At first glance, it seems obvious that effective weight loss simply means being able to meet your target weight loss. But, what about when you reach your target. Is that when weight loss becomes effective? Surely the aim at this point is to maintain weight loss. The answer should be obvious but very few people look that far. Most people are so caught up with trying to meet their target weight loss that sustainability becomes secondary. Effective weight loss is when someone loses weight and is able to keep it of in the long term.

Permanent weight loss comes from losing fat while preserving or building muscle. Quick weight loss is often followed by fast weight gain any weight loss that results from water loss is not sustainable. The body will sooner or later make-up for the water loss. This will result in weight regain.

A diet that causes muscle loss can result by showing weight loss on the scales. But don’t get excited about this muscle loss results in a sluggish metabolism, which means you will regain the weight!

 There are no magic pills or potions effective weight loss can only be achieved through exercise and proper nutrition.  Starving yourself may cause you to lose weight but will not lead to permanent weight loss. Fat needs to be burnt.

 Long-term fat loss should be the most important factor to consider when trying to lose weight. Most people have experienced the lose weight gain weight scenario. What is the point of trying to lose weight only to gain it all back? Permanent fat loss only happens when you correct old habits that resulted in you gaining weight in the first place.

Tips to lose the fat once and for all.

Lose weight slowly after all if it took years to gain it your not going to get rid of it permanently in weeks!

Exercise: not only to lose fat but also to maintain muscle, muscle=metabolism.

Water: a hydrated body will always perform better.

Sleep: get plenty of rest and good sleep, eat well, train harder, and rest the body.

Hire a trainer, look for a trainer who can prove he/she can do what he/she say’s he/she can. See what I mean by going to www.exercisenutritioncoach.co.uk

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A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is to use total current body weight times times calorie requirements.

This is a easy way to estimate caloric needs, but it doesn’t take into account activity levels or body composition. Extremely active individuals may require a lot more calories than this formula indicates. The more lean body mass a person has, the higher the TDEE (maintenance level) will be. Because body fatness is not accounted for, this formula may greatly overestimate the caloric needs if someone is extremely overfat. For example, a lightly active 50 year old woman who weighs 235 pounds and has 34% body fat will not lose weight on 3000 calories per day (235 X 13 as per the “quick” formula for fat loss).

How to Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 

The first step in designing a personal nutrition plan for yourself is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day; your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is the total number of calories that your body uses in 24 hours, including all activities. TDEE is also known as your “maintenance level”. Knowing your maintenance level will give you a starting reference point from which to begin your diet. According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch, the average maintenance level for women is 2000-2100 calories per day and the average for men is 2700-2900 per day. These are only averages; caloric expenditure can vary widely and is much higher for athletes or extremely active individuals.

Equations based on BMR.

A much more accurate method for calculating TDEE is to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight, age and sex, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine TDEE. BMR is the total number of calories your body requires for normal bodily functions (excluding activity factors). Including keeping your heart beating, Breathing, digestion, maintaining body temperature and every other metabolic process in your body. BMR usually accounts for about two-thirds of total daily energy expenditure. BMR can vary dramatically from person to person depending on genetic factors. If you know someone who claims they can eat anything they want and never gain an ounce of fat, they have inherited a naturally high BMR.  Your BMR is at it’s lowest when you are sleeping as long as you did not eat really late before bed. The higher your lean body mass is, the higher your BMR will be. This is really important if you want to lose body fat because it means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, and needs lots of energy just to sustain it. One way to increase your BMR is to engage in weight training in order to increase or maintain lean body mass.

 The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight)

The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This means its more accurate than using bodyweight alone. However because it does not take into account lean body mass which means it will not be good for people who are extremely muscular because it will under estimate calorie needs and the extremely overfat  it will overestimate caloric needs.

Adjust your caloric intake according to your goal

Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your primary goal. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level or you can increase activity. To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level.

Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat.

If you are eating more calories than you use in a day, you will not lose fat, no matter what foods you eat. There are foods that can be stored as fat easily but remember eating more than you use will end in weight gain even if its healthy foods. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit. There are 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you create a 3500-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound. If you create a 7000 calories deficit in a week you will lose two pounds

How low is too low?

Cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so how much of a deficit do you need? A common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. It is recommended that women never eat under 1200 calories per day or 1800 per day for men, and even these calorie levels are extremely low. A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one’s bodyweight or TDEE. Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to start. The best way would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.

 Go Slow adjusting caloric intake.

Don’t be tempted to make dramatic cuts in calories. Calculate your own total daily energy expenditure and adjusting it according to your goal, if the amount is substantially higher or lower than your current intake, then you may need to adjust your calories gradually. This Means if your calorie intake should be 2500 but you only eat 1100 calories jumping to 2500 calories may cause you to gain weight because your metabolism has been sluggish due to the low calories you have been eating. The best approach would be to gradually increase your calories from 1100 to 2500 over a period of a few weeks to allow your metabolism to speed up and get used to the new changes.

Measure and adjust calories accordingly

Remember to monitor your progress closely to make sure that you are eating optimanly for your goals. You need to observe your bodyweight and body fat percentage to see how you are responding. If you don’t see the results you expect, then you can adjust your caloric intake and exercise levels accordingly. Remember reducing calories to lose fat to very low levels is detrimental to fat loss. In fact, the more calories you consume the better, as long as a deficit is created through proper nutrition and exercise. The best way is to reduce calories slightly and increase activity to increase your daily expenditure.

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Use the list below as a guide, it will help you when designing your shopping list.

Beverages

Bottled Water.
Green Tea
Carbohydrates (complex and simple)

Grains + Grain products
 Alfalfa
Barley
Brown Rice
Corn
Cream of Wheat
Gluten Free Bread
Gluten Free Rice
Oat Bran Cereal
Oats
Rolled Oats
Rye
Ryebread
Whole-grain Wheat Bread
Wild Rice

Legumes + Pulses
Beans (Black, Broad, Garbanzo, Green, Kidney, Haricot, Lima, Mung, Pinto, Runner, String)
Green Peas
Lentils
Peanuts

Miscellaneous
Cress
Kale

Veggies
 Asparagus

Aubergine
Artichoke Hearts
Avocado
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard greens
Cucumber
Fennel bulb
Garlic
Leeks
Lettuce. (Cos, Iceberg, Romaine)
Mushrooms, (Crimini, Shitake)
Mustard greens
Olives
Onions
Parsley
Red Potatoes
Rhubarb (stalks not leaves)
Sea vegetables
Spinach
Squash
Swede
Sweet Potatoes
Swiss chard
Turnip Greens
Condiments & Misc.

Balsamic Vinegar
Chili Paste
Chili Powder
Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc)
Fat Free Mayonnaise
beef or chicken broth
Mustard
Pam Cooking Spray
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Salsa
Steak Sauce
Maple Syrup

Eggs/Dairy

Egg Whites or Eggs
cheese
Cottage Cheese
Skimmed Milk
Plain Greek Yogurt
semi Skimmed milk

Fish

Bass
Catfish
Cod
Haddock
Halibut
Kippers, (smoked)
Mackeral
Pilchards, (drained)
Salmon
Sardines, (drained)
Snapper
Trout
Tuna (water packed)

Fruits

Apples
Bell peppers
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Grapefruit
Grapes
Gooseberry
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Limes
Melon
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Pink Grapefruit
Pink Guava
Plums
Pomegranate
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tomato, fresh
Watermelon

Healthy Fats
Coconut Oil
Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil
Fish Oil
Hemp Oil
Natural Style Peanut Butter
Nuts (Almonds, Brazils, Cashews, Chestnuts, Coconuts, Hazelnuts)
Extra virgin Olive Oil
Omega Fatty Acids

Meat And Poultry

Chicken Breast (Boneless, Skinless)
Extra Lean Ground Beef
Pork Loin
Top Round
Top Sirloin
Turkey Breast (Boneless, Skinless)

Natural Sweeteners

Molasses
Honey
Maple Syrup

Spices & Herbs

Basil
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Chili Pepper, Red, dried
Cinnamon, ground
Coriander seeds
Cumin seeds
Dill weed, dried
Ginger
Mustard seeds
Nutmeg
Oregano
Peppermint leaves, fresh
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme, ground
Turmeric, ground

Snacks

Beef Jerky (low sugar)
Healthy Choice Popcorn
Protein Bars (low sugar – 10 grams max)
Sugar Free Jelly

X-tras

Whey Protein Powder

Macronutrient Rich foods

Beans
Brown Rice
Lean Oily Fish
Low Fat Cheese
Protein enriched Pasta
Peanuts
Soybeans
Wild Rice

Click link Below to download a copy.

Barnstaple Personal trainer:LIST OF HEALTHY NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS

Records have been broken on 2 levels. The first Andy hold has smashed the previous record of 16lbs in 4 weeks by achieving 20lbs lost in 3 WEEKS! Right behind him David on 18lbs, Tara on 17lbs, Jackie on 17lbs and Stacey on 16lbs so we have 4 record breakers. But more amazing is there combined weight loss which is 141lbs in 3 weeks thats just over 10 stone!  Everyone of them are in double figures, and all on target to beat the previous record of 16lbs in 4 weeks.

They are a really hard working group proving that with proper advice the right exercise and understanding nutrition makes a massive difference. Our system is effective and designed to help people achieve great results.

weight loss challenge 2011

Barnstaple Personal Trainer:Caffeine Works Faster in Men Than in Women

Everywhere you turn there seems to be new Costa coffee or starbucks more and more of us consume caffeine every day in one form or another. Most people drink coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverages Sometimes as a  pick-me-up to increase alertness But what about for weight loss? Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system which improves wakefulness, alertness, and some types of athletic performance. Some can tolerate more caffeine than others this is dependent on tolerance, body size and gender.

A University study in Spain showed that caffeine has a greater, faster effect in men than women. The scientists measured the short-term (first 30 minutes) and long-term (rest of day) effects of caffeine ingestion in nearly 700 college students. Coffee increased alertness within 45 minutes, but the effects were greater in men than women. Decaffeinated coffee also increased alertness, although the effects were less than regular coffee. In most people, the effects of caffeine last for 2-3hours, but can last as long as 10-12 hours in pregnant women and in people with liver disease.