Wednesday 13 April 2016

A Beginner’s Guide to Weight Loss

Most people have tried weight loss plans at some point or another in their lives.  However, few succeed in actually keeping the weight off for very long.  Some even end up with more weight than when they originally started.  While putting together an effective plan can be challenging, here are a few tips to get you started right:



Tip #1:  Diets Alone Don’t Cut It – When it comes to weight loss, the first thing people usually resort to is a diet.  However, studies have conclusively shown that dieting alone can cause 70% of the weight loss to be from muscle.  This is counter-productive, since muscle loss means less calories burned per day.  The way to counteract this effect of dieting is to include some weight-resistance training into the routine as well.  Even as little as some moderate weight-resistance training three times a week can make a huge difference in keeping that weight off after a diet.

Tip #2:  Rather Than Diet, Change Your Eating Habits –  While including weight-resistance exercise while dieting can certainly help maintain weight loss, a more preferable option is to change your eating habits.  The problem with diets is that they are temporary.  As such, once you come off the diet, the weight slowly begins creeping back again.  In order to keep the weight loss off, you need to evaluate your eating habits and adjust them to suit your weight loss goals.  Sometimes, this may be as simple as replacing that sugar in your coffee with a calorie-free sugar substitute, or switching that bag of regular chips to baked chips.  While knowing what the best changes aren’t always that easy, there are plenty of options for assistance, such as nutritionists and personal trainers.

Tip #3:  Find a Partner – Working towards your goals with a partner dramatically increases one’s change of success.  A partner provides both motivation, accountability, and can also provide a bit of competition for those who enjoy that as well.  During the days when you just aren’t up to going for your jog or hitting the gym, your partner can help provide that extra kick you need on tough days to stay in check.

Tip #4:  Eat More Often – After not eating for about three hours, your body gradually begins to increase production of a chemical in your body called cortisol.  Cortisol is essentially your body’s warning sign that you are starving.  As such, it causes your body to begin to burn less fat and instead burn muscle. Since, as seen in tip #1, you want to maintain muscle while burning fat, you want to keep your body’s cortisol levels to a minimum.  

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