Weight loss – the do’s and don’ts

Global Courant

Losing weight is hard no matter where you start or how far you’ve come. At some point, most people have tried to lose weight and then stopped because of a plateau or receiving incorrect guidance. There are also seemingly endless weight loss gimmicks that advertise as the only thing you need to lose weight, which is just not true, NO ONE THING WILL HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. It is a combination of puzzle pieces that must all fit together to complete your weight loss puzzle. Here are some dos and don’ts on your weight loss journey:

Don’t just do cardio

While cardio should be part of your program, it shouldn’t be the ONLY thing in your program. Yes, cardio is great for burning calories and obviously necessary for good heart health, but when it comes to weight loss, cardio is just one small piece of the puzzle. Now, I’m not saying cardio should be skipped because it has to be done, but it’s not the biggest focus in a good weight loss program. You’ll still want to work up to about 5 days of cardiovascular activity per week for best results.

Lift weights at least 3 times a week

Lifting weights and strength training is an absolute necessity when it comes to weight loss as it facilitates muscle building. Why is that important? When you build muscle, your metabolism increases and you can burn more calories. Building muscle is also great for bone health because your bones get stronger as your muscles increase. For beginners, 2-3 days of weight lifting per week is sufficient, but eventually you want to go to 3-5 days per week, depending on your program.

Do not go too fast

Trying to do too much too soon is just as detrimental to your compliance with a fitness program as not doing enough. Too often people try to do too much but end up burning out after 2-3 weeks and falling back into old habits. The typical 4-week weight loss guru on Instagram praises a 20-pound weight loss program that’s easy to follow, but frankly, those programs are unsustainable and don’t encourage long-term healthy habits. Don’t get caught up in these 4 week “inspiring” transformations because usually those people eventually get back to that weight and then some in a few weeks. Go for the slow and steady approach, the chance of success is much higher!

Set realistic short and long term goals

In addition to the above, setting realistic goals ensures more stable results. Aiming for 0.5-1 pound of weight loss per week is a very realistic and possible goal for just about anyone, regardless of how heavy you are or not. If you aim for an average weight loss of 2-4 pounds per month over the course of a year, that’s 24-48 pounds lost in a year! Not to mention, you’ll have developed long-lasting, healthy habits that you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Do not take fat burning supplements

These are usually a waste of money wrapped in fancy advertising and less than real claims about how they work. Most “fat burning” supplements don’t actually burn fat! If anything, they help you burn more calories by increasing your metabolism, which can lead to weight loss, but if you don’t burn more calories than you consume, you won’t lose weight. Some supplements will claim they can “target belly fat,” which is absurd. There are no supplements that target fat in specific areas of your body, that’s not how your body works. When you lose fat, your fat cells throughout your body shrink and everyone reacts differently. You are better off spending your time and money on your nutrition plan and making sure you burn more calories than you take in.

Spend most of your time and effort on your meal plan

As I mentioned above, you won’t lose weight until you burn more calories than you take in. Since nutrition accounts for about 70-80% of your results, you should spend the most time on this aspect of your fitness program. Preparing meals takes less time than you think and will make your whole week much easier. Meal prep takes the guesswork out of what meal to eat next because your meals are already prepared and ready to heat up and eat.

Do not drink liquid calories

Liquid calories are sure to derail your weight loss journey for many reasons. One of those reasons is that it contains extra calories (often sugary) that keep you from feeling full. Now it is still acceptable to have protein shakes as long as they are whey protein without the extra added sugars. The extra protein helps you recover for the next workout. The liquid calories to avoid are sugary drinks (juices, Gatorade, soda, etc…) and alcohol. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram compared to carbohydrates and protein which are 4 calories per gram and also have additional carbohydrates attached. Alcohol can also disrupt your sleep cycle and getting your beauty rest is a critical part of recovery. What about wine? While some are good for heart health, it still packs in those extra calories you most likely don’t need.

Drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water

Most of your body is made up of water, so make sure you drink! A good rule of thumb for how much water you should drink in a day is half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should drink 100 ounces of water per day.

Don’t focus on the scale

This may seem counterintuitive, but hear me out. It’s a great feeling to see the numbers getting smaller every week on that scale and it can give you a huge sense of accomplishment. When you start to hit a plateau and the numbers on the scale don’t change that often, it can be easy to get discouraged. It’s important to remember that the scale only tells part of the story when it comes to results, so don’t put all your stock into what the scale says. A more important measurement to also keep an eye on is your body fat percentage. In combination with the scale, your body fat percentage can help you determine how much of your body is fat mass and how much lean body mass. It is not uncommon for the scale not to change much, but the body fat percentage does. If you maintain the same weight and your body fat percentage drops, then you are a rock star! This means that you were able to reduce your fat mass and increase your lean body mass (most likely muscle mass)! Girth measurements and progress photos are also more helpful in determining progress than scale.

Focus mainly on improving your overall fitness

Sometimes it’s just best to shift your focus to other but related goals to jump-start your results. Instead of weighing yourself weekly, try to track and improve your fitness level, such as improving your running time on a 3-mile run or instead of running 3 miles, try going 4 or 5. For strength, focus on lifting heavier weights and improving your overall strength levels. You can also try different programs to improve how many push-ups or pull-ups you can do. The most important thing is to take your focus off the scale and work on your strength, flexibility or cardiovascular fitness.

When you’re ready to embark on your fitness journey, make sure you’re ready to change your entire lifestyle. If you don’t feel you’re ready, ask yourself why? What’s stopping you from changing your life to improve your health? If you’re having trouble answering any of these questions, let me know and we’ll get you on the road to a healthier life!

Weight loss – the do’s and don’ts

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