Come on losing weight is simple…right?
Right, now I’ve got your attention, maybe I should qualify the statement above. In theory, losing weight is simple. Its just physics. Energy in (calorie intake) vs energy out (energy expenditure), as long as your burning more energy than you are consuming (calorie deficit), then you’re going to lose weight. But simple doesn’t mean easy and losing weight certainly isn’t easy.
If it were that easy, then firstly I would be out of a job but more importantly the UK would not be facing an epidemic that is born out of over consumption. Today is not the day to get into the nitty gritty of why as a nation we are over consuming, needless to say the topic is vast and complicated. However, there are things on a more micro level that hinder our decision making, and progress. For example, time for most people is at a premium, the food industry is not one based on nutrition but selling food, messaging from tv, radio or social media are not always factual or helpful. It can be a real challenge getting correct, concise guidance to help us navigate through it all.
What I would like to do is de-bunk a few of the myths around losing weight and getting fit and healthy, in hope that the process is a little easier for you. Let’s start with diets! It seems that there is always a new faddy diet that is being pedalled by someone out there on the TV, radio or social media. Whether the new fad is the Atkins diet, the 5-2 diet, intermittent fasting or the paleo diet. The one thing they all have in common is placing you in a calorie deficit (consuming less calories than you are burning). Its not my intention to tell you one way is better than the other – what works for one person may not work for another. Some people are not hungry in the morning therefore intermittent fasting may work for them, some people love rice, pasta and bread (that’s me!) so Atkins diet would not suit them. As long as we understand the basic mechanics of how to lose body fat (yes that’s right a Calorie Deficit!), we can pick and choose what works for us, and it may be a combination of all of the above.
Exercise! Exercise, I believe, should not be about trying to get a six pack, although if that’s want you want then power too you and best of luck, but more about making your body more able to do the things that it was made to do and, in many ways, even more importantly getting you feeling healthier! Now we obviously don’t need to hunt or gather anymore but we do need to carry shopping, we may need to a remove a tyre when we get a puncture or walk up a steep hill. The purpose of exercise in my opinion should be to enable us to not only be able to do these things but be able to do more of them and more often. The undeniable fact unfortunately is that the less we do, the less we are able to do. In fact from 30 onwards you lose 1% of muscle mass every year meaning that if we don’t exercise or train we won’t be able to remove a tyre from our car or carry the shopping in from the house or go on long walks with the family. Exercise is vital to give us the best chance of being able to function at a sustainable level deep into our old age. But this doesn’t mean that we have to spend hours in the gym grunting, lifting massive weights, you can achieve a huge amount at your home just using your body weight, just think Joe Wicks!
So, in order to lose weight, you don’t need a new faddy diet, just consistently be in a calorie deficit, exercise (weight training and cardio) are essential to continue leading healthy active lives but this doesn’t have to be extreme, a few 20 minute workouts a week in your living room can suffice. I hope this has helped and maybe piqued your interest on how it really is that simple to lose weight! (Simple but not easy!)
