Weight loss: what to try to and what to not do

Weight loss travel is difficult, no matter where you start or how far you go. At one point, most people tried to lose weight and ended due to a tank or inadequate instructions. There are also seemingly endless weight loss tips announcing that this is the only thing you need to lose weight, which is not true. NO THINGS HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. It is a combination of puzzle pieces that have to fit your weight loss puzzle. Here are some things you should know and do that you should know during your weight loss:

Do not just do Cardio

Although Cardio is part of your program, it should not be the ONLY one in your program. Yes, Cardio is great for burning calories and is obviously needed for heart health. But when it comes to losing weight, Cardio is just a small part of the puzzle. Well, I'm not saying you should forego cardiovascular training because it's necessary to do it, but it's not the most important thing to focus on a good weight loss program. You will always want to work on cardiovascular activities for up to 5 days a week for better results.

Lift the weights at least three times a week

Weightlifting and strength training is an absolute necessity to lose weight as they promote muscle growth. Why is it important? As you build muscle, your metabolism increases and you can burn more calories. Building muscle is also suitable for bone health as your bones get stronger as your muscles get stronger. For beginners 2 to 3 days weightlifting per week is sufficient, but depending on the program, you will want to reach 3 to 5 days per week.

Do not go too fast

Doing too much and too fast is as bad as it is not enough for your fitness program membership. Too often people try to start too much and tire after 2 to 3 weeks and return to their old habits. The typical 4-week weight loss guru on Instagram promotes an easy-to-follow 20-pound weight loss program, but in reality, these programs are not maintainable and do not promote healthy habits. Do not be fooled by these "inspiring" 4-week transformations as these people gain weight and more most of the time in a few weeks. Decide on a slow and steady approach, and there are much better chances of success!

Set realistic short and long term goals

To complete the above, setting realistic goals provides more stable results. Going for weight loss of 0.5 to 1 kg per week is a very realistic goal and can be considered for almost anyone, regardless of their weight. If you are looking for an average weight loss of 2 to 4 pounds per month per year, you will lose 24 to 48 pounds a year! Not to mention that you have developed healthy and sustainable habits that you can maintain throughout your life.

Do not take any dietary supplement to burn fat.

Usually, they are a waste of money, filled with stylish advertising and less than real statements about how it works. Most "fat-burning" supplements do not burn fat! When they do something, they help you burn more calories by increasing your metabolic rate, which can lead to weight loss. However, if you do not burn more calories than you consume, you will not lose weight. Some dietary supplements claim they can "attack belly fat," which is absurd. There are no nutritional supplements that target fat in certain parts of your body. This is not how your body works. When you lose fat, the size of the fat cells in the whole body decreases and everyone reacts differently. It's best to spend your time and money focusing on your diet and making sure you burn more calories than you consume.

Spend most of your time and effort with your diet.

As I mentioned earlier, you will only lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. Since the diet accounts for approximately 70-80% of your results, you should spend most of your time on this aspect of your fitness program. Preparing meals takes less time than you think and dramatically simplifies your entire week. When preparing meals, any idea of ​​what you should eat afterwards is eliminated as your meals are already prepared and ready to be reheated and eaten.

Do not drink liquid calories

Liquid calories will undoubtedly affect your weight loss for many reasons. One reason is that it contains extra (often sweet) calories that will not help you feel full. Now, drinking protein shakes is always acceptable, as long as it's just whey protein with no added sugar. The extra protein helps you to recover for the next workout. The avoidable liquid calories are sugary drinks (fruit juice, Gatorade, soft drinks, etc.) and alcohol. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram over carbs and protein or 4 calories per gram plus carbohydrates. Alcohol can also disrupt your sleep cycle and regeneration is an integral part of your recovery. What about wine? Some are good for heart health, but still, contain the extra calories you probably do not need.

Drink 1/2 your weight in ounces of water

Your body is mostly water, so drink! In general, the amount of water you drink per day is half of your weight in ounces.

For example, if you weigh two hundred pounds, you must drink a hundred ounces of water daily.

Do not concentrate on the scales

It may contradict intuition but listen to me. It's a great feeling to see how the numbers on this scale drop week by week and can give you a great sense of achievement. When it starts to stabilize, and the numbers on the scale do not change that often, it can be easy to get discouraged. It is important to remember that the level reflects only part of the history of the results. Do not put all your inventory on the account balance. A more important thing to watch out for is the percentage of body fat. In conjunction with the scale, the rate of your body fat can help you determine the percentage of your body fat and body fat. It is not uncommon for the level to change only slightly, but the rate of body fat varies. If you keep the same weight and your body fat percentage drops, you're a rock star! This means that he was able to break down his body fat and increase his lean body mass (probably his muscle mass)! Scope measurements and gradient images are also more useful for determining the gradient than scaling.

Focus on improving your overall fitness

Sometimes it's better to change your approach to other, but related, goals to get started with your results. Instead of weighing yourself every week, try to track and improve your fitness, for example by improving your race time in a 3km race, or instead of running 3km, try to run 4 or 5 in attempting to lift heavier weights and improve your overall strength. You can also try different programs to enhance the number of pumps you can run. The key is to focus on balance and work on your strength, 

flexibility or cardiovascular fitness.

When you're ready to start your fitness routine, make sure you can change your lifestyle. If you do not feel ready, ask yourself why. What's stopping you from changing your life to improve your health? If you have trouble answering these questions, let me know and get on the road to a healthier life!