What Is The Best Way To Lose Weight – The Secret Is As Simple As This

This is probably the most common goal for most people when working out and eating healthy. Losing weight is the most popular, and then I would say putting on muscle and getting toned is the second. There is no quick fix.  A question I get a lot is What Is The Best Way To Lose Weight?

The title of this article probably caught your attention, and you may be here for me to give you the biggest weight loss secret. I have learned so much over the years and tried many complicated diets and workout routines. The secret, in my opinion, is only four words.

The four words are, “Eat less, move more.”

I know you were probably hoping it was some secret pill or drink, but this is the secret to losing weight.

I will be explaining other factors that speed up weight loss and what you should be eating and shouldn’t. The secret is pretty simple, but you can also get very technical.

Many competitors in the fitness industry track every single calorie and how many of each is a Carbohydrate, Protein, or Fat calorie. You can also track all your calories burned and keep your heart rate in certain zones during your run.

Yes, the secret is simple to remember but not exactly simple to act on. The challenge of eating healthy and motivating yourself to start running and working out can be extremely tough.

Hopefully, if you continue reading on, I can explain some ways to help you lose weight in a fast and effective way.

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TRACKING CALORIES BURNED VS CONSUMED

Everything you do burns calories, including sleeping, but there are, of course, things that burn much more calories when your body is at complete rest, your Basal Metabolic rate (BMR).

If you want to find out how many calories you are burning doing absolutely nothing, there is a formula for men and women.

There is also a basic way to get your BMR, but it gives you a rough estimate. If you don’t feel like going through the more accurate formula below, the rough estimate is to multiply your body weight in pounds by 11.

• Women Multiply your weight in pounds by 4.35. Then measure your height in inches and multiply by 4.7. Now take your age and multiply by 4.7. The last step is to plug those numbers into this formula. BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years).
• Men, You would take the same steps as above but use the same formula with these different numbers. BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Mine actually comes out to 1,750 calories burned at rest after I plug my numbers into the formula.

This means that my body is burning those calories just from doing nothing to keep things running smoothly like my heart beating, temperature regulating, brain working, and other important things.

So Let’s think about taking your BMR number vs. how many calories you are consuming in a typical day. If you were to have, Let’s say, 4-6 meals a day and around 500 calories per meal which is very easy to do.

In my case, I’m already at 2000-3000 calories consumed during a typical day.

By the way, a Whopper at Burger King is 660 calories, and a White Hot Chocolate at Starbucks is 520 calories. Or how about that Rockstar energy drink with 280 calories?

These are just some examples of how quickly you can approach the total amount of calories your body burns at rest.

Any amount over that and you are doing absolutely no exercise or working out is where the weight gain comes into play.

When people tell me they can’t lose weight and sit down to calculate their daily calories, it’s usually shocking to them how much it adds up. The goal is to track your daily calories consumed and burn more than that number with the combination of working out and what your body burns naturally at rest.

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EXERCISES THAT BURN THE MOST CALORIES

Any exercise is better than not exercising or working out at all. However, certain exercises burn much more calories than others and help you lose weight faster. There are 3500 calories in a pound.

A calorie, by the way, is the energy in food.

This means you would need to burn 3500 calories exercising to lose 1 pound of fat. If you were to cut 500-1000 calories a day, you would be able to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

Add cardio and cutting calories to your day, and you can lose more! I keep it pretty simple, like everything I do, and stick to running as my only cardio-type workout.

Running burns the most calories on average. If you include High Intensity(HIIT), you can burn calories up to 24 hours after your workout. How many calories are burned can vary depending on workout intensity and weight?

• Running for an hour for someone weighing 150 pounds could burn around 800 calories. I know an hour is a long time to run, but if you are dedicated and determined to lose weight, you will build up to that time and reach your goal much quicker.
• Swimming is a great full-body workout that can build strength and endurance. I highly recommend this at first if you haven’t worked out or are just finishing an injury because it’s naturally low impact on your body. A nice smooth swim could burn around 450 calories for an hour, while a higher intensity breaststroke or freestyle could be around 750 calories.
• Jumping Rope for someone around 150 pounds would burn just about the same as running.  I personally could not stand in one place and jump rope for 1 hour.
• Biking can vary like running because some High-Intensity Spin classes vs. outside go for a bike ride on the road. On the low end, you could easily burn 500 calories biking for an hour.

 

HOW TO KEEP YOUR CALORIES LOW FOR HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS 

Small meals every 3 hours is something you should try. Once you eat breakfast within an hour of waking up, you should eat a healthy, well-balanced low-calorie meal every 3 hours after that.

Eating small balanced meals every 3 hours can also raise your body’s fat burning.

Not eating often can put your body in starvation mode and store fat and burn muscle. The 3-hour windows can keep your metabolism and burn fat all day long.

With these small meals, you will start to get hungry by the 3rd hour but not starving as if you went 6 or 7 hours without eating. So it may be a little tough, but if you spread your daily calories over six meals with not too much time, it’s tolerable and not too drastic.

Another option is to measure out all your food for the whole day.

I know this sounds time-consuming and complicated, but after a few times, it becomes easy.

Suppose your daily goal is to stay under 1800 calories, for example. You can measure out six 300-calorie meals for the day. This will keep your calories low, and in my opinion, this is the best way to lose healthy weight mixed with running for cardio.

Your first few days will be tough since your body isn’t used to the lower calories, but get past the first week, and things get much easier for your weight loss.

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EAT LOWER-CALORIE FOODS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL FULL TO LOSE WEIGHT

If you are worried about the drop in your daily calories, I recommend adding some foods that make you feel more full.

You can also eat some healthy options that have nearly zero calories. This really can be a big difference, and an example would be grapes vs. raisins.

One cup of grapes is 80 calories, and 1 cup of raisins is around 430 calories.

Grapes are much less calorie-dense than raisins, meaning you get the same portion size with much fewer calories. Three factors play a part in determining low or high density.

They are Fat, Fiber, and Water.

This is one of the reasons I always recommend lots of vegetables. Most vegetables are very high in volume but low in calories because they contain water which provides weight without calories.

Fiber is a great option because it takes longer to digest and is a higher-volume food.

Taking longer to digest is good because you will feel fuller longer. Fats are very high-density energy foods, but you must be careful because some small portions can be extremely high in calories. You would want to stick to small portions of nuts like almonds which I eat daily.

When it comes to Carbohydrates, you can still eat them, and there are some good options to make you feel fuller. Make sure you are staying away from bad carbs, or you will not see the weight loss results you want.

Whole grains are what you want to be looking for since they are higher in fiber. Some great examples would be Oatmeal, Brown Rice, and Whole Wheat Pasta.

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BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GAIN MUSCLE

When it comes to losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time, protein is key. To achieve this goal, you need to make sure your caloric deficit is small, be patient, and eat 25-plus grams of protein four times per day. Compound strength exercises should be performed at least three times per week.

There are a few things to remember when trying to accomplish this goal. First, it will likely take some time for you to see results. Be patient and stay focused on your long-term goal. Second, to lose weight and gain muscle simultaneously, you need to be in a caloric surplus. This means that you need to eat more than you burn each day.

However, you don’t want to eat so much that you gain all the weight back – and then some. Balance is key. Third, make sure you are eating enough protein. Protein is essential for building muscle and can help prevent muscle loss while dieting. Aim for 25-plus grams per meal. Fourth, perform compound strength exercises regularly. These exercises involve multiple muscle groups and are more effective than isolation exercises when building muscle mass.

If you can stick to these guidelines, you should be able to lose weight and gain muscle simultaneously. Just remember that it takes time and patience – Rome wasn’t built in a day!

SOME POPULAR WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS

When it comes to weight loss, there are a lot of myths out there. Here are three of the most common:

Weight loss Myth 1: All calories are equal.

This is simply not true. Calories from different types of foods affect your body in different ways. For example, calories from protein help build muscle, while calories from sugar make you gain weight.

Weight loss Myth 2: Carbs make you fat.

Again, this is not true. Carbs are an essential part of a healthy diet and provide your body with energy. It’s the type of carbs you eat that matters. Complex carbs like whole grains are better for you than processed carbs like white bread.

Weight loss Myth 3: Healthier foods are more expensive.

This may have been true in the past, but not anymore. There are now many healthy foods that are affordable and easy to find. For example, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain products.

FOODS TO STAY AWAY FROM IF YOU ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT

If you’re looking to drop a few pounds, you may want to steer clear of processed meat, sugar, refined carbs, and heavily processed foods. All of these foods can make it difficult for weight loss and also maintain your progress.

Processed meat is high in unhealthy fats and sodium, which can sabotage your weight loss goals. Sugar is also a major culprit when it comes to weight gain. It causes spikes in blood sugar levels, leading to cravings and overeating.

Refined carbs, such as white bread and pasta, are low in nutrients and fiber and can cause weight gain when eaten in excess. Processed foods are often loaded with unhealthy additives and chemicals that can make it difficult to stick to a healthy diet.

If your goal is weight loss, try to stick to whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible. These foods are packed with nutrients and fiber, which will help keep you full and satisfied.

It really is not that hard to eat healthy food after a little research.

IS A LOW CARB DIET THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT

Low-carb diets are great for weight loss! By reducing the number of carbs you eat, you will naturally consume fewer calories, which leads to weight loss. Yes, believe it, or not your body weight can decrease while eating carbs.

Low-carb diets are more effective than a low-fat diet for weight loss, and they are also easier to follow. Plus, low-carb diets are a great way to improve your health and reduce your risk of disease.

Low-carb diets are a great way to jump-start your metabolism and help you lose weight quickly. If you want to lose weight, consider starting a low-carb diet but always track your calorie intake. A low carbohydrate diet is great, but if you are taking in tons of calories, then you may not see the weight loss success you were hoping for.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS ON LOSING WEIGHT

In the beginning, I mentioned the four words saying, “Eat less, move more.”

After reading the complex formula for BMR and calories tracked vs. burned, that’s what it boils down to.

There are so many diet strategies out there but losing weight still comes down to the calories you take in vs. those you burn off. If your goal is to lose weight and not muscle gain, you should be focusing on cardio and diet five days a week.  At least if you want some serious results.

Weight training is great, but if your body fat percentage is too high, you will not see any muscle gains. This is why I would recommend just working on your diet/cardio and focusing all your effort at first on this.

If you are one of those people that say you can’t lose weight no matter what you try, then sit down and write out what your daily eating habits are.

Try researching how many calories these foods and drinks have, and you might be surprised.

This is why people have trouble with weight loss because they are not moving enough and eating less over a typical day.

Please comment below if you have any questions or need help with your weight loss goals.

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“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.”

–Mark Twain

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