Lose weight the right way

It's one thing to lose weight. It's another thing to work so hard for your goals and either 1. not see results, or 2. get the weight off and gain it all right back. The difference between losing weight and losing weight the right way is TIME and CONSISTENCY. Sure it feels great to get weight off quickly, but usually that comes at a sacrifice. These quick fix diets, detox/cleanses, and extreme workout plans are marketed to the way our generation's brains are programmed. They appeal to the "I want it, and I want it now," thought process which can be great for results, but terrible for sustainability.

If you're saying to yourself, OK Chrys, so what's this "Right Way" you're talking about. Well there are two formulas I go by which are:

ENERGY IN - ENERGY OUT = WEIGHT LOSS

TIME+CONSISTENCY = SUSTAINABILITY

Weight loss is a pretty simple science. You have to burn off what you put in. The energy (or fuel) you put in your body needs to go somewhere right? Well, the type of calories you burn just by walking around living your every day life, are not really enough to make an impact on that energy you put in. This is where physical activity comes into play. Exerting more energy will increase your heart rate which will lead to more calories burned, and will essentialyl lead to weight loss, if you're consistent.

Here's an example:

There are 3,500 calories in one pound. Let's say you consume 1,500 calories throughout your day, and burn 800 active calories (calories that don't include regular activity such as walking to your desk). That means you're left with about 700 calories at the end of the day (so to speak). As you sleep (which is a story for another day) you'll burn even more calories and by the time you wake up you will have burned most of the calories you put into your body the day before. If you keep this cycle going of burning off what you put in, you will begin to create a calorie deficit, slowly chopping away at that 3,500 calorie pound.

Now imagine if you didn't work those 1,500 calories off that day, and you carried them over into your next day. The cycle repeats, you eat 1,500 more calories, and it is up to you to burn them off. Now there are other factors that impact how quickly you lose weight, such as hormones, lean muscle, sleep, metabolism etc, but this is a basic example of how it works.

Once you get the basics down of fueling and burning the fuel, then you have to keep it up. You have to stay consistent in order to see change. My philosophy behind training my clients is "build habits that last." It did not take you 20 days to put on 20 pounds so how realistic (or healthy) does it sound to lose it in 20 days too. When you realize that you have to work some new habits into your lifestyle so that you can sustain your progress, then you will see real change.