Ah, Autumn. The leaves are turning yellow and covering the streets, the knitwear is starting to make a return in our wardrobes the night's are getting darker and the weather is getting slightly chilly and Starbucks bring back the oh-so Instagrammable Pumpkin spiced latte back to their menu, sounds cosy, right?
With Autumn comes a lot of sweet treats in the run up to the colder seasons and you start to stay indoors more rather than hitting your daily count step. In this blog post we will cover:
Hidden calories in food
Healthy alternatives
Tips and tricks to stay on track
The foods that are culprits for hiding calories
Flavoured hot drinks
When the colder weather comes it can become so easy to grab a takeaway coffee every morning on your way to work and explore the different flavourings of coffee.
Be mindful of which coffee option and snack you are choosing from the menu. Say for instance you're running late for work as you slept in (the morning's are dark, totally understandable!) and you need to grab a caffeine fix and some breakfast at your nearest coffee shop, let's say your nearest coffee shop is a Starbucks. . A Starbucks Pumpkin spice loaf Cake has 360 calories per slice and a Grande sized pumpkin spiced latte has a total of 390 calories bringing your total calorie intake from that quick drink and bite to eat was 750 calories which is quite a dent in your daily calorie intake, and it won't keep you energised for that long as the sugar rush will probably wear off by your 11am meeting.
Cakes & muffins
As we're indoors more in the colder months baking can become a great hobby to help pass the time. From an apple crumble to a chocolate cake, you'll soon become everyone's best friend!
Again, be conscious on your servings of cakes and muffins you are baking. A lot of recipes are based on a 'serves 12' portion so make sure when you are cutting slices and calculating your calorie intake that they are true to the serving suggestion.
Sauces, condiments and syrups
You've made yourself a high protein meal with plenty of leafy greens and vegetables, and then you go overboard on the sauces. Be aware that the calorie and nutritional content of sauces like Mayonnaise and salad dressing is usually for a table spoon or two, so instead of squirting sauce all over try and stick it to one side of the plate so you can get a proper measure for it.
Some of the calorific sauces and syrups to look out for are full fat mayonnaise, tartar sauce, ranch dressing and golden syrup.
Cheese and Cream Based Pastas
While a cheesy pasta is sometimes what you crave on a cold winter's night, it is not the kindest to your waistline or your calorie deficit. A typical creamy pasta dish can easily have almost 1,000 calories in it on it's own. It is essential to monitor your portion sizes and weigh up the macronutrients of your pasta dish to make sure you are either still in a deficit if you're looking to lose weight or within your maintenance calories.
Healthier and tasty alternatives
Protein and Seasonal Vegetables
You can still great the flavours of Autumn and still keep it tasty and nutritional and this starts with eating seasonally and eating the fruits and vegetables of the season. Choose lean protein such as chicken, fish or tofu if you're plant based and pile your plate with some colourful and tasty vegetables.
Some of the many seasonal vegetables in the UK in Autumn months are:
Pumpkin
Parsnip
Swede/turnips
Brocoli
Cabbage
Kale
Leeks
More information on eating seasonally can be found on the website Eat Seasonably so I recommend you adding this website to your favourites!
Swap your calorific pastas for soups and stews
Now you know what veggies are in season, it's time to hold off on that creamy pasta and turn your cravings to food that can be comforting and healthy. If you'e got spare vegetables or want something where you're looking to increase your veg intake I suggest recipes like casseroles, stews, soups or broths that are easy to make and affordable.
Flavoured Protein Bars and Powders
If you feel like you're missing out on the sweet taste of your Autumn flavours then take a look at some protein powders and protein bars that might satisfy your sweet tooth.
My favourite type of protein bars are from Grenade and are a great alternative for a cake or muffin with my morning coffee!
Sugar Free Syrups
And if you're still craving something sweet, then you can invest in a bottle of sugar free syrups that you can add to your coffee to keep the calories at bay. The Skinny Food Co have a range of sugar free syrups to add to your drinks ranging from vanilla to white chocolate flavours.
Low Calorie Hot Chocolates
If you've gotten this far down this blog post and it's a warm hot chocolate you crave then hold off on the Starbucks order just yet.
While a low calorie hot chocolate might come with cream and marshmallows that carry a lot of calories, they do still taste great and you can get a lot various flavoured hot chocolates from the Options range - where a mug of their lighter hot chocolate is only 40 calories per serving!
How to say no to temptation and staying on track
I can write as many blog posts on healthy snacking and alternatives, but only you can make the ultimate decision on what foods you put into your body. Unfortunately, I can't bottle up will power and give it out to my clients otherwise I'd be be on a Forbes rich list! I've got here some little bits of advice on how to say no to naughty foods and peer pressure
Remember why you are doing this
Everyone's reasons are different. For some of my clients, losing weight and transforming their.coaches it is for confidence, for others it is to improve mental wellbeing, and some clients want to do it for physical goals and results.
Make a note of your reason in you notes app in your phone, you can set a reminder in your phone to look at your goal every now and again or you can even set it as your screensaver which can help make you think about your choices more consciously.
Don't restrict yourself too much, moderate your treats
If you know that chocolate is your weakness, try not cut this out of your diet all together when you're starting off. I say this for numerous reasons.
Firstly, when you restrict yourself completely from the taste of things you love, you will start to crave those sweet things you are depriving yourself of and when you do break and read for the cookie jar, you're likely to binge and overdo it.
Secondly, you will start to hate the food you're eating because you're cutting out too much and you are not enjoying it. If you're someone who needs something with chocolate in everyday, then rather than cut this out completely start to look for healthy alternatives like a square of dark chocolate is a great alternative to milk chocolate.
Set yourself realistic goals to keep you motivated
In your first few weeks of your fitness and/or diet journey, start off with small goals to begin with rather than big, unrealistic goals.
For example, in your first initial weeks it could be to drink 2-3 litres of water everyday, hit your daily step count for 10 consecutive days or it could be to cut back on alcohol for a few weeks...which are all achievable in a short time frame.
Is it time to invest in a fitness coach?
if you feel like you're ready to make a commitment, push yourself and achieve your fitness goals then why not enquire about training with The Curve Coach? Simply hit the button below to answer some quick fire questions to enquire.
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