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Hello 2017!
As I sat down to write this post, the first thing I did, was go back and reread almost all of my fitness posts. Just to really look back at this past year and see what I have shared with you all, what the common dominators were, and what I think you guys have taken away from them.
As you guys know, I do not really believe in “New Years Resolutions”… but I do believe in new beginnings and brighter outlooks. I believe in change and I believe in the motivation that the New Year brings.
The number one New Years Resolution that people make is to lose to weight. If this is you, I am proud of you for wanting to make a change. But what I challenge you to do, is to not make a New Years Resolution for weight loss, but instead, to become a healthier and happier you.
I receive a lot of emails & questions on my comment board concerning weight loss. Everyone has their own specific goal, and they want to know if their goal is achievable. They want to know exactly how I eat, how long it took me to lose weight and how often I cheat. What I want you guys to understand and what I really want you to get out of this post, is that in order to lose weight, you have to make a lifestyle change. Fad diets do not work and if you are serious about getting healthy you cannot look at it as a temporary thing. You are changing your life to become healthier! I understand wanting to lose weight for a wedding or wanting to lose weight so that you can finally like what you see, when you see yourself in photo. I understand wanting to lose weight to make a boy jealous and I understand wanting to lose weight because you’ve always been the chubby girl. I understand that, trust me! I also support that. If those are your goals and are what will actually help you start this journey, then that’s great! I just want to get across that weight loss should not be your only goal. Strive to change your life for the better. To live longer, to have more energy and to feel confident!
My goal for this post is to help you and give you the motivation you need for this new year. I understand it’s hard, but you do have the power to make the change! I know I am not perfect, that I am not a fitness model and I do not have a 6-pack. I know that. But I also know that I am healthy, that I work hard and I eat clean.
I have written so many posts on weight loss and healthy eating but after looking through all of them, I have decided that there are 5 things you need to understand in order to actually lose weight and be healthier in 2017.
(1) The true only way to lose weight is to be calorie deficit
Meaning you must be burning more calories than you are eating in a day. Plain and simple. **Please note** I’m not saying this means the only way to lose weight is to starve yourself. I’m just stating the truth that food is fuel. Your body needs food in order to have energy and function properly but if you’re eating poorly or not being active enough to burn off what you are putting in your body then you’re never going to lose weight. In order to find out exactly how much you should be eating for your specific height/weight, you need to calculate your BMR.
Your BMR (resting metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body naturally burns in a day without movement or exercise and it is calculated based on your age, height and weight.
For example: Colton is a six foot male whose BMR is around 2000 calories. Me on the other hand, a five foot female, my BMR is around 1400 calories. If I ate the same as Colton (2000 calories a day) it would be impossible for me to lose weight because I would be eating way more than my body needs.
While I highly recommend contacting a nutritionist to actually learn how much you should be eating/burning, in the meantime you can calculate your BMR, here.
(2) Never underestimate the power of walking
Walking is key to living a healthy life and to losing weight. So you’re thinking, “but I work out everyday!”. That’s cool, you work out for an hour a day, but if that’s the only activity you are doing, and you’re just sitting the rest of the day, than it will be hard to lose weight. Why do you think people in Europe eat a ridiculous amount of bread & pasta, yet do not gain a ton of weight? It’s because they walk everywhere. That’s why, the purpose of a Fitbit is to hit 10,000 steps a day. By reaching 10,000 steps a day, you burn over 20% of your caloric intake throughout the day. You’re probably thinking, “But I work a desk job… I sit all day!!!” – I feel you. I do too, but there are still things you can do to incorporate walking. Take the stairs every chance you get, park a little farther at the grocery store, take a walk during lunch or with your pup when you get home. Walking and hitting your steps will do wonders for you.
(3) Understand the difference between calories vs nutrients
Stop counting calories and instead think about the food you are putting in your mouth. Think about it this way, lets take a order of a small fry from McDonalds as an example. A small fry is 230 calories and is made up of 41% fat, 55% carbs and only 5% protein. A small fry! So you could have that, or you could have a whole chicken breast, sautéed vegetables and 1/2 of sweet potato for the same amount of calories. Does that make since? The calories are technically the same, but think about what it is you’re putting in your body. Which one is the better option? Eating clean and putting nutrients in your body is key.
(4) The combination of weights and cardio is key
Not just one or the other! Both are very important and go hand in hand with the other. You need to do weights to build muscle and burn fat. You’re not going to burn fat without gaining muscle. Then you also need to do cardio to help burn calories, increase the blood flow in your muscles and improve your metabolism. If you’re not into doing weights on your own, try out a fitness class that uses weights or try a pilates class!
(5) Drink your water!
Drinking water is vital to weight loss. Not only does your body literally need it to survive, but it also aids in burning fat. If you want to lose weight, you cannot continue to drink coke, sprite or any diet soda. You have to make the switch and start fueling your body correctly. Water is everything. The moment you realize that and put down the can, you’ll immediately see the difference
So what am I doing right now? What is my workout regime?
I am still doing BBG. I work out at Equinox and I do weights 3x a week and cardio around 4x a week. I follow the 80/20 rule, meaning I eat clean 80% of the time, but I am not going to kill myself over a random indulgence. I love to run, and I still take a spin class when I can. My favorite place is RYDE in Houston. I walk as much as I can and aim to hit my 10,000 steps a day. My favorite fitness devices that I swear by are my Apple Watch (FitBits work too), my Bluetooth headphones and the My Fitness Pal app.
If you want more, please check out my other posts!!
You can find my full grocery list, here. My full Kayla Instines post, here. 6 Steps For Getting Back Into Exercising, here and 20 Tips For Living A Healthier and Happier Life, here.
If you have any questions, please send me an email! My apologies for this being such a long post!! This is just something I am very passionate about -lol.
xo,
Lauren