You have heard this: exercise and eat right to get the weight loss you want.  I'll just add, exercise smarter and eat healthier on a more consistent basis.

Exercise Smarter

Smart workouts help you transform your body with less injury risk. One to 2 hour workout sessions are not needed. A 30-minute strength workout, 2-3 times a week, will keep you progressing to your goals.

Total body fat loss is the key to transforming your body. To lose weight and keep it off, you must make a commitment to strength training.

Not only will your body's composition improve (less fat, more muscle), it will improve your overall health (including bone density).

Strength training should be tailored to your body type. We all have a body type due to heredity and lifestyle choices. A fitness assessment is important because a personal trainer identifies postural weaknesses and muscle imbalances. The fitness program is then tailored to fit your needs. Without this assessment, you are "shooting in the dark."

Eat Better, More Consistently

Here are some things you can start doing today to improve your eating habits:

➡️ Eat meals until you are 80% full (not stuffed)

➡️ Drink only water or unsweetened drinks for beverages

➡️ Severely limit candy, cookies, pastries, junk food and processed foods

➡️ Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal

➡️ Eat protein with every meal, such as eggs, fish, nuts or lean chicken/beef/turkey

➡️ Eat small meals, every 3-4 waking hours

➡️ For 3-5 days, start writing down what and why you eat to hold yourself accountable

Eating small meals (whole, natural foods) every 3-4 waking hours helps control your hunger during the day so you don't overeat when you do eat. 

Another way to control your hunger pangs is to eat protein with every meal. You don't need to do protein shakes...just eat the right foods. Research has proven that protein keeps blood sugar levels more steady and helps you feel fuller for a longer period (slower digestion). Protein also keeps the hunger hormone (ghrelin) in check so your hunger doesn't spike so high.

If you feel fuller for longer periods, you will eat less during the day. 

Treat Your Body Well

Life brings on stress. A certain amount of stress and tension helps you take on challenges and perform better. Too much stress (left unchecked) over a prolonged period is not good and it causes health problems and affects metabolism. Also, some people respond to stress better than others. One person might crumble under the same workload that causes another person to thrive.

Your body's normal state (homeostasis) is changed by stress. The hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, are secreted in response to a stressful situation. The "fight or flight" response to stress is intended to give you the energy to take on or run away from a particular situation. Stressful situations that go on for months or years signals to your body that the normal state includes excessive amounts of adrenaline and cortisol.

As it relates to metabolism, adrenaline makes the fat cells more efficient at turning fat into energy and speeds up metabolism. On the other hand, cortisol increases the amount of glucose in the blood and creates more energy. If you have an office job (and don't exercise), this excess adrenaline and cortisol builds up. Unused excess energy will be stored as fat.

Chronic stress or stress with no end in sight has major health implications. Adrenaline will continue to be secreted but the body and the fat cells will build up a tolerance to it. This means that the fat cells won't be converted to energy and cortisol will continue to increase glucose in the blood. This means the fat gain and weight gain begins to happen if left unchecked.

Life continually has stressful situations and life sometimes brings unavoidable prolonged stress. Regular exercise helps me to deal with stress and brings my body back to the true normal state (or as close as possible).

It takes more than willpower to reach your fat loss and weight loss goals. Your motivation needs to be realistic. Unrealistic goals (like lose 30 pounds in 20 days) can leave you mentally and physically exhausted with disappointing results.

Its never too late to start a fitness and nutrition program and transform your body!

Mark Dilworth, PN1-NC, CDS, NMH, LWM

Certified Nutrition Coach, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Specialist In Nutrition For Metabolic Health and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist

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