To drop some lbs the old adage is to eat less move more. What what you may not realize is that at different points in your “shed it off efforts” is to emphasize diet or exercise. There are so many fitness apps, diet-friendly foods, and so many fitness gurus that people often get overwhelmed and give up altogether.
Consider this your guide to a smart sustainable weight loss plan.
Focus on food to kickstart your weight loss:
To lose weight initially focus on reducing calorie intake over increase your activity levels. Theoretically, to lose 1 lbs of fat you need to burn 3500 calories, it’s much easier to create that deficit by taking out 500 calories out of your diet per day ( 500 per day x 7 = 3500) than it is to walk 2 hours per day ( roughly burning 500 calories per walk.) Whatever “diet” you find easiest to adhere to is going to be the one for you, whether it be paleo, high carb, high protein doesn’t mean as much as reducing the calories. I find people who try to take on exercise and a new nutrition plan all at once tend to get overwhelmed and fail. Pick one and make it food reduction.
Eat and exercise your way to goal weight:
Once you have taken off the first several pounds, combine your dieting with regular exercise. Through my experience as a coach and nutritionist, it’s easier to workout once you’ve lost some of that excess fluff. Cardio burns calories but strength training help’s you lose fat, not muscle. people who only do aerobic exercise typically have less muscle mass and lower resting metabolism than those who pair it with strength training. It takes roughly 2 months to ingrain a habit, once reducing your food and eating “cleaner” becomes a habit jump your butt in the gym and you won’t be so overwhelmed.
Exercise to maintain your weight loss:
People who engage in regular exercise are nearly twice as likely to keep pounds from piling back on as those who don’t. Research shows that 90% of people who have kept off 30lbs or more do an hour of exercise a day. It’s not surprising when you exercise your body tends to utilize more fat for fuel as opposed to carbohydrates.
Dodge these common exercise mistakes:
The one thing I hear over and over again from people is using exercise as a tool to eat more shit. A recent study published in the journal of strength and conditioning found that people who were told that a one-mile walk was for exercise ate about twice as much after the walk as those who were informed that the walk was for fun. Secondly, use your time wisely, the number one reason people don’t work out is a lack of time. Little do they know you can get a good efficient workout done in as little as 10 minutes. You don’t even have to do the same workout every day. One day jump on youtube and find a good cardio workout, next day hit up the gym, or look at Club Sweat’s latest blogs with a plethora of at home workouts.
If you want to learn more about how to lose weight and maintain your weight loss check out our other blogs at www.sweatlab.ca/blogs
Or if your ready to jumpstart your fitness and nutrition try out one of our Group Sweat fitness classes. Act now and get 1 week of unlimited Group Sweat for just $19.99
