By I have so many, but I think I can narrow it down to the very essential items I do consistently that may help you also.
10 of the best ways to lose weight
- Weight train. Lifting weight is key to strength, vitality and overall good health. We lose muscle as we age, which also means our bone density is compromised. Lifting weights helps stop the symptoms of ageing. There isn’t a need to become a body builder, but lifting heavy weights will reduce stress, cause you to feel stronger, healthier and change your body shape for the better. Don’t forget that it also keeps you looking and feeling younger.. And we all want that as much as possible!
- Don’t cut calories too much.
Too many calories will increase your body fat. Lack of calories will cause your body to go into a famine state, therefore, holding on to fat for dear life! Finding the proper balance of calories that your body needs regularly, and allowing yourself the odd indulgence, is key to weight maintenance. This discovery will become apparent after a lot of experimentation and some patience. - HITT for fat burning in less time. This kind of workout is great to throw in a few times a week. Interval training is hard, so only about 20-30 minutes is needed to experience the effects. Any more and you will become extremely fatigued and risk burning muscle mass as fuel (instead of body fat!). Not only that, but we can put a lot of stress on our bodies from the intensity. We want to keep gaining muscle and losing body fat, not the other way around!
- Eat and egg, or two or three! (Here I am again preaching the humble benefits of the egg! ) I wrote an article bout the benefits of eggs. I try to eat them regularly, and up to 3 or more per day. They are the most jam packed nutritional powerhouse there is. If you replaced your one junk food meal with a couple of eggs, some veggies and a dollop of olive oil, you would notice the difference straight away! I can’t say this enough times, eat EGGS!
- Stop obsessing about how long the journey takes you. Yes, it takes a while to build muscle and lose body fat. I personally don’t know any people who have achieved this overnight, or in 10 days as so many have asked me. This lifestyle is a journey, it’s one of self discovery and educating yourself about what nutrition and exercise plan works for you. Enjoy the process and stop stressing about this fat bit here and this one over on the other thigh We all have our own unique genetic make up and that’s ok. Be kind to yourself and keep at it. – Rome wasn’t built in a day!
- Portion control is key. I get so many questions regarding portion control. It seems that many people have trouble understanding how much food they really need. It’s not a matter of counting calories, but viewing the actual portions of your meals. Protein should be the size of your palm, veggies should be 2-3 cups full (green veggies) and fat should be the size of a matchbox. If you keep these visual references as guidelines, you will always stay in your chosen range. You can download my portion control book here, as well as my 40 fat burning tips.
- A healthy gut is the key to everything. The gut is now not the second brain, but the first one! Gut health is so important, and I dedicate a lot of my posts to it. Without proper gut health, you will constantly suffer from food intolerance’s, allergies as well as bloating, belly fat and constantly elevated cortisol levels. Our gut health effects our ability to become lean, our youthfulness, energy levels and levels of well-being. I highly recommend GUTRIGHT. This stuff is what dreams are made of! I started taking it 2 years ago, and still do today! Please try it and see the difference it will make to your body composition goals.
- Drink lots of water! Aim for over 3 litres per day: Staying hydrated is the key to waste elimination and strength gain in training. Dehydration halts any muscle growth, and decreases your intensity to training. The more hydrated you are, the better your maximal strength will be, and the more intensely you will be able to train. That means a lot more gains for you! One trick to drinking more water, is to sip up to a liter in the morning, before you eat any breakfast. Make sure that you are always hydrated before you have a meal. When you sweat more during training, there will be a need for a lot more water. Herbal tea counts as water consumption. Aim to have water at room temperature, and keep a bottle with you at all times.
- Eat lots of cruciferous veggies. Kale, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower etc. Add these veggies with every meal possible. They are very high in fibre, low in calories, and create an extremely low insulin response. You can drizzle these with olive oil, some rock salt and lemon juice. They are delicious and nutritious.
- Say no way to sugar! Eliminate ALL processed sugars like white sugar, syrups, raw, the whole she-bang! Sugar is so addictive, it’s been linked to similar symptoms as drug usage! Excess sugar makes you fat, moody, pimply and slows down your alertness and energy levels. It’s also one of the key ingredients in foods you never even dreamed would contain sugar. Read all your labels and see the hidden drug like sugar that’s keeping you from being at your most optimal health long term.
I have so many more tips, but these ones above have helped me for years, and continue to do so. There will always be more added, and the list can compile to 100+ tips. Feel free to visit my website and download a more extensive booklet as indicated above. Happy days!
