Summer is right around the corner and everyone is totally READY, right? Yeah, RIGHT!
Time flies, things get busy. When chaos hits, we go back to what we know and do best. If those things are healthy and positive, great. For many of us, that means fewer workouts and more food/drink. If you are currently sailing in this boat, it’s time to jump ship and get back on course to the land of healthy habits.
So, if your goal is fat loss, your best results will be to approach calorie deficit with food and exercise. When we eat nutritiously we are able to workout harder with less effort and strain on our body. When we workout we gain muscle which, in turn revs up our metabolism.
Here are some tips to give you a head start if at loss is your goal.
- The number one way to get back on track with food is to LOG IT – that is proven science! When we log what we are eating, particularly in an app that counts calories and nutrition, we can physically see why it is that we are not dropping weight, despite all that exercise. Remember, one pound of fat is 3500 calories. If you are eating just 35 more calories than you are expending – taking into account your RMR – then you are going to gain 1 pound in 100 days. And if you are 100 calories over (that’s equal to about 2 T of cashews), then it will only take 35 days to gain a pound! Yep, that 1500 calorie a day overage is how you put on 3 pounds during a 1 week vacation. I use myfitnesspal.com because it’s EASY. If I have the patience to do it, you can too.
- If you want to lose fat, set your goal at 1-2 pounds MAXIMUM per week. More than that has been proven to be unsustainable. Again, LOG IT so you can track where you need to cut back and where you can get more quality calories so you don’t go hungry.
- Do NOT go hungry all day when you want to drop weight. That is not sustainable, and it is not sending your brain or body the message that this will last. You can eat all of the non starchy veggies you want (you won’t want that much because the fiber is FILLING) and you wont gain weight. Compare 500 calories of steamed broccoli to say, 500 calories of chips and guac. That would be about a salad bowl full of broccoli (or more) and about 3/4 cup full of guac and 20 chips.
- Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day. I said this in Fridays blog, but it can not be over stated. Water is LIFE. Hydrating your organs allows them faster recovery time. Drinking water also fills the space of mindless eating.
- Exercise at LEAST 5 days a week. My formula for maintenance is 50 minutes walking at a very brisk pace (about 3 miles) 4x per week, 1-2 6-8 mile hikes every week, 2 days of strength training every week, and 1-2 HIIT workouts.
- Track your workout progress electronically. I use an apple watch, but I’ve also heard awesome things about Garmin. Set yourself goals in your watch based on your lifestyle and meet those goals every day for a given time. Start with 2 weeks or 1 month.
It is impossible to out run poor eating habits. Tackle your food log with diligence for 30 days and you will get results that you are logging for!
If you need more accountability, I am now offering 4 levels of Health Coaching. Contact me today if you would like me to send you pricing, availability and information.
To your health,
Coach M