Introduction
Weight loss is a difficult and commonly misunderstood topic. It's not just about eating less and exercising more, but it's also about doing it sustainable and in a healthy way. You may want to lose weight for health, sports performance or fitness goals. Whatever your reason, it's important to understand how fat loss works so you can achieve your goals!
Before we get into it
It is important to realise that each person is built differently. Some people will gain and lose fat easier than others. Some people have a faster metabolism than others.
But we can attribute about 50% of our body composition to our lifestyle - food intake, activity levels, sleep, stress levels etc. And people naturally lose of gain fat depending on:
Gender
Age
Puberty
Exercise or sports engaged in
Time of year (off season vs in season)
It is also important to know why you are trying to lose fat. Never do it as punishment, rather do it as a celebration for what you body is capable of and a means to a goal you have. So, let's get into it...
Why do we gain fat?
In general, fat levels are determined by genetics, physical activity levels and calorie intake. Very simply, if we consume more calories from food than we use (above our BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate), our bodies store this excess energy as fat. Therefore, consuming less calories and/or exercising more will reduce fat levels in the body. But it is not as simple as that. Here are 10 strategies to help speed up the process!
1. Drink mostly water.
Water is the best choice for hydration. Drinking water keeps you hydrated, which helps your body function more efficiently and promotes weight loss.
Water is calorie-free, which means it won't add any extra fat to your diet or make you feel hungry in between meals.
Water has no impact on taste, so if you like soda or fruit punch beverages with sugar added as flavourings (or just plain sugar), then drink those instead! They're still better than sugary sodas because they contain fewer calories per cupful than their caloric equivalent would have been had they been made with regular soda machines instead of light ones."
2. Exercise.
Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for losing weight. The more you exercise, the faster your weight will drop. However, just going for a walk or jogging in place won't make much difference if your diet isn't on point.
To lose weight, aim to get 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio (like brisk walking), or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity cardio (like running). If those sound like a lot—and they are!—it's important not to forget about strength training as well: A study published in 2014 found that people who did both forms had better results than those who didn't.
3. Drink coffee or tea.
Drinking coffee or tea is a great way to keep your metabolism going and lose weight. Drinks with caffeine are known for increasing your metabolism, which helps burn calories faster. That's why it’s recommended that you drink these beverages in the morning (before breakfast) and after dinner.
Caffeine also keeps you focused and alert while burning fat at the same time! If you want to lose weight fast, then drinking coffee might just be what the doctor ordered!
4. Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods.
Eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods is one of the most important things you can do to lose weight. This includes the following macronutrients:
Some examples of whole foods are:
fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen)
whole grains (whole wheat pasta, brown rice).
Some examples of processed foods include:
white breads and crackers; pastas; refined sugars like honey or syrup (cane sugar).
most things that come in packets
junk food
5. Find a healthy way to cope with stress that has nothing to do with food.
Stress is a huge factor in weight gain and loss. Stress can cause you to eat when you're not hungry, which is dangerous because it causes damage to your body (and your mental health).
One way to cope with stress is through exercise. Take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk around town; or even just go for a run on days when things seem too busy at work or at home! Exercise releases endorphins in your brain, which make us feel good about ourselves—and thus less stressed overall!
6. Practice mindful eating.
Practice mindful eating. Focusing on the food as you eat it can help you slow down and enjoy your meal, which may help promote weight loss.
Take your time with each bite. Savour each delicious bite before moving onto the next one, even if this means taking a few extra minutes to finish off those last few bites of pasta or scooping that last serving of ice cream into your mouth (it will taste better).
Don't eat in front of the TV or computer—eating while distracted is more likely to lead to mindless snacking later on when hunger strikes again!
7. Train your brain to think differently about food.
People often think of exercise as the key to weight loss. But it’s not. In fact, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, the best way to do so is with a combination of healthy eating habits and regular exercise.
The first step in changing your brain's perception of food is learning how much energy (calories) are in different foods—and then eating less of what has lots of calories or more moderate amounts without having any negative effect on overall health or performance. If we learn that a particular meal contains 30 grams of protein but only 10 grams from fat (for example), we'll end up thinking about how great that other meal was because there were no carbs at all!
You can also train your brain by asking yourself questions about each item before deciding whether or not it's worth consuming—or better yet: ask someone else for feedback about what they think about certain foods or beverages before making decisions based on their own personal experience with those items."
8. Watch one less hour of TV.
Watching TV is a sedentary activity. It's also not good for your weight, especially if you're trying to lose it.
Watching too much TV can lead to obesity and other health problems, including high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. It's also an addiction that can cause social isolation because people who watch too much TV tend not to talk with others as much as they would like (which means they don't have friends).
9. Skip sugary beverages.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single largest source of calories in the American diet. Sugary drinks have been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Some studies show that drinking one can of soda each day increases your risk of becoming overweight or obese by 60%. A single 12 oz (355 ml) can contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar—and it's not just added to regular soda: fruit juices, sports drinks and flavoured waters also contain high amounts of sugars.
10. Eat soluble fiber.
You may have heard of soluble fibre as a weight-loss aid, but did you know that it can also help you feel fuller longer? This means less snacking and more enjoyment of your meals. Soluble fibres are found in oats, beans and peas (such as kidney beans), flaxseed, apples and pears.
Soluble fibre has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol in your system—but most importantly it helps lower triglycerides. High triglycerides tell the body to store fat instead of burning it off; so eating foods high in soluble fibre will help keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day so that you don't feel hungry between meals or snack on unhealthy snacks between meals!
Conclusion
I hope that you have found these tips helpful as you start your weight loss journey. Remember that it’s not easy, but we can do it! Key takeaways:
consume less calories
exercise more
Look after your general health and wellbeing - lower stress, sleep 8+ hours per night and have the right motivation for fat loss
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Thanks legends!
Mr D, your online PE Buddy