We all should know by now that the only way to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit. The best way to do this whilst maintaining fat-burning muscle is to exercise!

Rather than going through the motions on the cross trainer as your warm up, make an effort to burn 100 calories before you start your training plan. Here are some suggestions:

10 minutes on the stepper or continuous stair climbing
20 minutes recumbant/recline bike
13 minutes hill climb on a spin bike or gym bike
10 minutes road bike sprint
6 x 30 sec all-out sprint with 15 sec walk/rest in between
20 sec work:10 sec rest x 8 (tabata) burpees

Obviously these numbers are an educated guesstimate as to be more accurate I would need an individual's age, sex, weight, fitness levels etc.

I'm starting a resolution revolution
 
Its that time of year again where the weight-loss industry preys on your insecurities. Everywhere you look the phrase 'New Year, New You' is advertising the latest quick fix.  We set impossible New Years resolutions such as
 
'I'm totally giving up carbs',
'I'll go to the gym for an hour every day'.
'I'm going to lose 10kg by February'
 
So how about 'New Year, same you but with realistic intentions to improve'? (I realise its not nearly as catchy). Instead of saying you will go to the gym every day and then being disappointed (and massively sore) when you have to work late in week two, resolve to go twice a week. Avoid the temptation to go more, make it a totally achievable habit which you can keep.  If by mid February you are still keeping it up, add a third day if you feel like it or do something else that gives you some exercise like joining a five aside or going for a run.
 
Don't completely cut out carbs but you could go two days per week where you don't eat any bread, pasta, rice or white potatoes. Instead eat oats or eggs for breakfast, salad and protein for lunch and a stir-fry for dinner.
 
Rather than having a dry January and then going back to brunching every weekend from February through December, have one week off the booze per month. This is a much healthier way of curbing the binge drinking and if you're hardcore, do dry January as well!
 
Oh, and if giving up smoking is your resolution, get all the help you need - patches, gum, hypnosis - whatever helps! This is one bad habit that is really worth kicking. It doesn't look cool and it makes your breath smell and no one will want to kiss you :) 

We've all had a time in a PT session when we just need another 30 seconds or so to recover from whatever hellish exercise the trainer has dreamt up. Whether its re-tying your shoes for the fourteenth time or just checking your phone in case you missed a super urgent call, I've clocked up well over 18,000 hours in personal training, I've seen that trick (I've probably used it!)

Heres a few tried and tested methods of distraction:

1. Leaving your water in the furthest place in the gym and never bringing it with you - an added bonus of having your back to me so you can pull faces and roll your eyes. (Ensure you aren't facing a mirror first - rooky mistake!)
Time wasted - 20 seconds.

2. Pretending you've forgotton how to do a certain exercise (my turn to roll my eyes). Time wasted - 30 second with bonus seconds if you can pick holes in my technique.

3. Asking me how to spot reduce belly fat - guaranteed time whilst I lecture you on biology and how you CAN'T SPOT REDUCE!!!
Time wasted - at least 2 minutes.

4. The shoelaces! Seriously, if you cant tie them, get velcro or elastic self-tying ones.This will only buy you about 10 seconds, try this too often and I'll rip the damn shoes off your feet!
Time wasted - negligable.

5. Asking me if a juice fast will help you lose weight - this one could buy you a lot of time! Once I'm on my soap box on this subject, you'll be begging for burpees!
Time wasted - hours or days!

6. Making sure there isn't a single wrinkle on your towel before lying on it. (Seriously? Are you from the Princess and The Pea story?)
Time wasted - 10-30 seconds.

7. Asking 'Do we have to do burpees?'. Yes, suck it up.
No time bonus.

I've missed many out. feel free to share yours in the comments.

"If I use my 1700kcal per day and just eat doughnuts, will I still lose weight"

In the short term, yes. Will you be able to maintain that lost weight once your goal is reached? Probably not. Will you feel like crap? Definitely!

OK. Its a little extreme but a good example to use. If you are on a reduced calorie eating plan, you will lose weight. If that eating plan does not contain a significant amount of protein, healthy fats and vitamins and minerals, you will not be at optimal health leaving you susceptable to germs and bacteria, making you ill. Not to mention the amount of sugar would quadruple your chances of diabetes!

Also, weight loss does not always equate to fat loss. If you are not eating protein, you will not be maintaining your muscle mass. Muscles are responsible for keeping your metabolism high. Healthy fats and oils are what your body needs to keep your skin, hair and nails healthy, amongst other things. If you are only eating saturated fats, your arteries will become clogged, your skin will look dull and you will start to feel quite tired and unwell.

I'm not saying you can never eat a doughnut/piece of cake/ bag of chips/(insert your guilty pleasure here). But you need to make it part of your eating plan.

For example, you know you are going for a brunch, before you go, have a filling, low calorie breakfast such as oats and drink plenty of water. Fill up on salad and lean protein first at the brunch, then indulge in your favourite foods but moderation is key here. If the slices of cake are large. only take half. Alternate between calorific drinks and water (juice and soda contain a lot of calories just as alcoholic drinks do....)

​A 65kg sedentary woman requires 2000 calories per day to maintain that weight. As discussed in my last blog, creating a calorie deficit should cause this woman to lose weight.
 
So assuming she is currently eating 2000kcal per day and wants to reduce her weight (body fat), if she increased her exercise regime by doing 3 x 1 hour PT or classes and 2 x 15 minute HIIT per week and reduced her calorie intake by just 300kcal per day (65 x 2.2 x 12 - see the previous email) this lady would steadily lose weight.
 
Unfortunately, massively reducing the calories could have the opposite effect.  This is because you will eat less calories than your BMR (Base Metabolic Rate).  Your BMR is how many calories your body needs to function eg, breathe, digest food, repair and renew cells, pump blood around the body etc.  Any further movement and activity (walking to the bathroom, even typing at your desk) requires further (although not much) energy.  It must be remembered that all a calorie is, is a measurement of energy.
 
Reducing your caloric intake below your BMR causes your body to go into 'starvation mode'. Your body will begin to store fat and use protein for fuel.  Your muscles are made of proteins, they will begin to waste away.  This will lower your BMR further as it takes less energy to maintain fat than it does to maintain muscle mass.  Of course you would see weight-loss in the beginning but it would not be maintainable, or healthy.
 
I hope this clears up any misconceptions about very low calorie diets.  In my next blog I'll talk a little bit about how the quality of the calorie can also have an impact.


Have a great week!

Weight-loss is a very basic science. Calories expended must exceed calorie input.  I like the analogy of a car: if you fill the tank up, you must go further to empty it. Equally, if there is no fuel in the tank, you are not going to get very far!

So how many calories should you reduce/increase to see some sustainable fat loss? Not many.

Here is a really simple formula: multiply your weight in pounds by 11 if you are fairly inactive or 12 if you train for an hour daily and don't sit down the rest of the time - or if you are breastfeeding.

eg, 77kg x 2.2 (there are 2.2lbs in a kg) = 169.4lbs x 11 = 1863 kcal per day

Once you have done your own formula, if you find you are eating significantly less than this, you will need to increase your calories but I will explain why in a separate blog.
​
The above formula should enable you to steadily lose 1-2 lbs per week.
If you are not sure how many calories a certain food is I find www.nutritiondata.com or myfitnesspal very useful.