Exercise, Nutrition and Weight Loss

When I meet people for an initial consultation weight loss is always a topic of discussion. We go over the importance of finding a route that works best for them as an individual and how the process has many ups and downs. I believe that most people come to me really believing that exercise alone will be the answer to their weight loss struggles. This simply isn't true.

Exercise is only one aspect to achieving your weight loss goals. Sure its beneficial for your body on a physical and mental level but we must understand that its not the main component when it comes to burning fat. Exercise is positive stress for our bodies but when it comes to weight loss what you're putting in your body plays the leading role. There are people who lose plenty of weight without exercise, it happens all the time. Exercise doesn't inherently mean you'll lose weight. What it leads to is a stronger healthier body overall.

Nutrition and weight loss go hand in hand. In order to lose weight you've got to get into a caloric deficit- you must be burning more than you're consuming. This is on a very basic level. Some people obviously have more underlying issues when it comes to losing weight (i.e. disorders, medications, etc.).

To start, figure out your maintenance calories. This is the amount of calories you should be intaking daily to reach your preferred weight. The goal with weight loss (outside of losing it obviously) is to develop a healthy relationship with food and understanding what's going in your body. A great way to do this is to track your calories with an app- MyFitnessPal seems to be the favorited option. This is a fantastic tool where you can see how much or how little you're consuming. It shows you how much you've consumed in the day and how many calories you have remaining to stay within your goals limits. This is only accurate and helpful if you are HONEST and actually input everything you're eating. After you do this for a couple of weeks you will learn how to navigate calories and understand what you're eating. It takes time so have patience and continue learning what works for you.

Once nutrition is lined up exercise really falls into place. Now that you're in a caloric deficit, consuming less calories than before, add a workout in on top of that. More burn! On that basic level this is how weight loss works. You've learned how to eat in a deficit and get proper portions, consistently getting weekly workouts in and bam! The weight starts to melt off slowly but surely. Taking the time to log and understand the nutritional values of what you're eating and slowly bring more awareness to your choices. Remember, not all food is bad. Developing a healthy relationship with food and not attaching guilt is where we want to be.

When it comes to exercise do something that you enjoy and doesn't feel like a chore. In my opinion, a bit of everything is the proper form of working out. A little strength training, mobility work, yoga, Pilates, bar, HIIT workouts who cares just mix them up. There's so much value in being active and being able to use your body as best as possible.

We're learning every day!