Weight Loss Per Week

Posts Tagged ‘Personal Trainer’

Well it is that time of the year when thoughts of bathing suits, sun tan lotion, and beach balls begin to strike fear in the 63% of Americans that are overweight. With that in mind I got together a group of my colleagues…a virtual think tank of fitness professionals…with over 50 years of experience helping even the self proclaimed hopeless people drop weight and keep it off.
We compiled a list of ten things you can change starting today to begin your weight loss process and keep those pounds off permanently. So grab a bowl of cottage cheese, sit back, and take a few minutes to read this list of simple weight loss tactics; but remember real weight loss does not happen overnight so get to work on your summer body early and be ready to stick it out for at least 8 – 12 weeks.
1. Drink Water
Universal agreement among dietitians, nutritional consultants, coaches, life coaches, personal trainers, and mystic gurus put this simple recommendation at the top of our list. Close your eyes and imprint these two words in your mind. Put down that 4th cup of coffee and go pour yourself a glass of water (don’t worry we’ll be here when you get back). Studies support 8 glasses of water per day to promote weight loss.
2. Load your body
Cardio is great, but remember it is only one piece of your fitness program. A complete weight loss program will incorporate strength and core training on a weekly basis. Be sure to load your body using dumbbells, medicine balls, resistance bands, barbells, or your own body weight.
3. Eat Frequently
It’s a fact. You can eat yourself thin. Yet many health and fitness professionals feel like a broken record saying this over and over again to skeptical clients that cannot understand how eating more frequently will help them lose weight. Breakfast is essential to weight loss, but it is just the beginning. Eating smaller meals more frequently will keep your metabolism purring throughout the day.
4. Vary your cardio program
To keep your cardio interesting try to mix it up. Jog, bike, walk hills, swim, play tennis, team sports… anything to keep your heart rate up for 45 to 60 minutes three times a week.
5. Do not Drink Sugar
I am not going to make this an endorsement for Diet Coke or Pepsi. The jury is still out on whether these can be considered weight loss drinks but one thing is certain; sugar is your enemy. It must be defeated on every front including your daily mocha latte and your late night red bull pick me up. You do not need the calories. Look for sugar free versions of the things you drink daily and watch the calories you save pile up.
6. Bake Do Not Fry
Baking is a great alternative to frying your food. It keeps the fat content down and your arteries will thank you for it later in life.
7. Lean Protein (Not any Protein)
Bacon is not a health food. Ok I will admit it, things taste better with bacon in it… but we are talking weight loss here and, like me, you should substitute lean meats for fatty meats. Skin your chicken, cut excess fat off all meat and increase your consumption of turkey, chicken and fish. Your body will thank you.
8. Join a fitness center
If you have a hard time scheduling time to run by yourself or train at home try joining a gym. Fitness classes are a great way to get fit while having fun and if you have a budget to support it, hiring a personal trainer is an excellent way to guide yourself through this effort.
Above all, remember these are life-changing tips not a fad diet endorsement. Do not expect to lose 10 pounds in one week. One to three pounds per week is an excellent pace for permanent weight loss. So kiss those fears of the beach goodbye, squeeze into your newest two-piece bikini and get ready for a great summer beach season.
(Overweight = A Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25.0 -The National Center for Health statistics)

Picture the scene. You’ve spent the last week eating like a sparrow, killing yourself at your local spinning class and saying no to that extra portion of chips that you’d usually gobble up in a second. You even said no to the tray of doughnuts being offered around the office and watched everyone else chomp away as you nibbled on the fruit bowl you spent way too long preparing that morning…So it’s time to step on the bathroom scales and see if all your hard work has paid off. Surely you’ve lost half a stone this week, or at the worst about 4lbs. You take a long, deep breath… one foot on… the other foot on… and the result… half a pound!! Half a bleeding pound?! After two or three “re-weighs” and a “tactical wee” your weight still hasn’t budged! What’s that all about?!You’ve probably heard experts say that hair loss is one of the side effects of crash dieting… what they forget to mention is that it’s usually because it’s been pulled out when your scales don’t tell you what you want to see!These 3 golden rules of weight loss will not only save you from pulling your hair out, but will help to manage your expectations and keep you motivated long enough to reach your weight loss target.1) Aim for 1lb of weight loss per week on average.Most people give up at slimming clubs because they expect too much too soon. You may have seen people lose 7lbs a week on celebrity fit club or in your glossy magazine, but they will have been on a seriously strict diet and done 4 to 5 hours exercise a day… not exactly realistic! If you’ve got a job, a family and a social life, then the most you should expect to lose is 1lb per week on average. Add up all the weeks in the last year you’ve spent dieting, giving up, dieting again then giving up again, then work out how much you’d have lost if you were losing 1lb per week consistently.2) Don’t expect to lose weight every week.Our bodyweight naturally fluctuates 3 – 4lbs a day. Long term weight loss isn’t like a leisurely stroll down a hill, it’s like a really frustrating rollercoaster! If you expect to lose weight every week you’re going to be disappointed… and bald! As a realistic target aim to lose 4lbs every 4 weeks (1lb per week on average). That means you might lose 1lb in the first week, stay the same in the second week, lose half a pound in the third week, then lose 3.5lbs in the fourth week (-1lb, -0lb, -0.5lbs, -3.5lbs = -4lbs over 4 weeks, -1lb per week on average). Or you might lose 2lbs in the first week, gain 1lb in the second week, lose 3lbs in the third week, then stay the same in the fourth week (-2lbs, +1lb, -3lbs, -0lbs = -4lbs over 4 weeks, – 1lb per week average).3) Track your weight loss over time.Although weight bounces up and down week by week, due to water levels, if you look at your weight over time you can see the trend, which tells you how much you are losing on average. Good weight loss should look like a downward rollercoaster. If you use a weight tracker you can see the trend of your weight over time, which is far more motivating that just looking at your weight bobbing up and down week by week. The winners in the weight loss game aren’t the people who crash diet, lose 7lbs a week over two weeks, give up and put it all back on again. It’s the people who lose on average 1lb a week over several weeks and keep it off.

Lets dive right in and see how many of these instant diet and exercise killers you have commited!

1. Too Much, Too Soon- Many people will go all out in their workouts and diets right away. This will lead them to burning themselves out, becoming to sore to continue, injury, and to crash on their diets. Take baby steps instead. Make little changes so that over time they add up to big lifestyle changes.2. Setting Unrealistic Goals- Today’s society will have you believe that with 10 minutes of exercise, some crazy ab tool, and a crash diet, you can lose 30 pounds a have Hollywood abs in 30 days. Not true! Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week, through good dieting practices, and intense 30-60 minute workouts, 3-4 times per week. Weight Loss is hard work, having realistic goals too accomplish will help you stay motivated along the way!3. Eating Too Little- Most people will go on a fad diet (low carb, high carb, Atkins, etc.) to lose weight. They may see initial results but before long they will bottom out and actually gain even more weight back once they scrap that fad diet. Follow a healthy diet, eating 4-6 times per day, from all catagories of the main food groups. You will have more energy to workout and feel more inclined to stick to your diet if you are satisfied from meal to meal.4. Fixating on the scale- Using the scale as a guide is good, but do not put all your success on seeing the number lower. Our goal is to lose body fat, which can be achieved while we gain lean muscle. This is a process which will help your metabolism rise and sustain the new body your are after. With out gaining lean muscle you will gain back any weight you will lose once you stop your diet.5. Doing whatever you wish on the weekends- Some people believe if they diet and exercise all week, they can do eat whatever they want on the weekend. If you do this you can back all the weight you lost in the week, over the weekend. You have to be conscious of the fact that, if you do not exercise on the weekends you are not burning as many calories as the weekdays. Now, if you eat unhealthy foods all weekend also, you are taking in extra calories. No exercise and extra calories equals weight gain. Keep up a healthy diet on the weekend and try to get a little cardio exercise in; make if something fun!By avoiding these 5 common, but deadlymistakes you will increase your chances of success. Take baby steps though, maybe all these changes at once is too much, so break it down and try to accomplish one step each week. Before you know it, you will be on your way to the body you deserve.