10 simple fat loss tips for everyone

10 Simple Weight Loss Tips For Everyone…
Thank you for downloading the ’10 Simple Weight Loss Tips’!
Just a quick note about myself…
My name is Nick Lower. I’m a personal trainer,
Precision Nutrition coach and the founder of
‘re:bourne fitness’. My passion for fitness and
nutrition coupled with the drive and
determination to help as many people as
possible has allowed me to run my own fitness
business for the past 6 years. I have been lucky
enough to work with many great clients over the
years from ‘at-home’ mums to busy execs and
film stars.
Each client has achieved their goals by sticking
to 3 principles…
• Simplicity
• Preparation
• Consistency
If you do the basics consistently you will be amazed at the results you can
achieve! Of course I use more advanced nutrition strategies like calorie counting,
macronutrient breakdowns and even genetics. However, just doing simple habits
daily will get you a long way. So, here are 10 simple tips for weight loss you can
implement today…
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“Motivation gets you started. HABIT keeps you going”
(Jim Rohn)
Tip #1
Use a habit-based approach
You may have tried to lose weight or improve your health and fitness before with
mixed results. It is usually because you get overwhelmed by too much
information or your trying to make too many changes all at once.
One of the most powerful coaching tools I use with clients is the ‘habit-based’
approach. Quite simply, focusing on less helps you achieve more.
Choose just ONE habit at a time, practice this habit and stick to it everyday for 2
weeks before moving on to the next.
Here’s some tips:
•
Begin with a habit (or goal) you can achieve. For example, eat breakfast each
day (if not each day, as many days as you can)
•
Be consistent
•
Measure your progress and adjust the goal if necessary
Research has shown that using the single habit approach can result in an 80%
compliance to that behaviour for one year or more. Compare that to 35% when
trying to change two things then only 5% for three or more!
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Tip #2
Simplify your meal planning
There is a very simple way to plan your meals before you move on to more
advanced methods like calorie counting and macronutrient breakdowns.
Counting calories can be inaccurate! You have to first figure out the amount of
calories your consuming and assume that this is correct. However, it has been
shown that figures can be up to 25% off due to incorrect labelling, food quality
and lab errors. Then you need to calculate your calorie expenditure which can
also be up to 25% off due to which ever app or measuring device your using or
each individual. Here’s a simple method that you can implement straight away…
•
Use your palm size for your protein portions
•
Use your fist size for your vegetable portions
•
Use your cupped hand for carb portions
•
Use your thumb for fat portions
Your palm size correlates nicely to your body size, muscle and bone structure.
Yes, there are people out there with large or small hand sizes compared to their
body. However, be flexible as this is based on eating about 3-4 times per day.
As with all types of nutrition planning this serves as a starting point. You should
adjust your portion sizes based on your hunger levels, how full you feel and
based on your goals. For example when trying to lose weight if you find that you
have stalled a little, try taking out a cupped-hand portion of carbs or a thumbsized portion of fats at certain meals.
Here is a handy graphic that you can print and keep!
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(graphics courtesy of Precision Nutrition)
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Tip #3
Keep hydrated
Drinking plenty of water each day will aid your fat loss and
help boost your metabolism. A good place to start is 8
glasses (about 2 ltrs) per day and add another 500 ml per
hour of exercise. This may seem like a lot but your body
will adjust. If you are properly hydrated you will feel less
hungry and therefore less likely to over-eat. Getting
enough water is also essential for good bodily function, transporting nutrients,
cleansing, cell function and keeping you feeling alert.
Tip #4
Get enough sleep
Getting good quality sleep is one of the biggest factors
when it comes to losing body fat and all-round good
health, yet it is one of the most overlooked areas.
Having a regular sleep cycle helps to balance hormones
that will affect your weight loss (and many other things).
Crappy sleep will play havoc with your hormones,
leading to increased fat retention, increasing ageing and
increased the chances of chronic illness. Your body and
mind will recover during sleep, keeping you lean, happy
and healthy! There are studies that suggest that people
who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night gain almost twice the amount of weight
over a 6 year period as people who get 7-8 hours sleep per night. Getting
excessive sleep doesn’t necessarily mean better as studies suggest those who
get 9 hours sleep per night have similar body comp outcomes to those who get 6
or less. Your general mood is also affected by sleep, so catch those Z’s and be
happy!
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So here’s a few tips on how to get a great nights sleep…
• Create a routine – go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal and try something
non-stimulating like light reading, meditation, stretching or taking a bath.
• Be consistent – this is obviously difficult with children etc. however the body
likes routine and keeping to the same times and routine as much as possible
will get the body to release calming hormones at bed time and stimulating
hormones to wake you up.
• Have the appropriate food and drinks – if you eat a lot of food just before you
try and sleep it can be more difficult to get and stay asleep. Try and eat a
regular size meal of protein, carbs and fats a good couple of hours before
bedtime. Also limit the amount of liquid consumed shortly before bedtime so
you do not have to wake regularly to use the toilet.
• Turn off electrical devices and screens – this means tv, computers, phones and
tablets, at least 30 minutes before bed. These devices with screens interfere
with the brains ability to produce melatonin. Melatonin helps with deep sleep
and could also aid metabolism.
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Tip #5
Focus on strength training (men AND women)
Strength training should be your main training protocol when looking to lose
body fat. This is true for BOTH men and women! I emphasise this point because
I have found that some ladies feel they may become too muscular or end up
‘bulky’. This simply isn’t true, unless your taking a shed load of supplements,
eating like a horse and training like a body builder! This doesn’t have to be
traditional dumb bell and bar workouts (although very affective). Try using kettle
bells, suspension trainers, resistance bands or body weight. Strength-based
metabolic or HIIT circuits are an effective and fun way of training, creating a great
calorie burn and adding variation to your workouts. Strength training will help
you maintain muscle mass and
function and whilst eating fewer
calories, help you achieve the leaner
appearance you are looking for.
Because muscle is metabolically
active tissue, the more lean muscle
you gain, the more efficiently your
body will burn calories! (where are
those dumb bells…)
It has been shown that strength training (due to the ‘after-burn effect’) can keep
your metabolic rate elevated for up to 48 hours, great for burning calories at rest.
A note on cardio…
•
Include interval training in your workouts
Long low-intensity cardio is not the best way of
burning fat, despite what the cardio machines
tell you at your gym! Interval training or ‘high
intensity interval training’ (HIIT), working for
shorter periods but at higher intensity also
creates the ‘after burn effect’. If you do your
resistance training first you can create this
‘metabolic after-burn’ for over 72hrs postworkout! Your body becomes a ‘fat burning machine’…
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Tip #6
Smart Snacking
Snacking will help to keep your blood sugar levels (or hormones) stable and
prevent ‘sugar-spiking’ throughout day. When your body’s store of sugar is full,
any excess may then be stored as fat.
Have some handy snacks easily available that are either prepared in advance or
bought by you. If you have healthy snacks prepared and ready to go, this will
stop you from going for the easy (and most of the time unhealthy) option. One
snack mid-morning and one late afternoon works well.
Tip #7
Use carbs effectively
Carbohydrates are an important part of your daily nutritional intake. You should
get most of your carbohydrate intake from unrefined whole grains, vegetables,
legumes and fruits. The more active you
are the more your body can tolerate
carbohydrate as it will be used as an
energy source. If you are eating too
many carbs then the excess will be
stored as fat or glycogen.
If you want to lose body fat, first control
overall food intake, then aim to consume
a majority of carb dense foods during and after exercise sessions (for about 3
hours after). Outside of the 3 hour window consume primarily protein and fat,
while consuming fewer carb dense foods (25% of less of meal made up of carb
dense foods).
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Tip #8
Get enough Fibre
Getting enough fibre is very important for all-round health, it helps to prevent
disease and promotes good digestion. If your diet is built around vegetables,
fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts then you are probably getting
enough. Your fibre should come from whole foods and not supplements (which
don’t contain all the goodness and hydration).
Here is a guide:
Women: 30 - 35 grams per day
Men: 40 - 45 grams per day
Tip #9
Learn ‘how’ to eat before ‘what’ to eat
For most people this seems a very basic principle and even a little patronising
but it’s not meant to be. You see I find that most people do not know ‘how’ to eat
mindfully and concentrate too much at first on ‘what’ their eating, how many
calories, fat content, sugar content etc. etc. So, here is one of the most affective
habits I get my clients to implement straight away:
•
Eat slowly and stop when 80% full
Give yourself time to check-in with your hunger levels. Relax, take your time and
enjoy your food. Not only does eating slowly aid the digestion process but it
gives your body time to realise that its full and you will feel more satisfied (not
stuffed!). If your eating quickly or meal times are stressful, your digestion will
suffer and your not giving your body a chance to signal to the brain that your full.
You should stop when you feel about 80% full. This takes some practice but you
will start to get to know your hunger and awareness cues.
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Tip #10
Preparation is key…
It doesn't matter what exercise or nutrition plan you follow if you haven’t
prepared then prepare to fail. You may have all the information you need to
improve your body and lose weight but, if you can't implement it then you wont
succeed!
One strategy I use with clients is called ‘Sunday Prep’. I get clients to put aside a
couple of hours on a Sunday (it doesn't have to be Sunday as long as you do it
consistently) to prepare for the coming week. Use this time to plan your meals
for the week, write a shopping list and prepare food. First, take a few minutes to
write out your 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners and 2-3 snacks for each day. It
doesn't have to be different for every meal, keep things simple! Now plan your
shopping list around what you will need for the week. Once you've got your
shopping home its prep-time! Make this work for you and prep the meals that
you find most challenging, for example lunches for work and snacks. Other
meals could wait until needed with just a few minutes prep time, like breakfast.
You could even do this food prep for a few days at a time, whatever suits your
lifestyle. You can cook meats, chop veggies, measure yoghurt portions etc. and
by having them all handy your prepared for what ever you day has in store!
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What should you do now?
I realise that some of the information contained in this eBook may be new to you
or challenge your thoughts about weight loss. If you have any questions about
anything covered please feel free to contact me (see contact details below).
You have 3 options:
1. You can continue your own weight loss and fitness journey and I wish you
luck.
2. Use this information and implement it alone.
The information found in this eBook if implemented properly and consistently will
get you great results. It would be great to hear from you and about your journey.
3. Take Action
You realise that in order to implement these and other strategies that you need
more support and accountability. I strongly recommend you seek the services of
a fitness and nutrition professional. Working with a professional will get you the
desired results you want in the most affective way. At ‘re:bourne fitness’ you can
choose 1-2-1 personal training and nutrition coaching or train on-line!
Contact:
re:bourne fitness
Unit M12
The Maltings Business Centre
Stanstead Abbotts,
Hertfordshire
SG12 8HG
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e: [email protected]
Disclaimer.
There certain risks when exercising or changing dietary intake. Before implementing any the
exercise, nutrition or lifestyle advice contained within this eBook you should first consult your
doctor. Neither I (Nick Lower) nor Bourne Health & Fitness Ltd. are responsible or liable for any
injuries sustained as a result of trying any of the exercises, nutrition or lifestyle advice presented
in this eBook. It is best practice to consult a fitness and nutrition professional.
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