Fitness blogger points out how ‘healthy’ alternatives to your favourite snacks WON’T always help you lose weight with startling comparisons
- Graeme Tomlinson, 30, of Aberdeen, is known as The Fitness Chef on Instagram
- He preaches that you will only lose weight if you remain in a calorie deficit
- He tries to cut through the noise surrounding clean eating with his graphics
- They show some seemingly healthy foods contain more calories than you think
With dozens of diets all telling you different things and Instagram influencers preaching contradicting advice, healthy eating is not as straightforward as it could be.
But a fitness blogger is aiming to cut through the noise by creating eye-catching graphics he has posted online to his 113,000 Instagram followers, which reveal why your seemingly healthy diet isn’t helping you to lose weight.
Graeme Tomlinson, 30, from Aberdeen, who is known as The Fitness Chef, says that all you need to do to avoid weight gain is to track your calories and remain in a deficit.
His graphics reveal how some seemingly healthy items may actually be stopping some people from burning fat and losing weight as they contain more calories than you might think, despite containing more nutrients.
Graeme Tomlinson (pictured), 30, of Aberdeen, is known as The Fitness Chef on Instagram and wants to simplify healthy eating. He says that if you want to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit and it’s as simple as that
Tomlinson creates graphics for his 113,000 Instagram followers which debunk popular healthy eating myths. This one shows that a bag of Kale Chips contains more calories than a bag of flavoured potato Squares – and he adds that if fat loss if your goal, you must be aware of the calorie amounts in any food, regardless of its nutritional properties
Most people think that juices are much better for you than a can of fizzy drink but Tomlinson reveals that if you drank one bottle a day, you would consume 1,350 calories and a whopping 275g of sugar, compared to 411 calories and 99g of sugar in seven fizzy drinks. The juices will contain more nutrients, but if your goal is fat loss, you may want to cut down on how many you drink in a week, he advises
‘The biggest problems that people who are trying to get in shape face are a lack of education and a mirage of false misinformation,’ he told Bored Panda.
He explained his approach in more depth on Instagram: ‘A calorie is a unit used to measure the energy value of food. For anyone looking to alter body shape, understanding the relevance of calories and energy balance is the first and most basic step to changing their composition.
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‘So, claiming that one calorie is different from the next naturally confuses people. It is also irresponsible. Because anyone who has ever lost or gained fat in the history of human civilisation has done so from a calorie deficit/surplus.’
Tomlinson acknowledges that healthy foods can come with additional nutrients that have health benefits, which junk food will not contain.
Tomlinson says he wants to cut through the ‘B.S’ that infiltrates Instagram when it comes to healthy eating and fitness advice. The lean gym fanatic also posts ‘instagram v reality’ photos to show that being ripped is just as much about angles and flexing as it is about diet and exercise
If you’re on a diet, most people would opt for a potato salad over a bowl of chips but this graphic reveals that the salad will contain nearly double the calories if full-fat mayonnaise is used
Tomlinson’s Instagram is dedicated to busting myths surrounsing so-called ‘healthy food’. Here he shows how although a chocolate-covered rice cake and Brazil nuts sound healthier than a biscuit and a chocolate bar, the ‘healthy’ snacks contain either the same or more calories than the junk food alternatives
Tomlinson says that dieters often switch to wholemeal sources of carbohydrates in the belief that it will make them thinner. But he says that a portion of brown rice, pasta and bread will contain the same calories as the white alternatives. The wholemeal options will contain more fibre, which has health benefits, but Tomlinson reminds his followers that fibre will not affect the composition of your body
However he says that if weight loss is your goal, then it doesn’t matter where your calories come from, you will still gain weight if you eat too many of them.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘Inclusion of protein, micronutrients and fibre improves the outlook on one’s overall health. But when it comes to ‘what happens to the calories consumed’, an avocado will directly wind up the same way as a tube of smarties.
‘The avocado may be more beneficial to overall health and satiate you for longer, but that’s nothing to do the the proportional calorie value of both foods and it’s direct effect on body composition.
‘Whilst it’s a good idea to feel satiated and consume nutrients, the notion that ‘calories are not equal’ is based on pure subjectivity and assumption.
Most people would assume that a handful of nuts and dried fruit is healthier than two Kit Kat Chunky bars and they would be right, as the nuts and fruit will contain more nutrients. However, if fat loss is your goal, it’s worth bearing in mind that the nuts and fruit actually contains more calories than two chocolate bars, so it may be wise to eat them in moderation
Tomlinson reveals that a raw chocolate slice from an unknown clean eating blogger’s cookbook contains a whopping 650 calories – the same as in three chocolate bars. He adds that ‘healthy’ and ‘clean’ is ‘a vague term that has no fundamental meaning’
Most people believe that dark chocolate is healthier than milk. But Tomlinson shows that a 100g bar of dark chocolate contains nearly 100 more calories than a bar of Dairy Milk – which could be useful if you are trying to track your calories. However the bar of Dairy Milk contains a lot more sugar, and much less fibre than the bar of dark chocolate
‘Calories in an avocado don’t get refunded because they contain nutrients as much as calories in smarties don’t make you fat. In simple terms of energy balance, it doesn’t matter where the 175 calories derive from.’
Tomlinson wants to make people more ‘aware’ of what they put into their bodies, and to enjoy all types of food, whether healthy or unhealthy, because he says even junk food can fit into a weight loss plan.
Using carbohydrates as an example, he said: ‘If you prefer white rice, pasta or bread, swapping out your preference for the slightly less refined version as a means to lose fat is pointless.
‘For fat loss, consuming high fibre food you enjoy is a good idea if you are aware of their caloric value, just as much as consuming lesser fibre dense foods is a good idea if you are aware of their caloric value too.
‘Above all, be aware, apply it to your goal and choose the food you enjoy most.’
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