 | Hey Team, Losing weight is no easy feat, and while building muscle gives it a run for its money, I’ll play Switzerland and say that both are difficult to maintain.
In terms of weight loss you hear it all the time; “I lost 15 pounds then gained back 20!,” or, “I just can’t not eat my favorite foods forever.” Listen, there’s more than one way to go about it and everyone’s going to respond differently because we are, in fact, all uniquely different. Though there are a few common mistakes we often see when the main goal is in fact to shed some fact. Let’s chat about
- You’re not eating in a caloric deficit: Before you come for me by telling you to eat less, the proof is in the science 1. Rather than spend your time worrying about what you eat, spend more time tracking how much you eat. And while I’m certainly not suggesting that your calories come from a Mickey D’s, the point is that we collectively must realize that you’ll never reach your weight loss goal if you’re eating more than the energy you’re spending. Food is fuel, and while we can find ways to make it enjoyable, don’t sleep on the fact that slower days will require less of it. When you look at the caloric breakdown, the healthiest alternatives, (real fruits, veggies, produce) contain significantly less calories than the processed snacks on the shelves. Eat what you’ll use and aim for whole foods and less processed ingredients.
- You’re only doing cardio: There’s a time and place for cardiovascular training, and it has a place in every program for heart health and muscle endurance. But if cardio is all you’re doing, you might not see the results you’re hoping for. Zone 2 (steady state cardio) and strength training paired together will inch you closer to your goal with an interval day or two spliced in. Strength training, heavy enough to stimulate muscles, can lead to increased muscle mass and aid in fat reduction. Lifting weights comes with a plethora of benefits, though weight loss is a rarely spoken about benefit 2.
- You’re not sleeping enough: The beginning stage of your nightly sleep cycle is the most important, holding the highest rate of fat burn and release of growth hormones for muscle repair 3. This makes it inherently important to get to bed early and at the same time each night. It’s arguably more important to establish consistent sleep and wake times than it is to get the eight to nine recommended hours. If you can do both, I applaud you, and you will feel the difference pretty rapidly. Create a foolproof sleep environment with cool temperature, blackout shades, no blue light and white noise if you need it to block out street noise.
- You’re too stressed: Stressing about work, finances, family and lifting itself are inevitable factors we all face. Stressing about losing weight is something we can work towards eliminating. Considering the factors mentioned above, incorporating knowledge about your metabolic, glucose and mineral levels are just a few ways to unlock preventive measures on your health journey. Fasting glucose and insulin, levels like iron, calcium and vitamin D, and optimizing hormones through remedies that best match your lifestyle are all examples to take note of. Losing weight and developing the gold standard of health and longevity goes well beyond gym time and food. May I also suggest adding in a breathwork and/or mediation routine to 1.) start your day or 2.) wind down your day. Mindfulness is a fantastic way to check in with you to take full inventory.
It’s not a black and white approach, there’s no single blueprint I can give you that’ll come with a guarantee to drop five pounds or 20 pounds. I can confidently say that taking these four areas into your control will get you farther than any ice bath, sauna or redlight. Hear me out, I use each of those modalities multiple times a week, but it seems like there are a lot of people out there dunking themselves in 35º water but they’re getting five hours asleep. Others who own every recovery tool imaginable but order take out and drink alcohol each night. There’s no shame in hustle or indulgence, but take ownership in terms of where you steer your progress and why it’s taken you years to see the progress you’ve hoped for. Only you have the power to take control of your destination.
Until next week 👋 | | | Danielle Bitts
VP of Brand, Bodybuilding.com | | | | |
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