I know I know, you can’t find articles on this topic anywhere on the internet!
Lol, just stay with me though OK?
I do have to chuckle as I write this article for you, I mean seriously lady friend, how many weight loss articles have you read over the years?
If you’re anything like me, too many to count, all of them! If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ve noticed I don’t typically write about weight loss. But I’ve decided to to change that and give you more tips and HEALTHY strategies to release the weight that is keeping you from living life FULL ON.
Why am I writing more about weight loss you ask?
Because it was such a huge part of my own transformation, and it completely changed my life.
In my mid 20’s I was overweight and depressed. I hated my body, I was so uncomfortable in my own skin I could barely breathe, and at that time I didn’t feel like I could GET OUT of it. I was stuck in my story. If you want to read the full story and the juicy details click here – Full Story
Long story short, I took myself from a size 14 to a size 4.
It wasn’t a quick fix, it took a while but I saw results and progress throughout my journey, and along the way I adopted a healthy lifestyle that I haven’t veered from in over 15 years! Why am I telling you this?
Because I’ve been where you are, I know how it feels to be uncomfortable in your body. I know how it feels to think you can’t change your current reality….
BUT, YOU CAN.
And this article will give you 3 ways to get there, so let’s dive in!
1. Sleep – I’ve said this so many times over the past 10 years, and you’ll keep hearing it from me. Sleep is the MOST important thing you can do for your health and well-being. Plus, if you want to lose fat, it’s the first thing you’ll want to focus on. Aim for 8 hours+ per night. Get this in check FIRST.
2. Nutrition – This is the second MOST important step for fat loss. Calories do matter, FACT. So you’ll need to figure out how many calories you need in a day to reach your specific goal and then I suggest using MyFitnessPal to track your calories.
And hey, have fun with it alright?
Your STORY about tracking your calories will make or break your experience. I personally have been using MyFitnessPal for 3 months and I love it! I look at is as helping me reach my goals, not as something I have to do. You need to know how much you are eating to lose fat, do not skip this step.
Calculating your calorie needs just take a few minutes, and remember, it will give you an estimate. I like to use a few different online calculators to see if they all give me relatively the same numbers. To figure out your numbers, start with determining your BMR, which is Basal Metabolic Rate, this is the number of calories you need daily just to stay alive.
The next number you want to figure out is your TDEE, which is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the amount calories your body burns in a day through sleep, work, exercise, and even digesting food.
I’m making it simple for you, use this online calculator to figure it out now – TDEE Calculator
Let’s assume your TDEE is 1800 calories. If you want to lose fat, you would reduce your calorie intake. I would suggest reducing your calories to 1500 per day. Start there, and as always, see how your body feelings. You can tweak things as you go.
3. Exercise – This is the best part of my day, and has been for 15 years. And for you, exercise will take you everywhere you want to go in life, including fat loss. I usually walk 10,000 steps on most days, an hour walk in the sunshine (listening to my favourite podcast) gets me close to that many steps, and then the leisure walking I’m doing out and about or in my house helps me hit 10,000 steps. Walking is simple and effective!
If you already walk a lot, the next step would be strength training 2-3 times per week. Focus on full body workouts that last 30-45 minutes. Make sure whatever you’re doing FITS into your lifestyle, it will look different for everybody (which is why my coaching focuses on tailored programs for my lady boss clients).
If you follow these 3 steps, you’ll see BIG results.
Please let me know what questions you have in the comments below, I’m here to help you FEEL good in your body!
Live Inspired,
Sonja
