What a downer of an intro. But hear me out. America is pushing a 70% overweight/obese population. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high. More people are depressed, anxious, and struggling with mental health issues than ever before. While this is a multi-faced issue, I’m here to address it via exercise and nutrition.
Gym memberships, home workout tools/plans, equipment, and the likes are at an all-time high. So why the high obesity?
It comes down to this – you cannot outwork a poor diet. You cannot out-exercise a sedentary life. You cannot continue to stress an already stressed body with more stress and expect your body to not rebel.
Starting with diet.
The average American underestimates caloric intake by 45%. We eat more than we think we do. Maybe not on Monday. Maybe not on Tuesday. But OVERALL (I’m looking at you weekends!) we eat more than we think. Period.
You are not a magical unicorn that can’t lose fat on low calories – you are just eating more overall than you think. Your body doesn’t reset every 24 hours. It’s a cumulative buildup of everything you eat, every move you make, and every stressor you expose yourself to.
What is the simplest way to start improving your diet IF you want to lose weight? Eat less than you currently do! (Captain Obvious with the assist!) Look at your plate at any given meal. Where can you remove 10% of your intake from? Don’t cut from protein. Don’t cut from fruits and veggies. Cut from processed junk. Cut from liquid calories. Cut from the 2 tablespoons of butter, or the half cup of shredded cheese. Just 10%.
Do this at all three meals.
BUT – make sure you replace the VOLUME with something like more lean protein, or more veggies – so you aren’t leaving a physical void in your stomach.
Here’s a bonus tip: for MOST people focus on filling your plate with 1/3rd lean protein, 1/3 veggies/fruit, and 1/3 whole food-based carbs (rice/potatoes). If you can do this consistently you will see changes. And please, cut out the mindless snacks! Those add up quickly!
Now for Activity…
I love to exercise. I love lifting weights. I love feeling the burn, the sweat, and the overcoming of a good challenge. Truth is, exercise is TERRIBLE for fat loss.
Yes. Relying on more exercise is terrible for fat loss. You see, our body has a limit to how many calories it will burn, and if we keep trying to burn more and more, other areas of our total daily expenditure will drop off. This has been proven over and over in modern scientific research. It’s called the constrained energy model.
In theory, if we exercise more, we burn more calories. But the new constrained model shows (in over 60 studies) that our body has a cap or limit. Our basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of food, and overall movement (also known as NEAT – non-exercise activity thermogenesis) will drop (the OTHER category above)
This is not to say exercise is worthless! If you want to be strong, healthy, independent, look sexy naked, and have the energy to do the things you want to do – you need to EXERCISE!
But – if you spend 45-60 minutes 3-4 times per week working out (which is the gold standard) and sit around the rest of the day, your exercise is not even coming close to trumping the rest of that sedentariness.
***Side note – you don’t NEED 45-60 minutes – ask me how you can train only 15-20 minutes per day and STILL GET AN AMAZING BOD!***
Move more. 10,000 steps per day is great, but see where you currently are and build from there!
Lastly – let’s talk about STRESS
Everywhere around us is stress – but a lot of it is self-inflicted.
What we read. What we listen to. What we watch. What we do with our bodies. What we put in our bodies. It adds up.
You don’t need to burn your phone and swear off of TV but do a self-audit. How much of your day is wasted scrolling social media, watching the doom and gloom big media propaganda news (it’s all propaganda to invoke strong emotion because that draws views and that makes $$$, prove me wrong).
Take time away from the things that cause you the most stress. If it’s consuming your every moment, every conversation, every thought – it’s probably too much.
Also, on the topic of stress…maybe your workouts aren’t helping either.
High-intensity, energy-sucking, joint-aching mind-numbing workouts can sure make you feel like you worked hard. But they could be holding you back and only adding to your stress levels.
If you feel physically wiped out after every workout to the point of needing a nap, or an early bedtime, and then having trouble staying asleep – this could be a sign that you are WAY overdoing it in the gym,and over stressed! On top of that, most people that suffer from this are stuck on the “diet mentality” of severe undereating for a solid 5-6 days only to binge for 2-3 days after because their brain goes bonkers!
Does that sound like you? What if you could find a happy medium? Enjoy more food. Feel better after workouts (not drained, and not having to spend HOURS in the gym) and STILL get the results you want?!? Allow the advice above for a solid 8 weeks, and let me know how it goes… otherwise…
If you need help getting started, look no further than online coaching. Training and nutrition! Let me help you find the best plan for you – from anywhere in the world.
For more information, click HERE!
Like what you read? Want to get even more weekly wisdom, training tips, and nutrition nuggets along with up to date blog posts sent directly to your email? Sign up HERE!