The most common question I get from clients, and potential clients that I meet with, is, "what can I do to lose weight?" And every time, I try to make it very clear. Losing weight requires 2 things, exercise and proper diet. Guess what? If you are training with me, you're obviously getting the exercise. If you're training more than 2 days/week you are probably getting at least the recommended amount if not more. OK, that's 20-30% of the problem solved... but we've got 70-80% of the problem still looming overhead.
Nutrition and Diet determine 70-80% of your weight loss success. That's just how it is. I wish it were exercise, cause I can do that with you. I cannot hover over you, calculating calories like some sort of food nazi, and be with you every minute of every day forcing you to make good choices.
I am not a nutritionist. It's not my field, nor my right, to make a diet plan for you. However, I can make some very STRONG suggestions on this issue.
Here's what I suggest. Calculate your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate).Click here for a good site to do this. Unfortunately, the BMR cannot know your exact muscle to fat ratio, so it is accurate within 100 calories (you're under if you have more muscle and less fat, and over if you have low muscle and high fat ratio). This is the basic amount of calories you need to survive at your height and your weight. It is what you need to ingest to maintain your current weight if you have no activity at all aside from sitting in a chair twiddling your thumbs.
Now use that same BMR Calculator, but put in a weight closer to your goal weight. That is your new target amount of calories. For example, if you are a 30-year-old female, who is 5'5" and weighs 200 lbs, you would naturally be burning around 1,689 calories/day just existing. If you wanted to weight 150 lbs, you would need to eat around 1,472 calories/day, and slowly your body will take the weight off. In order to lose 1 lb, you need a deficit of 3,500 calories, so depending on how many calories you cut from your diet, and how many you burn from your daily caloric intake, you can take weight off relatively easily if you allow your weight loss to become more scientifically minded.
If that same woman were to cut her calories down to 1472 calories/day, and not exercise once, she would lose 2 lbs a month. However, if she started working out, and creating an even higher caloric deficit through daily activity, that weight loss could be sped up to 2 lbs/week. I want you all to remember, NEVER eat less than 1200 calories per day. It will SLOW your metabolism down. Now if you accidentally go under 1200 calories every once in a great while, nothing bad will happen, but your body starts going into starvation mode if it is deprived long enough, and that creates a slower metabolism, and a harder time losing weight. Just trust me, always stick to at LEAST 1200 cals/day. Even if your goal was to be 100 lbs and you were 5'2" you should be eating at least 1240 calories even that low (not usually recommended to go to 100 lbs, I'm just using it as an extreme example).
My point is, if you can figure out your ideal daily caloric goal, and stick to it, you will see results. The type of food you eat is also important. It's hard to stick to 1400 calories/day if you eat them all in oreo form. That's only 20 oreos. Sorry, but you'll be full for like 30 minutes. It's important you are getting the right nutrients to stay full between meals, and that you space your meals wisely. I suggest no longer than 4 hours apart, but ideally every 2-3 hours if you are eating 6 times/day. Protein, Fiber, and Water are your best friends. Make sure you get that protein and fiber because it will keep your blood sugar levels more stable and you feeling fuller and more satisfied longer... not to mention keeping all engines running smoothly. Making smart choices about your carbohydrate intake is also important. Whole grains, high vegetable counts, and portion control is important.
If you have a hard time keeping track of your calories, and you want a great way to do it, check out this website: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/. You don't have to pay for the membership, it's a free service, but the membership will help you design a plan that's best for your body type and your metabolic type. Everyone is different, and different ratios of carbs/proteins/fats benefit different types.
Hopefully this post can help you get organized. Another trick I have come up is using a meal planning calender. I write what I'm having for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the week ahead, calculate all of the calories in advance, make sure I stay within a range that's right for my metabolism, and grocery shop for everything the weekend before the new week starts. This not only saves me a lot of eating out money, but also helps my household run a lot more smoothly, and I no longer have to get really worried about if I'm eating too much/not enough. It really helps a lot.
If you have any questions, or would like me to set you up with a nutritionist who can help you further, please feel free to call me or send me an email.
~Caitlin
(512) 949-9580
caitlinharttraining@gmail.com
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