How To Lose Weight…And Keep It Off!

The main aim for many people reading this is to lose weight while adding some muscle. However, a problem many face is knowing how to KEEP this fat off once it’s initially been lost. 

So if you are afraid your hard work may become undone, here’s my short guide to ensure it doesn’t!

1.  Weight train 3 times a week.  

This is enough to build muscle, but also leaves plenty of off days to concentrate on loosing unwanted fat.

I think that it doesn’t matter what stage you are currently at, it’s important that every workout is intensive. These short sessions will avoid overtraining which can cause muscle deterioration, yet maximize muscle building. To ensure things don’t get too drawn out, do two things:

- Ensure your rest period after each set is 3 minutes. (Slightly less for minor muscle groups.)

-Complete your workout within 40 minutes, excluding time to warm up. (This will mean performing between 8 and 12 sets in total)

2. Cardio

Out of the 4 days you are off from weight training each week, make one of these your rest days and perform High Intensity Training on the 3 other days available.

High Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT for short) is very much different to your standard cardio session. Simply jump on the recumbent bike or cross trainer, set it to the interval program and go flat out for 16 minutes. That’s basically all there is to it. It can feel completely draining, but the results are nothing short of amazing.

If you don’t have a piece of cardio equipment at home yet, you can perform this HIIT principle while running outside. Sprint for 30 seconds, and jog for 2 minutes. Carry on repeating this until 20 minutes have passed. It isn’t as effective as using an exercise bike but better than just running miles at the same pace.

3. Increase your meal frequency

Instead of eating the standard 3 meals a day, spread your intake out over 6 smaller meals. This will help you to shed fat as your body feels it no longer needs to hold onto it, and will improve nutrient absorption.

Increasing your meal frequency will also stop you from reaching for the biscuits whenever you feel hungry!

4. Increase your protein intake

Although it may sound against what you are trying to achieve by increasing the amount of something, you should actually up the amount of lean protein you are now consuming through things such as chicken, lean red meat, seafood and quality whey protein supplements.

Also bear in mind that protein rich foods such as cod, salmon and tuna also contain Omega 3, which goes towards improving fat loss and should therefore be regulars in your diet.

5. Swap bad fats for good fats

Rather than cutting fat out of your diet completely, reduce the bad fats you consume with good fats (polyunsaturates and monounsaturates) which can be found in foods such as avocados.

If you are unsure about something, check the nutritional info panel on the packaging. This is something you will have to get used to doing, but remember fat-free does not mean sugar and simple carbohydrate free!

6. Be clever with your carbs

Besides avoiding foods high in saturated fat, it’s equally important to avoide sugar and simple carbohydrates. Even complex carbs must be consumed in moderation to avoid unwanted calories, but consuming foods such as oatmeal and brown rice after your workouts can have a positive effect.

As a rule of thumb, consume 1 gram of complex carbs per pound of body weight, per day.

It is also worth mentioning that alcohol contains carbohydrates, and therefore consummation must be kept to a minimum. A glass of red wine every day is perfectly fine and has some very good health benefits, but with nearly 7 empty calories per gram, it’s easy to see how this can be the source of many people’s weight problems.

7. Water

Did you know you that by increasing the amount of water you drink, this alone will help you to lose fat? It’s true. By consuming between 8 and 10 glasses of water a day, this will not only prevent dehydration but burn up fat.

Do not under estimate this!