How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way 1

Before i start this article I’m going to tell you a bit about myself, and how i got into the health and fitness industry. Growing up i was(as i liked to call it) a “big boned” child, sometimes being picked on for my weight by some of my best friends and my brothers. This upset me, and spurred me on to increase my activity levels, as i wanted to get rid of my belly, and put a stop to all the taunts. from this point on, i immersed myself into an active lifestyle, playing sports everyday, joining school teams, playing for clubs outside of school, and instead of playing computer in my spare time, i spent it down at the park. This active lifestyle and love of health and keeping fit has lead me to take the career path which i have followed, as a personal trainer and fitness instructor, allowing me to pass on my knowledge to other people, to help them achieve their goals and become healthy. I can relate to people and see where they are coming from when they face the uphill struggle of weight loss, so i take pleasure in motivating people to get self-motivated to lose weight and carry out the necessary steps to a healthy lifestyle and better quality of life.

The U.K is slowly creaping up behind America with levels of obesity levels. Obesity is now being termed as an epidemic. With more and more adults and children each year being classed as obese, the nations health is under threat.The main purpose of this article is to provide the necessary information needed to lose weight effectively and safely and to provide people with the motivation to achieve their goals.

I will start by putting rest some basic common misconceptions about weight loss:

Firstly, that a high protein and low-no ohydrate diet is an effective way to lose weight is a myth. People do lose weight quickly through this type of diet, however, it isn’t through burning fat. The breakdown of protein produces water as a bi-product which is excreted out of the body, so the main source of weight loss with this diet is through the loss of liquids.

Secondly, that to lose weight you have to slave away in the gym for hours on end in order to make sure that you burn those extra calories. However, spending any longer than 1 hour- 1 hour 30 minutes in the gym working out, will put your body in a state of catabolism, meaning instead of burning fat or carbohydrates, your body will start to breakdown protein in the form of your muscles. This is because after the time stated above, your body starts to produce cortisol, commonly known as the “stress hormone”, which counteracts insulin and promotes metabolism of protein.

Thirdly, that if women take part in weights exercises, they will get big muscles. This will not happen, as women have one 10th of the testosterone which men have, so will not gain big muscles from weight training, rather, they would tone up, increase strength and functionality, making everyday activities like carrying the shopping seem easier. This is accompanied by the added bonus of toning up your body, creating a more firm look, and your bodies resting metabolism will increase, so your body will burn more calories at rest.

Fourthly, that you can eat what you want as long as you go to the gym. This is not true, as for weight loss going to the gym is not enough. Nutrition is 80% of weight loss, so a combination of exercise and healthy eating is the optimal way to stay healthy and achieve the body shape which you long for. The recommended daily percentage of a well balanced diet should consist of 55% carbohydrates (the lower the G.I score, the better it is for you), 30% protein and 15% fat.