We all have heard about weight loss, but are you wondering what is fat loss? It’s simple math. Weight loss, as perceived by people, is the reduction of the number on the weighing scale. Yes, it’s just the number and nothing else when my clients come to me and ask for how many kilos will they lose if they take up a 3 months program. On the contrary, fat loss is a complex phenomenon that includes the positive changes in one’s body composition. It takes a number of aspects into consideration, to name a few, fat percentage, muscle mass, metabolism, body age, etc.
How to Start Weight Loss Journey
Fat loss as I see it, is a comprehensive approach towards weight management and maintenance of the lost fat. It mainly focuses on burning the extra layered fat in your body and making way for muscle mass which results in body toning and a massive inch loss. This does reduce the number on the weight scale BUT gives a lot of added benefits like your shrunk appearance, no saggy skin, firm body parts especially tummy, lower back, thighs and arms. To talk about it in a clinical manner, it helps balancing the hormones, mainly insulin which becomes insensitive when total body fat is higher than required. It also increases the activity of glucose metabolism and keeps the blood glucose stable throughout the day.
Moreover, talking about metabolism takes you back to your childhood days. Your activity levels in your childhood makes and bakes your metabolism which remains nearly the same in your adulthood and starts to fall as and when you start ageing. So, to match up your adulthood energy and enthusiasm to your younger days, eating every 2 hours is necessary. This keeps your body’s mechanism running all day long and you tend to burn more calories even while resting. This adds an extra advantage to your fat loss.
Just a simple approach but so many positive stems linked to it, can you believe it?
Let’s now turn towards how to initiate this approach and take it further!
Reset your mind, body and soul. By this I mean forget all the googled information about dieting, forget your friend’s advice on the new Keto fads, start believing in yourself and ask yourself if you’re ready to start a new journey. A journey which does not have phases of abstaining, restrictions, starvations, but a friendly and practical relationship with food.
To achieve fat loss, you need to follow 3 principles – eat well, move more & rest. Eating every 2-3 hours is the key. It balances your glucose levels and gives spouts of energy in every hour of the day. Moving more means being active. I understand people complaining about their desk jobs but try taking a stroll every 45 mins, stretch a little, walk up to the pantry to refill your water bottles, and spare 40 minutes daily for an intense workout regime (could be anything from gym to simple brisk walks). Sedentary lifestyles are the criminals to central obesity and related non-communicable diseases so eat well till you’re satisfied but make it a point to be active all day. With all these activities going around all day, one should dedicate 7-8 hours of sound sleep for repair, healing and to wake up the next day to kick start a better routine than yesterday.
Keep a conscious track of the food you put in your tummy. Keep a food dairy and introspect yourself at the end of the day of what has gone wrong. This helps you to strengthen your will power in staying away from foods that affect our body.
Art of saying NO. Start saying no to unnecessary binges like eating because you’re bored, or when you’re emotionally unstable. Stop treating food according to your mood. You need not eat less or more if you’re upset or joyous. Start making a balanced food choice that enhances your mental stability to tackle every mood swing you encounter. Indulge in activities when you feel you’re about to binge. Listen to music, catch a movie, meet a friend, talk over the phone, go for a walk, take a dip in the pool, search for healthy recipes and make them, spend quality time with family and friends. These activities will divert your mind and keep you away from unwanted calories.
Ask yourself if you’re going on a diet for yourself or has your skinny husband/wife/friend has asked you to. I have observed this in a lot of my clients who come with a target to match their partners or they compare themselves with celebrities. An example from my clientele, a 42-year-old lady who lost a whooping 18 kilos in 6 months and got her PCOD reversed was unhappy and unsatisfied because she didn’t look like Karishma Kapoor, who she saw at a restaurant from her last vacation to Goa. This behaviour basically kills your motivation of staying fit. An understanding has to be made with yourself of accepting your own body and the flaws. You are unique in your own way and nobody can take that away. Embrace your beauty and work towards it to be a better you each day.
Lastly, do not keep a numeric target before you start your fat loss process. Start with an open mindset to improve your body inside you which includes all the advantages mentioned above and not only weight loss. Work on your weight, hair, skin, hormonal balance, peace of mind, positive energy, and peak activeness. To lose weight is a cake walk but to build health and to maintain it takes a wholesome effort and consistency.
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