The Healthy Diary Angela Borges

I am so excited to introduce you to Roger Sutherland today, who is not only my very good friend but someone with incredible knowledge and insight on how the body works. He joins me today to discuss how we can optimise our lives by synchronising with our circadian rhythm, an important aspect of any fat loss journey.
After 36 years of shiftwork and serving in law enforcement, Roger wanted to find answers for shift workers on how to best cope with their lifestyle. He returned to study in the field of nutrition and his expertise now extends into chrononutrition, the science of how good food, metabolism, meal timing, and your body clock interact, and chronobiology, the study of biological rhythms. 

Roger coaches his predominantly female clients one-on-one with great success and through his podcast, "A Healthy Shift", he shares evidence-based strategies for thriving, not just surviving, as a shift worker.

What is the circadian rhythm?

The circadian rhythm is a key biological function of our body controlled by a master clock located in the base of our brain. This clock runs on a 24-hour cycle and is primarily influenced by light, movement, and food timing. Roger explains how these cues help synchronise our internal clocks for optimal functioning.

Why Is It Important?

A synchronised circadian rhythm significantly impacts our health. It governs when we wake up, feel alert, get sleepy, feel hungry and how our body processes food. Jetlag is a prime example of when our circadian rhythm is misaligned, but this can also happen on a smaller scale depending on your sleep, movement and eating habits. 

A well-aligned circadian rhythm is crucial for maintaining overall health, including heart health, metabolism, and mental clarity. Disruptions can lead to brain fog, fatigue, and even weight gain. To stay synchronised with your internal clock, Roger shares the following tips:

Start Your Day with Light

Getting natural light exposure early in the morning helps suppress melatonin and adjusts your body to daytime mode. Simple practices like opening your windows and going for a walk can make a significant difference.

Maintain Regular Meal Times

Eating at consistent times aligns with our body's natural rhythms. Aim to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at their typical times, and avoid eating late at night when melatonin levels rise. When your melatonin is high, your body can’t process the food like usual, therefore it gets stored as fat, directly leading to weight gain. 

Consistent Sleep Schedule

It's tempting to stay up late and sleep in on the weekends, but this can disrupt your circadian rhythm, causing the dreaded Monday morning fatigue. Try to maintain your sleep schedule even on weekends to ensure your body remains in sync.

Poor sleep can exacerbate stress levels and will increase your hunger levels, meaning that your weight loss efforts might go to waste, regardless of how well you eat or exercise. 

Roger and I share the same philosophy when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate nutrition and weight loss. Roger’s advice is to focus on getting early light, moving throughout the day, eating at regular times and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. This will drastically improve your overall well-being and help you stay on track with your weight loss goals.


LINKS:

Connect with Roger Sutherland
Website: https://ahealthyshift.com/
Instagram: a...

When people decide that they want to lose weight, the first thing that often comes to mind is signing up for the gym or working out. While exercise is great for your overall health, it only counts for a very small portion of your daily energy expenditure. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, working out shouldn't be the main focus. Instead, you need to prioritise your food and use exercise as a bonus. 
From my perspective, the order of priority for weight loss is nutrition first, sleep second, and movement third. If you place too much focus on your workouts when trying to lose weight, you might end up doing the opposite. Here are 5 reasons why:

Overeating After Workouts
There’s a big misconception that we burn a huge number of calories during workouts but that’s not actually the case. For example, a 30-minute home workout might burn 100-200 calories, but it doesn’t give you a free pass to consume an additional 400 calories. If your goal is to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit so plan your meals around your workouts to avoid overeating. This doesn’t mean you need to track your calories, but it’s important to have a general understanding of your energy requirements. 

Refueling with Unhealthy Food or Beverages
A common mistake is refuelling with unnecessary, high-calorie foods and drinks. Pre-workouts, post-workouts, and even so-called "superfoods" can be calorie-dense without being particularly nutrient-rich. Instead of buying into marketing gimmicks, keep it simple—if you need a hit of energy before a workout, opt for something like coffee over a sugary pre-workout drink.

Using Workouts as an Excuse to Be Sedentary
You may think you’re active just because you work out, but what about the rest of your day? You could be working out for an hour and then remaining sedentary for the remaining 23. Focus on increasing your daily movement for better results. Incorporate more non-exercise activities, like walking or taking the stairs.

Disrupting Your Sleep Routine
Sleep is an often overlooked factor in weight loss. If your workout schedule cuts into your sleep, it could be counterproductive. Poor sleep affects hunger hormones, increases cravings for carbs, and reduces your overall activity levels. Prioritise getting at least seven hours of quality sleep and then fit your workouts around that. 

Becoming Obsessed with the Scale
Weight fluctuations are completely normal, especially if you’re new to exercise. Microtears in muscles and water retention can cause temporary weight gain but don’t let the scale discourage you. Instead of weighing yourself daily, track your progress weekly and use alternative methods like measurements or how your clothes fit.

Movement and exercise are super important for your health, both mentally and physically. I fully support incorporating movement into your day for your overall well-being but when it comes to losing weight, the first place to start is your nutrition. 

Start by understanding your energy requirements and optimize your diet to create a slight calorie deficit, without obsessively counting calories or tracking the number on the scales. Then, approach movement as an enjoyable bonus. I hope this episode supports you and that you feel empowered to approach your weight loss journey with the information you need. 


LINKS:

Join my Free Facebook Community: Weight Loss Made Simple for High-Achieving Women 
Instagram: a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_healthy_diary_/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Most women who want to lose weight get discouraged by the idea of having to track their calories and live on a restrictive diet. The idea alone just feels like too much time, effort and mental load to even begin. The good news is that there is a much more simple and sustainable approach to weight loss that doesn’t require calorie counting and that’s what I’m sharing with you today. 
A meal plan that someone else created isn’t the answer. To effectively lose weight and keep it off for good, your food needs to fit into your lifestyle, nourish your body with what it needs and not be a source of stress.

Although calorie counting isn’t necessary for weight loss, it is important to understand that if you want to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. That’s just how it works. So, if you’ve struggled to lose weight in the past, it may simply be because you were consuming more calories than what your body was using. 

The Art of Listening to Your Body
More important than any calorie counting is learning how to listen to your body’s cues. This will truly transform your relationship with food and help you achieve sustainable weight loss. If you feel like you can’t stop eating or that you need to finish everything off your plate, listening to your hunger and fullness cues is a skill that you can learn. If I did it, you can too.

Embrace Nourishment
Have you ever skipped meals due to a busy schedule or relied on coffee to suppress your hunger? Ignoring your body's signals can actually lead to overeating later on. By tuning in to your hunger cues and nourishing your body appropriately, you will prevent mindless snacking and stabilise your energy levels throughout the day.

Honor Your Satisfaction
Many of us were brought up in households where we had to finish all the food on our plates, regardless of hunger. But eating past the point of fullness can sabotage your weight loss efforts because you’re simply eating too much. By stopping when you feel content, you can avoid overeating and maintain a healthy balance in your eating habits. Again, this is a skill that you can learn. It just takes practice.

The Power of Mindful Eating
Practising mindful eating involves savouring each bite, paying attention to how your body responds, and being present during meals. By slowing down and connecting with your food, you give your brain the time it needs to register fullness, leading to more mindful food choices and healthier eating habits.

Embracing Change for Lasting Results
When you shift your focus from restrictive diets to honouring your hunger and fullness cues, and nourishing yourself with protein-rich foods, you will pave the way for effortless weight loss maintenance. 

At the beginning, it will take some work to understand what your body needs and establish new eating behaviours.  But, with practice, these habits will help you lose weight and keep it off long-term. No tracking calories, just being in tune with your body and embracing a healthy lifestyle.


LINKS:

Join my Free Facebook Community: Weight Loss Made Simple for High-Achieving Women 
Instagram: @the_healthy_diary_
Tik Tok:   @thehealthydiary 
Website: https://www.thehealthydiary.co/

I often talk about the amazing success my clients achieve when they follow my methodology for losing weight and maintaining their weight loss easily. Today, I’m joined by my client and special guest, Deanna, to talk about her incredible life transformation and how she lost 15kg in 6 months without exercising or tracking calories.
As a time poor mum of two working in a busy retail position, Deanna, like many of my clients, recognised that her health had gone down the priority list. Wanting to lose weight, she had previously struggled with unrealistic caloric restrictive diets that left her with low energy. She also struggled to find the right nutritional information and support to help her lose weight in a healthy way.
In October 2021, Deanna decided to take action by prioritising herself and taking charge of her health and wellness. We started working together in the Lean Body & Strong Mindset program and within three months, Deanna lost 7kg with ease. She then continued on her own to lose another 8kg using the same principles she learned in the program and has successfully maintained her results, completely transforming her life for the better.
Overcoming Mindset Barriers

One of the significant hurdles Deanna faced in the past was her mindset, struggling with consistency and often making excuses like starting again on Monday. She had also struggled with emotional eating, which is something we worked on together to help her understand the underlying issues of her eating habits. By learning how to tune into her body’s hunger and fullness cues, she was able to eat the food she loves, go out with friends, enjoy her social life and still achieve the weight loss results she wanted.

A Transformation More than Weight Loss

The impact of Deanna's transformation went way beyond weight loss. She found inner peace, happiness, and a newfound confidence that radiated in her relationships and interactions. Deanna's journey has also positively influenced her whole family, now inspiring her children and husband to prioritise their health and overall well-being.

Creating A Sustainable Lifestyle 

It’s one thing to lose 15kg, but Deanna has maintained her weight loss, which is something many women struggle with. The key here is that the changes Deanna made to her lifestyle were sustainable. She still eats her favourite foods but incorporates healthy habits into her daily life, making weight loss maintenance easy.

I hope you find Deanna’s story inspiring and feel encouraged by hearing what is possible for you when you apply the right strategies. Remember, it's never too late to prioritise your health and well-being.


LINKS:

Apply for the Lean Body & Strong Mindset Program

Join my Free Facebook Community: Weight Loss Made Simple for High-Achieving Women 
Instagram: @the_healthy_diary_
Tik Tok:   @thehealthydiary 
Website: https://www.thehealthydiary.co/

A lot of women ask me why their approach to weight loss isn’t working anymore. They were able to manage their weight in their younger years, but now in their thirties, forties and older, those strategies no longer work for them. 
Many women in this age group find that what used to work for them in their twenties no longer produces the same results. So today I’m sharing some key factors that impact weight loss for women over 30 and how you can approach weight loss in a healthy and sustainable way.

As we age, our bodies undergo various changes that can impact our weight loss journey. Factors such as lifestyle and priorities, muscle mass loss, hormonal changes, and stress play a significant role in how our bodies respond to diet and exercise. For women over 30, understanding these challenges is the first step towards developing an effective weight loss strategy.

Lifestyle and Priorities
As you get older, your lifestyle and priorities are naturally going to change. With increased responsibilities, children and sedentary jobs, we tend to become less active than we were in our younger days. Finding time for self-care and exercise is a challenge for many women, but with some planning, you can make it a priority. 

Muscle Loss
As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass, which can lead to a decrease in metabolism. Incorporating resistance training and a high-protein diet can help preserve muscle mass and support your weight loss efforts.

Hormonal Changes
Hormonal fluctuations, especially during perimenopause and menopause, can impact the way your body responds to energy in and out. The symptoms of hormonal changes can also disrupt sleep, which has a spiralling effect on your appetite, making you feel more hungry and crave more carbohydrates. At this stage in your life, it’s important to prioritise your hormonal health through food and lifestyle choices. 

Stress 
Unfortunately, our society has normalised stress as being something we all live with each day but chronic stress can sabotage your weight loss efforts. When you’re stressed, you’re more likely to develop unhealthy eating habits and disrupted sleep patterns. Make sure you take this aspect into consideration and put strategies in place to help you unwind your nervous system in a healthy way. 

Approaching Weight Loss After 30

When it comes to weight loss for women over 30, a holistic approach focusing on overall health and sustainability is key. Rather than just focusing on the number on the scales and your physical appearance, choose sustainability over speed. Crash diets will only lead to further weight gain and more stress on your body. 

Other aspects to consider after 30 are incorporating regular resistance training, prioritising quality sleep, and adopting a high-protein diet. These factors can help to enhance your metabolism and support muscle mass preservation. 

It’s also important to shift your mentality from “all or nothing” to focusing on consistency. Things will happen in life, your schedule will be interrupted, and your plans will have to change and that’s okay. Remember, it's not just about losing weight; it's about gaining vitality, confidence, and longevity. Embrace the journey, prioritise your overall health, and you will begin to see lasting results.

LINKS:

Join my Free Facebook Community: Weight Loss Made Simple for High-Achieving Women 
Instagram: a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_healthy_diary_/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

When it comes to sustainable and long term weight loss, consistency is key. It doesn’t matter which diet or exercise routine you choose to follow, the only way to lose weight and maintain your weight loss is by being consistent. 
One of the biggest challenges women face when trying to lose weight is staying consistent. From working with hundreds of women and through my own experience on the dieting cycle, the difficulty in staying consistent often comes down to three things: Not knowing why you want to lose weight in the first place, not having clarity or structure and having a short term approach to weight loss. 
Today I’m sharing the seven strategies within my weight loss consistency formula to help you stay the course and reach your goal of living a healthier, happier life. 
1. Understand Your 'Why'
Simply wanting to lose weight is not a strong enough motivator to stick to any weight loss plan. Whether it's to improve your health, boost your confidence, or prevent illness, connecting to your why will help you stay focused and committed on the days when motivation wanes.

2. Define What Consistency Means to You
Consistency looks different for everyone, and it's essential to define what it means to you personally. Rather than following someone else’s expectations or rules, create your own definition of consistency. This might be daily walks, weekly meal prepping, or increasing your water intake. Identifying your unique consistency goals paves the way for sustainable habits.

3. Establish Routines and Structures
Structure and routine provide the framework for consistency. Planning your meals, scheduling workout sessions, and organising your day with intention can help you stay on track with your health goals. By creating a roadmap for your week and setting clear objectives, you create a sense of control and direction that supports consistent behaviours.

4. Tackle One Thing at a Time
A lot of women trying to lose weight are tempted to overhaul their entire lives overnight. But this will only lead to overwhelm and burnout. Instead, focus on tackling one aspect of your health journey at a time. By prioritising the most impactful changes and integrating them gradually, you can build momentum and avoid the pitfalls of trying to do too much, too soon.

5. Focus on Daily Processes Over Outcomes
While having a weight loss goal is important, fixating solely on the end result can be discouraging. By shifting your focus to the daily processes and habits that lead to success, you can celebrate small victories along the way. Whether it's making healthier food choices, staying active, or practising self-care, honouring your daily commitments builds confidence and reinforces consistency.

6. Change Your Identity:
The way you think about yourself plays a significant role in your ability to maintain consistency. By envisioning and embodying the identity of the person you aspire to be—the one who effortlessly makes healthy choices and prioritises self-care—you will begin to align your actions with that goal. This shift in mindset empowers you to approach challenges with a new perspective and reinforces positive habits.

7. Practice Gratitude:
Gratitude is a powerful tool for cultivating a positive mindset and fostering resilience on your weight loss journey. Taking time to appreciate the little blessings in your life can shift your focus from limitations to possibilities. By practicing gratitude daily, you nurture a sense of abundance and reinforce your commitment to self-care and health.

Remember, consistency isn’t about perfection but choosing to show up even when you don’t feel like...