When I start working with any client the first thing we chat about is weight loss. Some of my clients have been on diets on and off for years, with the promise of losing 7 pounds plus in a week! When you decide you want to lose weight, of course, you want the quickest results possible, but sometimes that is not always the healthiest or sustainable option.
Extensive research has shown that we can in reality only lose 1-2 pounds of FAT per week, anything else we lose is made up of water and sometimes muscle tissue in extreme diets. In the first couple of weeks of a diet and exercise regime people might lose a bit more than that but I always set goals with my clients based on a steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week.
To lose 1-2 pounds a week you do need to reduce your calorie intake by around 3500 calories a week, this should be from a combination of exercise and healthy eating e.g. burn calories exercising and eat less calories each day. If you work on this basis for a few months you will see a slow and steady weight loss combined with a healthier heart and an increased fitness level. How many people do you know who have lost lots of weight on extreme diets and are now bigger than when they started?!
The scales are not always the best measurement to use, I encourage my clients to focus on alternatives to scales such as measuring their waist and trying on those jeans that have got too tight! Recently one of my ladies weight had not changed in the two weeks since her last weigh in but when I measured her she had lost another inch off her waist and a skirt that she could not get past her hips fits perfectly now!
I know that we all look for quick fixes but adopting a long term approach to healthy eating and exercise really pays off not just in how we look but how we feel! My clients all follow realistic healthy eating plans which allow them to eat out, treat themselves occasionally and enjoy holidays and weekends away. Working with me has given them an alternative to starving themselves!
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