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12/03/2021

Don’t be too focussed on the numbers (weight, body fat % etc.) when monitoring your progress. These numbers WILL fluctuate. They will drop fast at the beginning then slow down. One week they will go up a little and the next drop again. An undesired change from one week to the next is NOT failure, it is just part of the process of reaching your goal. If you have to compare do so to your original starting point. If the trend is in the right direction you are on track.

Another good yard stick to monitor would be your shape. That will change over time too. You will feel it in your clothes and how they fit. You will see it in the mirror in your face and body. You will experience it in the way you are able to do things easier, being more supple.

Focus on the starting point and the end goal, not the last few days or the last weight measurement. Revel in how your shape is changing for the better.

05/03/2021

So you started exercising / adjusting your eating habits but you are not losing any weight? Remember it is a simple mathematical problem. Calories in vs. calories out. So long as you spend more calories than you consume you WILL lose weight.

A common problem with starting from scratch or early days is that people often “reward” themselves for achieving the targets they set themselves. “I have just run 3km non-stop, so I deserve a lie down on the couch”. “After that long walk, I think I have earned this Cappuccino with a small slice of cake”. “I am too tired after that exercise to vacuum the house / clean the car like I normally do every Saturday”.

Remember any exercise routine you start and changes to your eating habits should be done in ADDITION to your normal daily / weekly routines, not in favour of. The idea is to create a calorie deficit. That can be done by spending more energy (any additional movement) and / or adapting the calories you consume (eating habits). Your preference should be a combination of both.

If you genuinely are exhausted by the changes you introduced (exercise / nutrition) then scale the extent of the changes back a little. Remember small changes over time creates better habits rather than trying to achieve a mammoth goal in a couple of months and not able to sustain the drastic change or hating the process and reverting to old habits.

26/02/2021

Are you waiting for the ideal time to start? Will you start next Monday, next week, when you are not so busy?
⠀
Just start! You do not have to get off the couch and go and run 5km or do a full 40-minute HIIT class. In fact, if you do you run the risk of:
• Injury – stop before you even start
• Fatigue – too tired to want to do it again
• Demotivation – too sore to want to do it again

What you are trying to do is change your lifestyle (long term) not diet or just lose weight (short term). Getting in shape and having more energy is a natural by-product of changing to a healthier lifestyle.

Start something you can maintain and build on over time. It could be frustrating starting super slow but the chances of it sticking is far better than going big-bang and burning out after a couple of weeks.

Start slow and steady. Improve your diet slowly, cut down one treat a week, swap one cappuccino to an americano, choose a “healthier” take-away (side salad instead of fries). Depending on your current fitness level do something one level up. If you are a couch potato then do a few more trips up the stairs at home, around the house / garden. Go for short walks, a short run. Build on that each week. Set small targets. Increase the distance / pace / frequency a little at a time each week.

It is important to set yourself small, achievable goals. Achieving goals are rewarding and inspiring.

Eyes on the prize…stay focussed….stick to the game plan!

19/02/2021

In simple terms losing weight is just a mathematical equation.

If you consume less energy than you spend you will lose weight (or vice versa). It is not so much what you eat, so long as you spend more energy that you consume.
*Note – this is not a discussion on nutrition and good / bad foods but rather just the principle of weight loss/gain.

Consuming energy:
Energy is consumed through what you eat and drink. Majority of this is through Macro Nutrients which are:
• Carbohydrates – 4 kcals/gram
• Proteins – 4 kcals/gram
• Fats – 9 kcals/gram

Spending energy:
Energy is spent in the following ways:
• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Energy required to breath, process food, think etc.).
• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). It actually requires energy to consume and process food.
• Thermic Effect of Activity (TEA). These are the movements you do over and above staying alive (BMR). Walking, talking, exercise etc.

Total Energy Expended = BMR + TEF + TEA
Total Energy Consumed = Sum of all Macronutrients consumed

The formula (basic form) is as follows:
Weight Loss = Total Energy Consumed < Total Energy Spent
Weight Gain = Total Energy Consumed > Total Energy Spent

Therefore, in order to lose weight, you have the following options:
1. Consume less energy. Eat less (and/or adapt ratios of macronutrients), restrict calories. Meal substitution, fasting, calorie counting.
2. Spend more energy. Exercise more. Park further away from shops, join an exercise class. Walk around the block. Run a marathon.
3. Combination of the above.

Option 3 should be your preferred choice as starving yourself OR exercising excessively is not sustainable. You should aim for a lifestyle and not a quick fix. You have to find the right balance for your goals/needs/body and be prepared to monitor and adapt/adjust frequently.

12/02/2021

My journey started after a number of years being stuck in a rut, long commutes to work, long days and being too tired to exercise when I got home. Too lazy to exercise in the middle of the day, instead opting for the culinary delights offered by the fast-food places in the big city.

I noticed that my trousers were again starting to sit a little tight which might indicate that a wardrobe make-over is required….again. Looking at holiday photos I realised the distinct beginnings of a middle-aged spread. I had to put an end to this.

I set myself a goal – I want a six pack by the following summer. I read that if you reach 15% body fat or below it should start showing (I was on 22.5%). Growing a six pack is far more difficult than exposing the one we are all born with.

I started doing Intermitted Fasting (16:8. Still follow that today) as well as enormous amounts of cardio exercises. The weight was dropping off quickly and things were on track. Or was it?

I did achieve 14.9% body fat but that was soon followed by questions from friends and family whether I am perhaps ill. I took a long hard look at myself and saw that I needed to adapt my strategy. Important tip – review and adapt frequently.

Further research led me to realise that in the effort to shed the weight and doing fasting and extensive cardio I was also forfeiting lean mass in the process (muscle). When you get older you naturally start losing muscle mass as well. Not good. I swapped out some of my cardio for weight training and adapted my diet in order to start gaining back some muscle whilst maintaining a relatively low body fat %. This was reinforced when I had an annual medical check-up where the GP encouraged resistance training in my general routine.

So here I am today doing roughly 40% cardio and 60% resistance training, hovering around 18% body fat. I feel great and the weight is coming back – while the waist is remaining the same.

Tired of seeing / getting advice from millennials? Follow me on my journey where I will share some insights and realistic advice / feedback based on my own experiences, experiments and findings

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