physique is phenomenal and she worked extremely hard by training with me and using the macro nutrient breakdown I calculated specifically for her goals. So often we look at images of fitness models on facebook, instagram etc and aspire to become like them. This can only set us up for disappointment, as apart from the genetically gifted being few and far between, the images will invariably be adjusted by filters and other tools that are widely available online.


We are all very different and are all guilty of focusing on our bad bits. However, when we really put our minds to it the results we can achieve are incredible. Be consistent and don't try any quick fixes. Next time you look in the mirror focus on the positives, take pictures at the beginning of your fitness/weight loss journey and document the changes throughout. This is not a temporary change it is a lifestyle to be embraced and enjoyed!

If you are interested in achieving a toned and healthy physique, email me at faieeza_lucas@hotmail.com for more information on online coaching/personal training.

See you soon!

Let's Get Started!

We have now arrived at the moment when we can put all the previous information together and begin calculating our macros to achieve either:

a) fat loss or
b) muscle building

We will start on the ever popular fat loss. FFor most of us this will be our ‘go to’ option. It won’t be about achieving that ‘summer body’ or that ‘bikini body’ – let’s concentrate on a body that suits us for the whole year and can be maintained long term.  Of course we want to feel confident in a bikini but we also want to slip on a pair of skinny jeans in winter and feel comfortable too.

See below:

Determine body weight on scales that you normally use. Even though they may not be very accurate, they will be good enough to determine weight loss or weight gain. We will use a 65kg female for this example.

2   Find a BMR calculator online. I tend to use http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/  I entered 156cm tall, 65kg, 30 years old female (this is just hypothetical, I wish I was 30!) and I got a BMR of 1419 kcals which I rounded down to 1400 kcals. This figure determines a baseline calorie amount that you should not go under.

3   We then need to multiply our weight in lbs by 12 which will give us a calorie total to begin with. So 65kg in lbs is 143lb x 12 = 1716 calories. (This clears the 1400 cals BMR). We now have a baseline of 1716 which we will round down to 1700 calories. Again be aware that the fitness industry has many different equations to make these calculations but I have used the one that I feel has turned out the best for myself and my clients.

     Our 30 year old female now has 1700 calories to begin her fat loss journey with. The next step is working out her macros.

     Protein (1g per lb bw) = 143g (remember protein has 4kcal/g) = 572kcals

This leaves 1,128 kcals to split between carbs and fats, 564 each.

Carbs are 4g per calorie so 564 divided by 4 = 141g

Fats are 9g per calorie so 564 divided by 9 = 62g

6   To conclude:

141g Carbs

143g Protein

62g Fat

All this information now needs to be monitored on a daily basis. I would thoroughly recommend ‘Myfitnesspal'  which can be downloaded onto your smartphone aswell as your ipad and/or desktop. It will be necessary to add your statistics and adjust the goals to match your figures.

There will be a lot of weighing to be done so grab yourself some digital kitchen scales.

Stick with the your initial figures for a few weeks and monitor your weight. If everything is going well and you are steadily losing then keep it up until you reach your goal. Take a ‘before’ and ‘after’ photo and re-take weekly so you can see results!

If you find that nothing is happening and you are maintaining or even gaining, then your figures need to be re-evaluated. If you find you are craving more carbs you can sacrifice some fat for example. The only macro that you should try and stick with is your protein as this is the macro most people tend to neglect.

I think that is plenty of info to be getting on with! As far as muscle building is concerned, well I think I will leave that for the next blog.

I have written a ‘myfitnesspal’ user guide so if anyone wants a copy just message me your email address and I will send one over FOC!

Until next time fat loss bloggers......................

Macros have been covered - find out what's next?

What happens now we are up to date with what macros are and how important it is not only to eat a balanced diet, but to actually know what a balanced diet consists of.

How many calories do I need per day?

Lifting weights burns calories!

This is the all important question everyone talks about with reference to dieting, fat loss, muscle gain etc etc.

Gone are the days of ridiculously low calorie dieting. It has now been proven that restricting calories below a certain limit will hinder weight loss rather than enhance it.

The very first thing that you need to know when determining daily calorie intake is how much your body requires at rest. This refers to when you are asleep and movement is minimal. During this time you will still need calories to keep your body functioning but they will be burnt at a very low rate. This term is called your 'basal metabolic rate' or BMR. There are numerous calculators that are available online, just search for 'bmr calculators' and you will come across many.

When you have this figure you can begin to have an idea on what you as an individual will need in order to reach your fat loss/muscle building goals. Note that I don't mention the word 'weight loss' as in order to have the 'toned' appearance that we all aspire to, it is the fat around the muscle that needs to go to reveal more of the muscle underneath.

In order for us to lose fat we need to be in a caloric deficit and in order to build muscle we need to be in a calorie surplus. I am sure some of you are thinking that do people really want to add weight? But of course we do - not only do we want to lose fat but there will come a time for many of us when we wish to have a strong, defined and toned look!

I hope this gives you food for thought! Looking forward to the next instalment.....