Our instructors recently compiled a list of the most commonly asked fitness questions they received in the gym and the overwhelming winner came from women asking how to lose weight fast and, more importantly, how to keep it off afterwards. Today we answer this with five simple yet extremely effective steps for you to apply.
In a world where hype is king we all get misled at some point by celebrity gossip magazines claiming we can all lose five stones in a week without going to the gym, or bodybuilding magazines claiming a new supplement is going to help you build muscle in your sleep. This causes disappointment, depression and ultimately no results.
You do not have to carry on being miserable about your weight. No matter what your goal is, it is certainly achievable. We know this because it's our job to do so.
The five steps below are the benchmark of a good, proven diet:
1) Use a calorie deficit to your advantage. You guessed it, this is the staple rule of any diet and it basically means cutting your daily calories down. The trick is, where so many go wrong in fact, cutting down gradually until you hit your target rather than suddenly halving your food intake and forcing your body into starvation mode.
2) Consume more protein to hang on to your muscle. You may be thinking 'but I want to lose weight, not build muscle', right? The truth is no matter what your goal is you certainly don't want to be losing muscle. When you cut your calories your body will look to do this, combat it by increasing protein as you drop fats and carbs.
3) Protein is perfect for a snack. When looking at carbohydrates, fats and protein you may be shocked to realize that protein has the least impact on fat storage of all three. That's right, so next time you fancy a snack you should look towards something lean with plenty of protein. Think fish, chicken, a quick meal replacement shake...
4) Our favorite weight loss technique is tried, tested and endorsed by just about every personal trainer worth his salt. The next time you head off to work simply pack your bag with a few small containers alongside your lunch. These containers are snack boxes and should be only large enough to pack in a light meal of about fifty calories. This isn't enough to impact your overall diet, whereas it is enough to help you avoid the craving for the quick carbs and bad fats of the vending machine. There are fantastic long term weight loss results to be had here.
5) Take a day off every Sunday or any other day which works best for you. How many friends have you known who have crashed off a diet two weeks in because they were avoiding all of their favorite foods and living on boring salads? We know where this leads. They promise to start a new routine next month, only for the same effect to take hold again. Enjoying a day off is a key part in helping you stick to your diet.
Having one day off each week is a great way to reward and recharge yourself ahead of the next week and the fact is there is nothing wrong with this at all. You may take on board some bad foods, that's a given, but ultimately if it helps you to stick to your goal for ten times as long as you ever could before then there is no problem!
While we all like the idea of losing weight instantly we all know it's silly and, deep down, we also know that gradual weight loss is the way to go if you are looking to actually keep it off once it's gone, as opposed to piling it all back on and more like so many do. The five points above will help you a lot. Apply them starting tomorrow and you will be blown away by the results.
In a world where hype is king we all get misled at some point by celebrity gossip magazines claiming we can all lose five stones in a week without going to the gym, or bodybuilding magazines claiming a new supplement is going to help you build muscle in your sleep. This causes disappointment, depression and ultimately no results.
You do not have to carry on being miserable about your weight. No matter what your goal is, it is certainly achievable. We know this because it's our job to do so.
The five steps below are the benchmark of a good, proven diet:
1) Use a calorie deficit to your advantage. You guessed it, this is the staple rule of any diet and it basically means cutting your daily calories down. The trick is, where so many go wrong in fact, cutting down gradually until you hit your target rather than suddenly halving your food intake and forcing your body into starvation mode.
2) Consume more protein to hang on to your muscle. You may be thinking 'but I want to lose weight, not build muscle', right? The truth is no matter what your goal is you certainly don't want to be losing muscle. When you cut your calories your body will look to do this, combat it by increasing protein as you drop fats and carbs.
3) Protein is perfect for a snack. When looking at carbohydrates, fats and protein you may be shocked to realize that protein has the least impact on fat storage of all three. That's right, so next time you fancy a snack you should look towards something lean with plenty of protein. Think fish, chicken, a quick meal replacement shake...
4) Our favorite weight loss technique is tried, tested and endorsed by just about every personal trainer worth his salt. The next time you head off to work simply pack your bag with a few small containers alongside your lunch. These containers are snack boxes and should be only large enough to pack in a light meal of about fifty calories. This isn't enough to impact your overall diet, whereas it is enough to help you avoid the craving for the quick carbs and bad fats of the vending machine. There are fantastic long term weight loss results to be had here.
5) Take a day off every Sunday or any other day which works best for you. How many friends have you known who have crashed off a diet two weeks in because they were avoiding all of their favorite foods and living on boring salads? We know where this leads. They promise to start a new routine next month, only for the same effect to take hold again. Enjoying a day off is a key part in helping you stick to your diet.
Having one day off each week is a great way to reward and recharge yourself ahead of the next week and the fact is there is nothing wrong with this at all. You may take on board some bad foods, that's a given, but ultimately if it helps you to stick to your goal for ten times as long as you ever could before then there is no problem!
While we all like the idea of losing weight instantly we all know it's silly and, deep down, we also know that gradual weight loss is the way to go if you are looking to actually keep it off once it's gone, as opposed to piling it all back on and more like so many do. The five points above will help you a lot. Apply them starting tomorrow and you will be blown away by the results.
About the Author:
About the Creator: Russ Howe is a certified and much followed Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor. If you are lost with your diet, be sure to watch your exclusive video guide to how to lose weight today.
