Whoever said losing weight is simple? Well, it’s not—it takes diligence, hard work, knowledge and consistency. In order to lose weight, a person must cause a deficit between the calories consumed and the calories burned. Simply put, you must burn off more calories than what you consume on a given day in order to lose weight. That may be accomplished by consuming fewer calories than what your body requires just to function, or by exercising in order to increase your calorie expenditure. However, I believe the best way is a combination of both, which means decreasing your calorie intake coupled with exercise.
Even with a calorie deficit and exercise Monday through Friday, if you overeat Saturday and Sunday you may find yourself right back where you started. Rather than looking at your eating and exercising habits only on a daily basis, try to also see them from a weekly perspective. A lot of people out there with the best of intentions possess fantastic eating and exercising habits during the week, but on the weekend consume excessive calories from fried foods, high-sugar foods, dining out with friends, or alcoholic beverages. Remember, if you consume calories that you don’t expend, they will be stored as fat.
There’s still more to this equation. Even when you’re doing the above mentioned correctly, you still may find that you’re not losing inches where you want to be. Well, for starters you can’t spot reduce fat, which means it usually first comes off at the last place it was put on. In your case, that may be you’re face or neck. And secondly, fat is not your body’s first choice for fuel, stored carbohydrates are. That means you need to encourage your body to burn stored fat for fuel. This can be accomplished by not consuming too many starchy foods like pastas and breads, and extending the cardio portion of your workout to 40 – 60 minutes in order to tap your fat stores. Don’t overlook the importance of resistance training, as this increases your overall metabolism so that your body is less likely to store fat in the first place.
Hopefully you have a little more knowledge concerning fat loss than you did prior to reading this. Now you just need to put in the hard work and consistency that it takes to see changes and get results. Approach weight loss as a lifestyle change rather than a temporary one, and with a little old-fashioned elbow grease, you’ll reach your goal.
Melissa Allen, BS, CPT, CES is a certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist and Medifast health coach, is the owner of the Optimum Condition Corrective Exercise & Performance Center, located in El Cajon, in the East County of San Diego. We specialize in customized fitness training and corrective exercise for both recreational athletes and post-rehab clients, as well as guaranteed weight loss programs or your money back. You can schedule a free consultation to help you get started. Please visit her website at OptimumCondition.org.
