How exercise can sabotage weight loss success...

Food for thought: exercise does not resemble a reason to consume crap.

Although exercise may be renowned for its ability to increase appetite, this doesn't resemble a reason to resort to (or 'reward' ourselves with) the treats and takeaways that tighten our trousers, an action that the average dieter is guilty of!

In order to highlight how tucking into a feast of food after a fitness class can contribute to an over consumption of calories - the calories that we need to cut to effectively eliminate excess weight - we're sharing our top three reasons why what (and how much!) we choose to consume post workout can stop or stall weight loss...

1.The energy burn that's emphasised on exercise equipment (and activity trackers!) is an exaggerated estimate - this fools many fitness fanatics into thinking that they've eliminated (and can eat!) an excessive amount of energy, when in reality, they've only 'cancelled out' the calories in a packet of crisps.

The result: we fail to create the energy balance that's essential for the effective elimination of excess weight i.e.we continue to consume more calories than we're eliminating via exercise, activity and the maintenance of basic bodily functions.

2.Many slimmers have a tendency to tuck into calorific food sources such as sweet treats and takeaways after a tough training session, partly because they're convenient, but predominantly because they've developed the psychological perception that they've 'earned' them through exercise.

The result: we increase our overall intake of the excess energy, salt, sugar and/or saturated fat that can cause, and contribute to, a multitude of health complications such as overweight and obesity (excess energy), hypertension (salt), dental decay (sugar) and heart disease (saturated fat).

3.The 'insatiable' appetite that's associated with an increase in activity is often satisfied with super sized servings of food and/or fluid, or healthy and/or unhealthy sources of nutrition - the latter being extremely energy dense (and nutrient deficient) per portion. 

The result: our inability to achieve (and maintain) a caloric deficit i.e.we fail to consume fewer calories from food and fluid than we eliminate via exercise, activity and the maintenance of basic bodily functions, stops or stalls weight loss as a result of our chronic over consumption of calories.

Final thought: failing to fuel our body and brain with a healthy, balanced diet can not only affect our performance when participating in physical activity, but it can also affect the results that we reap from a regular exercise regime - particularly if we're working towards weight loss. By consuming a diet that's predominantly derived from a variety of nutrient dense food sources such as complex carbohydrates (wholegrains), lean protein (skinless chicken) and healthy fats (unsalted nuts, seeds and avocados), we're much more likely to sustain sensible snack and meal swaps, and feel fuelled and focused, as opposed to famished and fatigued - the latter often intensifying the insatiable appetite that's associated with increased activity. 

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