You need to start with the attitude that losing weight and gaining fitness is something to have for life, not just a quick fix. If you lose weight too quickly statistics show that you will not only put back on the weight you loss but an extra 10% on top of it.
It is important to eat regularly throughout the day. So many people start the beginning of the week by going on a starvation diet and skipping meals only to ‘break’ their diet by midweek, getting stressed and disappointed along the way. Not only does it not work it will only slow down your metabolism which will make it harder and harder to lose weight in the future.
It is so important that you eat breakfast every day. This is definitely not a meal to skip and when breakfast preparation is probably the easiest of all the meals why would you? Toast and coffee is not the answer either! Try oats, fruit, yoghurt, eggs, wholegrain cereal, baked beans. There are so many fast and fabulous options. Just be sure to avoid most breakfast cereals as they usually contain loads of sugar – check out the nutrition panel if not sure.
Include a good source of protein, carbohydrate and good fats at every meal. Don’t be afraid of eating ‘good’ fats. By this I mean foods that contain Omega 3′s and essential fatty acids which are so important for your health. Choose things like oily fish, flaxseeds, avocados.
Are you doing weight training as well as cardio? It is so important for both men and women, yet women in particular avoid training with weights for fear of bulking up. Women cannot get huge muscles because they do not have the hormones required for muscle bulk. Instead, weight training is a secret weapon when it comes to fat loss.
Don’t forget to include some cardio training for your heart and lung health as well. Interval training is the most effective method for fat loss. Simply put this means pushing yourself in sprint mode (whether it is on a bike, walking, swimming etc) for a set period of time eg: 1 minute then reducing the effort for 1 minute then repeating.
Dont stop exercising just because you are not sure what you are doing. Any exercise (if done safely) is good exercise, but dont overlook the value of hiring an expert to teach you the most effective exercises to suit your body shape and fitness and weight loss goals. A trainer can end up saving you a lot of time, money and frustration by setting you on the right path.
The most important thing is to keep it simple. Eat simple wholefoods wherever possible and include exercise as part of your daily routine and before you know it you will have lost weight and be feeling energized and ready for tackling life head on!
How would you like to finally lose bodyfat and get into the best shape of your life? Make sure you checkout Jill Edmonds’ fantastic personal training online, and free newsletter full of great tips on losing bodyfat the right way!
