Fat Loss for Idiots
There comes in times in most of our lives when we gain some unwelcome weight and/or fat and then the search for a real effective fat loss program starts. The equation for fat loss seems very simple: eat fewer calories than what we use each day and we will start losing weight. This simple equation is true but often can lead to some misunderstanding. In my view the biggest culprit is the starvation diet.
Identify Calorie Baseline
The starvation diet has taken this basic principle to the extreme in order to guarantee fat loss even for healthy individuals. It is not necessary to look like a bag of bones with some clothes draped over for protection. I know it is popular to go for that ultra skinny look that is featured so often in fashion magazines but stay away from these diets at all costs. A better way to determine your daily caloric need is to identify how much you are eating today. Do yourself a favor and use a diet log or journal for one whole week. Write down everything that you eat or drink within that week. Many packages include detailed nutritional information, but if you cannot find specific detail, then use a website that provides nutritional information for a wide range of foods.
Remember to add everything to the diet log even the cups of coffee and water. Many restaurants now provide menus with nutritional labels online so search around and try to find the most accurate information possible. Keeping a diet journal for the future is also a helpful tool so don’t throw it away after the first week, but keep it and use it to measure how well the plan is working.
Calculate Calorie Goal
There are two ways to calculate the calorie goal. My preferred way is to use the baseline that I created in the first week to identify my new goal. In order to prevent the starvation diet mistake I always suggest decreasing the amount of calories by ten percent. Take the information collected for one week and work out the average calories per day. Then just subtract ten percent and now there is a good guideline that will provide the calorie count that will not leave you feeling starved and undernourished.
The second option is to use your current weight as a means to identify your daily caloric needs and then adjust it to create a weight loss plan. A daily caloric calculator should be able to give you a number of calories that it would take to maintain your current weight. Using the same principle as above we can now subtract ten percent from that value and identify a caloric goal. Some of these calculators include a guideline for fat loss, but try to stick to the ten percent rule.
Depending on the number of meals per day, work out an average caloric goal for each meal. We normally eat more for dinner, so plan accordingly. Try to spread the number of calories as evenly as possible, but also remain realistic. Don’t plan for five meals a day when you only eat two at the moment. Make small adjustments and continue to adjust other things once the weight is coming off.
Adjusting the Goal
If you keep the weekly diet journal then it would be easy to make sure you keep on track. Don’t be discouraged by days that do not seem to go according to the plan. We all have those days when world forces just align to derail our efforts. It will happen, so be prepared for it and accept it and then go back to the plan with the next meal. The biggest mistake that I’ve seen is someone that goes over their goal in one meal and then decides the whole day is lost. Focus on achieving your caloric goal for each meal and try to stick to it as closely as possible.
Continue to adjust the plan each week. Try to not exceed losing more than two pounds per week. I know it is great to lose those extra pounds, but losing weight too quickly will just get you back on the starvation diet. It may sound like a long wait when you have twenty or more pounds to lose, but keep focused on making small changes and the weight will come off and you will adopt a new way of living.
This is the start to living differently so don’t make the same mistakes that you’ve made in the past. Focus on those small changes and soon you will be on your way to a healthy new you.
Your friend in fitness and health,
Kobus
www.fitnessandhealthpitstop.com
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