Reach Success Newsletter

Hi there.

First, apologies for the tardiness of September's Success Newsletter. It's been such a busy month but I've really enjoyed spending more time coaching Group PT, Bootcamps and getting to know some of you who I don't see very often.

Star of the Season

A big congratulations to Claire and Marie who are this season's Stars of the Season for May-August.

The Star of the Season award reflects at least 4 months hard work (in Claire's case, the best part of 12 months) because it's OK doing it for a few days or a couple of weeks but we hope and believe that the Reach Star of the Season recognises people who have made significant and exceptional progress over an extended period, in a way that reflects a long-term lifestyle change.

Both Marie and Claire thoroughly deserve the award and have put in a huge amount of effort inside and outside the Reach studio.

Well done!

Click the picture below or click here.

Food Variety vs Food Quantity

I see lots of coaches on Instagram saying they have a Freddo or a couple of Celebrations each day to keep them sane, so they don't feel deprived. They talk about not having an all-or-nothing approach and not excluding foods on a daily basis. I don't have an issue with this but what I do have an issue with is assuming that there is a "one size fits all" approach to nutrition. 

As I see it, you can pretty much break it down into two categories:

1. People who prefer to sacrifice a few calories each day in order to have a little bit of what they fancy.
2. People who prefer to use their calories to have as much food quantity as they can; even if that means that they have to limit more calorie-dense foods on a daily basis.

Guess, what...

In terms of body re-composition (fat loss and muscle building, AKA toning) it doesn't make any difference which of these you prefer! All that matters is that you hit your calorie and protein targets. 

If you have a large appetite then, in order to make decent progress, you'll have to go for food quantity and sacrifice the more calorie-dense stuff like biscuits, chocolate, pizza etc. 

If you have a smaller appetite and can nibble on some of the aforementioned goodies as well as the staples of the Reach nutrition plan (meat and veg etc.), and still stay within your calorie and protein targets, then go for it! 

BUT...If you have a large appetite AND want to eat the biscuits, chocolate and pizza then you'll either hit your calorie target very quickly and be starving or you'll blow your calorie targets and make bugger-all progress. In this case you'll need to choose between chocolate and progress (yeah I know, life's a bitch!). Either option is fine, as long as you're honest with yourself.

From a personal point of view, I am really good at eating. My whole family are good at eating. So if I eat junk then it's not just a nibble,  it's the whole kit and kaboodle - a KitKat, a Drifter, a raisin and biscuit Yorkie and probably two packets of Sensations. 

For me, I can't think of anything worse than just having a little bit each day. I'm not someone who needs or wants to have a little bit of everything on a daily bases so I don't feel deprived. If I can only have one tiny bit of chocolate then I DO feel deprived! 

Instead of having a little bit of what I fancy and not getting much food each day, I like to eat healthily with lots of nutrient dense, low calorie foods. A couple of Celebrations? I'd rather just not bother. It would just make me feel deprived because I can't have exactly what I want...half a box!

So, if I get that sugar craving after a meal I tend to have an options drink -it's not like I want to have 10 of them! Just the one is exactly what I want so that's perfect for me. 

If I have an occasional blowout then I feel absolutely no guilt at all. I don't feel depressed. I don't think it's harming my progress. Absolutely nothing! It works perfectly for me!

Take-home point

Do whatever works for you! If it's a Freddo, a couple of Celebrations or a small glass of wine to keep you on track then great!! If you'd rather not bother and maybe have a blowout every month, then great! Either of those is fine in terms of what works for you.

But remember, in terms of nutrition for weight loss, Calories are King! Do whatever you need to do to stay within them without feeling deprived, whether that's a daily treat or an occasional blowout. If you also want to "tone up" then you need to keep the protein high.

Just bear in mind that:

• An extra 200 calories every day (6000 a month) will stall your progress a lot more than a 1000 calorie blowout once a month. 
• A 6000 calorie blowout is probably taking the piss a bit too much!

If you need some help with the numbers for your nutrition plan, plus day-to-day coaching to help you see the woods for the trees then drop me a message and we can have a chat to see if the 1-2-1 Nutrition Coaching programme could work for you. You can also find more information here.

Reach Recipe Book: September

The Reach Recipe Book for September is now out. You can download it here.

Kind regards.

Danny Sroda 
Head of Client Services
Reach Personal Training
www.reachpersonaltraining.co.uk
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