Five tips for weight loss!
Today Longevity Exercise Physiology Drummoyne, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Pymble and Balmain, and Neutral Bay share 5 tips for weight loss.
- Start with the end in mind
Set a reasonable goal to work towards using SMART goals. Get your family and friends onboard by telling them about your goal. They can share in the excitement and help keep you accountable throughout the process. Crystalise the goal by writing it down, strengthening your willpower.
- Take it slow
We all know that friend that lost weight with a ‘juice cleanse’ or the ‘carnivore diet’ or a ’soup only diet’ or a ‘potato diet’. While many people have been ecstatic about their quick success with the aforementioned diets, how many are disappointed when they can’t maintain their weight loss over the long term? Research suggests that 75% of people are unable to maintain significant weight loss over a 5 year period [1]. Even worse, most regain more weight.
For this reason, weight loss should be addressed as a lifelong lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. A reasonable, safe and sustainable weight loss goal should average around a quarter to half a kilogram per week.
For this reason, weight loss should be addressed as a lifelong lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. A reasonable, safe and sustainable weight loss goal should average around a quarter to half a kilogram per week. Losing weight too rapidly can have serious side effects on your health. It can significantly your bone density and reduce your muscle mass, increasing your risk of injury and falls. This is can lead to early osteoporosis and/or sarcopenia.
- Don’t lose motivation
It’s super exciting to lose a lot of weight in the first few weeks, this is when you are most likely to lose weight rapidly. A simplified way to understand weight loss is that you need to burn more energy than you are consuming. As your weight drops, your body burns less energy at rest, so don’t get frustrated if the weight loss slows down. As you lose more weight, you are required to either:
- Eat/drink less calories
- Burn more calories
4. Incorporate resistance training
If you’d love to lose some body fat, then resistance training is the way to go. Resistance training is as effective for FAT loss as aerobic training is. Importantly, twice weekly resistance training is essential to ensure that you maintain your muscle mass while you are losing weight. Aerobic training and diet alone will result in substantial muscle loss. This worrying as rebuilding muscle can be difficult. Additionally, a higher muscle mass means that you burn more energy at rest and during exercise.
- Get professional help
Get on the right track from the start by consulting a professional. Exercise Physiologists and Dieticians can help with developing a long-term plan to shed the weight for good. They will ensure you are doing it safely, without the risk of side effects. You are also much more likely to maintain weight loss with maintenance visits to a health professional[1].
If you want to break the cycle of crash-dieting and achieve long-term weight loss, contact Longevity Exercise Physiology and Personal Training on 1300 964 002 to speak with one of our Exercise Physiologists today.
Written by Josh Taylor
References
Hall, K., & Kahan, S. (2018). Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. Medical Clinics Of North America, 102(1), 183-197. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2017.08.012