Far too often people make losing weight more difficult than it really is. If you get down to the root of it, it really comes down to calories in and calories out. Unfortunately thanks to our society this simple way of losing weight has been made even more difficult. Advanced diseases, modern technology along with cigarette, alcohol and food addictions have made people not only slaves to instant gratification, but emotionally fragile.
This is why personal trainers or weight loss coaches are so important. They not only guide you on how to eat properly and avoid the traps of our society such as bad food choices, sedentary lifestyles and the like but they also help you to plan on to how to avoid pitfalls, set goals, and provide encouragement to keep going on a well balanced program. If you can afford to hire a fitness professional or join a fully supportive weight loss program such as Upstart Training Program's. I suggest you do so to avoid unnecessary wasting of fat burning time!
So, why do I say losing weight could be very simple? Well, it wouldn't be especially if we all had discipline, will power and motivation needed. Again, its simple if you burn more calories than you take in you will lose weight. At least, for normal cases, though those specific disorders, illnesses, and metabolisms are the exception.
Caloric Value
In order to effectively lose weight, one must first understand the value of a calorie in different food groups. For example, in one gram of protein and carbohydrates there are 4 kcals (calories). In one gram of fat there are 9kcals and 7 in one gram of alcohol. So, as you can probably figure it is wiser to avoid large amounts of Fat's and Alcohol as it contains the largest quantity of calories per gram.
Calories and Body Fat
Another important value to understand is that there are 3,500 calories in one gram of body fat. Therefore, in order to lose 1 lb of fat a person must burn 3500 calories in a week. It would have to be doubled 7000 calories to lose 2lbs. As a side note: It is recommended that losing only 1-2lbs a week is the safe way to lose weight. Other wise, a person could risk losing out on vital vitamins and minerals that make the body function properly, risking illness or worse.
Putting it all Together
So, what does this all mean? It means that if you reduce your calories by 250 per day and also burn 250 calories in a day you will lose a total of 500 calories. If you times that by 7 days in a week you will get a 3500 calorie reduction or loss of 1lb of body fat, again doubling that if you would like to lose 2lbs a week. If you don't have enough time to workout then you will need to consume even less calories to compensate. On the other hand if you really enjoy eating then you will have to really burn a lot of calories through exercise and activity to compensate for the extra calorie consumption.
Other things to Note
Though, you could choose to not exercise and eat bad or exercise till your blue in the face, but its not recommended. Exercise has a host of other benefits. These include a firmer, tighter body that makes a person's appearance even better versus just having loose skin after achieving weight loss from just not eating much. Also, resistance training will help a person deal with the daily stresses and labor of every day life and work. Exercise also helps build personal confidence, stronger bones, and a higher metabolism so that you can occasionally enjoy yourself in the buffet line.
Eating poorly and compensating with over training/exercising is also a bad way to go. This could lead to injuries to the muscles from over use and cause mental strain as well as severe fatigue.
Lastly, because of our misguiding food industry and need for convenience, losing weight can be much more difficult than it should be. We've been trained to want instant gratification. We drive our cars every where and food is just a phone call, drive up or refrigerator away. Then there's the motivation and guidance on how to eat healthy or exercise properly and efficiently that often escapes many people.
Therefore I recommend at least when beginning to turn to a healthier lifestyle to get professional help.
Sadly, society has made losing weight such a challenge. Habits must be broken and the proper tools and instruction is needed to battle obesity and weight gain.
If you need us were here! We've helped plenty of people to not only a good start but an entire life change!
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Good luck!
