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The Three Things You Must Know for Weight Loss

By Regan Case

I have a personal training client who has been training with me for about six months, and lately I can't stop complimenting her on the amazing changes she's made to her body. Recently, she told me that her Bunco group had noticed the changes, too. They said, "Surely you must be on the latest fad diet to be seeing these results. Which one is it? Low carb? Low fat? The one Jessica Simpson is doing?" She responded that she had simply started strength training a few times a week with a personal trainer and eating sensibly. They couldn't accept that as her answer. How could it possibly be that simple?

While I wouldn't say it's easy, losing weight is simple. There are essentially three things you must do in order to succeed:
  1. Burn more calories than you consume each day. Start by calculating your basal metabolic rate, which is what your body needs to maintain basic functions like breathing and digesting. Add calories burned from daily activity like exercising. Add up daily calories consumed by using a website such as calorieking.com and subtract from the total burned. If the result is negative, it's time to make some changes! Add extra activity to your day, cut back on your eating, or both. Keep in mind that one pound is about 3500 calories. Aim for one to two pounds of weight loss weekly for optimal results.
  2. Make your body work for you, even when it's at rest. Muscle is a highly metabolic tissue--the more you have, the more calories you burn, even during sleep. Adding muscle leads to a toned, sleek-looking physique, increased bone density, and allows you to burn more fat for fuel! And we all enjoy indulging in life once in a while.
  3. Dedicate yourself to a change for LIFE. Once you've improved the quality of food you're eating and increased the amount of exercise you're getting, my hope is that you become "addicted"! It's been proven that exercise can improve your mental state, relieve stress, and give a sense of empowerment and confidence. Change the way you eat by eating several smaller meals throughout the day, making wise food choices, and balancing out lean proteins, healthy fats and good carbs. Drinking more water leads to hundreds of health benefits. Consistency is the key, and for most of us, these changes require a lifestyle change. Give it 21 days and see how YOU feel.

About the Author:

Regan Case is an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer with Studio One to One. For more information, visit Studio-OneToOne.com or call .