Lets talk weight loss. . . you may already know that 3,500 calories is equal to 1 pound of fat. So our assumption would be that if we deficit 500 calories a day for 7 days, we should lose a pound of fat, right? Wrong!
Yes, you need a CALORIC DEFICIT to lose weight, but our bodies don’t work like calculators! So many factors play into our efforts to lose weight, and we often forget that we are all just as different on the inside as we are on the outside. Unfortunately, most diets treat us like we’re all identical. We’re told if we eat “XYZ” and do specific workouts, we will get specific results and look like the celebrity who did the same diet. Hopefully by now, you’ve realized your body is not like anyone else! You are unique and you have specific factors that play a role in your fat loss efforts.
If we simply cut calories and exercise more, yes, we create a caloric deficit, but often times we begin to rely on willpower. Our hunger spikes due to the decrease in calories, our cravings increase due to over-exercising or food deprivation, and our energy often times plummets due to lack of energy from calories. When our hunger, energy and cravings get out of whack, basically our body is sending us biofeedback telling us what we’re doing isn’t working!
Relying solely on cutting calories and/or exercising more may produce some weight loss, but if hunger, energy and cravings aren’t balanced, these results will be short-lived. Not only will willpower run out, but you’ll eventually plateau and have to continue cutting calories because the metabolism will adapt to the decrease calorie consumption.
Hunger, energy and cravings give us a clue as to what’s going on with our hormones. While calories do matter, hormones matter too, and most diets don’t account for this. Most diets tell us to “power through” or to be more “hard core” to stay on track. Lets be honest. . . anything that causes increased hunger and cravings and low energy isn’t sustainable! So we have to focus on balancing hormones while at the same time creating a caloric deficit if we want long term results.
Here are 5 tips to help you keep hormones balanced while losing weight:
- Increase fibrous vegetables
- Consume Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
- Do activities to help you de-stress
- Get plenty of sleep
- Ditch long duration steady-state cardio! Instead focus on doing short SPRINT sessions for cardio! Get my FREE Guide to Effective Sprinting HERE!
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Great info!