Healthy and Sustainable Weight Loss

Healthy and Sustainable Weight Loss

As a personal trainer I have heard countless questions on how to lose weight, or rather the main question is how to lose fat. The truth is there is no “one size fits all” solution to permanent healthy weight loss. What works for one person may not work for you, since our bodies respond slightly differently to different foods, depending on genetics and other health factors.

I tell all my clients instead of jumping onto fad such as juice cleanse, slimming supplementation, fat burning pills, slimming centres, etc. unfortunately most of the time these don’t work. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on these products it makes more sense to find a method that fits into your current lifestyle so that weight loss or healthy living becomes more effortless.

To find the method of healthy and sustainable weight loss that’s right for you will likely take time and require patience, commitment and other strategies.

The simplest way to think about weight loss is having a calories deficit, in a nut shell using or doing more than you consume. This can be done in a few ways.

a.      Increase Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is achieved by increase muscle mass. Which has the benefit of getting into a better physique and fitness. Over time this will allow you to even drop fats without decreasing your food intake. You can increase muscle mass through a resistance training regime.

b.      Reduced intake. Simply put decreasing the amount you eat will inevitable decrease your weight. Be wary of how much calories you’re cutting out. I will not recommend cutting calories by more than 10-20% over a long duration of time. This is when some people work better by counting calories and even weighing their food.

c.      Increase calorie expenditure. Basically, get active! Things like exercising more or even walking home, climbing the stairs instead of the lift or escalator, choosing to go for a walk in the park. With the aid of smart watches and step counters in phones you can aim for an increase in the number of steps per day.

Stay tuned for the next article where I will touch on strategies to manage calorie intake, hunger and cravings.

If you're looking for a trainer who can help you get started on your weightloss or healthy living drop me a mail and let's discuss how we can work together to achieve your goals.