Lipsticks & Celery Sticks

Food for thought... Although scoffing a salad may not stimulate our senses on the same scale as tucking into a tasty treat, it's not uncommon for 'healthier' food sources such as fruit and vegetables to initially taste less flavoursome (and their texture feel less favourable) in comparison to processed products such as cakes, crisps and convenience cuisine e.g.ready made meals. Despite this distinct taste (and texture) difference being partly due to our psychological perception of 'healthy' foods - we've learnt to associate food sources such as fruit and vegetables with dieting and deprivation and are therefore less likely to eat, enjoy and/or appreciate their natural flavour/s as much as cakes and confectionery - it also regularly occurs as a result of the substantial amount of seasoning (and sweetening) that's added to highly processed and palatable foods - this means that our taste buds will take time to adapt to (and appreciate!) foods that haven...

Top weight loss tip of the day... Opt for the occasional overindulgence as opposed to persistently picking at palatable foods. Although 'picking' at palatable food sources may seem like a sensible solution to shrinking our silhouettes (many slimmers satisfy their sweet tooth with a tiny taste of their favoured food/s in fear of 'failing' to fight the flab), regularly resorting to this inappropriate action can not only see us consuming more  calories, salt, sugar, fat and saturated fat than if we were to opt for the occasional overindulgence (all those mini munchies can quickly add up and create the energy imbalance that commonly causes weight gain!), but it can also diminish our determination to lead a healthier lifestyle (and drop a dress size!) by leaving us more likely to feel like we're dedicating every ounce of energy to a diet that deprives us of delicious desserts - this is predominantly due to the fact that limiting ourselves to tiny tastes of our favo...

Dieting downfall... What: weekends. Why: aside from (potentially) super sizing our silhouettes by leaving us susceptible to succumbing to the peer pressure that stems from socialising (think failing to tame the temptation to tuck into a takeaway and/or downing one too many alcoholic drinks with family and friends), weekends can also widen our waistlines as a result of reinforcing the Monday mindset - this is the mindset that's often triggered when we consciously convince ourselves that we 'deserve' to ditch our healthier diet in favour of feasting on flavoursome foods (and fluids!) after 'watching our weight' all week, and is regularly responsible for fuelling the toxic ''I'll start again on Monday'' theory that commonly creates the chronic diet/binge cycle. Ditch this dieting downfall by: sustaining the self-control to make sensible swaps. Although the shunning of social shindigs may seem like a sensible solution to shrinking your silho...

Top weight loss tip of the day... Say no to seasonal sweet treats in November. Although we're all susceptible to splashing the cash on super sized tubs of seasonal sweet treats in November (we're talking Christmas classics such as Quality Street!), this avoidable action often results in the average adult chomping their chocolates before Christmas prior to purchasing another tub (or two!) in time for their festive feast - a toxic combination that can contribute to the 6lbs* of additional weight that the average Brit accumulates over the festive season.  www.twitter.com/celerylips

In the news... A recent study shows that Starbucks festive frappuccinos contain a staggering 68.5g* of sugar. Although sipping (or scoffing!) the occasional sugary source of fluid won't hinder our healthier habits, frequently 'treating' ourselves to one of Starbuck's festive frappuccinos over the Christmas period can see both our sugar (a 24oz venti iced gingerbread frappuccino contains a shocking 79g of the sweet stuff) and caloric consumption soar considerably (a venti eggnog latte contains a colossal 590 calories per 20oz serving). This can not only leave us consuming more than double our daily recommended sugar intake (those aged 11 and over should consume no more than 30g a day), but predisposed to piling on the pounds as a result of an over consumption of calories - this is predominantly due to the fact that the average festive frappuccino's calorie content is the equivalent to a main meal, and is consumed during a time of overindulgence.  www.twitter....

Food for thought... Insufficient sleep is a core culprit responsible for supersizing our silhouettes. Aside from being linked to lower levels of leptin (the hormone that decreases appetite) and higher levels of ghrelin (the 'hunger hormone' that increases appetite), insufficient sleep can also supersize our silhouette by leaving us less likely to eat well and exercise. This is predominantly due to the fact that we lack the energy and enthusiasm to lead a healthier lifestyle when we feel sluggish as a result of insufficient and/or interrupted sleep, and often crave and consume calorific foods that are sweet in flavour when we feel fatigued, an action that can lead to additional weight gain if we chronically consume more calories than we're eliminating via exercise, activity and the maintenance of fundamental bodily functions. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Food for thought... The average dieter will pile on the pounds post weight loss. Although dedicating every ounce of energy to a calorie controlled diet may effectively eliminate excess weight, many slimmers remain predisposed to piling on the pounds post weight loss as a result of resorting back to their unhealthy eating habits. This is partly due to the drastic demands of dictating diets (think an extreme eating regime that can only be sustained in the short-term), but predominantly due to the fact that diets fail to teach us how to create a long-term lifestyle change that tackles and transforms the physical (our environment), psychological (the root reason/s why we eat and overeat) and physiological (how to sense our natural satiety signals and hunger cues) side of overweight and obesity - areas that can only be adapted when we address weight loss from all  angles. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Food for thought... The manipulative 'motivational' motto ''nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'' fails to highlight that for the majority of slimmers, the reality of this toxic saying not only resembles a chronic feeling of physical and psychological fatigue, coldness, cravings and uncontrollable hunger (etc) as a result of being underweight, but that in order for them to sustain their 'smaller' silhouette, they must dedicate every ounce of energy to the detrimental diets and 'detoxes' that leave them feeling depressed, deprived and desperate to diminish their disordered relationship with food. www.twitter.com/celerylips

Dieting downfall... What: snacking. Why: although structured snacking may play a predominant part in successful weight loss, it can also leave us predisposed to piling on the pounds if we fail to pin point precise portions of certain food sources and/or chronically make poor food choices. Diminish this dieting downfall by: combining planning and preparation with portion control. Aside from taking the time to plan and/or prepare sensible snacks in advance - an action that can reduce the risk of overeating as a result of making poor food choices (think calorie dense/nutrient deficient nibbles that are sweet, speedy and solely satisfying on a psychological scale) - measuring certain munchies e.g.nuts, seeds and spreads, will ensure that we avoid eating the excess energy that can have a negative affect on the elimination of excess weight - this is predominantly due to the fact that these particular food sources can contain a colossal amount of calories per 30g (nuts and seeds) and...