Start Your Fat Loss Journey With Easy Wins
“Occams razor makes the cutting clean” a wise man once said (William Occam via Neil Fallon). "Other things being equal, simpler explanations are generally better than more complex ones".
Basically this states that the easiest and best solution is usually the simplest method, and usually the first thing you thought of.
This can be applied to fat reduction goals, as we tend to want to throw the kitchen sink at our approach to achieving fat loss, instead of going for the easy wins, and low hanging fruit options.
Of course any approach is personable and depending on what has worked and what has not in the past. Tweaks and changes can always be made, and some approaches can be adopted for the long term or discarded for other methods.
Here is what we should start with, the low cost, low tech, more manageable approaches:
Smaller portion sizes at meal times - simply put less food on your plate, eat when hungry, eat slowly and stop when feeling full. Using a smaller/childs plate will help to monitor this.
Cut down on alcohol - if you drink nightly then try and cut back a glass.
Snacking - Go for a smaller bar of chocolate when that craving hits in front of the tv.
Be more active - Up that step count by 100 from the previous day and so on.
Get one more portion of fruit/veg per day in.
Take stairs instead of escalators, walk to local shops instead of driving.
Resistance Train - twice a week for starters.
These simple steps are either trying to reduce your calorie intake, and eating when hungry and stopping when full, or trying to introduce a bit more daily movement. Not all of these approaches should be tried at once, pick two and then add a third when comfortable and so on. These are also low cost, and if anything money saving as looking to reduce consumption in a controlled manner and are low tech. Perhaps the only tech required could be a free app on your phone to monitor step count.
IF after a while results are not in line with realistic expectations, or have hit a plateau, then other factors could be more closely looked at. Lifestyle, stress, worklife, homelife, sleep and rest could all be factors. Also speaking to a qualified dietician or nutritionist to look more closely at micro and macro nutrients could aid you to further success.
But also remembering that if that weight took a long while to put on, then it will take a long while to get off again! These things can take time and a fair amount of tinkering. Slow, habit forming changes will always be your friend, and these changes will more often than not, be the first things you think of when considering what you need to do to initiate healthy lifestyle changes.
Need a helping hand with accomplishing your fat loss goals and need help finding a clear path to healthier living? Contact me and we can lay down some easy to follow foundations and get you started.
Ben Beale is a mobile Personal Trainer living In Paulton, who travels out to clients in the surrounding towns and villages, and cities of Bath and Bristol.
