HOW to LOSE WEIGHT the BASICS of WEIGHT LOSS by Dani Singer NOTE
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HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT THE BASICS OF WEIGHT LOSS by Dani Singer NOTE This is required reading for all new Fit2Go weight loss clients. It is our belief that an educated client is significantly more likely to be successful, and that is one of the main reasons we started this blog. If you have any questions about this article, please feel free to email me directly at [email protected]. If you are a current client, you should also have my cell number handy. Enjoy! Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss, injury, or damage allegedly arising from any informa- tion or suggestion in this book, because no single book can re- place the expertise and medical advice of a dedicated and skilled physician. Please be certain to consult with your doctor or relevant professional before making any decision regarding your own or your children’s health, or situation, particularly when you or they suffer from a known medical condition or have any symptoms that may require treatment. DANI SINGER [email protected] Dani Singer is a nationally certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist. As CEO & Director of of Fit2Go Personal Training, he specializes in helping busy professionals make fitness practical. Dani has been featured in national publications such as Reader’s Digest, Muscle & Fitness, and SHAPE Magazine; and teaches hundreds of thousands of trainers around the world as an advisor to the Personal Trainer Development Center. 1 WEIGHT LOSS IS SIMPLE Yup, I said it. And I’ll say it again: weight loss is simple. Now before you have the urge to slit my throat, allow me to clarify. Weight loss may not be EASY, but the science behind it is very simple. Change in body weight comes down to a balance of energy. We take in energy (by eating food), and we use energy (by moving and living). Take in more energy than you use and you will gain weight. Use more energy than you take in and you will lose weight. It truly is that simple. “But it can’t be! Surely if it were that simple, everyo- ne would be in great shape and we wouldn’t have an obesity rate of 33% in America. Right?” Great question, statistically informed reader. In fact, according to the National Institute of Health, not only are 1 out of 3 Americans obese, but that number is rising every year! Obesity has actually been declared an epidemic by many national and worldwide organizations (NIH,CDC, AHA, IOTF, to name a few). So why do so many people struggle with weight loss? 2 KEY REASONS PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH WEIGHT LOSS REASON #1: TOO MUCH INFORMATION! There is such an overwhelming amount of contradictory informa- tion about health & fitness out there that people are completely lost. I’ve often had clients who were sure that something was true simply because they heard about a study that proved it. I always explain to them that a simple google search will reveal at least 10 studies “proving” the opposite. To be clear, there are many legitimate studies out there with valuable and insightful information. Unfortunately, there are also many that draw questionable conclusions based on faulty or inconclusive data. Adding to the problem, the media is more than willing to exaggerate any study results they believe will attract a large audience, and we feed that behavior with our unquenchable thirst for breakthroughs revealing “magic pill” fixes. As a result, people often find themselves jumping from one weight loss plan to another, becoming increasingly frustrated, and either never seeing lasting results or simply giving up completely. 3 REASON # 2: NO PAIN, NO GAIN (OR SHOULD I SAY LOSS?) If it was easy, everyone would already be doing it. Here we refer back to my first point. Weight loss is simple, but not always easy. Once you understand that there is no magic pill, you have to be willing to put in the work. If you want to achieve long term weight loss, no “diet” or “cleanse” will get you there. The only path to real and lasting success is a lifestyle change. 4 THE SIMPLE TRUTH So, without further ado, here’s the simple — but not necessarily easy — way to lose weight: CREATE A CALORIC DEFICIT. Yup, that’s it. Don’t worry about low fat, low carb, ketosis, glycemic index, or any other fad diet / sophisticated physiological pheno- mena. If you’re trying to build/maintain large amounts of muscle, then your diet may have to be more complicated. However, if all you want to do is lose weight, then you simply need to burn more than you consume. Nothing else is necessary for weight loss. Nothing. The general equation we use is that a caloric deficit of 3500 kcal = 1 lb of weight loss. This will vary somewhat from person to person, but this is the generally accepted rule. And it works. So, if you create a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day, you will lose 1 lb per week. I repeat, you will lose 1 lb. 5 YEAH, BUT HOW? The question then of course is: How do I create such a deficit and how do I even measure how much I am burning? This part gets slightly more complicated. A trained health & fitness professional will start by using factors such as your age, gender, weight, height, body fat %, and activity level/intensity to estimate how many calories you are burning on a daily or weekly basis. Then, all we need to do is modify that equation so that you are burning more, consuming less, and voila! Weight loss occurs. Now, I say “weight loss is not always easy” because our clients often come to us after trying tons of different intense workout programs and restrictive diets. Once they understand that for a program to work it simply needs to create a caloric deficit, they often find it easyin comparison to everything they’ve already tried. Furthermore, when they can rely on a professional to make all the necessary calculations to create their caloric deficit, they are able to relax a bit and follow a simpler set of guidelines. 6 THE WEIGHT LOSS GUIDELINES Here are some of the guidelines you can use right now to help modify your personal weight loss equation: NOTE: You don’t necessarily need to follow every single one of these tips. However, the more you follow, the easier it will be to create a healthy caloric deficit. UNDERSTAND THAT NUTRITION IS THE BATTLE. Please don’t waste your time trying to out- exercise a bad diet. Even if you are eating healthy foods, an increase in activity may initially make you hungrier as your body fights the change. If you don’t measure your portion sizes, your evil body will win and your weight will stay the same. 7 UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE NO FOODS THAT HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. A “good food for weight loss” is a food that gives your body what it needs, without the baggage of extra calories that it doesn’t. Thin- king “I ate such a healthy meal, so it’s ok to eat a little junk” makes zero sense. From a weight loss standpoint, it would actually be better to eat only the junk food and never have the healthy meal in the first place than to eat both(but please don’t do that and then blame it on me!). In other words, if you’re going to eat the junk food either way, adding healthy food doesn’t help anything from a weight loss perspective. TRY TO START VIEWING FOOD AS FUEL. This is not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy your meals; you abso- lutely should. However, if you start thinking about food in terms of what benefits it offers you and your body (in addition to taste!), you may find it easier to cut down on emotional eating/snacking. Identify which situations cause you to eat when you aren’t hungry, and then work on avoiding/changing those situations, or simply go into them more prepared. 8 DON’T SKIP MEALS. There is a diet fad called “intermittent fasting” which says that if you eat only one or two meals per day you’ll lose more weight. This is nonsense. Participants often end up being so hungry that they overeat and binge when it’s finally meal time. Eat at least 3 balanced meals per day. Don’t starve yourself. NOTE: Intermittent fasting can and does work for some people — but only if they’re in a caloric deficit. The impor- tant point is that there’s nothing magical about meal timing. Total calories for the day will determine your weight. DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, drink. Water is not only the most important nutrient for your body, but it will also help you feel full. Drink a full cup of water before each meal to avoid overeating. Try starting with the Institute of Medicine‘s recommendation of about 13 cups per day for men and 11 cups per day for women. TIP: Put 4 rubber bands around a 20 oz water bottle and bring it to work. Every time you finish it, take 1 rubber band off and put it around your wrist. Goal is to get all 4 rubber bands around the wrist by end of day. Simple way to get 80 oz of water in every day. 9 REDUCE OR ELIMINATE HIGH CALORIE BEVERAGES. This includes juices.