I will never be able to lose this weight. Maybe it’s my thyroid? I need to get on a diet. Does this sound like you? Chances are if you are like the average person; you have tried numerous times and failed to lose weight. Why is it that weight loss is so difficult and hard to achieve? Are genetics indicative of weight loss? What are the actual ways to help one lose weight and get into the best shape of their life?
Have you ever heard that you can’t exercise off a bad diet? Well, the truth is that your diet is extremely important to your weight loss. So, what is it exactly about your diet that you must be concerned about? For the most part, the calories taken in throughout the day weighs heavily on whether you lose or gain weight. For weight loss, your caloric intake needs to be in a deficit and there must not be any surplus. So how can you ensure that you are in a caloric deficit?
There is only one way to figure out whether you’re in a caloric deficit. We all think that we know the number of calories we eat however when we do end up writing and documenting our caloric intake we are always way off. To ensure that you are taking in the proper number of calories it is crucial that you log your daily caloric intake and everything you have eaten or drank for the day in a food diary or an app like MyFitnessPal. At the other day, you can total the number of calories you consume and get an idea of what your caloric intake is.
If you do this for a few days and weigh yourself you can get an idea of what your caloric intake would be for a deficit, or for a surplus. Once you see yourself losing weight with a certain caloric intake this is your caloric deficit and the number of calories that you should be consuming daily.
Of course, another great way to establish a caloric deficit is exercise. We all know that exercise helps burn calories, but according to Every Body’s Personal Trainer, resistance training is also crucial to help us lose weight. Lean muscle tissue burns many more calories at rest the body fat. By changing one’s body composition whereas there is more muscle as opposed to body fat you can turn your body into a fat-burning and calorie-burning machine. Make sure to add resistance training to your regimen in addition to aerobic training as well.
Accountability is a major factor according to many regarding achieving goals and losing weight. If you aren’t performing your workouts, the gym will not call you and ask you where you are and why you haven’t completed them. So how do you establish accountability? You can always hire a personal trainer to be your coach and to keep you accountable however there are other ways you can hold yourself accountable as well. Joining a community on social media such as Facebook or Instagram can help you stay accountable by doing daily accountability posts and feeding off the comments and accountability given by other community members.
Mentioning your goals to your significant other, family, friends, or work colleague is also another great way to stay accountable. If you start eating bad or missing workouts these people be there to reinforce good habits and to keep you on that straight and narrow path.
Setting goals is also a very helpful way to stay on the correct path and keep yourself motivated in achieving our goals. Make sure that the goals that you set are both short-term, midterm, and long-reaching so that you can accomplish goals routinely cross them off your list. If you only set long-term goals it is very hard to stay motivated in the short-term. Make sure you are writing short-term goals as well. Make sure your goals are specific, realistic, and attainable that way you can stay motivated and adhere better to your fitness and nutritional goals.
By adhering to the these advice you can lose weight. Remember, losing weight takes time just like anything else. Stay motivated and remember never give up.
Helen Bradfield did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She has an ongoing interest in mental health and well-being.
