Principles of Weightloss

There are SO many methods to lose weight that it can become confusing. In fact the other day I had a conversation with friend about losing weight and the person was fixated on juicing. As most of you know by now, it’s not the most effective long term method to lose weight. We talk more about juicing HERE.

Weight-loss has various approaches, some people just look at the numbers and other are focused on the look. Meaning some don’t care about losing muscle mass and others do. The premise of weight-loss across the board, is to expend more calories than taken in. However, the approach will be slightly different when it comes to their life style and specific end goal. This is where it get’s to be difficult, there are many paths to the end goal, and this can easily become a big hurdle.

Think about the ENDLESS fad diets that have evolved through the years, from smoking cigarettes, tape worm diet – yes you read that correct-, to now the “corset waist trainer”- squish your organs to “look slim”, and probably more crazier stuff that I haven’t heard of.

To help those that are looking to lose weight have more focus and direction, here are few basic principles that should encompass everyones weight-loss approach.

Time

The very commonly stated “it takes time”, is something most people do not want to hear but it’s true!

Fitness marketing has done it’s job.  It’s now common to see people put more time and effort into “shortcuts” and even go to extremes such as paying $2k for a surgical tongue patch that makes it very difficult for them to eat. Yet if they put that same energy and effort toward dieting and exercising, they would be much further along.

Please don’t ever do this…

I understand that telling someone it takes time, is a tough pill to swallow. However investing in a 2k surgical tongue patch is not dealing with the long term issue and that’s where people fail. The expectation vs reality gap for real world results are so far out of whack that people are willing to spend $2k on a short term quick fix vs. spending that same money on healthier foods, a gym, a dietician, or a personal trainer.

You Have to Eat

When it comes to losing weight, people immediately think they need to starve themselves. While semi true, to lose weight you need to cut calories, NOT starve yourself.

However, say you do some crazy diet where you drink lemon water all day then eat one big meal. What do you think you’re going to be reaching for at the end of the day? More than likely that comfort food.

But say you eat the x3-5 meals a day, then you’re likely setting yourself up to fight off cravings. This is why dietitians typically state to go grocery shopping when you’ve already eaten.

Bottom line, eating a well balanced diet- good fats (helps slow the digestion down), lean protein, vegetables, and a little bit of carbs (you can cycle them depending on activity) is a strong approach to help fight off cravings.

Calories Matter

The order of importance of weight-loss is total calorie intake. This is proven time and time again.

Take for example the “Twinkie Diet”, Professor Haub a profession in human nutrition at Kansas State University, completed a diet mainly consistent of twinkies, doritos, sugary cerals, twinkies, etc…

“For a class project, Haub limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of Haub’s pre-dieting size usually consumes about 2,600 calories daily. So he followed a basic principle of weight loss: He consumed significantly fewer calories than he burned.”

The result, he lost 27lbs in two months. HOLD TIGHT, before you jump on to a crazy hostess diet, this doesn’t prove that it’s healthy for him. With that said, it does prove the power of a calorie deficit.

The one question, I’d be curious about is how much muscle mass he had lost. I would assume a significant amount of lean muscle mass was also lost due to break down of macros. Despite him taking in a protein shake and a vitamin pack.

Below is a solid example how the scale isn’t the ONLY factor that you should take into consideration. So before you jump the gun and say that you couldn’t care less about losing muscle mass, look at the below pic.

The importance of having lean muscle. It actually makes you look better, shocker!

Wrap Up

The point of the post is to convey that you can have a balanced approach and still look good. Eating a pizza will NOT kill you, yes the next day you’ll have some bloat but once you go back on a clean diet it’ll go back down. We’re looking at the LONG term chart not the short term. So please focus on the habits and have a balanced approach.

Stay strong,

Team Fusion Trained