Shedding weight and burning fat can be a tricky task, but one fitness guru has highlighted a common dietary blunder that could be hindering your progress.
Thomas Whitehead, a fat loss coach, regularly imparts his wisdom on food and fitness to his 41,200 Instagram followers. One of his recent videos, offering advice on how to stay on track with weight loss, was particularly well-received.
In the video, Thomas is seen sitting in front of seven stickers, each representing a day of the week. He explains: “On Monday, you have six biscuits with your cup of tea 400 calories. On Tuesday, it’s a harmless handful of nuts whilst you’re watching TV – 350 calories.”
He goes on: “Wednesday, you’re running late, so it’s a large Starbucks followed by a large croissant for breakfast 650 calories. On Thursday, you’re trying to be good, so you just go for some dried fruit, but you end up eating more than you want and it’s 350 calories.”
Moving onto Friday, he says: “You’re feeling a little frisky, so you have one glass of wine, it turns into the whole bottle, another 450 calories with your dinner. And because it’s the weekend, you’ve not been too bad with your diet, it’s a takeout with a milkshake followed by a little bit of ice cream.”
He concludes: “Now all of this food right here is 3,500 calories on top of what you’ve already eaten, which would be enough to gain one of these bad boys, a pound of fat.”
Thomas urged his followers not to miscons’true’ his advice as a blanket ban on certain foods, stating: “There’s a much better way to get results and have flexibility.”
He suggested a few healthier swaps like reducing biscuit intake from six to two on Monday, replacing Tuesday’s handful of nuts with air-popped popcorn, and opting for a skinny latte over a large white chocolate mocha on Wednesday.
On Thursday, he recommended swapping dried fruit for fresh alternatives like an apple, while Friday’s indulgence should be limited to just one glass of wine. In the caption accompanying his post, Thomas warned: “These ‘harmless’ little calories add up and could be the reason you’re struggling to see progress with your fat loss.”
He added: “Does that mean you have to cut out all of your favourite foods overnight? No – In fact, that’s probably the worst thing you can do if you haven’t learnt how to develop a healthier relationship with food.”
However, he encouraged smarter food choices for achieving a balance between enjoying food and seeing results.
His followers were quick to praise his practical advice, with hundreds liking his post. One fan commented: “Great video and use of props,” while another said: “This is a brilliant visual! It’s just as though you’ve been watching me all week. Really made me think! Thank you.”
Another added: “This is me! Then I wonder why I’ve gained weight, odd chicken nugget off the kids plate until I get my dinner.”