1. Consume too much food - the main reason people are overweight is that they consume too much energy from food while not expending enough from moving.
2. Your hormones contribute to you being overweight – testosterone decreases and estrogen increases leading to increased storage of fat. This is a result of consuming energy dense foods and not moving your body.
3. Being overweight alters your genetic makeup for the worse. This changes the genetics in your sperm and eggs and as a result is passed down to your children putting them at more risk of becoming obese.
4. Fat loss vs. weight loss – Fat loss is specifically losing fat cells whereas weight loss is losing both fat mass and fat free mass which includes muscle and water.
5. Fat loss requires an energy deficit- there are various ways this can be done including counting calories.
6. Calorie counting is a good place to start but is not the be-all-end-all solution.
7. The perfect diet does not exist - the best diet for you is the one that sufficiently covers all your energy needs and provides you with a range of nutrients.
8. Your body is different to everyone else’s therefore you may digest nutrients differently to others. Tailor your diet around what foods you digest better.
9. Protein is your friend when it comes to weight loss - it is satiating keeping you fuller for longer.
10. Decrease sugar intake - foods high in sugar lead to an array of metabolic issues.
11. Establish a calorie baseline or basal metabolic rate.
12. Track your bodyweight daily - may include weighing yourself every day. Weight fluctuates throughout the day. We are heaviest at night and lightest in the morning as we have just woken up from a fasted state.
13. Do not try to lose fat as fast as possible - likely to lead to relapse and put weight back on.
14. Stubborn fat exists - you should not have unrealistic expectations of dropping body fat. Through very low carb diets and fasted cardio fat can be burned.
15. Do cardio – helps oxidize fat molecules. There are various ways to do this including HIIT or low intensity high duration cardio.
16. Exercise alone is not a strategy for fat loss - use this as a tool to improve your body composition such as added muscle mass and increased strength.
17. Set goals - Set fat loss goals but avoid strict timelines as this will likely result in a relapse and therefore putting the weight back on. Remember this is a lifestyle change.
18. Be prepared to fail - This will be a hard process with a few hiccups guaranteed along the way however, keep reminding yourself of why you started.
19. Educate yourself about nutrition - learn about the role of CHO, fats and protein.
20. Use apps - whether it's telling you to get off the couch or tracking your calories these are very useful.
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