1. Stop using the phrase “losing weight”. Unless you are an athlete who needs to “make weight” for competition, the weight on the scale is meaningless. Weight is a number. Nothing more. It does not convey health (even though we still see height-weight charts and body mass index, i.e., BMI, are still being pushed by health professionals). It is “body composition” that is most meaningful—the relative amounts of fat and lean tissues. It is more important to focus on gaining muscle (i.e., gaining lean weight) and losing fat. The next result might not necessarily result in a dramatic weight loss (though losing fat weight will exceed muscle gain, resulting in a net weight loss).
2. Ditch the scale. Stop weighing yourself every day. Use the mirror, clothes, and other realistic measures of change. Weigh yourself occasionally, but don’t let it be the predominate measure of improvement. If your physique is improving, who cares what the scale reads?
3. Eat less. How much do I have to say here??
4. Make healthy eating choices. If you are eating less, you will lose weight. Next, you need to focus on making better decisions about what you eat. Less junk. More whole and natural foods. Less processed food. Less sugar. Quality protein. Balance!
5. Move more. It matters less what you do, per se. Just move. Of course, weight training will have the best overall effect, but burning calories is burning calories. Physical activity is cumulative. The more you move, the easier it will be to improve your body composition.
No big secrets or tricks. Improving body composition is easy once one makes the commitment and acts accordingly. There are no short-cuts, and it takes effort; but, anyone can do it—if they try. There is no magic formula. It just takes discipline. And, be aware, it gets a bit more difficult the leaner you get. Initially, though, it is baby steps.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
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