How many times have you decided that enough is enough and starting tomorrow, or next Monday, or on whatever particular date your mind was ok with, you will start exercising and losing weight.
How many times did you succeed and how many times did you fail? 😃
Here's the thing, what I said here about unrealistic expectations is also true for losing weight. Now, sure, building muscle and losing weight aren't exactly the same thing. However, both require a plan and most importantly the right reasons and mindset to start.
If you want to lose weight because you want a six-pack, cause you heard your crush, who doesn't even know you exist, is into this thing ... well, maybe it would be best to reconsider (or find a BETTER reason to start) 😜 Cause chances are, your crush already has their eyes on someone else and, when you'll find out, you'll be very dissapointed.
Oh, and heart-broken, and you'll cry, and you'll abandon the awesome weight loss journey that you've started.
Ok, I'm exagerating, but you get the point. 😀
However, for the sake of this post let's assume you have a really good reason that acts as your motivation - health related or the fact that if you achieve your target weight it will boost your self-confidence, or you want to give a good example for your child, or whatever else it may be. You need to understand that this will not happen overnight.
And there's a very good reason for this. The human body is an amazing machine. Highly efficient, adaptable, able to grow and overcome most of the things we throw at it. It can store extra fuel for when it is needed. Unlike a car, it doesn't max out at a given point - say 3000 calories a day. You'll be fine if you go overboard with 1000 or even 2000 calories, on occasions. You might feel a bit sick to your stomach, but the body can handle it.
Problem is, when you constantly stay in a caloric surplus, the body starts to make adjustments; it starts to get used to you throwing extra fuel its way. The stomach enlarges and the body finds new places to store the extra fuel you give it (abs, glutes, arms etc.).
So, what can you do? Well, you could start buying programs, supplements, or, in extreme cases, surgery.
OR, you could try eating less and exercising more!
Before getting triggered, I know that there are some people for whom this approach will not work; there are some people who need medical help to get their weight under control.
However, for most people, this is the easiest and cheapest way to start losing weight and actually seeing some results.
Here's where most people get it wrong. They want to start with a caloric deficit that's quite unrealistic. My advice - start with a few hundred calories less per day for the first two weeks. The body doesn't react well to sudden changes.
"Hold on ... how do I know what's a few hundred calories less? I tried one of those apps and I kept forgetting to update the damn thing!"
I'm not telling you to install an app that keeps track of all your meals. I'm not telling you to count macros (although it will definitely be more efficient!). If you just take a look at your everyday meals, I'm sure there are some things you can cut back on.
For example, during the day, say you eat 8 slices of bread, among other things, of course. Try going for only 4.
"Does that really matter?!"
Yup ... quite a lot. Let's look at wholemeal bread. On average, we have around 230 calories per 100 grams. If a slice has, on average, 40 grams, that means ...
around 92 calories per slice of wholemeal bread. Multiply that by 4 and you have over 350 calories!
"Wait ... you're telling me not to eat bread?! Food doesn't taste the same without it! #RageQuit"
No, that's not what I'm saying 😀 However, I bet you can start to cut just a little bit, here and there, when it comes to what you eat.
Another example ... desert. How about instead of that triple sized, XXL, super donkey kong chocolate bar, you go for just a bite? Would it kill you? Fine, fine... two bites ... Jesus...I thought you wanted to lose weight 😆
Jokes aside, I think you get the point. Here's another example ... some juices / sodas that have A LOT of sugar in them ... I'm talking 10 grams (or more) of sugar per 100 grams of juice/soda.
Replace it with some delicious tea; green tea or black tea would be ideal since they have a lot of antioxidants and they come in all sorts of flavours.
Pro Tip: if it's hot outside you can make ice tea .. .yeah, put the tea in a bottle, after it has cooled for a while, then put it in the fridge. Voila, you have ice tea 😀
Ok, you understand the principle of cutting back on what you eat, thus, achieving a decent caloric deficit.
Before we move on to exercises, I want to make something very clear. If are in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. There's no two ways around this. Stay in a caloric deficit and, eventually, your weight will drop.
Now, if you want to speed up the process, enter, stage right, exercises.
But, before we start - DISCLAIMER (and btw, NO judgement from my side, I want this to be clear) - If you are quite overweight, I would recommend visiting a doctor first, maybe do a heart check-up, just to be on the safe side. Some of these exercise can be demanding, and, as the saying goes
As always, being honest and not BS-ing you is the main goal. Bodybuilding exercises don't work so well for losing weight ... well, not unless you really know what you're doing (I'm talking super-sets, short to very short breaks, high reps, small to medium weight).
Even then, cardio wins, hands down. Use the bikes in your gym for 20 minutes and you'll probably be burning somewhere between 150 to 250 calories, or more, depending on how hard you go.
"I don't have a damn bike nor do I have a gym membership. I just want to lose some goddamn fat! And btw, this post is getting too damn long!"
Ok, ok, fine ... Here's a list of exercies you can do at home (or near your home 😀) Choose any number of these for a 20 to 30 minutes session and you're done - don't forget to take short breaks when you need to!
- burpees;
- jumping-jacks;
- skipping rope;
- mountain climber;
- going up and down a flight of stairs;
- running - but, for the love of God, get some GOOD running sneakers and, if possible, run on a preped surface (like at a stadium) - your ankles, knees and hips will thank you for this.
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