Struggling to lose weight? Need that little tip to kickstart your results?
Well let me save you a lot of wasted time and effort experimenting to find what works and share 15 tips I’ve found to make all the difference in my results.
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1: Working In Foods You Love First
For me this is dessert.
Often the thing we love most is the least healthy for us so we cut it out first. But we need to do the opposite and actually PLAN IT IN FIRST to work everything else around it and create a lifestyle balance.
When we cut out the foods we love, we sabotage ourselves. Restricting them just leads to us wanting them more and ultimately binging on them and falling off our plan.
Work in the foods you love so you want to stay consistent with the healthy lifestyle you are building!
2: Quality Does, And Doesn’t, Matter
Obviously whole natural foods are best for our health.
But you can STILL overeat healthy foods.
If you’ve been frustrated not seeing weight loss results while thinking “My diet is healthy and clean,” realize that your portions could still be off.
And we also need to stop making ourselves feel guilty for enjoying some not so quality foods as we strike the balance right for us.
Follow the 80/20 rule, consuming whole, natural, nutrient dense foods 80% of the time while still enjoying the not as quality foods you love.
And remember, portions still really matter!
3: It’s Not Forever
Nothing works forever.
While we want to make true habit and lifestyle changes, we need to realize that our needs and goals will change with time and our diet and exercise routines will need to adjust and adapt as well.
You’re building a foundation with the changes you’re making but you can’t get so tied to something you aren’t willing to adjust with time.
Focus on truly LEARNING the fundamentals and basics so you understand how things work for you so you can adjust as you need when your lifestyle and goals change.
4: Keep It Simple, Butthead
It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the options out there. And it isn’t stupid to want to overcomplicate things.
But we do need to keep it SIMPLE if we want the best results. As the more details we add all at once, the more our attention gets divided and the harder we make it on ourselves to dial in the big picture plan, which matters most.
We’re being a butthead, and I mean that as a slight term of endearment, if we start worrying about details like meal timing and supplements and best foods for fat loss before we first simply get consistent with our workout routine while dialing in our overall macros and calories for the day.
So set a few big picture things to start with and get consistent with before you worry about anything else!
5: Stop Overcorrecting
We’re human.
There will be days that don’t go as planned, days we just aren’t motivated, days that we just “mess up.”
But instead of feeling guilty, instead of trying to do more the next day to make up for it, we just need to get right back to those habits.
We need to do what we can as soon as we can to just MOVE FORWARD.
It’s like if we get a flat tire, we don’t slash the other three! Nope. We fix the flat or call a tow truck so we can get moving forward as fast as possible. Don’t make the situation worse.
Don’t try to do more to correct it as that will also often backfire.
Just move forward.
6: Focus On Strength Training Over Cardio
Our workouts should be about more than just burning calories. So while we may burn more calories in a single cardio session over a strength session, this shouldn’t really be our focus.
Training is about becoming functional stronger and moving our best.
And if we want to really improve our weight loss efforts, we need to focus less on how many calories we burn in a single session and more on how we can increase our lean muscle mass to raise our metabolic rate and burn more calories even at rest.
So focus on strength training to actually see better results faster, especially as we get older. Since it becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle, we want to do everything we can to promote better muscle hypertrophy!
7: You Can’t Just Listen To Your Body
We wouldn’t be struggling to lose weight if we could just eat intuitively. Intuitive eating needs to be learned.
So if you’re trying to achieve body recomposition, you won’t be able to just listen to your body and eat according to its cues.
Our body don’t like change and they believe the state they’ve been in, the weight you’ve been at, is normal. So your body will resist any weight loss efforts.
You’ll feel hungry.
There will be mental struggles as you make changes to habits you’ve always done.
But change requires change.
8: There’s No Quick Fix
Plain and simple, change doesn’t happen overnight. And even expecting to reverse 10 years of weight gain in a single year, is truly overnight results.
The longer we’ve had the weight on, the longer we’ve been repeating habits that don’t work, the longer it will take to see changes.
And often the closer we get to our goal, the slower the progress will be especially if we are trying to see true fat loss and not just quickly lose weight on the scale through glycogen depletion and water weight being lost!
So get ready to focus on consistency over doing more to get results faster. We can’t out exercise or out diet time!
9: Recovery Is Key
Often we try to do more by training longer and harder and cutting out more from our diet.
But often the MORE we really need is more rest and recovery.
Those “easy” recovery sessions, when we relax and sleep and de-stress, that is when we are actually repairing and seeing the benefits of our hard training sessions and changes in macro ratios.
Without recovery time, you are just going to keep beating yourself down instead of ever allowing your results to build up!
So prioritize sleep. Plan in rest days. Do that rehab work! It may not “feel” beneficial but it is truly what makes your hard work add up!
10: Avoid Restriction
Often we cut out more in an attempt to get results faster. But all this does is make our habits unsustainable.
It’s what makes us feel like we just don’t have the discipline, self control or willpower to see the results we want.
When really we just aren’t being realistic. We aren’t basing things off of our needs and goals.
Don’t focus on cutting out. First focus on small swaps that feel like the smallest changes and realize there can be a balance.
Even start by doing the MINIMUM, knowing results will snowball.
11: Be Active
The more you do, the more you do. And when we stay active, we often want to do more things that keep us moving in a positive direction.
It’s much easier to get lazy and eat extra crap when you’re just lazing around.
So get moving.
Go out for walks. They’re a great way to burn more fat and get in more movement without stressing your body.
But get active and stay.
Especially the leaner you get and closer to your goal you get, as you’ve been in a deficit for longer, the more your body may actually move less to conserve energy.
Be conscious of this and make sure to make an effort to stay active throughout the day!
12: Macros Over Calories
Macros matter most for sustainable results. The ratio you use may impact the calories right for you and impact how full you feel.
And higher protein ratios can help prevent unwanted fat gain if you are in a surplus while helping aid in muscle mass retention during a deficit.
Actually high protein ratios are the only ones shown to even help you build muscle while in a deficit.
So let your macros then dictate how you dial in your calories. Don’t just focus on calories in vs. calories out!
13: You’re Not An All Or Nothing Person
Often we think if we can’t do everything at once, there is no point in doing anything.
This not only gives us an excuse not to start but it makes us feel like we’ve failed if one thing doesn’t go as planned.
But results don’t happen because of what we do when we are perfect. From doing more for a week.
They happen because we stick with the minimum consistently day after day.
Remember that small changes build. And that the more we can ingrain one habit, the easier it becomes to replicate even on days we don’t feel like it.
So focus on those small changes and set some minimums you know you can hit so results can snowball.
14: Stop Doing More
The simple fact of the matter is, you can’t out exercise or out diet time.
And often the more we try to rush results, the more we simple deplete our self control and willpower so we can’t stay consistent long term.
Many of us have repeated this restriction, binge, guilt cycle.
We do so much, burn ourselves out with the restriction, end up binging, feel guilty, fall off, then can’t get back on track for a bit and even dig ourselves more of a hole to crawl out of.
Focus on small sustainable changes. Realize results simply take time and get ready for the long haul celebrating those daily habits as wins themselves.
And I saved the best for last…
15: Tracking
I know people hate on tracking for being restrictive, tedious, boring, annoying, time consuming, frustrating.
But what we measure, we can manage.
Tracking gives you an accurate picture of what you’re doing both diet-wise and in your workouts so you can make accurate adjustments.
If you want to create the right portion sizes for you without having to cut out the foods you love, you need to track.
If you want to make sure you’re getting stronger and progressing in your workouts, you need to track.
So as unsexy and annoying as it is to start, it truly is the best way to avoid wasting time and know what is and isn’t working!
SUMMARY:
So if you’ve been struggling to see results, start with even just one of these tips as your focus and BUILD. Because the hardest part is getting started and the more you do, the more you’ll want to do.
We just often need to get that ball rolling!
Ready to create your own recipe for results?
Thank you for these! ❤️❤️👏🏻👏🏻🔥🔥
Glad they help!
I absolutely love the 15 tips you posted. I am 61. I have bedn extremely active all my life except for the past 3 years. Watching and listening to your knowledgeable information has twitched my brain on again. I would absolutely love to get in touch with uou yo learn more. Thank you for posting this valuable information.
I’m so glad the videos and posts have helped Linda! Here if you need anything!
Once again you’ve been very informative which is beyond useful. Thank you so much. You’re a ray of sunshine.
So glad it helps Cynthia! And thank you!
Great info! As far as strength training, how often? Should we rest between days? How many times a week do you recommend? How many days of cardio do you recommend? Please and thank you
I am on holidays, yet you have inspired me to make a small change while here. Easy to do, yet I can still have “ fun”.
Who knows, I may even take a couple more changes before we go home. Nice to get started. Thanks!
How you design your workouts may depend on your schedule, training experience and even just what you enjoy and how fast you find you personally recovery. If a client has 3 days, we design for that. And workouts don’t have to be just strength or cardio! So many options to create schedules and systems that work for us! Following a preset progression, if you’re unsure to start, can be key to make sure everything is mapped out! Here’s just one type of design I like – https://redefiningstrength.com/the-best-workout-you-arent-doing/
Love it Terri! Finding that balance to stay consistent while enjoying!
I always love your articles and videos – so informative and motivating
Thank you! so glad they help!
I love that you share good information in a concise manner. Thank you for all the work you do to advance fitness in others.
Thanks! So glad the posts and videos help!
I’m a 49 yrs old women
Very active 3 jobs ( 2 part times during the morning hours & 1full time night graveyard shift)
2 teens kids
Dealing with menopause & loosing muscle gained fat.
I need help
Hi Digna! Achieving body recomp and making changes when we are busy and tired can be hard. But small changes add up. Are you currently tracking your food? If not just having that accountability to start and a clear picture of what you’re doing, can help you make one small change that adds up. Here’s also more on menopause and weight loss – https://redefiningstrength.com/4-tips-for-avoiding-the-dreaded-menopausal-weight-gain?sl=blogcomment