Not Losing Any Weight?

I recently had an email from a 35 year old woman who started jogging 45 minutes, 3 mornings a week for about 6 weeks but her weight has not dropped much. She mentioned that she generally watches what she eats most of the week but then tends to "reward" herself with a few drinks after work on Fridays and go out partying on Saturday nights.

To start losing weight you need to initially create a caloric deficit, which means that the number of calories you eat must be lower than the number of calories you burn each week. Once you have reached your ideal weight, you then need to maintain caloric balance. A big night out or a blow out in 1 or 2 meals during the week can easily undo any caloric deficit you may have achieved during that week. Similarly, increasing the amount of exercise you do does not mean you can eat or drink more.

Looking at the numbers, 3 glasses of wine or beer can take as long as 45 minutes of jogging to burn off. So if you go out on both Friday and Saturday nights and limit to just 6 drinks in total plus you have a few snacks with the drinks or have a kebab, then you can easily see how the 2 nights out can wipe out the hard work you put in during the three 45-minute runs. If you have more drinks or eat more fatty foods, then you could end up putting on weight, even though you have increased the amount of exercises.

There are 3 important factors in losing weight: creating a caloric deficit, portion control and compliance. So seriously think about how important your health and fitness goals are before you have a big blow out.

Food Diary

Research has shown that keeping a food diary can make a big difference if you're trying to lose those extra kilos. I know some people do not like writing down everything they eat and drink but a diary will make you realise how much food you eat each day and can also highlight how healthy your diet is (for example, are you eating your 5 serves of veggies & 2 serves of fruit?). If you don't like carrying around a diary with you all the time, then as an alternative you can take photos of what you eat or drink. I'm sure most of you have a mobile phone which has a camera on it as well. In fact it may be easier to look at the portion sizes of meals with photos than to describe it in a diary.

If you ever wonder what a personal trainer eats during a typical day, below is my photo food diary for one day last week.

Cheapest Way To Lose Weight

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on Tony Ferguson, Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers diets, there is a cheaper way to lose weight. Drinking half a litre of water before you eat may just do the trick.

Click here --> to view the video of Matt O'Neill (nutritionist).

Kayak Day

This month's kayak day will be on Sunday 26 September.

Click on the link below for more information.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149632345056424&ref=mf

Please let me know by Wednesday 22 September if you are coming along.  Hope to see you there.

Nothing contained in this newsletter is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.