The "secret" to losing weight

Oh yes! In today's world, health and fitness are more popular than ever. There is a huge emphasis on looking good, especially with the rise of social media gurus.

You've probably seen the ads: "do this exercise every day and you'll build amazing abs" or, "do 25 press-ups a day and you'll have chest muscles bigger than Arnie". To be fair, I don’t blame these so-called professional con artists. There is a market out there for them also. However, don't let yourself be fooled. It doesn't work that way! As a personal trainer and a weight loss coach, I've found the "secret" of losing weight is actually very simple math. The steps below are proven and definitely work. Please note that these are completely natural ways to lose weight, without any shortcuts. I strongly oppose all types of "supplements" that promote weight loss. It is very likely that when you give up on these "shortcuts," you will wind up back where you started, and you will be left feeling frustrated, sad and broke once you stop!

1.      The first step is to calculate your daily calorie output (how many calories you burn on a regular day). There are various apps available online that will calculate this for you. The only information you need is your weight, age, height, and physical activity level (which you can estimate based on how active you are). As a personal preference, I utilise the Schofield Equation. As an example, I will take someone who burns, on average, 3000 calories a day.

2.      The second step is to estimate how many calories you consume per day for a week. Although it sounds daunting, you can simplify it. You should use only 3 days as a reference, ideally the worst days. Log everything you eat in a food diary (easy to download online), then find out how many calories each meal contains using Nutri-Check websites. Add all three days and divide by three for an average daily calorie intake. For this example, I will use a person who eats an average of 3250kcal.

3.      In the third step, we will discuss the "secret" to losing weight. You don't need to be a math genius to figure this out; it is one of the easiest equations in the world. Take the 2^nd step and subtract it from the 1^st step. In our example, 3250kcal-3000kcal = 250kcal. If the result is positive, it means you are eating more than you are burning. Therefore, no matter how hard you try, you will never lose weight. No matter how many sit-ups or push-ups you do, if you eat more than you burn, the weight stays on, the belly fat stays on, the bingo wings stay on, and your mood drops because your efforts aren't working. Therefore, according to NHS guidelines, a healthy weight-loss recommendation is 0.45-1kg per week. A minimum weight loss of 0.5kg per week is recommended. A deficit of 500kcal per day is needed in order to achieve this, so using our example, the person needs to consume less than 2750kcal per day. Their current intake is 3250kcal, so they need to adjust their intake and consume 500kcal less each day.

4.      In the fourth step, you need to balance your food intake healthily once you've done the math. A healthy diet should consist of 55% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 15% protein, according to the Eatwell Guide NHS. It would be my pleasure to shed some light on this for you if you book an online session with me.

5.      The fifth step is to exercise. You must exercise to burn off excess fat stored in your body and aid metabolism. Exercising does more than just help you lose weight. Training has a wide range of benefits, including the "feel good" factor, boosting mental health, and providing stress relief. It is recommended that you exercise at least 2-3 times a week, but do not train more than five times a week unless you are training for a specific goal. You can be frustrated if you don't get enough rest for your body, and if you train too much, you could suffer from ineffective workouts, which can make you feel like you're wasting your time.

To round it up nicely, calculate how many calories you burn on average daily, what you eat on average daily, then subtract the in-calories from the out-calories to find out how many calories you eat more than usual. For optimum results, adjust your daily calorie intake to a deficit of around 500kcal per day and supplement with 3 workouts per week. You don't need a magic formula to lose weight; just a bit of easy math and some careful planning.

Please book an online or in-person training session with me, and we will discuss how I can help. In the meantime, if you want a quick fix without too much hassle, there are many other options out there that claim to work, but be aware, they might not!