Essential tips for weight loss
In this blog I will outline the science surrounding losing weight and some useful tips and information to aid you in achieving your weight loss goals!
How can I achieve weight loss?
In the simplest way possible, in order to lose weight, your body must be in a calorie deficit. In order for your body to be in a calorie deficit you must be burning more calories in a day than you are consuming. Based on many factors such as weight, height, age and activity levels, your body will need a certain amount of calories to maintain your current weight and support your daily lifestyle. This is called your maintenance calories. To enter into a deficit, you want to reduce these calories by around 20/30%.
Tips for reducing daily calories
Reduce portion sizes: By slightly reducing the size of your current meals you will be reducing your calories. This can be an option for people who don’t want to count all of their calories and measure it more by sight. However, in doing this you won’t be aware of the macronutrients in each of the foods you eat.
Eat foods high in Fiber: Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that can’t be digested. It can help maintain a healthy digestive system and prevent constipation. However, the main benefit of Fiber when it comes to losing weight is that it makes you feel fuller for longer, in turn you are less likely to snack and feel hungry for more food.
Change your balance of macronutrients: Aside from just bringing your daily calories down, changing what macros make up those calories will greatly help weight loss. For example, having a high protein diet is ideal for weight loss, it is harder to digest protein compared to carbs and fats, meaning that your body is actually burning more calories through digestion with a high protein diet. This is called the thermic effect of food. It is also important to keep a high protein diet during a deficit as we don’t want our bodies to use our muscle for fuel. We want to use fat for energy so keeping a workout routine with high protein is important.
Choose lower calorie alternatives: When it comes to your diet, choosing food lower in calories will aid your weight loss. For example, opting for fruit or nuts as a snack compared to chocolate or sweets will bring your daily calorie total right down.
Don’t attempt to lose weight by eating virtually nothing!
One of the worst mistakes you can make when it comes to weight loss is starving yourself! Firstly, by eating next to nothing you are likely to be depriving your body of essential nutrients for health which can lead to increased risk of illness, skin problems, and weakened bones. When you eat too little calories, you can send your body into starvation mode. This causes the body to store fat and conserve it rather than burn it. Work out your maintenance calories then gradually reduce this number to enter a deficit that is safe and efficient for you!
Don’t cut out your carbs!
Although we want to achieve a calorie deficit it is essential to not cut out your carbs. They are the bodies main source of energy. Energy that will be required to train and workout to burn more calories and essentially build muscle. You will feel sluggish, fatigued and deprive your body of essential nutrients.
Increase your NEAT
NEAT stands for Non Exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT is the energy your body uses for physical activity that is not part of a structured exercise program. In more detail, it’s the energy expended for everything we do which isn’t eating, sleeping or planned sports or exercise in the gym. Examples of NEAT can include, sitting or standing, going up and down the stairs, walking, doing household jobs like mowing the lawn, ironing and cleaning and playing with pets. Non exercise activity thermogenesis can account for 6-10% or even up to 50% of your total daily expenditure depending on how active you are.
Increasing your NEAT is a great way to improve energy expenditure and aid weight loss. There are ways to increase your NEAT should you wish to. A couple of ways are: Aiming to stand or move around for 5-10 minutes during daily activities, choosing to walk to the shops rather than drive and instead of using a drive through, park up and walk in.
Increase the total volume of your training
Add in another training session or workout to your week. By increasing your total volume of training you will burn more calories through the week and aid fat loss even more!