It might seem like a chore, but tracking everything you eat and drink is a surefire way to make you more aware of what you eating. And when you’re more aware of what you’re eating, you can start to make the changes that will lead to weight loss.

Why should I track what I eat?

One of the first bits of advice usually given to anyone who wants to lose weight is to keep a food diary. Whether it’s online, on your phone, or with good old-fashioned paper and pen, making a note of everything you eat and drink is an important first step in changing your eating habits. But why does it work so well for weight loss?

It makes you aware of what you eat

It may sound obvious, but one of the main reasons food tracking works is because it makes you fully aware of what you eat in a day. If you’re the type of person to sneak a snack here and there, it’s easy to overlook this when thinking about what you eat.

But these little extras can soon add up, meaning you could be consuming hundreds of extra calories you’re not even fully aware of. When you’re tracking what you eat, you’ve got no choice but to own up to the trip to the office biscuit tin or finishing off the cold fish fingers left on your kid’s plate, keeping yourself accountable.

It’ll help you see where you can make changes

If you’re keeping a food diary but you’re gaining weight, being able to look back at what you’ve eaten over the week is a brilliant tool for figuring out what healthy changes you can make.

Look for anything that stands out for adding unnecessary calories and come up with a plan for reducing them.

For example, if you’re eating too many takeaways, find recipes for your favourite dishes and make them at home. If you’re having a few too many beers, pledge to cut down or switch for lower-calorie alcohol options like spirits. If you’re falling victim to high calorie coffee shop drinks, invest in a travel coffee mug and make your own at home, or swap milky lattes for a black coffee. Being able to chart this in a food diary is a great step to lasting change.

It’ll help others help you

It’s so easy to underestimate what we’re eating, especially when we’re describing our eating to other people. But if you want your MAN v FAT Rugby coach to help you figure out why you’re not losing weight, it’s important to be honest about what you’re eating. If you want to know whether you’re on the right track, ask your coach to have a quick look. If you’re using MyFitnessPal, you can also send them the link to your food diary.

A food diary is an easy way for them to see where you can make improvements, and a fresh pair of eyes on what you eat can identify unhelpful eating habits and give you new ideas for making healthier choices.

How to track your food

There are loads of phone apps that make food tracking easy – one of the most popular is MyFitnessPal (free and paid membership available), and Nutracheck (paid with a 7 day free trial) is another good one that’s UK-focused.

You could also scribble down what you eat in a notebook, or in your phone’s Notes app. You could even take pictures of your meals for a visual reminder.

Whichever way you do it, the most important thing is to be honest with yourself, and don’t forget about things like condiments and drinks, which are commonly forgotten about.

There’s a minefield of misinformation when it comes to diets and losing weight. Let’s help you navigate your way with the science behind weight loss.

Fat figures

A whopping 1 in 4 people in England now classified as obese, compared with 1 in 6 in the 1990s. 68% of men in England are now overweight too.

We know that being overweight makes us less healthy. A study published in Lancet Public Health shows a clear relationship between hospital admissions and body weight. But it also matters because being overweight makes many people unhappy.

A British Social Attitudes survey revealed that people who are overweight suffer significant stigma, and that 53% of the British public believe that most overweight people could lose weight if they tried. But the science shows that it’s not simply a matter of being weak-willed.

What’s the best diet, according to science?

When it comes down to it, the science of dieting is simple: eat fewer calories than you burn. You can do it with a low-fat diet (like the raw food diet), or a low-carb diet (like the Atkins or paleo diet). But the problem with diets is not so much losing weight, but finding a way that your weight doesn’t rocket up again the minute you stop dieting.

The best diet according to all the science and research is one that is effective, sustainable, safe and fits in with your lifestyle.

Verdict: Try a supervised diet programme to help you make lifestyle changes you can sustain and that will help you safely shed excess weight.

Do crash diets work?

Advice from the NHS is that “crash diets make you feel very unwell and unable to function properly… crash diets can lead to long-term poor health”.

The thing is, maintaining a healthy nutritional balance while restricting yourself massively can be a problem.

You might lose weight rapidly, but you’ll pile it back on equally fast when you return to a realistic eating pattern. Don’t starve yourself! Feeling full is key to successful weight loss efforts. Your brain responds to hormones and nutrients that are released from your gut into your blood. Eating a diet high in protein will help you feel fuller for longer, which helps your weight loss efforts as protein takes longer for your body to breakdown.

Verdict: Crash diets aren’t nutritionally balanced and will make you feel awful.

Do intermittent fasting diets work?

Intermittent fasting diets like the 5:2 diet are very popular. This is where you eat what you want some days a week and then eat very little on other days, typically fasting until a certain time of day. There’s no research to say it’s dangerous, and over the course of the week you will reduce the calories you’re consuming, but it might not be the right fit for you. There are other ways to do it that might be more sustainable for you and lead to overall healthier, balanced eating.

Verdict: Intermittent fasting is no more effective than other calorie-restricted diets, but if it fits in with your lifestyle it can be a good choice. Just take care to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs.

Can you be fat and fit?

This interesting question has been all the rage for the past few decades. In the UK, the general belief is that food intake is more important than exercise for losing weight.

A recent study of 3.5 million GP records by the University of Birmingham found that ‘healthy’ obese people, who had normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, were still at higher risk of serious disease than healthy people of normal weight. The obese people had 49% increased risk of coronary heart disease, 7% increased risk of stroke, and 96% increased risk of heart failure.

Verdict: Obese people with healthy blood pressure and cholesterol still have an increased risk of heart problems and strokes.

When you’re trying to lose weight, calorie counting is a great way to do it. But even so, it can feel daunting to figure out where you can cut cals in your diet. That’s why we like these switches – ways to cut calories without any of the effort.

Skip the butter

It’s delicious, but you don’t need to add butter to everything. Buttery toast is one of life’s little joys, but sometimes butter is completely masked by other flavors, and it’s in these cases you should consider skipping it. A tbsp of butter is 100 calories, which is a significant saving if you’re not tasting it.

…Or find an alternative

Ok, so sometimes butter is needed. Sandwiches, for example, are pretty dry without it, but you could use mashed avocado for a creamy alternative.

The calories in avocado can be high depending on how much you use, but avocados have other great things going for them, making them a perfect alternative to butter:

• High in omega 3
• High in monounsaturated fatty acids (that’s the good kind)
• High in potassium
• Shown to lower cholesterol levels

You could also go for hummus, coconut oil, or nut butter, but be sure to check the calories and keep an eye on how much you use.

Change up the takeout coffees

If you’re a Starbucks or Costa fan, your daily caffeine fix can come with a huge calorie price tag. We’re not saying you should stop treating yourself to coffees, rather be mindful of what you’re ordering.

A Starbucks grande white chocolate mocha, for example, is 345 calories. You could lower the calories by switching to a smaller size (a tall is 265 calories), or go for one of Starbucks’ lower-calorie options: a tall skinny vanilla latte (that’s a latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup and skimmed milk) is 107 calories (and a grande is 151 calories).

…And reduce your liquid calories

Put down the fruit juices and smoothies – they’re full of sugar and high in calories. If you love a glass of OJ, eat an actual orange instead for the added fiber bonus. Cut down on alcohol too, as it’s generally very high in calories.

You know soda isn’t the greatest choice, but sometimes it’s hard to beat. We get it. But one 330ml can of Coca-Cola is 139 calories, so keep them as the occasional treat, or switch to Coke Zero, which is (as you may have guessed), 0 calories. Does it taste the same? No, not really, but it’s still crisp and refreshing, and if you can get used to it as an alternative you could potentially save hundreds of calories a day (depending on how much Coke you drink, of course).

Spray your oil

Oil is very high in calories, so you’re probably already aware that you should use it sparingly. Still, sometimes you do need oil when cooking. Spray oil, also called cooking spray, is really low in calories (Frylight is ‘0 calories’ per ¼ second spray, although obviously if you spray more than that the calories are going to go up) and it’s an easy way to control how much oil you use.

Make your own sauces

Jarred sauces are super easy, but they can be high in calories. Sacla’s mascarpone and tomato pasta sauce is 159 calories per serving, which feels like a lot when you could make a simple sauce (tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil) with fewer calories, and add in some mascarpone according to how many calories you’ve got spare.

Spotlight vegetables

You don’t need to replace spaghetti with zoodles (that’s noodle-shaped courgette) or to start grating cauliflower to use in place of rice – although if you do want to do that, go for it.

No, we’re just recommending that you start filling half your plate with vegetables before you add anything else. That’s it! This small change can make a big difference to the calories on your plate, as you cut down on the how much starchy carbs you have.

Keep easy-serve bags of vegetables in the freezer which you can use to easily bulk out meals.

You know you should be drinking enough water, but exactly how much is that?

The Eatwell Guide recommends we drink 6-8 glasses of fluid each day. It’s not just water, low fat milk, sugar free drinks, tea and coffee count too. Remember, it’s a guideline so it varies according to weight, lifestyle and activity level. If you’re more active, you’ll need to drink more.

Water makes up a whopping 60% of your body and it’s lost through sweating, peeing and even breathing. Being hydrated benefits your digestion, circulation and complexion. Fats are more easily broken down and converted into energy by a hydrated body, even more reason to find a way to keep hydrated.

Top tip: Often we feel hungry when we’re actually thirsty. If you’re feeling a little peckish, try drinking a large glass of water and then see how you feel. This can cut a snack or binge session off at the pass.

How do you know if you’re dehydrated?

Symptoms of mild dehydration include thirst, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and cramps. We don’t need to explain how that can impact your potential on the pitch.

Severe dehydration can lead to dry skin and lips, sunken eyes, fainting spells, rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing. You’re also more likely to get dehydrated more quickly if you’ve got diabetes, it’s a hot day, or if you’ve sweated a lot.

Can you drink too much?

As with most things in life, you can overdo it. Water intoxication (hyponatremia) is a thing, albeit a rare thing.

Drinking vast amounts too quickly leads to an abnormally low concentration of sodium in the bloodstream. This damages the kidneys and liver and can even be fatal. It’s very rare and you’d have to drink an absolutely huge volume of water, but it’s worth knowing about.

Regular glasses or bottles of water throughout your waking hours won’t put you in the danger zone, just don’t down 4 litres of water in one go.

Starting to drink more water will make you pee a lot, especially if you’re not used to drinking enough. And that’s okay – although it is a little annoying, we’ll give you that.

How do I know if I’m hydrated?

Check your pee. If urine is a pale yellow and you’re peeing frequently, you’re hydrated.
If it’s a darker colour or you’ve not been for a few hours, fill that glass up and get sipping.

It’s nerve-racking turning up to something new, so you’d be forgiven for feeling a little anxious about your first MAN v FAT Rugby session. But we’ve got your back – and here’s why you don’t need to worry.

I’ll stick out like a sore thumb

You might think this, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Remember, every guy at your MAN v FAT Rugby club is in the same boat as you: everyone wants to lose weight and get healthier. Besides, you can guarantee that you’ll receive a warm welcome from your coach, and by the end of the session we reckon you’ll be revelling in your team’s camaraderie.

What if no one talks to me?

We’ve all had this worry at some point, and it can be especially worrying if you’re naturally a bit of an introvert. But there’s never been a better place to strike up a conversation – you know you’ve got at least two things in common (rugby, and wanting to lose weight), so you’ve instantly got an in. Be bold and say hi!

What if I’m awful at rugby?

Want to lose weight? Good. Like rugby? Great. That’s literally all that matters. No one’s going to judge you on your fitness level or rugby skill. We’ve got guys on MAN v FAT Football leagues who are surprised they can even kick a ball, and it doesn’t hold them back in the slightest.

The important thing is that you turn up, try your best, and support your teammates.

You’ve probably heard that you should be getting 10k steps a day, but where did this number come from, and does it have any basis in science?

Setting yourself a target to reach 10,000 steps a day started as a marketing effort, created by a Japanese company selling pedometers in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. A genius move if you ask us. The company’s pedometers, called manpo-kei (which means ’10,000 steps meter’ in Japanese), were a huge hit and did a lot to get the Japanese public more active.

But why has this 10k target endured? Well, the original marketing campaign was created because doctors were concerned about low levels of activity among Japanese people, and the push to 10k steps definitely helped improve activity levels, and so it stuck.

It’s not so much that 10,000 is a magic number, more that having a goal to work towards helps to get us more active. Even if you don’t manage to get to 10k, something is better than nothing.

How to get 10,000 steps a day

If it feels like a difficult target, start small. Rule number 1? Get up! You could go for a quick walk before breakfast, explore a local park at the weekend, and if you work at a desk, you could get up for a walk each hour for 5-10 minutes.

Of course, it might not be easy for you to go for a walk, depending on where you live. If you’ve not got many good walking options around, you could always get your steps in on a treadmill.

Walking pads are popular right now because they’re cheaper and tend to be easier to store than treadmills – if you work from home, consider investing in a standing desk and walking pad to really get your step count up.

There are also workout videos on YouTube that help you increase your step count by walking in place at home.

Track your steps using your smartphone (many have a built-in pedometer, or you can download dedicated pedometer apps), or consider buying a smartwatch like a Fitbit, Samsung Watch, or Apple Watch.

Don’t forget that every small effort adds up over time. Even just taking the stairs instead of the lift and parking further away from the shop entrance and walking across the car park can have an impact on your activity levels.

The benefits of walking

Studies have shown that walking can have a significant impact on your health, including reducing blood pressure and improving glucose levels. Walking outside has also been shown to have a positive effect on mental health.

What if I can’t reach 10,000 steps a day?

If you find it difficult to reach 10,000 steps a day, don’t worry. Like we said, it’s not a magic number and there are many other ways to get active that will burn the same number of calories and have the same impact on your weight loss.

Any increase on what you were doing before is worth celebrating, though, so don’t let that 10k target intimidate you into inaction.

If you’re dining out, but feel in the dark about what the healthiest choices are, go in prepared with our guide to decoding restaurant menus.

Eating out can be a minefield when you’re trying to lose weight. Even when you’ve seen the menu beforehand, it can be hard to figure out dishes are a healthy option and what’s deep fried and swimming in grease.

If you learn the lingo, you’ll be much more likely to make better choices. Here are what some common menu terms mean.

Sauces

Sauces that are made with butter and cream are going to be higher in calories than those that are tomato-based. Examples of butter-based sauces include béchamel sauce, béarnaise sauce and hollandaise sauce. Tomato-based sauces include puttanesca sauce, marinara and arrabbiata. If you are going to have a buttery sauce or a dressing, ask for it on the side so you can control exactly how much you have.

Ways of describing dishes

• Basted – food that has had fat or oil poured over it while cooking, typically seen with meat.
• Battered – food that is coated in batter and deep-fried.
• Braised – food that’s cooked slowly, first in oil and then in liquid.
• Breaded – food that’s covered in breadcrumbs and fried. Breaded is usually a better choice than battered but may still be deep fried.
• Creamed – food that’s cooked with plenty of cream
• Crispy – usually means fried.
• Crunchy – fried, unless it’s vegetables, in which case they’ll be raw.
• Flambéed – food that’s covered with alcohol and then set alight. Like a Christmas pud set alight with brandy.
• Glazed – food that has been brushed with a sticky coating, usually some kind of honey or syrup
• Golden – fried.
• Loaded – topped with loads of extra things, usually cheese, bacon and sauces.
• Marinated – food that is soaked in a liquid seasoning before cooking.
• Pan–fried – fried.
• Refried – usually describes beans, which are mashed and then fried.
• Sautéed – food that is fried lightly and quickly in hot oil.
• Sizzling – fried.
• Seared – food that’s cooked quickly at a high temperature so that the surface forms a crust.
• Smothered – covered in something, usually a heavy sauce or cheese.
• Tempura – deep fried, but Japanese.

Lower calorie choices

Restaurants use a lot of oil and other fats to cook dishes – it’s part of what makes restaurant food so delicious. So while you should be prepared for your meal to involve some high-calorie methods of cooking, there are some things you can look for that indicate a healthier way. Look for dishes that are described in the following ways, as they’ll be more likely to contain less oil:

• Baked
• Boiled
• Grilled
• Poached
• Roasted
• Steamed

If in doubt, ask your waiter for information. You’re the one paying for and eating the meal, so you deserve to know how your food’s made if it’s important to you.

With so many myths about nutrition doing the rounds, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction, but we’re here to help.

Myth #1: fat is bad for you

Fats get a bad rap, but our bodies do actually need some fat. Healthy fats like those found in oily fish, avocados, nuts, and seeds can help to support our memory, vision, bone health, and even reduce inflammation.

There are many different types of fat and it’s important to know which ones are healthy and which ones are best swerved.

Trans fats can be found in some hard margarines and deep-fried foods. Trans fats are linked to heart disease, high cholesterol and Alzheimer’s, so best avoid these where possible. Luckily, it’s increasingly rare to find trans fats in food sold in the UK.

Saturated fats (or sat fats) are found in processed meats like sausages and ham. They’re also in dairy products like whole milk, cream and butter. Eating too much saturated fat is linked with an increase in cholesterol so you should aim to swap saturated fats for healthier fats.

The two healthy fats that we want to consume in small amounts are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. They both help to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, and can be found in foods such as avocado, almonds, oily fish, flaxseed, olive oil and olives.

Myth #2: Superfoods are pricey

Good news, you don’t have to fork out for expensive goji berries or chia seeds to boost your antioxidant intake. Guess what? Carrots are a fantastic source of antioxidants too, and they’re a lot cheaper. Carrots are especially rich in beta-carotene, which has protective effects for your skin and converts to vitamin A in the body.

Myth #3: Coffee keeps you energised

There’s no denying that coffee can give you a buzz and help get you into gear, but in the long-term coffee can drain your energy, especially when you start feeling you need to drink more and more to feel the same effect. To get some of the same buzz, try matcha green tea: it provides some natural caffeine to give you a gentle lift, plus theanine which can help calm the mind and encourage focus and concentration.

Myth #4: weight loss is easy

Theoretically, weight loss is simple. It all comes down to maths and consuming less energy than your body uses. That’s not to say it’s easy though.

As well as the science behind weight loss, weight loss has a lot do with our feelings, thoughts, state of mind and patience, all of which can be difficult to predict and control. If you struggle to lose weight, take heart knowing you’re not alone in finding it tough. As long as you keep pushing on, you’ll get there.

Be honest, do you warm up before exercising? Well, you should. Warming up properly gets your body ready for movement, and it’s an important measure to help lessen the likelihood of injury.

If you think about warming up, you might think about stretches. Y’know, stuff like putting your arm behind your back and stretching it. And while these movements do have a place, they’re static, still stretches, and dynamic movements are much better for preparing to get moving.

Active movements help our bodies limber up and prep muscles for the strain to come. A lighter intensity version of the exercise you’re about to do can really help too.

Not sure where to start? Begin with trying these 5 simple dynamic warm-ups to get the blood flowing and get your primed for action.

Leg swings

• Standing straight, hold a wall for support.
• Swing your left leg back and forth gently.
• Repeat for 10 swings, then swap legs.
• You should find that each swing allows your leg to go a little higher, increasing the range of movement at the joint.

Lunge rotation

• Standing tall, gaze forward with your back straight.
• Take your left leg forward and bend the knee.
• Drop your right knee to the ground as you do so.
• Then rotate your torso to the right and turn your head to look over your right shoulder.
• Hold for 2-3 seconds, then release and come back up to standing.
• Aim for 4-5 rotations on each side.

Walkouts

• This is great for engaging your lower and upper body. Stand tall and bend at the hips, keeping your legs straight.
• Drop your arms down to the floor and walk with your hands forward until your body is in a plank position, with hands under your shoulders and body in a straight horizontal position.
• Then slowly walk your hands back towards your feet, eventually coming back up to standing.

Arm circles

• Keeping your arms straight, raise them forward and rotate them all the way behind you in a big circular movement.
• Repeat 5 arm circles forward, then 5 arm circles back.
  Glute bridges

Waking up your glute (bottom) muscles is important as they’re generally incredibly inactive from long periods spent sitting down. If your glutes aren’t woken up prior to exercise, other muscles in your legs may end up working harder to make up for sleepy bum muscles, and this can lead to injury.

• Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground.
• Slowly lift your hips up from the ground, keeping your upper back firmly down on the floor.
• Once your hips are lifted, hold the position for 5 seconds, squeezing your glutes, then slowly lower yourself back down.
• Aim to repeat this 10 times.

Not prepared enough and want more? No problemo.

Bodyweight squats

With your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees and drop down slowly, keeping your back upright and gaze forward. Keep your heels glued to the floor. Then, pushing through your heels, rise back up to standing. Aim for 10-15 repetitions.

Skipping

No rope? No problem! Simply act out the movements with an invisible rope. Aim to do this for 1 minute, whether your rope is real or imaginary. Get ready to feel the pump in your calf muscles!

Jumping jacks

AKA star jumps, there will wake up your entire body and raise your heart rate too.

Jump both feet out simultaneously while lifting your arms out to either side of your body and touching your hands up above your head. Then drop your arms back down to your side as you jump your feet back together. Aim for 20 repetitions.