Trainer Tip of the Week – Weight Loss

Working in the fitness industry, I have found that a lot of people have the same goal of to get or stay lean, and lose body fat.  Who doesn’t love that nice, lean, muscular physique right?  Let me preface by saying, you don’t want just any weight to come off (you want to keep and build lean muscle, and muscle is more dense than fat.  I discussed this in my earlier blog, and about how the scale might not be the best barometer for you to use).  If you’re goal is weight loss, the one key component you must have is reduction of calories.  Granted, there are some cases where people are not taking in enough calories.  Therefore, whatever little food that person does put in their body is sometimes being stored as fat, because their body is in starvation mode.  These cases are a little more rare however.  Most people are simply taking in too many calories.  It takes -3,500 calories to lose one pound.  If your goal is fat loss, I recommend shooting for anywhere between .5-1.5 pounds per week.  Any more than 2 pounds lost in a week span, and you’re in danger of digging into your lean muscle mass.  So, in order to lose .5-1.5 pounds in a week, you would need to reduce your daily caloric intake by 250-750.  My number one suggestion on how to accomplish this is to replace your low quality foods with higher quality foods.  We all know that making the choice to eat an apple is a better one than choosing the candy bar.  Selecting the grilled salmon while out to eat is a much better selection than the chicken fried steak with fries.  Consistently making the smarter choice food wise is not some fad diet, but a lifestyle, and will pay huge dividends in the long run.

Are you having trouble consistently eating healthy and exercising?  If so, I would love to help you!  You can reach me at 806-789-2529 or at brianvaligura@gmail.com