5 Weight Loss Tips to Lose Weight & Not Your Mind
Training to lose weight is like investing in Bitcoin to fund your retirement. It may seem like one helps create the other but the two are just not related in the ways that we like to think. When it comes to diet and exercise, diet is a key player in weight loss while the exercise component plays a role in a host of other things like strength, flexibility, or endurance.
“You can’t out train a bad diet” - every personal trainer ever -
While training doesn’t play a key role in weight loss, it can be a major player in the failure to lose weight. Many good-intentioned training programs end up disabling a person’s ability to lose weight, causing frustration and in many cases of training while hungry, injuries.
So how do we let our diet, sleep, stress management and all of the other drivers of weight loss work? We train smart! Below are five tips to training with a weight loss goal.
Train below maximal volume and intensity
Step one, stop training hard! No, that would be ridiculous. We don’t need to sacrifice quality training time during a weight loss phase but we do need to appreciate the fact that we are running low on energy and in turn, our capacity to recover from exercise.
One way to program in submaximal training without feeling like we’re a softie could be to use rep ranges, focusing on leaving a rep or two in the tank on each set as opposed to adhering to the “I’m going to finish this set of 10 even if it kills me” mentality.
Another quick way to make a program challenging but still submaximal would be to use supersets that make us move from exercise to exercise. This could look like doing a glute bridge to a standing landmine press. We get the added movement of standing up and walking over to our next exercise while also giving us some additional time to recover between sets and avoid the “I’m so sore all I want to do is eat ice cream and watch Netflix” scenario.
Avoid training using superset exercises that challenge the same muscle groups. This could look like pairing squats with lunges or bench press with push ups. Make the exercise pairings force rest on areas of the body to help train longer without tuckering out from a beastly combination while running on four strawberries, an Isagenix shake and prayers. It will create unneeded fatigue, soreness and appetite!
Add an off day into your training week
This one is simple. Instead of training to lose weight, take an extra day off to be physically active (see next tip… these are all related)
Off days don’t mean rest days. Off days mean a break from picking up weights and putting them down, giving us more time to move, elevate heart rate and avoid soreness in an effort to make it as comfortable as possible to be in a caloric deficit. Adding a bunch of training volume when trying to lose weight is like deciding to take a road trip when your car is almost out of gas. It ends in disaster.
Prioritize physical activity
Running a mile utilizes about 100 calories for an average-sized person, don’t quote me on that but it’s at least close to accurate. If running a mile takes the average person 10 minutes or so, that means at most we can utilize about 600 calories an hour running.
The point here is that caloric expenditure, which is half of the equation towards finding a caloric deficit and losing weight, is heavily influenced by our activity throughout the day as opposed to within our one hour of training. The “active couch potato” is the person who trains hard for an hour but sits at a desk or crushes 3-4 shows on Netflix every night. While we might get stronger training hard and then lying around, it’s going to be tough to lose weight and keep it off with that lifestyle. Don’t be an active couch potato, be an active person. Period.
Take a day off and figure out what it takes to be active day-to-day. It could be anything, it just can’t be sitting on the couch watching Jerry Springer waiting for the 12 squats we did six hours ago to finally pay off in our weight loss journey.
Eat like a king in the morning and a peasant at night
I’m not a nutritionist nor a dietician so please take this with a grain of salt. In my experience, I’ve seen more success with weight loss stemming from eating in the morning and avoiding late night binge-eating sessions.
The intermittent fasting crew will blow me up for this one I’m sure, as I’ve certainly seen some success using that method as well with many folks skipping breakfast but again, in my experience, I’ve seen more success using the kingly breakfast with the peasant-like dinner.
If we work late at night or need to train later in the day, the rules may change for this one and that’s ok. The point of this tip is this. Nutrient timing is important. When we eat our meals can determine how much we eat, what we eat and how it makes us feel during our work days. Pay attention to what works for you when it comes to the timing of meals.
Be Patient
Weight loss is not linear. There are peaks and valleys with everything. I’ve attached a few different examples of weight loss and body fat percentage graphs from my clientele over the past year that should paint the picture. By tracking consistently, we can find a trendline and stick with it without falling prey to the bad days that drain our spirit.
I hope these tips spark some interest if you’re in the market to lose some weight. If you need additional support or have questions, feel free to reach out!