By Trim, shapely and lean muscle mass… Definitely, the way to go for any woman.
Women will always be on the never-ending seesaw of weight loss.
Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes.
We have children; our jobs become super hectic, we have sick family members, and we barely have time to eat well, let alone exercise. Before you know it, your body shape has changed, and you are getting a little frumpy. Has this ever happened to you? I know I’ve been subject to this many times during my lifetime!
One thing you must accept with weight loss is that your body will fluctuate from time to time.
The only thing you can do is take control of what goes in your mouth, how much activity you do and the quality of that activity.
This is not about spending hours in the gym or preparing endless meals. When life gets in the way (which it surely almost does), we need to be able to halt any damage done by poor diet and exercise. You will need to stay committed to this for life and constantly tweak and monitor what is going on with your body—using this commitment to become aware of unwanted changes in your body shape and take the necessary action to correct them.
Below I will give you some tips on how to do this constantly. Keep this and print it out, having it on hand when you need it the most.
6 of the most effective weight loss tips for women
One: Stop obsessing about how your body looks.
You will elevate cortisol when you constantly say negative words to yourself or others about your body. This stress hormone increases fat accumulation on the belly in excess, plus it places your nervous system on the ‘flight or fight response, further exhausting your adrenal glands. This is not good news for weight loss efforts.
The same goes for the insane calorie-counting phase that we can get into. Monitoring every single calorie in each item you eat is ineffective and increases stress and hunger, and this is what causes binge eating.
Your main aim for weight loss should conspire to become a lifestyle strategy, not a quick fix to lose a few kgs in the shortest time possible.
Allow your body the space and capacity to experience calorie deficit through your eating and activity. Results can and will vary from person to person. Be ok with this, and keep tweaking and refining as you go. There is no right or wrong; it’s just what works for you and your body.
Two: Weight training should be your main focus.
Lower muscle mass means you will probably have much more fat accumulation in your body. Fat constantly produces inflammatory markers that shed muscle mass from the body.
Losing muscle mass means a slower metabolism and more fat accumulation. You then feel too tired to exercise and develop even more fat in your body! This is not the cycle you want to get into!
This is why you want to make strength training the main part of your routine. It burns body fat faster and increases muscle mass, but you also become more sensitive to insulin, improving your metabolic and hormonal profile. This results in burning even more fat with the leverage to consume more calories without the added padding. In other words, you become metabolically flexible.
Three: Protein is your best friend through weight loss.
You need to make eating high-quality protein with every one of your meals during the day.
This can range from eggs, chicken, fish or salmon.
Perhaps you prefer turkey or steak.
Either way, protein is needed to increase your metabolism, burn body fat, increase muscle mass, and keep you full for longer periods.
When you are full, there is no need to snack, and food cravings are also reduced. You become a lot more centred and balanced.
Plan your meals correctly, and supplement with a protein shake if you cannot get to the food.
Four: Do sprint intervals regularly, but not for a long duration of time.
Sprints are great for losing body fat and diminishing stores in the belly.
They are effective because they release growth and catecholamine hormones (adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine). These compounds are primarily for fat burning and elevate energy expenditure after exercise, so your body burns even more calories faster, even when at rest!
Always limit your sprints to 20–30 minutes because they should be an all-out, balls-to-the-wall effort to activate the necessary hormonal response.
Sprint for 8–12 seconds, following it with 20 seconds rest period. Make this effort 1–2 times per week, depending on how much body fat you want.
Five: Eliminate unhealthy refined carbs from your diet immediately.
This will restore your insulin sensitivity quite fast. Overloading carbs can release too much insulin and make your cells resistant. This is the primary marker for body fat storage, especially around the most dangerous parts – the abdominal area.
Cycle between low and high carb, keeping this on point with your biggest training sessions and rest days. You want to give your body the best possible chance at burning fat as energy. This will take time and effort, but it will be worth it.
Six: Vegetables should be a huge part of your diet.
Protein is important, but veggies are king for losing body fat and increasing longevity.
Some fruits and most veggies make your cells sensitive to insulin, lowering blood sugar responses from higher-carb foods.
One good example would be adding berries to your oats. The oats lower the insulin response of the carbohydrates in oats, encouraging slower digestion, which means your body spends more time burning fat, not sugar.
Make dark, green leafy veggies a huge part of your diet, and opt for rich, antioxidant-filled berries.
I do hope this helps you in some way. Please let me know if anything is unclear, and I would like to know more.
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