I Want To Lose Weight. Where Should I Start?
You should start with Phit-N-Phat. Ya'll have a great day!
Just kidding, sort of, but this is a popular question I get asked online and in person. We all know that what you eat has a lot to do with it, but I find more people are successful when they get the exercise part down first. So, let's look at my quick and easy plan to get on the right track to have a great new year and new you.
My philosophy is that in a perfect world a beginner would start with having a goal in mind before they ever change one thing about their fitness or their eating. It's not enough to just say I want to be hot, I want to skinny, I want to be fit. You have to have a clear VISION of what you want. So, before you even get to Step One I want you to work through this goal sheet and then you can change other aspects of your life.
Next, we're breaking it down nice and easy:
1. MOVE YOUR BUTT!
If you don't do anything to support your fitness goals you should start with your exercise plan. Don't worry about changing your eating and such. That's the toughest part for most people. Focus completely on becoming active. Get into a regular exercise plan and don't sell your workouts short. You want to lose fat, right? You better be busting some serious hump when you move. Walk faster or harder than yesterday, push those weights until your arms and legs ask what they heck are you doing to me, and never have a lingering doubt when you leave the gym that you gave everything you had. Those types of workouts make the difference.
The thing I hate to see women do most is pat themselves on the back for a workout that was sub-par. If your body isn't talking to you loud and clear when you leave the gym, your video, or the basement of your house you are wasting your time. Sweat, sore muscles, making ugly faces when you are pushing good amounts of weight, and even a little nausea goes a long way to getting the fat off your thighs.
2. Eat Right
Now comes a harder step. You have given yourself a full month of working harder than you ever thought possible. Now you realize I better start eating better because all this pain isn't worth it if I'm not going to optimize my eating. Great! You have a good attitude. You want to eat better so you probably will be a lot more successful with it.
Go out and buy the book "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno (OR join my site and get my own healthy food list). Next, eat healthy foods. Eat lots of them. Don't count calories and don't worry about anything other than eating every three hours, filling up on clean foods, and eating them as much as you want anyway you want. That's it. You are working hard in the gym and now you are just eating fresh foods and NO junk. NO JUNK means NO JUNK - but you can have all the healthy stuff you can put in your belly. Also, journal it. Don't worry about the calories. Just write down what you eat and when you eat it. THAT'S IT!
Again, do this for a month. I will bet you are losing weight. It's HARD to eat a lot of clean food and workout like a maniac and not lose weight when you are previously eating junky foods (in any calorie range) and not working out that hard or non at all. Most people will eat less calories with tons of healthy foods than they will watching the calories on all their crap foods.
3. Calorie Deficit
Here we are in month three. You are eating better than ever and you are a workout machine by now. Your body and your mind will be so intune that going into a slight calorie deficit and journaling what you eat will not scare you. I bet you will have wanted to do this for a long time ago. It's amazing how doing the basics first gets you on the right page mentally.
This is where if you aren't losing you need to tweak your calorie range. Go back to the past month and estimate your calories. It won't be exact but you will have an idea after a few days of how many calories you are consuming and then adjust it down to a calorie range appropriate for you.
By introducing a new concept each month you'll be better off for it, especially if you are the type of person who gets overwhelmed by all of this easily. Good luck and feel free to discuss this in the comments.
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Workout Journal: Back and 40 min. Elliptical
6x12 Pull ups Glose Grip - body weight with asssitance
4x10 Wide Grip Cable Rows - 55lbs
4x10-12 Hammer Strength Rows - 95lbs