A weight loss endeavor can be tricky with all the information out there.
Especially with the differing information contingent on your fitness level, gender,
lifestyle, and everything in between.
But there are a handful of fundamentals that, regardless of one’s background, should be
addressed.
In this video, we’re gonna look at THREE fundamental weight loss tips that EVERYONE
can, and should, apply to their weight loss goals.
Number One, Lift Weights AND Do Cardio Weight training and cardio are often prescribed
for different goals.
Cardio tends to be the one prescribed most for losing weight.
The truth is, a combination of BOTH might be the best answer.
One study in 2012 found that resistance and aerobic training combined was able to increase
fat loss more so than aerobic cardio alone.
The combination also resulted in a gain of lean mass, such as muscle, while cardio alone
resulted in a loss.
This is especially true for beginners.
Muscle’s higher metabolic cost also means more calories burned.
The significance of it, however, is still up for debate, but it’s still better than
holding more fat anyway.
If you do choose to do both, do them on separate days so they don’t affect the performance
of each other.
But if you have to do them within the same workout, then you should lift weights first
and then cardio as there is less carry over fatigue.
You can check out my video on the topic here if you want more details.
Number Two: choose a diet you can stick to.
Seems easy and logical enough.
But it’s much more difficult and confusing when you’re not sure where to start.
Intuition tends to lead us to follow the advice of others.
Especially those that already have the results you want.
However, what might work for them doesn’t mean it will work for you.
It really boils down to one factor: adherence.
A 2014 meta-analysis looked at 48 studies that followed numerous popular diets lasting
3 months or longer.
The first thing they found was that having ANY type of diet is better than none at all.
A structured approach should certainly beat out just winging it.
They also found that restrictive low-carb OR low-FAT diets were associated with the
greatest weight loss but not significant different to every other calorie-reduced diet as long
as the diets… were maintained.
That led to them conclude that their findings “support the practice of recommending any
diet” that the individual “will adhere to in order to lose weight.”
In practice, this means testing out different plans that suits your preferences.
That could be keto, high-carb, or even intermittent fasting or anything else.
Adherence and calorie reduction are the biggest factors.
Fortunately, if you follow the first tip of lifting weights and cardio, then you should
be burning a solid number of calories, thus, have some buffer room for a larger food calorie
intake.
And before we get to the third tip, a quick shout-out to my merch store.
If you’re enjoying these videos and wanna support and rock the PictureFit brand, come
take a look at all the cool apparel selections I have up on Teespring.
Also, for a limited time, use the link in the description to get 15% off your purchase!
And Number Three, to no surprise to my regular viewers…
GET YOUR PROTEIN!
Although the previous meta-analysis did not focus on protein intake, I wouldn’t be surprised
if protein was high or remained largely unchanged in the diets considering much of the focus
was on carbs and fats.
Regardless, the benefit of protein during weight loss has been well-documented.
Two benefits being protein’s increased effects of satiation, making you feel full quicker,
and satiety, making you feel full longer compared to the other two macronutrients carbs and
fat.
Such an effect will translate to fewer calories consumed per meal and longer periods before
eating again, two nuanced problems commonly haunting weight loss endeavors.
One study even found that increasing protein intake from 15% to 30% of total macronutrient
intake was able to spontaneously reduce calorie intake by 441 calories.
And then there’s also thermic effect.
In short, protein requires more energy for your digestive tract to process.
For every 100 calories of protein consumed, about 35 calories are used to process it.
Carbs and fats, conversely, take a meager 5 to 15 calories.
And of course, proteins direct connection to muscle growth and preservation.
A common misunderstanding is that when you lose weight, you’re only losing water and
fat.
In reality, you’re also losing muscle mass.
Having more protein not only attenuates this issue, it can also lead to an increase in
lean mass when paired with lifting weights.
Again, especially true for beginners that benefit from something known as newbie gains.
To me, it’s a no-brainer to eat more protein when trying to lose weight.
As far as how much, 1 gram of protein per pound is a good starting point but some studies
do show a benefit to more.
To get a better understanding on the matter, feel free to check out any of my protein videos.
(add warning for kidney problems) Or, frankly, check out any of my other videos
if you simply want more good ol fitness information.
Share some tips you might have that can benefit everyone in the comments below.
Again, feel free to check out my merch store to get some dope PictureFit apparel and, for
a limited time, use the first link in the description to get 15% off your order.
As always, THANK You for watching and… yes, GET YOUR PROTEIN!