Answering your fitness questions - calorie intake, workout clothes, intermittent fasting and more

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Hey Guys!

First of all, I want to say a massive thank you if you are reading my blog, this post and any other posts I have done, I absolutely love it when you get in touch with me and tell me I am helping you on your fitness and health journeys! So please keep getting in touch, it truly makes my day and motivates me to continue to post for you guys.

I asked you all on my instagram stories last week if you had any fitness and health related questions for me that I would answer in my next blog. So I am posting this today. Usually I always post on Sunday evening and Wednesday’s however, this one is coming a bit late on Monday evening as I have been absolutely hectic this last week with moving house (you really never think about how time consuming it is, no matter how many times you move lol - or maybe thats just me, I will never learn). Anyway, I needed a break from unpacking so I thought I would sit down, go through a few your questions and answer them :)

1) Do you eat in a calorie deficit?

I eat in a tiny deficit. I am on a mini cut at the moment, so my goal is 1500 calories per day, but that is quite unrealistic for me to hit every day considering the amount I train. So currently - I sit between 1500-1900 calories every day I would say. However, I am not too hard on myself in a cut, I will only be eating like this for about 6 more weeks, and I always make sure once a week (last week it was more but life does just get in the way sometimes and thats okay), well usually once a week max, I will have a day when I do not track at all, I don’t go crazy, I am mindful of what I eat, but I’ll go out for dinner, have wine, have a dessert, just to keep me sane, and for me this makes the cut more sustainable.

Just a quick side note that I think is important when it comes to cutting: do not ever be hard on yourself if you go over on your calories one day. Thats why I think a range is better to stick to than an exact number, because if you go over the number by a tiny bit you may think to yourself “well f**k it I’ve stuffed up I may as well carry on eating”. This is not a good mind set, it is okay if you go over by a bit, the f**k it mind set will be what hinders your progress, not the couple of hundred calories you ate extra that day. Also if things happen that get in the way of your cut for the week, it doesn’t matter, you don’t need to start again - otherwise you will always be in week 1 and miserable. Just do a bit better and better each day, and I promise by the end, you will be in a different place physically and mentally. It doesn’t have to be as restrictive as people make out.

2) What are your top three activewear brands?

This is such a tricky one, number one has to be Gymshark, I just think they are so flattering and they definitely shape my body very well. However they are not durable and for the price they are, they don’t last long.

Second after Gymshark is sweaty betty, I love their stuff and it is such good quality, they have just released the cutest new leggings that I cant wait to get.

My third would have to be Lululemon, but they are actually so expensive for what they are and I just think personally Gymshark are a lot more flattering on me.

3) What are your thoughts on intermittent fasting?

If you are aiming to eat in a deficit, I think intermittent fasting is great. There is not anything particularly beneficial about it to be honest, the only thing is you are eating in a significantly smaller time frame, so evidently you will be eating less calories, therefore it is good for weight loss. But there is nothing special about it that actually promotes fat loss. With fat loss it is very simple, eat less, move more, in a sensible and sustainable way. Don’t starve yourself, just have a couple hundred less calories each day, aim for 10,000 steps, and exercise on top of this, and I promise you will see a difference. If having your first meal later in the day helps you keep your calories in a deficit then great, I am a big advocate for this, but please don’t wait till 12pm and then eat whatever you want plus and expect to lose weight from fasting, this will not work. It is the decrease in food consumption that makes a difference, not the time frame of eating.

4) What are some good healthy foods to eat on a budget?

Healthy food does not have to be expensive at all. To be honest, most of the expensive stuff is unnecessary in my opinion, it just tastes yummy, but we don’t need it.

Here is a list of what I think is essential on a healthy diet, and inexpensive

  • chicken

  • tinned tuna

  • salmon

  • turkey mince

  • spinach

  • broccoli

  • asparagus

  • lemons and limes

  • kale

  • green beans

  • mushrooms

  • sweet potato

  • pumpkin

  • rice

  • rolled oats

  • eggs

  • avocados

  • bananas

Here you have protein sources, carbohydrate sources, fat sources and micronutrient sources. All of these foods are actually nutrient dense, packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. The best advice when it comes to eating healthy on the cheap is to keep it simple, keep it fresh, and keep it whole foods.

5) Advice for gaining confidence in the weights area as a beginner?

I actually want to do a whole post dedicated to this so I wont go into too much detail. But I too often see too few fellow gals in the free weights area compared to guys, unless the girls are training with a PT. Girls please don’t be afraid! Weight training will transform your body, your mind and your soul, it is the best thing ever. My advice would be to watch some youtube videos, google certain exercises, stick to one area of the gym for your first few visits. For example you can do an entire workout just using dumbbells, you don’t even need a bench, or the cables, smith machine etc. And remember everyone is there to do their own thing, they are not even looking at you. If you need any help, or advice, you can also always message me! This is what I am here for, lets get some more girls into the weights area!

I feel like I ramble on way too much when it comes to questions so I am going to stop here otherwise this blog post will be miles long. But I hope you enjoyed and found something useful here.