THE SCALES! So, one of the hardest things I need to work on with my clients is to try and forget the number on those scales! Somewhere along the way we’ve been taught that this is the single most important thing to monitor our progress while on a weight loss journey and to improve our health…….this is WRONG!!!!! If you are letting ‘that number’ dictate your progress, your happiness and your level of motivation then it’s time to ditch those scales altogether! The last thing you want is 'that number' making you throw the towel in when you could be right on track......Here's why: First off, it’s entirely possible to drop a dress size, lose inches, reduce body fat %, feel better in yourself, have more energy and wait for it……..you’ve GAINED weight! ‘WHAT?’ I hear you say. I’ve been so good this week…..I’ve stuck to my plan, I’ve been exercising, I feel good…what’s happened?? Well, you’re changing your body composition. You’re burning body fat and gaining lean muscle and this can actually ADD weight to your body! But this is FANTASTIC progress! Give yourself a clap! Reducing your body fat % and adding lean muscle will improve your health and increase your metabolism........it's going to help you achieve your goals long term and help you to maintain. Here's an example. I had a client recently who I was seeing at 3 week intervals. During her first 3 weeks she lost an amazing 7lbs and around 6 inches from all over her body! AWESOME! During the following 3 weeks she lost another 6 inches from all over her body.....but weight loss was just 1lb! STILL AWESOME! Her body had still lost the same amount of inches and reduced in size.... there are SO MANY reasons that could cause your weight to fluctuate! When you are still losing inches you are still on track! Would you rather the number on the scales goes down while you don't see great improvement on dropping inches and dress sizes?? OR WOULD YOU RATHER BURN FAT, DROP INCHES AND DRESS SIZES AND FORGET ABOUT THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE? In the 3 weeks that followed another 5 inches from all over was lost and another 2lbs. This brought total weight loss to 10lbs but total inch loss to around 17 inches! And weight is still coming off regardless of how fast or slow! MOST traditional weight loss plans out there will have you losing more initial weight than you will following my advice….some of them will bring you along each week and have you step on the scales….the number goes down each week and you’ll get a big well done for your achievements and so it goes on…..what they don’t tell you is that you’re likely losing a lot of water and muscle weight and not as much fat :-( Yes, you’re losing weight…but is it the right weight that you are losing??? When you look at the example above, you know that this client is burning fat, building lean muscle and actually IMPROVING HER HEALTH at the same time as achieving her weight and inch loss goals. What's more is that she's doing in a long term sustainable way! It's NOT A DIET. It's a way of eating that she enjoys! A way of eating that fits in with her individual lifestyle where NO FOODS ARE BANNED! It's not something that she needs to STOP! Following a large calorie deficit plan with great initial weight loss (water and muscle) might take you to your goal quicker but what happens when you get there?? The calorie deficit and the loss of muscle have slowed your metabolism right down! You reach your goal and start to eat normally again (OR YOU QUIT BEFORE YOU GET THERE BECAUSE ITS JUST TOO DAMN HARD TO STICK TO!).......... you immediately start to gain weight again……you either need to go back on your 'diet' or the weight continues to go back on until you’re back where you started……and this is why so many people are caught in the trap of ‘YO-YO DIETING’!! Who wants to be stuck on a diet plan for the rest of their lives because the moment you come off it, the weight goes back on???? These companies might be helping you to reach your goal but they are keeping you trapped on their plans for much longer than you would need to be and they are NOT promoting long term weight maintenance. They are NOT teaching you how to change your lifestyle for long term results so that diets can become a way of the past for you and you can maintain your goal weight with ease! They are not teaching you that it's more important to have a healthy body fat % than it is to have a 'healthy' weight! Having a 'healthy' BMI is of no use at all if you are carrying around too much body fat......you're still going to encounter health problems related to that! So, back to metabolism. Metabolism is the term given to all the processes by which your body converts food into energy……but what makes your metabolic rate high or low???? Well, the most important factor in this is the amount of fat free mass you have (muscle, bone and vital organs). Fat free mass is calorie burning tissue so the more you have, the higher your metabolism will be. Now you will see why it’s so important to focus more on reducing your body fat % and tracking your progress through monitoring this and your measurements. Yes, I weigh my clients at reviews……but only in conjunction with other monitoring methods!! It should never be the only method as it doesn’t give a true reflection of your progress. Focusing on this may take you longer to see results on the scales but you will see the results you are looking for if you are consistent, and as a result of increasing your metabolic rate you will have a much higher chance of maintaining once you reach your goal. So, my top tips: 1. Forget that number of the scales, in fact it may be an idea to ditch them altogether if you feel that they are affecting your mood, progress or motivation levels. 2. DON’T go on a severe calorie restriction. Yes, of course you need to be in a calorie deficit to burn fat and lose weight. You need to find out your maintenance calories and then drop by around 20% (this will vary by individual person but is a good starting point). 3. Eating fat does not make you fat!! We need to be consuming healthy fats on a daily basis to burn fat. Healthy fats make up around 20-30% of my daily calorie intake. 4. Include good quality sources of protein at each meal. 5. Include plenty of veggies and some fruits each day to get a good dose of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. 6. Limit sugar to natural sources and only consume refined sugars in moderation. 7. Concentrate on eating foods and meals that you enjoy…..you want to develop a menu that you will enjoy long term as a lifestyle change rather than as a ‘diet’. Find the healthiest versions of your favourite foods! 8. Do strength training and HIIT which will also help to boost your metabolism…..not just during workouts but for a long period of time afterwards.

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New review added to our website this morning - Well done Stephanie Campbell! Loving working with you - smashing it! "I can’t recommend Ambition Nutrition highly enough. This is my 2nd time at working with Julie and she is absolutely fantastic, totally keeping me on track and I love how personal she is with you, the attention to detail is amazing. Julie has changed my life for the better yet again. The first time I also achieved amazing results after losing over 12lbs & a lot of inches but as I was younger & less determined which made me fall back into old habits. I’m now back with Julie and have been for 9 weeks and already lost 10lbs & 16 inches, I’m really happy with my results and feeling a lot better about myself. I feel more fuller at meals times and my sugar cravings have disappeared, and not to mention how much more energy I have now. I definitely feel like I can maintain this way of living as it’s totally achievable unlike your fad diets. My brain seems to have reprogrammed its self to eating clean & wanting to exercise, I’m more determined than ever Thank you Ambition Nutrition for a 5 star service!!"

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