Summertime is the best time of the year to embark on a weight loss regimen. During the summer months we require less food due to the heat as opposed to during the winter we need food for fuel to keep us warm. I see many clients confusing hunger with feeling cold during the colder months. My favorite client is one that is tracking calories, exercising and eating better and still not losing weight. I see clients from all the surrounding towns of Alamo, such as Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill and Concord.
When a new client calls me and says they are doing all the right things to lose weight and not making progress, a list of possible scenarios runs through my head.
You are eating back all the calories you burn.
When you work out, you are burning extra calories. That is why exercise is so important in the weight-loss equation. But a lot of people overestimate how much they burn—and even use the “I exercised today” excuse to later overeat and overdrink food and alcohol. How many times have you faced a food temptation and thought, “Well, I worked out today, so it’s OK this time.” Or, “I’ll have this now, but work out extra hard tomorrow. If that sounds all-too-familiar, this is one major reason why you’re not losing weight. We overestimate how many calories we actually burned and underestimate how many calories we’re actually eating. Trainers even tell me that they think weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.
You’re relying on exercise alone to do the trick.
Yes, exercising can help you lose weight because it helps you create that calorie deficit to lose weight. The real truth is exercise alone will not help you lose weight. Honestly, it takes a lot of time and effort to burn even a few calories. A full hour of intense exercise may only burn 400-500 calories for a lot of people. On the flipside, it’s easy to eat hundreds or thousands of calories in even a few minutes. But it would take hours of exercise to offset those calories. If you are not changing your diet and reducing your calorie intake, exercise alone probably won’t help your weight-loss results.
You are not eating as healthy as you think.
We all think we eat pretty well. Even people who eat a pretty bad diet don’t think it’s that bad. No one really wants to admit that their diet might be pretty unhealthy. We all think we’re probably doing better than others. The vast majority of people should improve their diets. Often I see that my exercise people skimp on eating during the day after exercise and eat heavier at night. It should be the other way around. After you exercise your metabolism is speeded up and the calories are burned off at 3 times the rate compared to many hours later. We tend to eat late night meals because of schedules which also can prevent weight loss.
Of course we enjoy our alcohol, but having these drinks are 100’s of calories. We pour ourselves a large glass of wine which can easily be 200 calories. I see clients are very aware of carbs and know they should be eating more fruits and veggies. I am seeing sophisticated clients eating too much cheese, nuts, olives and avocadoes which of course can be considered healthy fats. The answer is that they are just eating too much.
You are doing the wrong kinds of exercise.
If you are exercising regularly, you’re already doing a very important thing to improve your health. But when it comes to exercising there is confusion out there. One day you hear that strength training is the best way to lose weight. The next day you’re told to focus on cardio. To my clients that walk for excessive, I tell them they must step it up and do interval training that will shock the metabolism. The answer is: cardio is the key for weight loss and strength training to keep from turning soft and keeping your muscles looking toned and feeling strong.
You are not being consistent enough.
When you’re struggling to lose those final 5-10 pounds or trying to overcome a plateau, consistent efforts are more important. You try to eat “perfectly” and exercise “religiously” for a whole week, only to step on the scale that weekend to see that you haven’t lost an ounce? You think, “what is the point?” and go on an all-out eating feast and skip the gym for a couple days. This is when clients calls me and say its an emergency.
It is my job to teach you how to enjoy birthday cake, drinks, and socializing with friends. You need a plan that includes your favorite foods that is enjoyable and does not make you feel deprived.
My 8 week Royal Treatment Program is my most popular for successful weight loss. It includes a visit a week as well as coaching you by text, phone or email and a visit to the supermarket of your choice. Call me and I will tell you about the program and how it can work for you. I work with clients from all the surrounding towns of Alamo such as Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill and Concord.
I am glad to inform you that most insurance companies such as Aetna, ABMG, Health Net, Hill, Sutter Health cover nutritional counseling. Please feel free to call me at (925) 855-0150 about your nutritional concerns or email me at Lifeweight1@gmail.com
Refer to my website, wwwLindaRD.com for past articles in my blog section and nutrition tips.