Ok now this is definitely a weird title, especially because I’m a trainer and one of my passions is guiding individuals on their weight loss journey. But, as unfortunate as it is, training will not lead to you losing a substantial amount of weight if your eating habits are not looked after. Now, I’m not saying that you will not lose weight if you train but….. it won’t be that much if you are not paying attention to what you’re putting in your body.
To lose weight, there are a number of factors that you have to understand and one of those factors are calories. As I’ve learned, the calorie is the single most important matric that we have to measure if we are consuming too much, too little or just enough food for our bodies. It measures the energy that your body utilizes in order to function, this includes digestion, physical activity, fidgeting and even sleeping. The number that you burn per day depends on a number of factors including your age, sex, height, and the amount of physical activity that you get. When you exceed the number of calories your body requires, it will be stored as excess energy which will later on be stored as triglycerides (fat) and that’s where the problem starts. Because eating has become something we do habitually rather than out of necessity, we tend to overeat or we eat foods which are high in calories and low in nutritional value.
Let’s look at an example of this. Imagine I have a burger with fries which contains 1000 calories, in order for me to burn it I would need to do sprints on the field with minimal breaks for more than an hour. Not many people can do that nor are they willing to do that. Vigorous weight training can burn between 90 – 130 calories in a 30-minute period yet a mcflurry, which can be finished in 10 minutes, contains 166 calories. This is why I say training won’t make you lose a lot of weight if your eating is not controlled.
It is way easier to lose weight by controlling how many calories you take in. If you’re in a caloric deficit combined with training then you will definitely see a difference on that scale. So, if you eat 2000 calories in a day and you burn 2500, then you will lose weight, in fact, if one was to follow a regiment such as this one for 7 days, they will lose ½ kg in that week.
So how do I start?
#1 Eat whole foods
The best way to start is to simply restrict the amount of processed foods that you may be consuming on a regular basis. This means cutting out foods like sugar and junk. It’s not that these foods are bad, it’s just that our bodies are not accustomed to consuming such food and therefor will not be able to process and digest these items efficiently. This leads to a number of issues such as bloating, burping, fatigue and weight gain. Eating whole foods on the other hand makes it easier for the body to digest and utilize the nutrients from the food and it’s less harsh on your physical and mental well-being.
#2 Move more
A common mistake we make is consuming food and then sitting down for long periods of time. The problem with this is that it doesn’t promote positive digestion meaning you could be wasting vital nutrients by sitting down directly after a meal. If your body is not processing food efficiently then vital nutrients are being wasted. Several studies have shown that walking for 10 minutes after consuming food can promote positive digestion. Another pro for walking after consuming food is you’re burning more calories compared to if you were just to sit on your couch.
#3 Schedule your eating times
Unlike when we were hunter gatherers and sitting down to eat was a luxury and occurred sporadically throughout the day, a large chunk of the population eats out of habit and enjoyment rather than out of necessity. Think of your day for a moment and ask yourself when you eat are you eating because you are really hungry or because you feel like it is time to eat? For me the latter occurs more often than the former, when 12:00 hits I automatically feel like it’s time for lunch even though I’m not that hungry, if hungry at all. The problem with this is that we end up eating out of habit which can lead to over-consumption and, of course, that means more calories consumed and more chances of being in a caloric surplus.
Time restricted eating can be the solution. Schedule a time out of the day when you eat and you fast. The most common split is 16:8 when you fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours, there are many more splits that you can try out if you are not comfortable with that one. Fasting allows your body to recover better, you have more energy and it gives your digestive system a break. To optimize your training, break your fast before or straight after your training.
Finally, I want to end off with this. I am 25 years old and my body can get away with eating unhealthy food and beverages because of my fast metabolism and training regimen. However, as you age your metabolism does slow down and it takes your body much longer to recover at 40 than it does at 25. So, for anyone who’s in their 20’s right now, understand that by putting your body in prime condition now, you position yourself to age better and optimize your performance for a longer period of time.
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