Sian Kennedy Nutrition Facts and Mythbusting
Alternatively you can watch this writeup via video at; https://youtu.be/g0rYPM_se0A
Hey there! My name is Sian (pronounced Sharn) and I am a qualified nutritionist specialising in
weight loss, muscle gain and digestive/gut health. I truly believe that our nutrition, mental health,
and exercise are the KEY factors in living a long and happy healthy life! Here, I will explain some basic nutrition principles, and bust some nutrition myths.
WHAT IS A NUTRITIONIST
As a nutritionist, I take a full health history, talk about what your goals are and use body composition analysis scales to determine where you’re at and what we need to do to get you to where you want to be. I use evidence based knowledge to tweak your nutrition plan, often by creating a customised meal plan and talking you through supplementation too. I explain every step of the way what we are doing as why, so that I can equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to understand how your body works and functions best!
UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION
Let’s go through some key concepts …
BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate – the number of calories a person burns at rest
Daily calorie intake = The number of calories one should consume to maintain BMR & lifestyle
1kg fat = 7700 calories
Many clients I see day to day UNDEREAT with good foods, leading them to binge and/or overindulge on bad foods as their bodies are craving essential nutrients. My aim then, is to show you how to eat the right amounts of the right foods to minimise cravings, fuel your body effectively, give you plenty of energy, but keep you in enough of a calorie deficit that you burn fat yet lose minimal muscle. We get told so many things it’s hard to know what’s right and what’s wrong, especially when it comes to weight loss or weight gain, everyone thinks they have the right answer! One minute we are told low fat, the next its low carb, then it changes all over again!
Let’s do some myth busting!
MYTHS
1) Eat less exercise more -is this right or wrong?
INCORRECT- this only works if your specific problem is over eating – and from my experience that’s rarely the case!
Exercising more may work for some but won’t work for others! As mentioned before, 1 kgs=7700 calories,that’s ALOT of exercise to burn that off through exercise alone! Your diet and training program need to be tailored to YOUR goals -which is why you lucky you are in the right place!
2) Low fat options are best for weight loss
INCORRECT – many low fat or skim options have added sugar ……sugar = stored fat!
3) Eating a balanced diet is the best way to lose weight
INCORRECT – in my experience as well! For person, whose body is in balance, a balanced diet is perfect to maintain where they are, but often, we need to temporarily tip the scale to achieve our desired result before entering a maintenance diet.
4) DONT EAT CARBS BEFORE BED
INCORRECT AGAIN!
If you eat carbs for breaky – you have energy for the afternoon, if you eat carbs for lunch…. you have energy by the time you go to bed, however if you have good clean unprocessed carbs at dinner, in a specific amount, it will give you energy for when you wake up in the morning!
5) Eating lots of fruit is good for weight loss
INCORRECT –
Fruit is high in fructose which is a sugar! Fruit should be limited to 1-2 serves a day of low fructose fruits such as citrus and berries. Another myth we hear is that to get results its 80% diet and 20% exercise…this one is up to you! The more you put in, the more you get out – to work this out I have a Goal Setting Formula we go through specifically to address this. To make the decision to commit to your plan, I have found it is a lot easier when you make a very conscious decision… which leads us onto our next topic.
THOUGHT PATTERNS
Now have a think about your goals, what is it you want to achieve? Be fitter, healthier, stronger, bigger, lose weight… whatever it is for YOU…
that’s your WHY…
that’s WHY you’re here…
that’s WHY you turn up to training,
that’s WHY you care about your nutrition!
Life is like an obstacle course.. whenever you have a plan ready to implement, life comes along and puts things in your way. How you navigate through this obstacle course is going to determine how successful you are. Obstacles can include, sickness, injury, events, birthdays, holidays.. they all seem to appear when you are about to embark on your health journey. Now whenever you are confronted with an obstacle, you have to make a decision how to get around it. To make this decision – I want you to ask yourself… is this going to get me closer to my goal. NO? Is it going to take me further away from my goal? If your answer is that it’s going to keep you stagnant or further away… maybe think twice! Once you practice this thought pattern enough it will become habit!
Will power requires training just like you cardio fitness & strength – think of it like a muscle! The more you exercise it the stronger it gets! Saying no is REALLY HARD! Let’s use an example, my friend and I, let’s call her Jenny… go out to dinner. I decide to have a massive creamy carbonara and a glassof coke. Jenny decidesto have a nice rump steak with sweet potato and mixed vegetables and a glass of water.
Now does that make me unhealthy in that moment? Does is make Jenny healthy in that moment? NO! But if EVERYTIME we went out, I ordered a massive high carb, high fat, high calorie meal, and Jenny orders a nice clean protein, good source of carbs and vitamins and minerals from the veggies, imagine in a years’ time the difference in our health? I would have consumed an extra 100+g of carbs each meal than Jenny…. She would have a much higher chance of reaching her goal than me! So, if you make that conscious decision, EVERY time… you will have a better chance of making the RIGHT decision for YOUR goals!
The next step is learning to say NO, THANK YOU It can be hard, when you are out with a friend who keeps asking if you would like a glass of wine, or chocolate, or one of their super delicious homemade cookies or even out at a work function! You don’t want to be rude do you? But think of this. If you say yes please…will they ask you again next
time? Of course they will! But if you say no…They are going to think twice! And do you know what? Every time you say NO THANK YOU, it’s easier to say no again next time, you literally DOUBLE your will power! But when you say yes please… it’s so easy to say yes again next time, you lose all that willpower you had before!Friends and family can sometimes be the worst at this! “Are you SURE you don’t want some cheese and crackers? Are you SURE?” Be confident, be in control. Yes you’re sure, because you are sure you want to reach your goal! And do you know what can happen from there? They might say –
“oh what are you doing?” and you reply with “Well I’m training really hard at EatRunLift, doing an 8-week challenge, and I have a personalised meal plan from this awesome nutritionist called Sian that’s super flexible and easy to fit into my lifestyle and it’s really helping me get closer to my goals you should check it out some time!”
You could change their life and inspire them as well…. once you get that ball rolling so many things fall in to place.
SKILLS
What are some skills you think you need to have to train hard and keep you diet good? Preparation? Motivation? Endurance? Consistency? Commitment? Dedication? How valuable are those skills in the rest of your life? In your job?
Once you ace them in one area of your life…. It is so easy for that ripple effect to spread…. And these skills become a part of EVERYTHING you do!
Something to think about 🙂
If you have any questions you can contact me anytime at
info@myanytimenutrition.com
Instagram: my_anytime_nutritionist
