There Are No Shortcuts Without Consequence
One of the most common questions I get asked is “How do I lose fat/body weight as quickly as possible?” How I answer this is question is usually by saying that fast is not necessarily better and can have the opposite effect when it comes to weight loss.
How does that old saying go: “Slow and steady wins the race”? The body needs to be properly prepared and convinced that it can live without the weight in order for it to let it go. When we dramatically lose weight, the body shifts into survival mode and will do whatever it can to get that weight back. Your brain will play dirty tricks on you. It will stimulate your hunger by switching on your cravings for food because it wants it’s precious weight back. Ever see the contestants on the Biggest Loser? They lose incredible amounts of weight weekly and by season’s end, they are literally half of who they were. Wow! That’s amazing! Big but coming! You will rarely see them once the show is over because they will have gained all that weight back plus more within 3 months.
The key to weight loss is to train your body to do with less of it on a slow gradual progression. We want to avoid shocking it into any negative reaction. As a result, the weight will come off and will remain off. Attitudes today of wanting everything ASAP needs a major overhaul because meaningful and long-lasting weight loss does not work that way.
Here are four thoughts that you should consider and put into practice on your weight loss journey:
Keep It Simple
There are many fads and “new age” trends that flood the fitness industry on a daily basis. All promising instant results for weight loss. Pills, powders, potions, and other supplements are a billion-dollar industry selling the dream that if you use them, you will get the body of your dreams. Not only are they a waste of money, they generally fall short of their promise and tend to do more harm than good. My preference is to stick to basic exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups at the same time (ie: squat, deadlift) for more effective weight loss. Couple this with a diverse and varied eating plan of real food and you will see the results. simples!
Heavy Is The Load
When it comes to seeing significant weight loss, I’m referring to efficient weight loss. You should be challenging the body by making it work hard and by keeping it guessing. A mixture of resistance (weights) and cardiovascular training will do this. Your primary focus should be on resistance training rather than cardio. I am not discounting cardio training but I believe this should be left to a separate day or done after your weight session. By doing cardio training post weights, your metabolism will be elevated and you will burn more calories because of it. Also, your hormones, particularly Insulin, will be better equipped to process the food you’ll have later on.
Eat to Lose
One of the biggest stumbling blocks when it comes to weight loss is having a narrow focus. We need to look at the bigger picture with all the processes that are involved in successful weight loss. People are very organized when it comes to creating their exercise programs, scheduling their training sessions, and making sure they stick to it religiously. This is one piece of the puzzle but it’s not the only one. What are you eating? People neglect to organize and formulate their nutritional plan to get them across the finish line.
Essentially, weight loss is dependent on being in a calorie deficit. We need to be burning more than we are consuming. Now if we are not monitoring what we are eating to fuel ourselves, this can lead to delays in our weight loss goals. Food selection needs to compliment and support our training. You can be killing it in the gym but if you are eating like crap, you will negate all the hard work you’ve done. Like you are spinning your wheels in the mud. You will be going nowhere. Make smart food choices and be organized in advance so you do not fall into any traps.
Give It All You Go
Too often I see people spending way too much time at the gym and accomplishing nothing. There is a misconception that the longer you spend at the gym or in training, the better off you’ll be and results will come faster. Sadly, I beg to differ. I have 3 words for you: focus, intensity, and quality. Every training session needs to have 110% focus. Get off your phone and commit to your workout. Socialize once you are done. Do not let anything distract you from your goal. Intensity should be high. Heart rate elevated, sweat happening, muscles feeling pumped and pushed to their limits. Do not leave anything in the tank. Leave the session feeling that you could not have done any more. Each session should be of high quality. It’s all about getting out of your comfort zone in the least amount of time. Long workouts are not necessarily better. Give me a short workout that is high in intensity any day. Hit it hard and get it done quickly! Quality over quantity is the name of the game.
