Over the years I was continually asked questions in regards to weight loss. Finally, one day I had the bright idea to go ahead and start documenting the most common questions and come up with a detailed response to them. I realize there are probably two dozen more questions that you might have but here is five most common I received throughout the years!
1.) What is an easy change in diet to reduce calories?
The first thing that anyone seriously wanting to lose weight should do is start a food journal. A food journal will give you more insight to your habits and caloric intake. What I find to be true after a week or two of tracking your food is that you start to see patterns and areas that you can change your choices. Now, you can either create a paper food journal or with technology and smart phones find an app to download and immediately after you eat something log it into your program. Follow this for two weeks writing everything down and see what you can change in your diet.
2.) Not so much how to lose the weight, but how to keep it off?
Weight Loss Maintenance is what I refer to this question as. Probably the number one issue in regards to weight loss that majority of us struggle with is how we keep it off once we lose it. We seem to believe that once we attain something then we can move on. Unfortunately, with weight loss that is not the case and weight loss is a life long process for most of us. One thing that has really helped me over the years with my weight loss maintenance actually came from someone who once told me that their goal was to never wear a pant size bigger then what they were currently wearing. This set off a bell for me and I made it my “life” goal never to have to wear a pant size higher than what I am currently wearing. Now, do I fluctuate and go up and down. Yes, but I refuse to go buy pants any bigger and when they start to feel snug I refocus my efforts to lose those few pounds. The point to take away from this is, make it your life goal to stay at the weight you feel you are healthiest at. This will be different for everyone but believe it or not there is a weight your body believes is the best weight. We will address this more throughout the six month membership, so stay tuned.
3.) How much should a person strive to lose per week?
On average, most experts would agree, and suggest that 1 to 2 lbs of weight loss is the best and healthiest way to lose weight. Obviously, every person is different and it can vary from week to week in terms of how many pounds one might lose. Part of the reason that crash diets don’t work for the long term is because our bodies are not made to go through starvation or extreme shock. You see, the body has its natural protection and will gravitate back to a natural state. One final note here is that by taking a long-term approach to weight loss (6 – 12 months), you will ultimately be better off and will be less likely to regain the weight you lost initially.
4.) How to lose weight in a specific area?
I get this question a lot. I know that commercials and even some people in the fitness industry will tell you that doing a specific exercise will help lose weight in that area and unfortunately, they are incorrect. Unless you get liposuction, which I do not recommend, weight loss occurs throughout the entire body and not in one specific spot. Now, that does not mean you cannot work or target a specific muscle to tighten and tone it, but as your body loses weight from exercise the fat deposits are taken from all over. Typically, for women you will see weight loss in your upper body first and your thighs and midsection last.
5.) Why isn’t easier?
I wish I had a real simple answer to this question but when it comes to burning calories the body requires work. For every 3500 calories burned a pound of fat is used and in order to burn those calories heat needs to be produced, i.e. some form of exercise performed to challenge the body. Some people are genetically blessed to have a metabolism constantly burning calories, while others are not so fortunate. The other factor that I will leave you with is a saying you have heard and probably used. “Rome was not built in a day” and neither will your new body and total weight loss. Keep working everyday to get better. Make this a lifestyle change. Set small goals and see them add up to large ones. I believe in you, but you need to believe it is possible!
I hope these FAQ’s and answers help debunk and give you better insight into weight loss. Remember no one said it is going to be easy and no one said it will happen overnight but really think about the answers to these questions and put some of that to work in your daily lifestyle routine.
If you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.
In health,
Coach Dave
