Lucy Mountain compares ‘healthy’ snacks to naughty treats

August 13, 2017

Lucy Mountain, aka The Fitness Fashion Foodie, has a ‘no BS’ approach to life
She educates 65,000 followers about portion sizes and eating what you want
Her motto is ‘everything in moderation’ and shows how to live a balanced life
Her photos reveal that many ‘healthy’ treats are as calorific as ‘naughty’ ones

Imogen Blake For Mailonline

Published:
11:44 EDT, 8 August 2017

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Updated:
19:58 EDT, 8 August 2017

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A fitness blogger is on a mission to re-educate people about what calories actually look like by comparing so-called ‘healthy’ snacks to ‘naughty’ treats.

Lucy Mountain, aka The Fashion Fitness Foodie, posts Instagram pictures of crisps next to the same snack made from root vegetables, and vitamin-enriched breakfast biscuits next to a packet of McVitie’s to show how these treats often contain a very similar number of calories.

The stunning blonde 25-year-old, from London, has built up a following of 65,000 people with her self-dubbed ‘no BS’ approach which aims to prove that no food in of itself will help you to lose or make you put on weight.

Her aim is to teach people that they can eat what they want – whether it’s a handful of Fruit Pastilles or a handful of almonds – and still get the body they desire if they put their food choices into the context of a mostly healthy lifestyle and pay attention to portion sizes.

Lucy posts calorie comparisons between ‘healthy’ snacks such as a handful of almonds and a handful of sweets, such as Fruit Pastilles. Both of these amounts contain the same calories, but she explains that the handful on the left is more nutritious. However she admits she much prefers tucking into the sweets – and says it forms part of a very healthy diet

Lucy’s photos are always captioned with inspirational and honest fitness and healthy eating advice

Each of these bowls contain 1 bag (40g) of crisps. The bowl on the left are salt and vinegar, the bowl on the right are mixed root vegetable. Both contain similar numbers of calories, so Lucy encourages her followers to eat the bowl they fancy most as she says you should look at your diet in the context of a whole day rather than tracking every time you consume calories

Lucy, whose Instagram feed is littered with comparison photos and pictures of her enviable figure in fitness clothes, says she wants to teach people that they don’t need to cut out any foods from their diet if they really love them.

Unlike many other Instagram fitness role models, she refreshingly admits to preferring a handful of Fruit Pastilles as a snack instead of almonds, and confesses to the occasional boozy night out.

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The secret to enjoying these treats and staying fit and healthy, she says, is simply to pay attention to portion sizes and to enjoy what you fancy in moderation.

She told FEMAIL: ‘As a fitness blogger there’s an unspoken pressure to adopt this persona of someone who loves green juice, trains at Barry’s Bootcamp and posts relentless ‘physique updates.’

There are several ‘healthy’ breakfast biscuits on the market but Lucy says that often normal biscuits contain virtually the same number of calories. She says just choose the one you like to eat best – but if you’re eating the ‘healthy’ biscuits to lose weight, she says there are better and more nutritious options

Dark chocolate is often considered healthier than milk chocolate as it is more nutritious but Lucy reveals dark has more calories. She uses this example to prove that you shouldn’t always calorie count – and that she always opts for milk because she gets her vitamins and minerals from other sources

Lucy says she enjoys chocolate, pizza and other treats as part of her diet – but just enjoys smaller portions of them and eats healthily 75 to 80 per cent of the time

Some may think a free-from chocolate bar is healthier than a normal one, but Lucy says the only reason you should eat the free-from bar is if you are intolerant as both contain the same calories. Similarly, she says there is not a huge difference between a Solero and a Magnum – so pick the one you like best and then adjust the rest of your day’s diet accordingly

‘We’re bombarded with these kind of accounts that you almost become numb to it all.

‘Right from the beginning I have wanted my account to actually add value to other people’s lives – and I hope my food comparisons have been a great way to do this.’

Lucy’s honest approach to fitness, food and healthy eating has won her legions of followers and inspired her to create a second Instagram account dedicated to her food comparisons.

Her photos bust the myth that some foods are fattening and some foods are best for fat loss.

Lucy often compares meals to show how just a few small tweaks (such as lighter salad dressing and light oil) to the same meal can reduce the number of calories you consume by 500 kcals, which can help you towards fitness and weight loss goals if that is what you are aiming for

Lucy also shows how you can enjoy the same foods and drinks but reduce the number of calories you consume if you want to lose weight by making a few small changes, such as swapping a Flat White for a White Americano

Lucy says becoming fit and eating healthily while still enjoying treats has enabled her to love herself

Lucy believes that no single food will cause weight gain, or weight loss, and that restricting yourself from eating a particular food may cause you to binge. Her motto is ‘everything in moderation’

Lucy also educates her followers about portion sizes. She says it’s all too easy to grab a large handful of nuts or spread lashings of butter on toast without realising it can double the number of calories you consume without you really needing or wanting them

Instead, she says the same meal could help you to lose weight or to gain weight depending on your portion sizes, and on how many calories you are expending through exercise in a day compared to how many you are consuming.

Her posts receive thousands of likes each, due to this honest and inspiring approach.

She explained: ‘No matter what I post, I’m 100 per cent myself and I think people appreciate that.

‘People will no doubt be bored sick of the comparisons in short period of time if they’re not already, but that’s when I’ll start portraying my same “no bs” message in different kinds of ways.’