7 secrets to BOOST your Weight-loss Journey

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Tying to figure out how to lose weight is exhausting.

The fad diets, exercising excessively, and ultimately seeing no results.

I get it.

I’ve been overweight all my life. I lived through the bullying, binge-eating, body dysmorphia and all the other garbage that comes with losing weight.

I’m not a dietitian however, I have lost over 100lbs! If your story sounds anything like mine, here are few tips that have made a big difference in my weight loss journey, I hope they help you too!

Tip #1

Start Strength Training

THIS IS THE BEST THING I EVER DID!

When I started focusing on building muscle, that is when the weight really started melting off.

This is the after burn effect.

Think about it…

When you do cardio

• You are only burning fat/calories in the moment of working out.

When you build muscle

• You burn fat/calories DURING and AFTER your workout.

So, you’ll burn more calories while doing NOTHING!!

Not saying that cardio cannot be beneficial…

It is great for cardiovascular health, which is how well your blood runs through your heart and blood vessels.

But if you’re focusing on losing weight,

Do BOTH for the best weight loss results.

Try adding 15 min. of cardio at the end of every workout. Save most of your energy for strength training.

The science broken down

• As you lift weights, your muscles are broken down

• Throughout the day, your body rebuilds those muscles, making them bigger and stronger.

• This takes a lot of energy which raises your metabolic rate (calories burned at rest).

metabolic rate:

Your metabolic rate is the amount of calories you burn while simply existing. So even if you’re lying in bed all day- you’re burning calories.

The amount of time to repair your muscles after weight training is anywhere from 42-72 hours.

This means your body is still burning calories on Wednesday from a workout you did Monday!

So, what does this mean?

-You get to work out LESS with strength trainging.

Here is what I recommend:

Focus on a 4-Day Split

2 Upper Body Days…. ..2 Lower Body Days

Day 1- Lower Body – Quads

Day 2- Upper Body- Push

Day 3- Lower Body- Glutes

Day 4- Upper Body- Pull

Try having a look online for examples

• Look up *Upper Body Push Exercises *

Alter the exercises based on your ability level, setting (home, public gym), and equipment.

Really explore your options here, and pick exercises you’re comfortable doing!

Pick 5-7 exercises for each day and walk in with a plan!

Having a plan will help you get in and get out without wondering what you’re going to do which is essential for confidence in the gym.

Tip #2

STOP Cutting OUT FOOD!

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So, what I’m hearing is… you have a favorite food, you enjoy eating it, and you’re cutting it out??

Are you Insane?

You heard me, ENOUGH ALREADY!

Okay let’s be real, food is one of the most glorious things on this planet.

It is the staple centerpiece to any gathering… it’s impossible to get away from. So stop trying!

Food is not your enemy and it’s definitely not something you should be scared of.

Food is fuel and energy. You need it to survive. This is why losing weight is such a mental battle because you can’t cut it out.

You just have to learn HOW to eat.

My advice:

Let your food work FOR YOU… not against you.

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Tip #3

Calculate your Macros

Now, I’m not suggesting starting obsessively calorie counting.

Please don’t do that.

I don’t recommend calorie counting at all really, especially in the beginning.

But tracking your macros will give you a general idea of how many nutrients are in the food you eat.

Again, we are not trying to cut out food. Simply learn how and when to eat them for weight loss.

^{_{What is a Macro?}}

Macros (macronutrients) are the 3 categories that provide most of our energy. There are certain amounts of each that we should eat every day to help our body run properly.

*Carbs are broken down into glucose (sugar)

Carbs and sugar are the same thing.

So no need to track sugar.

This is not to say that a food item is either a protein, carb, or fat.

Eggs are listed as a protein but also have a significant amount of fat. It just has more protein.

^{_{Why is It Important?}}

These are the building blocks of what your body needs.

You can change the number of macros you eat based on what you want.

EX: build muscle, lose fat, or change body composition (lose fat while gaining muscle).

^{How to calculate Macros}

To calculate your Macros, I recommend a Macro calculator. I used this one from Healthy Eater↗

It says you can have 1878 calories a day.

Now, calories are important but they aren’t everything.

Hear that? Calories are not everything!

This is just to get you more aware of how many calories are in the foods you eat.

Do you want to eat 3,000 calories a day?

No.

But do you want to go to bed hungry?

Also no.

At the beginning of your weight-loss journey, focus on eating more whole foods and reaching your macros the best you can.

It’s best to start changing what you eat and not how much you should eat.

Changing up your diet is hard! Don’t set yourself up for failure.

It’s one battle at a time.

First-learn what to eat

Second-learn how much to eat.

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How to Track Your Macros

The results above say I can have

164g of Carbs

165g of protein

63g of fat

The easiest way to track these is using the MyFitnessPal app↗ Use the free version!

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Tip #4

Track your Food

Tracking your food is the BEST way to start your weight loss journey.

The goal – A full day of eating will fit within YOUR macros.

In the beginning, don’t focus on being exact. You’re learning, one step at a time.

Treat it as a game almost. Try to have what you eat fit within the macros you need, essentially you can eat WHATEVER YOU WANT!

Tip # 5

Get a Food Scale!

You might be thinking, how in the world am I going to track GRAMS??

Having a food scale makes everything SO MUCH EASIER!

Toss measuring spoons! A food scale lets you track every ingredient as you add them to the bowl!

I recommend this one from Amazon↗

Only $11!

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^{Tip #6}

^{STOP Taking advice from someone who has NEVER lost weight.}

This one is crucial.

You’re scrolling on Instagram or Tik-tok and all of a sudden, you see an insanely fit, gorgeous model trying to sell you on the secret to loosing weight.

It’s easy to get distracted by what you see on the screen, but have you ever stopped to wonder, “Have they ever had to lose weight”.

And I’m not talking about the occasional 10-20lbs.

I’m talking about 50lbs, 80lbs, 100lbs etc. Losing the weight of another human being type of weight loss.

Chances are… NO!

Weight loss is an INDUSTRY. One of the biggest in the world.

Do you want to lose weight easily and quickly?

So does everyone else.

And companies and even content- creators know that.

Do these ripped individuals know how to gain muscle? – Probably.

But helping someone gain muscle and helping someone lose weight they’ve carried for years while understanding their physical capabilities is another.

So, If you’ve been overweight your entire life LISTEN UP!!– there’s nothing wrong with you.

We all have something. Something that makes our life a little more difficult.

It may be acne, crooked teeth, or perhaps being overweight.

This is just how your body naturally holds onto fat. Your body might hold onto fat more than others. You have a slow metabolism, had a baby, or just gained weight! Shit happens.

The good news is, you can lose weight. You can change how your body naturally operates.

^{Remember this}

Your weight does not define you.

It is not the deciding factor of your worth or anything for anyone else to decide.

It is simply the amount of muscle, fat, bone, blood, and water you have in your body.

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Don’t let social media trick you into believing it is anything more.

Trust me, losing weight doesn’t have to be this big, emotional, earth-shattering event.

Weight loss can be really simple!

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Tip #7

Stay Consistent

Okay, I know you’ve heard this one and I know…. it was annoying when I heard it too.

But seriously, you can’t be perfect all the time.

Life happens. Parties, vacations, and even days when you’re just not feeling it.

However, the more often you workout, the less effect food will have on your body.

That pizza won’t destroy your weight loss. In fact, it probably won’t do much at all.

*Remember *

• Building muscle will raise your metabolic rate (calories burned at rest)

• Even if you didn’t lose weight, it doesn’t mean you gained weight either!

• At most you’ll gain water weight, which happens when your body retains water (bloated)

Bottom Line.

Enjoy your life, have fun, and just try to eat cleaner the next meal while you find what works for you!

Thanks for reading! Xx -Hallee