The Importance Of Food Diaries

I make no bones about it. I am a strength and movement coach. I will coach you to move better, as you were designed to, and to become the strongest version of yourself. I am not a weight-loss coach. The reason? Weight-loss is your responsibility. I can control what you do in the gym, but only you can control what you consume. I will give you all the help you need to succeed, but ultimately it boils down to what you are prepared to do. So if weight-loss (read: fat-loss) is your goal, here are the two best things you can do to achieve your goal.

1 - Start keeping a food diary.

Simply keep a complete and accurate record of everything you consume. Then work out the calorie value and the macro-nutrient breakdown and you will know exactly what you are taking in.

WHAT YOU CONSUME = THE BODY YOU HAVE

You can work it out manually by looking up the calorie & macro values of the foods you've consumed, or use a smart phone app like MY FITNESS PAL which does it all for you. The important thing is to record everything you consume – eat, drink, snack – EVERYTHING.

2 – take accurate body measurements

This includes, but is not limited to, bodyweight. Take circumference measurements of your arms, waist, hips and thighs. If you can get a PT to measure your body fat percentage that will be good too.

Now most people THINK they know what they are consuming. The reality is they don't. Can you honestly say you know exactly how many calories you consumed last week? How much came from protein and how much came from carbohydrate? Unless you know those numbers, you just aren't in a good position to make effective changes. Going to the gym and cutting out crisps are good, but they are just a drop in the ocean if you are not tracking everything else.

I had a client that went from 21.15 stone to 11.81 stone, JUST BY CHANGING WHAT SHE ATE. She started keeping an accurate food diary, was blown away by the reality of what she thought “wasn't a bad diet”. She made the changes and voilà, she lost half her bodyweight. Now this didn't happen overnight. She went for the longest time fooling herself that she was eating healthy foods, and that she had portion size under control. When she finally started accurately recording her intake, she realised how unhealthy her food choices were, and how excessive her consumption was. She was now in a good position to recognise WHY she was overweight, and also in a good position to make some effective changes. Which she did.

Here is a quote from what she sent me:

“I don't really drink AT ALL now, I avoid grains, bread etc like the plague and try not to eat potatoes more than twice a week. Fresh fish and lots of veg is a big part of my 'new regime' now, the portion control was what I learned!!”

Do you want real results? You need to realise that YOU are in control of that. Only you can do it. Start keep a food diary. Yes it means a bit of effort, but that's what it takes to achieve what you want. Only once you know exactly what you're taking in can you make effective changes. If you need help making those changes, contact me to book a consultation and I will show you exactly what changes to make. So start the food diary, and be honest! Because you body keeps an accurate record of what you consume regardless of what you decide to write down.

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If you need help on how to make improvements in your diet, get in touch. Personal coaching can help you achieve the results you desire, as well as giving you the necessary effective tools you need to keep striving forwards, to keep changing and progressing on your journey.


Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer


Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.
Please visit my website: ALEXKAY

Understanding hormones

Growth hormone is extremely important because a lack of it will mean faster ageing. Your skin will sag faster, your joint health will deteriorate and your workout recovery will suck. Optimal levels of GH will mean you body will be primed to burn body fat, you will recover quickly, your joints won't ache and you'll sleep like a baby. Ways to ramp up your GH is to include high-intensity in your exercise, adequate levels of protein in your diet and at least 7 hours of regular, uninterrupted quality sleep every night.

Leptin is the hormone that tells your brain that you have eaten enough and are now full. If you eat too much junk, your body still produces leptin, but your brain becomes resistant to it and doesn't recognise it any-more, so you keep eating. Avoid junk food and typical problematic foods like dairy, wheat and soya, plus load up on greens like cucumber, celery and spinach for their alkalising effects.

Insulin goes up every time you eat (to lower blood sugar) and glucagon goes down (which counters insulin by raising blood sugar). Leaving longer periods between meals will help stabilise your blood sugar levels. If you're constantly producing too much insulin your body is primed to store body fat. The more often you eat the more reliant you become on those meals and skipping them means a drop in blood sugar, which means you get tired, lack concentration, blurred vision, etc. Unless you truly train like a beast, let genuine hunger dictate your meals and leave at least 4 hours between feeding.

Adrenaline receptors reside in our stubborn fat areas like the waist and hips. The more stress you place on your body, from poor diet and lack of quality sleep (which the body treats as 'famine' type stress), the more fat you will store in these areas, because it's easier for these receptors to pull energy from these areas. It is extremely important to eliminate or avoid stress in your lives, and if you cannot do that, find a way to counter the effects of stress – like meditation, going for massages, using a steam room, working with a foam roller, getting adequate sleep, etc. That way you keep your adrenaline sensitivity high so you're not overloaded with it and your stubborn areas won't be so fat.

The bottom line is simply doing a combination of the right things. Avoid eating and drinking junk, eat a nutritionally dense diet, avoid stress, get good quality sleep, exercise frequently with a good level of intensity. The combination is important! Do not think you can just exercise harder and it will make up for your short-comings elsewhere. If you are not eating right and not sleeping well, trust me, what you perceive to be intensity in your exercise is nowhere near intense. You will fatigue way before you get anywhere close to real intensity.

So do yourself a favour – eating a diet rich in good quality nutrients, decent levels of quality protein and plenty of greens, drink plenty of water, avoid the junk food and junk drinks (especially alcohol), go to bed at a decent hour, get rid of as much stress as you can and find ways to effectively deal with what remains. If you are doing those things, you are now in a good position to exercise and discover what your body is truly capable of!

If you have questions on how to make adjustments to your diet, creating an optimal sleep environment, counteracting stress on the body, and corrective exercise, contact me to arrange a consultation to get you back on track!

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If you need help on how to make improvements in your diet, get in touch. Personal coaching can help you achieve the results you desire, as well as giving you the necessary effective tools you need to keep striving forwards, to keep changing and progressing on your journey.


Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer


Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.
Please visit my website: ALEXKAY