You want to lose some weight? Here is how you do it!
All you have to do, is burn more calories than you take in (eat) throughout the day. Problem solved, good luck!
Just kidding, I wouldn’t leave you hanging like that! It really is that easy, though. To lose weight, the only thing you need to do is use more calories during your day than the calories you eat. It pains me to say this, but it’s true… as far as straight weight loss goes, it does not matter if you are eating chicken, rice, and broccoli or if you are eating Twinkies and Snickers. As long as your calories consumed stays under your calories burned for the day/week, you will lose weight. But, when most people say “I want to lose some weight” what they really mean is, they want to lose fat and not lost muscle. Which takes a different approach.
Now, with that being said if you want to actually look fit, in shape, or sexy after you lose the weight, it’s going to take a little more effort and planning than just eating fewer calories. You are going to have to exercise, preferably resistance training, and plan your meals along with eating better quality foods in those meals. That exercise needs to be something that challenges you. Something that makes you work, hard. I think people are afraid to do the proper exercise intensity and style because they see it as being too difficult (and it should be difficult!), but in reality the workouts are the easy part. If you talk to almost anyone who has been working out or training for a long time, I will almost guarantee they will tell you the hardest part is not the gym, it’s the meal preparation. It takes time, and sometimes what it takes is making boring food, but more importantly it takes consistency…It doesn’t always have to be chicken, rice, and broccoli. If you plan things out you can get a little more variety! The planning is key here.
So, how much should you eat? That answer is different for everyone. If you really want to determine the exact calories you should be eating you have to do some math. By putting a few numbers into the Basil Metabolic Rate formula and deciding how active you are (or are going to be), you can determine how many calories you should be eating. (If you would like to find this out just shoot me a message and I’ll help you figure it out.) But, as a general guideline most women need around 1500 calories and most men around 2000 calories for the day. Again, if you are the size of Shaq, or you have bodybuilding goals, those numbers probably aren’t going to work for you. But, for the average man and woman they can be a good starting point.
What do these numbers mean? They mean that you’ll need to track what you are eating, at least in the beginning. If you don’t keep track, how do you expect to know how many calories you are eating throughout the day? It doesn’t work if you don’t track, at least in the start of your program. You may get to a point where you are eating a majority of the same foods and you just know how many calories they have. At that point, as long as you are still having success towards your goals, then you may be able to forgo the tracking for a while. Until you reach that point, keeping track is a great place to start. I bet you are eating way more calories than you think you are! If you would like to use an App on your phone there are a few that I suggest. The first is called FatSecret (feel free to add me as your Trainer) and the second is MyFitnessPal (I’ll be your friend on here too). These are very convenient tools. Plus, who doesn’t have their phone on them at all times to keep track of their food? But, there is still something to be said about using old-fashioned paper and pen. Something about the mind-body connection to actually writing it out makes a difference sometimes.
Now, on to the easy part. Exercise. Pick something you enjoy doing, that is going to make you sweat or breathe heavy, and do that almost every day. If you need guidance in this part of it, find someone who has some experience and can help you out. Preferably a fitness professional, like myself.
There you go, this is your starting point to reaching those goals! Take this as your sign that you need to start. Today. Right now. Stop putting it off, and get to work! Now is the best time to start! As always, I’m here to help if you’ve got questions!
See you at the gym,
Z
