I hear a lot of talk about cutting calories and expending energy to create a calorie deficit and hence losing weight. It is true that one pound of fat is 3500 calories so in theory if you eat 500 less calories a day for 7 days you will lose 1lb. While that may be true, life is a little more complicated than that.
Each human being is unique and I am very grateful for that diversity – it sure makes life and my job as a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Counselor more interesting. However, it does make weight loss a bit more challenging for many. I have met lots of women who report that they carefully count their calories and stick with their target caloric intake as they spend hours a week on Ellipticals, treadmills, exercise bikes, etc and yet find frustration by the lack of movement on the scale. How could this be? Are they forgetting the piece of cheese cake they consumed at the work place lunch party? Do the neglect to report the high calorie margaritas they had at the last happy hour they attended on Friday?
While, that may and does happen, I often tend to think it’s more about the type of exercise they are preforming and the hidden fat and calories in their food choices.
Yes, it does come down to choices. We have to make smart decisions every day, with both the food we consume and the exercises we invest in. I say invest for a reason. Each exercise session is an investment in your health and your appearance. Choose wisely. Call us to help you learn how to work out wisely and eat health producing foods.
When I first started out on my weight loss journey, the first thing I looked into was what could I change in my diet. What should I eat more of? What should I eat less of? Then I got myself a fitness tracker and I got obsessive with tracking my caloric intake and deficit. It got to a point that if there was a day I ate something that was less than optimal for my health, I did extra cardio and ate less the next day. I’ve learned better now and stopped punishing myself for a “cheat day”.
But I also read somewhere that strength training helps with losing more calories, even while resting, because muscle burns more. Are there exercises that are more preferable over others when it comes to losing weight?
Hi Krystlezee,
Thank you for your post. I am glad that you learned to eat healthier without making yourself crazy, the way many do. Yes, muscle does burn more than fat at rest and it speeds up your metabolism so it’s very beneficial for weight loss (and overall health and fitness). Weight bearing exercises, whether it be body weight (think pushups and squats, etc.), machines, free weights, that are done in such a way to get the muscle to ‘burn’ on the last few reps would help you build muscle. It’s all about intensity of the workout. Don’t forget to stretch, as it helps with the muscle soreness as well.
I enjoyed reading your blog on weight loss but was a little disappointed in your generic answers to people who have trouble losing weight. Of course we are all different or else one diet would work for everyone.My response to people who ask me how I lost 30 lbs is I worked really hard.Too many people want everything to be easy.losing weight is not easy. I know you encounter this attitude quite often in the personal trainer business. How do you explain the realty of hard work to your clients?
Hi Larry, I appreciate your feedback. In my experience with some of the women I train, thyroid issues, diabetes for example, make it very challenging to lose weight. I often find consistency to be lacking in both their diets and in their exercise compliance. You are right, it is not easy. You do have to work hard on both aspects. I wanted to encourage people to explore what works for them, as all people respond differently and are willing to workout to different degrees as well. Not everyone will workout like trainers, then they have to commit to a stricter diet to make up for the difference. It all comes down to choices and there are many paths to get to the same destination. Good luck on your journey!