JO HAD “QUITE A HABIT” OF SNACKING

I reached out to Coach Jon because, though I was regularly going to the gym, I wasn’t seeing the results in the mirror that showed the work I was putting in at the gym.  Nutrition felt confusing, I didn’t know what to eat, or when, having heard so many conflicting ideas. The first thing that surprised me was how much support I got.  Maybe I was expecting someone to yell at me and slap the cookies out of my hand.  Over time, as I gained confidence, I realized that the baby steps that I was taking, they were starting to…

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ARGHH!! WHY CAN’T I DO WHAT I KNOW I SHOULD?!?

How do we change our eating, such that our habits support our goals, instead of sabotage them? How do we bridge the gap between what we know (eat healthy), and what we do (eat junk)? One choice, One meal, One day at a time, your health, physique and future is built. Here’s how I approach it: Instead of imagining every meal for the rest of my life, I focus on my next meal, and the choice I will make.E.g. I’m not giving up pizza for the rest of my life, I’m just making a different choice one time. That subtle…

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WEEKENDITIS: HOW NOT TO OVEREAT ON WEEKENDS

Are you 5 days “perfect” followed by 2 days of anything goes? When 5pm Friday rolls around, is it “party time with the pantry”, time to unwind with a few (dozen) beers or glasses of wine? “Oh, c’mon man, it’s the weekend, it’s meant to be enjoyed!” Friday is like the gateway drug to the weekend! And, perhaps you might even have a social circle that supports and encourages this type of behavior.  Whether it’s “wine o’ clock” with the girls, or beers with the boys, it’s pretty understandable why this happens. Modern life is stressful and often frustrating.  We…

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6 SIMPLE TRICKS TO BEAT MINDLESS EATING

How do you make “mindless snacking” MINDFUL? You interrupt it. Disrupt the “food trance”. When we’re not paying attention, we can graze our way through hundreds of calories of BLT’s (Bites, Licks and Tastes).  Why do we eat when we’re not hungry though? ​ (e.g. “I WANT FOOD, even though I don’t NEED food”) Why do we do this??  Here’s the 3 main reasons why: 1. “I need a ‘pick me up’” It’s mid-afternoon, and the slump just hit, but you still have work to do.  Cortisol dips between 1-3pm normally, which then creates cravings for something sweet.  If it’s…

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GOOD VS GOOD: THE REAL WEIGHT LOSS STORY

We often think of weight loss as “Good vs Evil” As in, Celery is “good” and donuts are “evil” or some variation of this. It’s not. More often than not, it’s “Good vs Good.” “Huh?” I hear you say Weight loss isn’t about trading bad for good. This is where many people get hung up. Let me explain: Eating chocolate when you’re sad or lonely isn’t “bad”. Having a few drinks with your friends to unwind after a long week isn’t “bad” When you’re sad, bored, stressed or lonely, it’s perceived as a problem. Eating chocolate temporarily solves a problem.…

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THE LAST MEAL PLAN YOU’LL EVER NEED

I don’t want to count calories”.  Ok cool, you don’t need to. “I don’t have time to cook healthy meals” Hold my coffee … People picture slaving away for 7 hours in the kitchen every Sunday, with stacks of tupperware containers, and think: ​”FORGET THAT, I’ll just eat out, it’s so much easier” Here’s how to make the most ridiculously simple and easy meal plan: PART I – PROTEIN (The centrepiece) Choose 4-5 proteins to make up this part; These will be your “go-to” sources most days (Here’s mine for example) 1. Tuna (cheap, already portioned) 2. Ground chicken/turkey (lean…

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PORTION CONTROL: WHY CALORIE COUNTING FAILS

Today we’re going to talk about Portion Control You should already have your welcome pack, and you should have read through it by now, and started to familiarize yourself with what appropriate portion sizes look like. Some of you, if you have a history of calorie counting or macro tracking might feel uncomfortable using an estimation mechanism such as this, if you’re used to trying to tightly control calories. Now, I’m going to let you in on a secret about calorie counting … It is TERRIBLY inaccurate.  Did you know that labelling guidelines allow stated calories to be +/-20%?  And then,…

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ARE YOU SAYING I CAN’T EAT COOKIES?

“I caved in last night, and I ate a batch of cookies I baked.  I know it’s not good, it’s just that, when my husband started eating them, I couldn’t resist.” ​In a situation like this, a really important question to ask yourself here, is, if you weren’t eating the cookies out of a physiological need (hunger), what need were the cookies meeting? A cookie is not a very satiating (physiologically satisfying) food.  But it is being eaten to meet a need. Now, there’s all kinds of potential emotions in play here. Jealousy/Envy (why does he/she get to and I don’t?); FOMO…

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