Weightloss – let’s make it simple

For all the emails asking to break it down and for those who feel stagnant:

Now for those with eating disorders some of these weight-loss strategies may not work with your mindset or where you are in your journey. I will do a separate post for those with a difficult relationship with food. I see you and you got this. xoxo

Now, weightloss is not necessary for everyone, perhaps you are already at a healthy weight and you just want to feel stronger or look more athletic. In this case I would say, eat healthy whole foods and make it simple split your week into resistance training and cardio training. You could alternate between them with a rest day a week wherever you feel your body needs it.

If you want to gain weight and you find it difficult you’re gonna have to significantly increase your caloric intake. Having 5 meals a day instead of 3 is a common move to make, add extra fats such as oils or nuts, avocado’s or hummus to your meals, drink smoothies, juices, healthy milkshakes or protein shakes with every meals and train. Train hard, so that all that extra fuel builds you into a strong and sculpted human.

Now, If you are looking to lose weight today, for health reasons, aesthetics and it’s healthy for you to do so. Counting calories and making healthy choices is the simplest route to take, especially if nutrition isn’t something you are super familiar with. You need to workout what your height is and dependant on your age and activity levels you can work out your required daily caloric intake and work from there. Don’t skip meals, it’ll make you hungrier anD more likely to binge later on. Hydrate A LOT. The healthier the food the statistically easier it is to decrease your caloric intake and thus expend more energy than you consume resulting in weightloss.

After all, weight loss is based on the simple principle of consuming less than you expend. And whilst you could eat the right amount of mcdonalds daily and lose weight, long term this isn’t healthy and consequently you wont feel or look good. Plus macronutrients come into play here and in consuming a fast food diet your daily fat and carbohydrate nutrients will be immense and depending on whether you eat meat or not this may result in you consuming less or more than the required amount of proteins in a day.

After you’ve reached your goal weight, I would then say start to just eat consciously and make healthy choices. Treat yourself one or twice a week to maintain your target weight or health level.

Then, the best way to sculpt your body is to accompany a good diet with exercise. Optimal exercise should be a combination of cardio and resistance or strength training. You want to lower your resting heart rate, (as this is great for your heart health) by doing cardio at least three times a week and do resistance or strength training to build muscle and strength. Too much cardio results in a lack of muscle and an extremely slender look, too much strength training decreases mobility and flexibility unless you make this a priority. It further corroborates the idea that balance is key.

NHS England recommends a minimum of 30 minutes a day and I think that’s a great place to start. You can do more and you can try all kinds of exercise, whatever best suits you and what you enjoy. If you truly hate cardio try to trick yourself into doing it or do HIIT workouts, run after your kids, do quick resistance workouts or weight repetitions, dance around your room, I’m sure you can get creative .

In summary

• Eat whole, fresh foods where possible, maximise your fruit and veg intake (this is your priority, always)

• Drink ample amounts of water

• If you struggle with portions, you smaller plates and count calories (If you have a history of eating disorders or have a difficult relationship with food, please don’t do this)

• Aim to do 30 minutes daily, if you miss a day or two don’t fret. If you don’t workout for two weeks, again it doesn’t matter, just get back on it as soon as you can.

• Vary your workouts and do both cardio or heart rating exercises and resistance training.

• Find types of exercise you enjoy
• If you feel like you have began to take weight-loss and health to a place where it is life consuming and your loved ones have noticed this. Don’t be ashamed and don’t be in denial. It has happened to sooo many people, trust me. Eating disorders are becoming increasingly more common in today’s society and it’s sad to see. But it’s not your fault, it’s nothing to be ashamed of and it’s truly more of a reflection of society than it is of you. Aim to always have your own back and talk to someone about it. I’m here for you as are so many people. Anyone, suffering from anything at all or is afraid or unsure about their feelings regarding nutrition, body image, or anything at all email me or leave me a message. I will do my best to give you all the guidance I can and redirected you to sources or services you can use to help you. Or just be a kind shoulder, someone who you don’t necessarily know who you can vent to. Have a beautiful day, good luck everyone xxxx