The Holidays are over and we’re finally back into the swing of things. Feeling like you may have overdone it during Christmas and New Year’s Eve and want to lose some pounds that you may have put on? Look no further as we go through some key points about fat loss and how to restart your diet to help you feeling and looking better in no time.
Everyone tends to jump into their new routine almost immediately. You may think to yourself that you’re going to start the new year off right and that you’re going to stick to your new routine only to find it daunting after the first few days of clean eating and regimented exercise programs. This is a good way to burn yourself out fast and feel like you’re getting nowhere.
Do’s:
1. Doing too much too soon
Building up your routine slowly is a better way to maintain your motivation. Instead of doing a complete change of your nutrition and exercise routine from nothing, you can slowly reintroduce the methods for fat loss. Your body needs to be able to adapt to the new changes that you’re making. Reintroduce healthier eating habits like adding more vegetables and fruits to your meals instead of a full salad diet for every meal. Instead of going on a full on HIIT workout, start off with resistance training and build up the strength and muscular endurance before any higher intensity workouts.
Fat loss is slow and methodical. You need to maintain a routine for it to happen and it needs to be done in a manageable and sustainable manner. No extreme dieting is going to do you any favors.
2. Make small changes
Making small changes is the best way to keep things manageable. Let’s talk about why. The average adult requires about 2000 calories a day. We could very easily increase the number of calories we consume though food and beverages. An example would be changing regular Coke to Diet Coke. The amount of calories in a 600ml bottle of coke is 258 calories. That’s roughly 13% of your daily caloric intake. Diet Coke has 0 Calories as it uses artificial sweeteners.
Now let’s give you an idea about how long it will take to burn that off. The average amount of calories you could burn by doing 5km run would be anywhere between 150-200 calories. 30 minutes on the treadmill could only help burn off 100-150 calories. Imagine having to do multiple runs during the day for all the snacks and drinks you’re having.
Fat loss requires a reduction in calories both through your nutrition and physical activities. However, you only need to make small adjustments to your daily routine. Changing that bottle of regular Coke to Diet Coke would save you from running a full 5km. Use this method for your food as well!
3. Track what you’re doing
This works for both your nutrition and exercise. On the nutrition side it’s as easy as downloading an app to help you keep track of what you’re eating. It may even help with calculating the amount of calories by weight of the food you’re having. Tracking food like this is a great way to understand what you’re putting into your body and will help you make better and more informed choices.
Track your exercise! Having a workout diary not only helps you with knowing what you’re doing but also helps you keep a proper routine. A proper routine means you’re able to track your progress and make decisions with exercise protocols like progressive overload! Even a step counter on your phone or smart watch is a great way to make sure you’re getting in your daily step count.
Don’ts
1. Focusing too much on the weight scale
Your weighing scale won’t be able to reveal everything that’s going on. While tracking your fat loss through your scale is an acceptable form, you won’t get anywhere by checking it daily. Allow yourself a lot more time between your weigh ins. Preferably at least a week between weigh ins. This lets you see the changes in a much better light. Checking your weigh ins daily might not show much of any changes happening and may affect your motivation over time. Remember, fat loss is meant to be slow if it’s going to be sustainable.
2. Restrictive dieting
Your body requires a wide variety of nutrients. And you won’t get anywhere by restricting your diet. Methods like Low Carb, Keto, and Carnivore diets restrict your nutrition and focuses too much on losing fat by reducing or even omitting carbohydrates. Your body requires carbohydrates for energy, certain bodily functions, and even as a mood stabilizer (it’s a cortisol blocker!). Not to mention all the vitamins and minerals you’re omitting from the vegetables and fruits in your diet that helps keep your body thriving.
You may lose some amount of body fat through these methods but it’s not because you’re restricting anything bad, it’s because you’re cutting out all the unnecessary snacking and beverages that you would normally have. The added calories that you’re doing away with is why you’re feeling healthier!
3. Focusing too much on supplements
Supplements will not help you lose fat. There is no magical pill or powder that will burn off the body fat for you. That isn’t to say supplements aren’t able to help with your health and fitness, but people tend to focus on supplements as the first course of action. Many would use protein powder as a meal replacement to cut out the carbs and fats consumption, but it is just another form of restrictive dieting. Instead, just focus on your meals with whole foods and as little processed products in general.
In fact, let’s have a look at the word “Supplement”. It means to add to what is already existing. Not to replace what you’re already doing. Instead of supplementing with pills and powders, do it with your dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Take it all slow and easy and build up the momentum. Allow your body to adjust to the changes. Your new year’s resolution has started but the year has only just begun!
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