Tash, I don’t understand I barely eat throughout the day
Tash I don’t understand why my weight doesn’t drop
Tash, I don’t even eat big meals
These are frequent comments I hear before a client signs up and I already know within five minutes of meeting them where they are going wrong. Yes, there are a variety of reasons why someone is unable to drop weight, but today’s post is about all those hidden calories that you never knew existed. In your head, you are still questioning yourself repeatedly how and why an earth those pounds are not shifting on the scales, leading to more and more frustration and less and less motivation. One reason could be that you are actually consuming more calories than you believe to be and that’s not really any fault of your own. Maybe you’ve never actually tracked your food properly, maybe you have no idea what your dieting calories are.
The truth is, you’ll never really know how many calories you’re consuming unless you log and weigh your foods consistently for at least a week-you may even be shocked. These are just a few examples of common food types that you probably wouldn’t even realise is adding even more calories to your meals. Let’s begin.
ALCOHOL I recently did a post on alcohol and the amount of calories in certain drinks and their food equivalents. If you are a frequent drinker, do remember there are 7calories in just 1g of alcohol. Drinking in excess is so much easier to do than binging on crisps and biscuits, probably because it is socially acceptable and it is easily done without giving it a second thought. Imagine you’re with your bestie having a catchup and time flies by and you’ve had 3 glasses of wine-that is 369calories! To put it in perspective, 369calories is equivalent to my breakfast I had today: 1 bagel thin, 2 large fried eggs, handful of spinach and 48g of smoked salmon! Beer lovers, 2 pints alone are 420calories - 2 original glazed Krispy Kremes are less calories! (380).
OILS/BUTTERS How many times have you subconsciously added oil (shitloads) to your frying pan or ‘drizzled’ what you think is a teaspoon over a nice salad? Believe it or not, 1 teaspoon alone is 42 calories with 4.7g of fat. You might be someone that fries all day: fries your eggs in the morning, your chicken at lunch, or has more oil over your salad at dinner. These all rack up so if you’re having 3 tsp a day, over the course of the week you have consumed 882 calories just in oil! You are better off getting the 1cal spray oil to lessen unnecessary calories to your meals. Butter as a fat is similar. You may add it to your bread, your eggs, your mash potato or even your veg. 10g which is barely anything is 66calories and is 7g of fat.
SAUCES-MAYO, KETCHUP, BBQ SAUCES, SOY SAUCE ETC Don’t get me wrong, I love sauces. They make every meal taste so much better. But, it is important to be aware that especially if you’re not getting the less sugar or lighter options, you are heavily increasing calories to your meal. 1 tbsp of mayo is 100cals. Ketchup is nowhere near as bad and only 10calories per tbsp. BBQ sauce is probably my favourite and I can’t have my burgers without it! My favourite brand is Kansas BBQ sauce and a small 25g portion is 37calories. Amoy Soy sauce is super tasty to add to stir fries but in just 3 tbsp there are still 53 calories and over 12g of carbs.
FIZZY DRINKS AND SQUASH/FRUIT JUICE (NOT SUGAR FREE) I recently did a post on sugar free sodas so this isn’t a debate on how bad those are. What is unbelievable is the amount of calories in a non sugar free beverage. 1 can of Coca Cola is 123calories, 1 can of lemonade is 134calories and 1 bottle of Lucozade is 141calories - equivalent to eating 8 digestive biscuits! (I know what I’d prefer!) Guys, trust me, lower your calorie intake and just opt for the sugar free.
MILK IN TEAS/ COFFEES So, if you’re having a few of these beverages a day you are racking up calories without even realising. 93 calories in a Costa Cappuccino, 111 calories in a Costa Latte, not to mention if you think you’re having a healthier option, a skinny vanilla latte is still 125calories (3 Rich Tea biscuits are less!). Costa Hot Chocolate alone is 378 calories (1 Original glazed Krispey Kreme is less -200 calories). If you are having more than 2 a week of any of these, you can imagine how many calories you are using up. You are best opting for a flat white if you want something milky and you maybe should opt for dairy free alternatives like almond or oat milk as they have lower calories than normal milks.
SUGAR There is approximately 32 calories in a teaspoon of sugar. While that doesn’t seem a lot, imagine you are having x2 a day in teas or coffees. Over the week you have consumed an extra 224calories just in drinks! Trust me, just opt for 0 calorie sweetener instead.
EATING OUT Tash, all I had was the chicken and salad and my weight still went up! You can lie to yourself all you want that you went for the healthiest option but especially when going Greek or Turkish, although you’ve just had the chicken shish, the yoghurts, sauces, salt and oils that they have you used it to make it taste so divine is crazy! That doesn’t even include whatever they’ve put on the salad to make it so good. My weight always increases by at least 2lbs when I go out for dinner and it is all those hidden calories you don’t know about, as well as the water retention levels caused by the high sodium. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about that. Do what I do; save yourself room/ calories for a meal out if you want to at least maintain your current weight. But of course, enjoy yourself too, eating out after all is an enjoyable experience but if you’re constantly feeling guilt or moaning about your weight increase then it might be an idea to minimise it.
Remember guys, opt for the simple swaps if you’re wanting to lower your calories. It is all about your output too, so if you’re sedentary and you’re still eating loads of calories then you’re not getting anywhere.
Furthermore, all of these calories when stood alone may not seem a lot. However, if in a week you are having loads of oils, a few coffees before work or added sauces daily then maybe these in unison are a reason why your weight isn’t dropping.
Do you need accountability or guidance on nutrition because you’re not getting anywhere by yourself? Then DM to start changing to good habits!
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