calories Archives - CHASE PERFECTION

Merry Christmas – Remember Calories Don’t Count

You’ve worked hard all year being strict with your nutrition, trying to optimise your lifestyle and putting in the graft in the gym, that you have definitely earnt a couple of days off.

The philosophy “calories don’t count at Christmas” is something we like to use when it comes to Christmas and Boxing Day. However, this is dependant on whether you have had this same philosophy the whole year or not. Unfortunately, the calories obviously do count, but we like to say that you can eat and drink what you wish and just enjoy yourself for these two days. It isn’t as if you are going to undo all your hard work over just 48 hours and it isn’t as it one big Christmas dinner is going to put back on all the fat you’ve spent months to lose or lose all those gains you’ve made.

So go and enjoy yourself today and tomorrow guilt free. No one wants to be counting calories or be judged for what they eat every single day of the year. Just chill out, if you fancy eating it, then go for it.

The only rule is – Don’t make yourself eat and drink for the sake if it. Some extra calories won’t undo all your hard work, but a huge binge can cause mental and physical issues. So don’t attempt to eat everything in sight, just because it’s there.

Anyway, enough talking calories, as after all they don’t even count today! Now go and enjoy Christmas with your friends, family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas to you and your family from The Chase Perfection Team

Nutrition Essentials

Calories (Kcal): These are units of energy given to food that our body needs in order to function. Your daily calorie need is dictated by your individual body type, genetics and daily energy expenditure. To lose weight a calorie deficit is needed. 


Macronutrients: There are 3 macronutrients required for energy, growth, repair and bodily functions and these are protein, carbohydrates and fat. The suggested amounts of how much of each macronutrient you should eat each meal will be given to you on your Nutrition Plan. 


Protein: Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of tissue within the body and are crucial if you want to build or retain muscle and lose fat. Typically the more muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate will be, so it is essential to eat sufficient protein from a variety of foods (e.g. quality meats, fish, eggs, whey).


Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates provide fuel for our bodies to function and train at higher intensities. In this plan we recommend eating complex carbohydrates (e.g. potatoes, rice, oats) that will keep your blood sugar and energy levels more stable throughout the day rather than eating simple carbohydrates (e.g sugary or proceessed food).


Fats: Fats are essential for health. They help absorb fat soluble vitamins, protect cell membranes, protect our organs, reduce inflammation and help produce hormones. We recommend consuming monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats, which are high in omega 3 and 6 (e.g. nut/seed/olive oils, nuts, avocados, oily fish), and a small amount of saturated fat (e.g. eggs, lamb, chicken with skin, butter). Avoid trans-fats as much as much as possible, as these provide no benefits to your transformation or health (e.g. cakes, biscuits, fried food, margarine).


To be honest I don’t see the point in decaf. I think you can totally taste the difference.

To me coffee is something I drink for pleasure not for necessity.

The key here is what do you use it for?

Coffee tastes great but if you drink it other than black these are the calories you’re consuming:

Medium Cappuccino: 150

Medium Latte: 190

This isn’t an issue if it’s factored into your allowance but I see so many people drinking their calories in lattes rather than good food.

My second point is caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant and can be used to help wake us up and focus. However, over time we can become dependent and our bodies adrenal glands can slow down as they are ‘not needed’ OR we have worked them so hard with stress (see other post) they can’t do anything. Caffeine CAN play a big part in slower metabolisms and tiredness despite its fat loss claims.

So as always I say enjoy in moderation but learn to be more mindful of what and why you’re drinking it!

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