Did you have any new year’s resolutions? If you did, one of them probably had something to do with your diet, and weight loss. Two thirds of adults in the UK are considered overweight, or obese, so losing weight is something that is on a lot of peoples to-do list. The majority of new years diets are said to fail around mid-February, about six weeks after they start…why is this?
Here are some tips to help you plan a diet for weight loss realistically, and hopefully with a higher chance of long term success!
Overweight? You’re eating too much!
This may not seem much of a revelation to most people, but for those struggling with weight loss, it can be hard to accept.
It doesn’t matter if you intermittently fast, or don’t eat carbs after 6pm, increase your water intake, take multivitamins, or do anything else…you cannot lose weight without directly addressing your daily calorie surplus, and turning it into a deficit.
How long can you stay on your diet?
If you can’t wait for your diet to finish, it’s not going to work. If the changes to your calorie intake, and anything else, are negatively affecting your quality of life, you’re bound to return to your old ways, and return, at least, to your previous weight.
When you start a diet for long term weight loss and overall health, ask yourself this question; “Could I do this for the rest of my life?”. If you feel like you couldn’t, make the necessary adjustments.
Think long term?
Set yourself a realistic 1 year target, and make sure you’re on track every 3-4 weeks. Don’t weigh yourself every day, or even every week.
Creating a daily calorie deficit of 500kcal will lose you approximately 1lb in weight per week, not much if you’re weighing yourself every day expecting miracles and losing a few ounces, but over a whole year, that would be around 50lbs/23kg/3.5st. That’s a huge, noticeable weight loss for anyone.
You have to exercise!
Besides all of the other known benefits of exercising, when it comes to long term weight loss, creating a consistent schedule of exercise will contribute massively to your daily calorie deficit.
Boxing is widely thought to burn the most calories per hour of any popular form of training. A one hour session can burn between 600-800kcal. Going for a 30 minute walk would burn around 150kcal per half hour. So, if you did 3 boxing classes, and 4 x 30 minute walks per week, you’d have burned around 2700kcal per week from exercise, approximately 386 kcal per day, so if you’re looking for a 500kcal daily deficit, after this moderate level of exercise, you’ve only got to cut a couple of biscuits out per day!
Micronutrient malnutrition:
Many people who are overweight are malnourished. Nutrition isn’t just about calorie intake, its about giving the body the right quantities of everything it needs to function at its best. If you are deficient in any vitamins or minerals, you could be craving certain foods due to this…
You can contact a reputable nutritionist to get an analysis, or you have the tools on your phone or on the computer at home to do your own research to ascertain which vitamins/minerals you are deficient in.
Once you make the necessary changes, sticking to a healthy diet should be much easier!
Hydration:
Drink more water! The vast majority of people are dehydrated. Drinking an inadequate amount of water has negative effects on all of the body’s systems, and will make dieting harder than it needs to be. Much like the micronutrients mentioned above, hydration is another quick fix that should make losing weight a lot easier.
Summary:
So, keep the diet realistic, and make sure the changes you make can be applied in the long term. Create a calorie deficit through a sustainable combination of diet and exercising, and aim to lose a little per week and a lot per year. Good luck and thanks for reading!
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