HOW TO ACHIEVE WEIGHT LOSS IN 2010

I received an email newsletter from Mr Supplement today, and it contained some useful information on weight loss, so thought I'd reproduce it here (I've altered the text in blue).

HOW TO ACHIEVE WEIGHT LOSS IN 2010

Without doubt, the number one New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight. Whether you are looking to lose fat, or get a little leaner, you probably want to show more of the muscle you’ve worked so hard to build after they’ve become hidden by the holiday overindulgence. For many the problem is not a small recent increase in bodyweight, but the continued accumulation of body fat over an extended period. Now that you’ve made the decision to lose this weight, don’t let excuses creep in. Now is the time to act.

Define Your Goal: Instead of saying “I want to lose weight,” set a Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time-based (SMART) goal. An example would be “By December 31st, I will lose 10kgs.” Without a time constraint, you will not be accountable for your goal.

Write Down Your Goal Daily: Try doing it at the same time & place daily to develop the habit. This will continually reinforce & remind you of your goals plus help you act daily to see this through to completion. The fact that there is a deadline will mean that you have to work daily to achieve your goal.

Keep A Food & Training Diary: There’s no better way to track your progress with respect to your diet & training. This can be a simple record, there’s no need to complicate it. Just note the food, size of portion, and the calories plus record your training. This may discourage you from having the extra servings of desert or push your exercise to new records if it’s all documented. This is a proven method of helping people lose weight.

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and vegies not only give you nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, but they help fill you up more than many other foods. As a bonus, they are less dense with respect to energy, so they give you a good proportion of volume for the relatively lesser calories.

Consume More Protein & Less Starchy Carbs: Protein is a great macronutrient which has not only been shown to assist in repairing or building lean muscle in trained athletes but also has fantastic fat loss benefits. Staying away from starchy carbs like white rice, potatoes, pasta & breads particularly in the evening shall be most beneficial in reaching your goals.

Train Hard and Train Regularly: Map out your days and allocate time to exercise. This way you can’t let it get crowded out by other activities. Make regular training a priority lifestyle choice.

Lifting: Whether you are male or female, lift weights with a purpose to fatigue your muscles. This increases (or maintains) your "lean body mass" which will mean that you burn more energy & calories at rest. Ladies don't be afraid that weight training shall bulk you up. The goal & result for most of you here shall be to increase strength, tone up & reduce body fat levels.

Cardio: Include some steady state cardio into your programme. If you are pressed for time, break this up throughout the day. Interval training (i.e. higher intensity training mixed with lower intensity training) on a bike, treadmill, outdoors, on a rowing machine, etc are effective for fat loss and cardiovascular health. Use this technique with caution, however, especially if you have not exercised for a while or have a medical condition.

Supplementation: Fat loss supplements shall assist even a sedentary person, however best results are achieved when they are combined with training for enhanced fat loss. Options include a Fat Loss Protein Powder, Thermogenic Supplements, Acetyl l-Carnatine, Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Fat Metabolisers to help you achieve your fat loss goals.

To reiterate, once you’ve decided on your goal, write it down using a constrained approach such as “I will lose 10kgs by December 31.” This way, you will be accountable for your efforts to achieve this. Write down this every day to remind yourself of your goal. Keep a food journal to discourage unwelcome foods. Improve your consumption of fruit and vegies, as they offer relatively better satience compared to their more energy dense counterparts. Increase protein consumption whilst reducing starchy carbohydrates. Train regularly with weights and cardio and you’re almost there. Supplementation with fat loss supplements can help you achieve better results, faster. Keep re-evaluating your results and be consistent, before you know it you’ll be on your way to a leaner and a healthier body.