If you’ve ever tried losing weight, we’re sure you’ve asked yourself the question, how long is this going to take? Well your friendly neighbourhood, Rossendale personal trainer is here to answer that for you.
So you’ve decided to get yourself in shape have you? Well, with Love Island finding it’s way onto our screens every night, we’re not surprised! That’s enough to make anyone reconsider their eating habits!
No hanging around, let’s get to it, and first up, you need to know that it’s going to take time. You should understand that there is no quick fix unfortunately, and the more weight you wish to get rid of, the longer it’s going to take.
That’s the straight-up truth, but, don’t let that put you off, imagine how much longer it would take if you waited until next year to start!
The biggest problems faced are generally encountered when people throw themselves into weight loss. They try dieting, following incorrect advice, start to feel frustrated, and when they don’t have the expected results, they lose motivation and inevitably give up.
Surely there has to be an easier way, right?
Losing weight gradually and consistently, is the healthiest way you can go about it, and this involves a gradual weight loss of around 1-2 pounds per week.
So if you’re looking to shift 10 pounds/4.5 kg, you should expect it to take around 10 -15 weeks/2 – 4 months.
When starting out and facing a long an arduous journey, the best thing to bear in mind is that you didn’t gain this weight overnight, remember how long it took to gain the extra weight. That extra weight may have taken around 6 months to put that 10 pounds on, so don’t expect it to fall off overnight.
When Maths Class Comes in Handy
Think of the foods you eat as the fuel needed for you to carry out any activity, if you don’t have enough fuel, you’ll break down, and if you take on too much fuel you’ll have some left over that is stored in your tank.
Interestingly, your body will burn a certain amount of calories each day without exercising at all, and this is called your basal metabolic rate. Once you know your BMR you know how many calories you’d burn if you just lay on the sofa for the entire day.
You can use an online calculator to work out how many calories you should be consuming in order to maintain your weight. Having this information about your own body can help you prepare to make the necessary changes to lose weight.
When you add exercise into the mix, then you will of course burn more calories than when your body is at rest. So workout how many calories you are burning each day, then record how many calories you are consuming.
If you burn more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight, and if you consume more calories than you burn you will gain weight.
It’s a simple calculation, but it’s something we just don’t get taught in school;
Calories Consumed – Calories Burned = Surplus/Deficit
Think About the Food You Eat
Although understanding your calories is pivotal in making changes to your diet, you should also be aware of the types of foods you are eating. When you begin to reduce the amount of calories you’re consuming, you also decrease the amount of nutrients that the body needs to function properly.
This makes it super important to ensure you are taking on foods that are rich in nutrients and vitamins that give your body the fuel it needs. Try to steer clear of foods that are stuffed full of empty calories (provide no nutritional benefit) and focus on eating those which help you on your path to weight loss.
Avoid: sweets, fizzy drinks, cookies, doughnuts, cakes, crisps, etc,
Embrace: vegetables, fruits, nuts, lean meat, beans, greens, pasta, etc,
A quick Google search will provide you with an extensive list of foods you should be striving to avoid, and on the flip-side a list of recipes you can try with foods that are full of goodness.
As the saying goes, it’s 20% perspiration, 80% preparation, you win in the kitchen!
Melting Away the Fat Through Exercise
If we don’t mention exercise are we even a personal trainer? Okay, exercise is the holy grail of weight loss, when done right and combined with a brilliant diet, you’re setting yourself up for some serious wins.
Exercise increases the amount of calories you burn and helps you push your caloric intake into that much needed deficit. For those looking to lose weight quicker, you should focus on high intensity, heart pumping, cardiovascular exercise, such as; running, biking, boot camps, rowing, swimming, and fast-paced sports.
Getting in some decent cardio work outs 3-5 times a week and making sure your sessions last around 45-60 minutes a session is going to help you melt away your body fat and reach your goals.
Strength training is often overlooked, as many people think this makes you gain weight, however, adding in some strength training alongside your cardio routines is only going to increase the speed of your weight loss.
This is due to the nature of muscles and how much of a pain they are to maintain. Muscles will constantly suck nutrients and energy from the foods you consume as they attempt to sustain themselves. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn as the muscles regenerate.
If you’re stuck for ideas on building your routines you could join a local Rossendale boot camp, where routines are laid out for you, or you could take on a personal trainer to help you create plans that incorporate both strength and cardio training, tailored to you
The Final Note
Remember that in order to lose weight at a healthy rate, you’ll be looking at up to 2 pounds per week. The weight loss industry is massive and full of people offering “amazing diets”, diet pills, weight loss shakes, celebrity diet plans, etc.
Unfortunately, most of these shortcuts are too good to be true, and although you may initially see some benefit, you’ll likely notice that that success is short-lived and you’ll end up back where you started in no time at all.
The most effective and proven way to lose weight is to put in place solid foundations, prepared plans and follow a steady regimen that allows your body to slowly change and adjust, and in turn maintain your weight loss.
Losing weight is so much more than just looking good at the beach or pool side, losing weight should be the beginning of changes that will lead you to live a healthier lifestyle. If done correctly you’ll find you not only lose weight, but you’ll feel better, look healthier, and live longer.
If you want further advice around your weight loss goals, your friendly personal trainer is based in Rossendale and here to help you succeed, get in touch to find out more.