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Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 17/5/23 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 17/5/23

Creative Ways To Increase Your Steps Each Day

Steps are very important for your fitness journey - and sorry but I don’t mean the 90s pop band with whom I have a great affination - and yes that is a “tragedy”.

Sorry for the awful joke.

I mean walking. Or rather, I almost view it as physical meditation.

Steps are one of the single most important pillars to pin any fitness journey to for anyone. Simply because in terms of exercise especially, they are so easily accessible to everyone.

Although having said that, I have certainly noticed how much harder it is to get my steps in regularly since moving to Australia compared to living in the UK. Its a lot easier to walk in the rain than it is in the sun!

This is me most days here in Queensland.

Steps are a golden tool to help you in your fitness journey - especially if it is weight loss orientated - and so I am going to take you through as many ways as I can think of to help you increase those steps each and every day to help you conquer your goals.

The idea for this Blog Post came from a BBC article [1] I saw titled:

“Walking can boost your fitness and Mental Health says PHA (Public Health Agency)”

The article highlighted that in Northern Ireland two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese and that the average step count in Northern Ireland was 3000-4000 steps a day.

It also goes on to say that walking is often overlooked as a form of effective exercise, despite its ability to build stamina, burn excess calories and improve heart health.

The section that stood out to me the most was the comment by the NHS that said:

“walking is often overlooked as a form of effective exercise”

And I know this to be true. The number of times I have had to convince a client on the Strong & Confident Program that their daily steps are more important than their workouts, especially if they are wanting to lose weight is far too great. This is because the fitness industry and society will make you think that a workout burns more calories than it actually does compared to the daily habit of hitting that step target.

One thing the BBC article does miss out on is actually helping you figure out how to increase your steps so that you can improve your overall health and fitness. Which is exactly why I wanted to sit down and write this for you.

Now I am sure you have a million and one questions all about this topic - but don’t worry - I will of course take you through it all in the rest of this article.

Table of Contents for Creative Ways To Increase Your Steps Each Day:

Why Should You Increase Your Steps?
How Many Steps A Day To Lose Weight?
Can Walking Help Your Mental Health?
How To Increase Your Step Count at Home
How To Increase Your Step Count at Work

Why Should You Increase Your Steps?

I wanted to start by answering this question because without showing you the value of your steps each day it is far less likely you are going to nail the target you have set for yourself.

Let us start with your metabolism and how it is broken down.

Metabolism basically means the “amount of calories you burn each day” and it is a very hard thing to “break”. If you think that your metabolism is broken, and you don’t have hypothyroidism or another diagnosed metabolic condition by a doctor, then I come with good news.

Your Metabolism isn’t broken. It is more than likely you just aren’t understanding what goes into it and therefore what you can get out of it.

Our metabolism is a pretty static thing throughout our whole lives, even when as a woman, you go through pregnancy and menopause. Your Metabolism just doesn’t change.

As a study called Daily Energy Expenditure Through the Human Life Course [2] found out.

It looked at a cohort of people over their lifetime and analysed their metabolism from 8 days old to 95 years old and it found between the ages of 20 and 60 metabolism was stable.

You can see the trends in the graphs above. It should also be noted, there are some outliers from the trend, and if this is your lived experience then that needs to be noted.

READ MY BLOG THAT OUTLINES EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR METABOLISM:

IS YOUR METABOLISM BROKEN?

Now that you know your Metabolism is pretty stable from the age of 20 years old, what goes into it and how can you get the most out of it.

The two sections I really want you to take note of in the above image are:

EAT and NEAT

EAT: This is your Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and it is simply how many calories you burn when doing a prescribed movement. HIIT, a Group Fitness Session, a Monthly Issue Workout, a jog, a bike ride - anything that is “fitness”.

And it is worth just 5% of your Metabolism or “the number of calories you burn each day”.

NEAT: This is all other movements you do in your day. Standing on the tube to go to work, doing your grocery shop, cleaning the house, brushing your teeth, fidgeting at your desk, and yes, your daily steps.

This is worth a whopping 15% of your Metabolism or “the number of calories you burn each day”.

And is also the biggest portion of your Metabolism that is directly under your control.

In a weight loss scenario, this is crucially important to know and is a huge reason one of my 5 Awesome Rules for Fat Loss Life is 10,000 steps a day.

Not that you NEED to do 10,000 steps a day - but more on that later.

Understanding your Metabolism in this way is also why I frame movement for all of my clients and have called my online coaching program the Strong & Confident Program. You won’t lose weight by doing some workouts in the Gym. Workouts are designed to get a human strong, not smaller, and your Metabolism would agree with me.

There are many other reasons you should increase your step count each day which will be sprinkled in the rest of this article.

How Many Steps A Day To Lose Weight?

No.

It really isn’t.

And here is the good news: you don’t have to do Ultra Marathons to lose weight.

Earlier in this article, I mentioned the dreaded: 10,000 steps a day.

There are studies that back this up, but with a kicker, seldom spoken about when setting step targets.

A study called: Pattern of Daily Steps is Associated with Weight Loss: Secondary Analysis from the Step-Up Randomized Trial [3] found the following from 363 participants in this 18-month study:

“Results support the recommendation of accumulating 10,000 steps·day, with approximately 3,500 of these steps per day being performed at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity in bouts of at least 10 minutes, to enhance weight loss in response to a behavioural weight loss intervention. While these results have implications that inform public health recommendations for physical activity.”

Key things to highlight here are:

Firstly the participants were in a Calorie Deficit.

The second is they completed 3,500 steps at a vigorous intensity.

Third is that it took 18 months for the participants to achieve a greater than 10% of body weight loss and only 263 of them managed to stick with it.

The origins of 10,000 steps a day are quite odd really, it was invented as a target by a Japanese company that wanted to sell their pedometers - and then the figure just stuck - and it was popularised by FitBit.

Essentially there is no magic number of steps a day to lose weight - and all weight loss efforts are futile if you aren’t in a Calorie Deficit.

But increasing your NEAT is always going to help you burn more calories and increase your weight loss efforts - all else being equal.

For some of you, this would be 10,000 steps a day.

For others, an increase in your step count could simply be increasing to 5,000 or 8,000.

What I tell all my clients who are working on a Fat Loss phase is, to work on creative ways to increase their steps over the day, and then still target a walk at vigorous intensity - and the best way to judge that is to challenge yourself to walk fast enough to struggle to hold a conversation, or if you are outside in a colder climate, to a point where you don’t need to wear a jacket.

Let me tell you about my client Jason who lives in Wisconsin and is on the Strong and Confident Program.

Jason is a truck driver. He gets up at 2am and drives from Wisconsin all the way to Ohio to deliver bricks and other materials for buildings, and then he drives back.

His ability to get steps in is really tough. We are constantly working on his diet to make sure he is in a Calorie Deficit when he is on the road, and we have had to come up with some really creative ways to help him regularly hit his step target. Things like walking around the truck when waiting to load and unload. Doing Truck laps when he is at a rest stop.

He has now lost 10kg in three months. His starting weight was 124kg, or as he is American, 272lbs. And in the last screenshot below you can see he hit 252lbs recently.

Here is a snapshot of the hard work he put into increasing his steps from his feedback forms over the last few months of his training. You can see his increased focus on steps week on week and the outcomes associated with them just from what he is feeding back to me.

It really is an awesome insight.

FOR MORE READING ON THIS TOPIC HEAD HERE:

IS 10,000 STEPS A DAY ENOUGH TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BE HEALTHY?

Can Walking Help Your Mental Health?

It certainly can.

I am of the belief that a walk cures most things.

We know, at this point, that exercise benefits your mood, as it helps reduce stress levels, it increases dopamine in your system, releases endorphins and gives you a sense of productivity.

Walking also fits into this narrative very easily.

There is one other key benefit of walking that you don’t get from being in a gym.

Nature.

Being in nature is a great stress reliever as well. Getting Vitamin D on your skin, looking at trees, fresh air and all the good stuff that outside giving you is worth its weight in gold when it comes to improving your mental health.

Another added benefit to your mental health from walking is the fact you will sleep better. This comes from having increased activity levels, but also from your body being able to tell the difference between night and day. The more sunlight your body gets, the more it will help regulate your circadian rhythm which is responsible for the timing of your internal body clock.

I say to all my clients that a walk cures everything.

Stressed…go for a walk.

Anxious…go for a walk.

Angry…go for a walk.

Depressed…go for a walk (if you can).

Feeling pent up…go for a walk.

Feel like you need to move…go for a walk.

Walking demands you create space and time between whatever it is that is stressing you out, and your response to that stress. It allows you to process things not only mentally but physically too. Going for a walk is simply a way for you to iron out anything snags you have in your life.

And I think thats pretty cool - and something worth valuing in one’s life.

How To Increase Your Step Count at Home

Over the years I have trained many, many people who have office jobs and busy family lives.

Simply telling them to go for a vigorous walk at lunch was not possible.

Or, a walk when the children were in bed at night time, in East London, considering I train mainly women, was not a good idea either.

So we had to get creative - and I also had to educate them on what steps actually meant.

Your Apple Watch doesn’t just pick up steps when you walk, it picks up any intentional movement that also picks up your heart rate just a touch.

This means you can clock up your steps whenever you are doing any sort of task - because remember the goal isn’t to increase actual steps the goal is to increase your NEAT activity,

You can therefore increase your steps at home by:

Cleaning the house
Tidying up after your kids
Mowing the lawn (I have a two-acre yard, its like walking a marathon every time)
Squatting when you brush your teeth
Climbing the stairs in the ad breaks when you are watching Love Island

This reminds me of a very funny post I once did:

When I was working in London I had a couple of clients who refused to train with me if it clashed with Love Island - hence I decided to make them workout whilst they watched it.

As you can tell…I am not a Love Island fan…

Making your bed
Dancing in your living room
Having sex (hopefully lots of it)
Decorating
Doing some building work
Sawing some wood
Chopping some wood
Work upstairs so each time you need to eat you climb the staircase
Gardening
Chase your children
Play with your pets
Do calf raises whilst the kettle boils

Basically, anything goes in your house so long as it increases your activity level.

And yes, it may feel superfluous. It might feel a little weird, and a little forced. But the more you do it, the more normal it will feel, and the more you do it, the more likely you are to see the fruits of your labour, which will likely make you more and more motivated to continue.

And remember, if my fiancee was able to get 10,000 steps in a day when she was in a hotel room isolating as she returned to Australia during the covid-19 pandemic then I am sure there are many ways in which you can explore your entire home to increase your step count.

How To Increase Your Step Count at Work

You could set off a fake fire alarm…

But I don’t personally recommend it as you might get into trouble with the authorities.

This is quite a hard topic to approach because every job has different demands, and a nurse for example, probably won’t need to read this section. However, a lawyer or an administrator might need to. A truck driver has far less opportunity to increase their steps at work compared to a teacher.

What I will do is approach this section from the point of view of a generic “office worker” and hopefully some of it might give you some ideas to then adapt and take into your own professional life.

And remember, its not just about steps on your watch…its’s about increasing NEAT activity.

Park your car further away from the office
Stand on Public Transport during your commute
Offer to the morning coffee run
Make all the tea and coffee in the office all day for your co-workers
Drink lots of water so you have to make more journeys to the toilet (I recommend 2-3 litres a day)
Eat lots of fibrous food and remember Elmo…

Fidget at your desk
Walk on your lunch break
Have walking meetings
Always stand up when you are on the phone
Take the stairs, not the lift
Collect your own printouts
Hand out the days post
Greet your colleagues by saying hello each morning around the office
Go for a walk as opposed to grabbing a snack
Get a walking pad in your office
Get a standing desk
Get a foot cycling thingy like this:

As you can see, there are lots of opportunities in and around your office to help increase your steps at work. One thing I know very well from having worked in corporate and many different office setups, from being a City Banker to working in world-class stadiums, is that the first barrier to some of these changes is your co-worker’s judgement on what you are doing, and the second thing is really what is most important.

Focussed activity equals more productivity. I fully appreciate that the argument to your boss to allow you to work out during your work hours will likely fall on deaf ears - more fool your boss when you look at the science involved with this.

There was a study [3] in Denmark 15 randomized trials took place in the workplace. It totalled 3500 employees across 10-52 weeks and gave the employee one hour of training a week. The training - matched something known as Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (which is a fancy term for a personalised training session with a Personal Trainer) as well as meeting other physical activity guidelines.

Its conclusions are rather epic. So epic in fact, I decided to give you the whole conclusion verbatim:

“Physical exercise training at work as IPET benefits the worker in terms of decreasing health risk indicators, improving physical capacity and functions as well as perceived health. Also, the employer may benefit from allowing the employees work time for such training through decreased sickness absenteeism and presenteeism in terms of improved or maintained productivity and workability. Finally, on the societal level exercise can be “more than medicine” since exercise in a specific manner can maintain the individual's ordinary daily physical functions and ability to move (walk, run). This is becoming more and more important among the ageing workers and in a public health perspective.”

Now because despite the evidence on display, your boss isn’t going to give you a free pass to head to the gym for an hour a week, it still shows that physical exercise, any physical exercise, even to the level of walking more, will make you more productive. It will decrease your sickness, it will improve your mood and it will give you more energy to focus on your tasks at hand.

So despite what your co-workers might think, despite how odd it feels pedalling under your desk, it will all feel better when you have far less stress relating to your job, when you feel more socially included with your co-workers and when you are being more productive.

So if going for a walk at lunch takes you some way towards that…then it can’t be a bad thing, and you are also increasing your steps whilst at work.

What a win-win.

A Final Word…

I truly hope you found this article helpful. I have spent the best part of the last decade of my life helping people reframe and reimagine what fitness means to them and how they view their relationship with fitness.

Whether that is their relationship with food, exercise or themselves, I have helped 1000s of people focus on getting stronger in their mind, body and soul to help them have more increased confidence and self-esteem.

I do this in a variety of ways:

My Blog - www.thegymstarter.com/blog
My Training Program - The Strong and Confident Program
My Books - 27 Ways To Faster Fat Loss

As well as the usual social media channels.

If you would like to find out more about getting stronger then please drop me an email by using the form below:

Have a great day,

Thanks for reading

Coach Adam,

References:

Connolly, M.-L. (2023) Walking more can boost fitness and Mental Health, says Pha, BBC News. BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65163071 (Accessed: April 10, 2023).
Daily Energy Expenditure Through the Human Life Course | Science (no date). Available at: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe5017 (Accessed: April 10, 2023).
Author links open overlay panelGisela Sjøgaard and AbstractBackgroundPhysical activity (PA) includes muscle activity during exercise (2016) Exercise is more than medicine: The working age population’s well-being and productivity, Journal of Sport and Health Science. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254616300096 (Accessed: 17 May 2023).

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 14/1/23 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 14/1/23

Easily Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

how to know you are in a calorie deficit without counting calories

In this very website, I have plenty of articles on both sides of the counting calorie conundrum.

(if you want to read those they are at the end of this Blog for your further reading pleasure).

Personally, I am not in favour of counting calories, nor am I against it.

The decision to choose to count calories or not simply comes down to the behaviour patterns and previous dieting history of the person who is trying to figure out whether or not is a good idea to count calories or not.

The list of people who shouldn't be counting calories is:

Anyone who has an eating disorder
Anyone who is a perfectionist
Anyone who suffers with food guilt
Anyone who refuses to eat because it will take them “above their calorie limit”
Anyone who has a history of yo-yo dieting and diet clubs.

If you are in one of those cohorts of people and you are still actively trying to lose weight, then you are in the right place.

If you are not in one of those cohorts of people, but still want to learn more about losing weight…then you are in the right place as well.

Basically…if you are trying to find out more about losing weight…

As always, thank you for being here, and I can’t wait to help you figure this crazy journey out.

Before we progress, you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. This means consuming fewer calories than your metabolism is burning each day, and that can be achieved both through counting calories and without counting calories.

If you need more information on Calorie Deficits then head here.

Table of contents for Easily Lose Weight Without Counting Calories:

Is Calorie Counting the best way to lose weight?
How to be in a Calorie Deficit without counting calories
Signs that you are in a Calorie Deficit
Really Simple Solutions

Is Calorie Counting the Best way to lose weight?

Calorie counting does work.

This study (1) took a cohort of people and found that there was a correlation between consistent trackers and weight loss outcomes:

“Only consistent trackers had significant weight loss (-9.99 pounds), following a linear relationship with consistent loss throughout the year. In addition, the weight loss trend for the rare and inconsistent trackers followed a nonlinear path, with the holidays slowing weight loss and the onset of summer increasing weight loss. These results show the importance of frequent dietary tracking for consistent long-term weight loss success”

But as I mentioned in my introduction if you match any of the cohorts I spoke about, then these results will not be accessible to you.

The other thing I would say is this: calorie counting is the quickest way to know if you are in a calorie deficit. You simply get immediate feedback on what you are eating and provided you have done your calorie calculations correctly, you will know whether or not you are indeed taking the steps to lose weight each day.

If you want to do your calorie calculations then get my calorie calculator sent to your inbox right now.

If you aren’t able to, or just don’t want to count calories, then I will lay out for you exactly how to lose weight within that.

But you will have to meet me half way with regards to the process.

You will need patience.

The only way to know if you are losing weight, for sure, without counting calories, is through consistent work on the process I will outline below, and then comparing month to month at markers that will indicate weight loss - a topic we will get onto later in this blog post.

How to be in a Calorie Deficit without Counting Calories

Over my decade in the fitness industry, I have made many many mistakes. One of those mistakes was asking clients who were contra-indicated to count calories.

In fact, now I am older and wiser, I would argue the vast majority of the people I work with, mainly people just like you, who really want to lose weight, but might also have a very fragile relationship with food, with the scale, with their body image and are low on self-esteem, do not need to count calories.

I am now far less likely to ask a client to count calories when working on their weight loss - and the results I get are just as effective. If not more so, because my clients aren’t reliant on the control that calorie counting gives them, and don’t have to learn to regress.

We go slower to start with, building strong proper foundations, so that they are empowered to be able to stay at a weight that suits them for their whole lives.

In fact, I would also argue, that most people who count calories, lose weight, and then stop counting calories are far more likely to regain their weight, then have to go back to calorie counting to lose it again…and they repeat this process all of their lives.

Also please remember body weight will always fluctuate. It is not a static thing, and in each different phase and aspect of your life different body weights will emerge - and that is ok.

Losing weight without counting calories is possible, but it requires a combination of diet and lifestyle changes to help us make sure that we are getting you into a calorie deficit.

Here are a few tips to help you get started, backed by scientific research.

Let’s start with your dietary changes:

PORTION CONTROL

Portion control is your best friend when it comes to organising your diet into a calorie deficit.

Don't feel like you have to finish everything on your plate: It's okay to leave a little bit of food behind, and it can actually be a good thing to listen to your body's hunger and fullness cues. When your mum told you that you must finish your plate, little did she know that when you grow up, this could have a major impact on your relationship with food? It’s not your mum’s fault, but you must understand that you don’t have to finish your plate as an adult.
Focus on the quality of your food, not just the quantity: Rather than trying to eat less of everything, try to fill your plate with a variety of nutritious foods. Start with Protein, and build your plate around that. One of my Five Awesome Rules for Fat Loss Life is to Protein and Veggies at every meal. This will increase fibre and nutrients which will make you feel fuller for longer whilst losing weight.
Be mindful of your snacking: Snacking can add a lot of extra calories to your diet, so it's important to be mindful of what and how much you're eating between meals. The cliche is true, fruits and vegetables are your best friends when it comes to snacking. Try to limit your snacks to two a day between your meals.
Don't be afraid to ask for a to-go box: If you're eating out and the portions are larger than you're used to, don't be afraid to ask for a to-go box and take the rest home for another meal. This is a massive thing in Australia which I had to get used to. In England, you either finish your plate or leave food on there, you hardly ever get a “doggy bag”. But here its quite common practice - and it’s such a good thing to do. It saves on food wastage, it saves you from overeating, and it means you have leftovers for the next day so you are automatically meal prepped.
Don't deprive yourself: It's important to enjoy your food and not feel like you're constantly depriving yourself. If you really want that second serving or dessert, go for it, but try to be mindful of how much you're eating. Remember balance always.
Find what works for you: Everyone is different, so it's important to find what works best for you and your body. Don't be afraid to experiment with different portion sizes and see how you feel.

2. STRUCTURED EATING

The role of structured eating in your diet has astounding benefits from improving your relationship with food as well as helping you get into a calorie deficit.

However, for the purposes of this article, its use is to regulate and stimulate your hunger hormones (2).

By making sure you regulate these hormones (grehlin and leptin) you will be able to avoid the classic “hangry” feeling and therefore not end up eating everything in sight when you get the opportunity to.

By eating in a structured way, your body will no longer guess when it will and will not be fed, and therefore having a much more regular diet will decrease your overall calories not just during the day, but also over the weeks as well.

This study (3) also concluded:

“While no one eating occasion contributes more than any other to excess adiposity, eating more often than three times a day may play a role in overweight and obesity in both younger and older persons”

The structure you need to stick to is:

Breakfast.
Lunch.
Dinner.
Two snacks.
Each meal must fit on one plate.
You should also eat uninterrupted and participate as much as possible in the making and creating of the food.

The other thing to remember with structured eating is that it requires mindful eating as well. This will help you pay attention to your body's hunger and fullness cues, and eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are satisfied. Avoid distractions like TV or phone while eating, as these can cause you to eat more than you need (4). Mindful eating has been shown to be effective for weight loss and the prevention of weight gain (5).

3. WATER INTAKE

Another one of my five awesome rules for fat loss life is the promotion of trying to drink 3 litres of water a day. This can be a shock to the system, to begin with, but build up slowly and you will be on also remember it is a purposefully high target, because if you fall short you are still covered.

Drinking enough water can help you feel full and satisfied, thus helping your hunger cues be quelled, and helping to keep you in a calorie deficit. I always suggest to clients on the Strong and Confident Program to work towards trying to drink 3 litres a day.

A study of 50 adults found that those who drank 375ml or 500 ml of water before a meal lost significantly more weight than those who did not (6).

Now let’s look at some physical changes you might need to make:

SLEEP

The more I write about fitness, the more I am realising that sleep features in every aspect of your fitness journey. Not just for weight loss, but for performance as well.

You have to get enough sleep. However, I am not ignorant of the fact that if you have a young family that simply will not be possible. I appreciate that, and if that is you, then be aware of the impact of sleep, but don’t get stressed about the fact you can’t access enough sleep; just be aware that when things settle down, you should think about addressing this part of your life.

If you are reading this, and you don’t have a young family or a medical reason that you can’t get enough sleep, and you aren’t getting enough sleep then you need to get enough sleep.

Adequate sleep is essential for weight loss and overall health. In fact, it is that important, I would put it as high up on the list of helping you lose weight as being in a Calorie Deficit.

A review of 17 studies found that people who slept 7-9 hours per night had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) compared to those who slept less (7).

One reason lack of sleep is associated with weight gain is that sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in appetite, particularly for high-calorie, sugary foods. This is because sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a decrease in the hormone leptin, which regulate hunger and fullness. As a result, people who don't get enough sleep may feel hungrier and eat more.

In addition to increasing appetite, sleep deprivation can also lead to an increase in the hormone cortisol, which can promote fat storage and weight gain. This is because cortisol is released in response to stress, and sleep deprivation can be a source of stress for the body.

Furthermore, insufficient sleep can lead to a decrease in physical activity and a decrease in the body's ability to burn calories effectively. This is because sleep deprivation can lead to fatigue and decreased energy levels, making it harder for people to be physically active. It is also not uncommon to see a drop in fidgeting and other calorie-burning activities throughout the day, because of tiredness.

Overall, it is important to get enough sleep in order to maintain a healthy weight. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

2. STRUCTURED MOVEMENT

As I mentioned above, we need to work on both sides of the energy balance equation to easily create a calorie deficit, especially if you aren’t counting calories.

The most important thing for you to remember when it comes to physical movement, in pursuit of losing weight, is to not view calorie-burning as the reason you are exercising.

Yes. Exercise does burn calories.

No. You don’t have to earn your calories in the gym.

Yes. Exercise is amazing for your overall health.

No. Exercising doesn’t burn as many calories as you would think.

Yes. Exercise is a great tool to help keep you on track dietarily and emotionally with a weight loss goal.

All exercise will help you create a calorie deficit. Notice the word “help”?

The most important aspect of exercise with regards to this is that you chose the exercise you enjoy the most because you will then be far more likely to continue doing it for long enough to see results.

I very recently got this message on Instagram in relation to a workout I give away for free:

how I lost 50 pounds without counting calories

10 steps to lose weight without counting calories

The person who sent me this, was in a phase of not counting calories, although she is quite calorie aware, and she was wanting to begin the journey of feeling her best for her wedding which is in a few weeks (as I write this), and she is about 7 months post-partum.

The results are immense. But for me, the best result isn’t the weight loss she created, its the fact she felt more empowered as a result of exercising, and she is evidently more confident as a result of getting stronger. Its the dream scenario.

The workout she completed was this:

If you want the same strength workout I gave her then just put your email address in here and I will send it to you in a day or two:

Or if you would like a four-week beginner strength training routine for beginners with video tutorials then head here.

Aim for 2-3 workouts a week, which last for about 30-40mins and that make you feel two inches taller when you walk out of the Gym compared to when you walked in, and you will be right where you need to be when it comes to working out.

3. INCREASING YOUR NEAT

You could look up any advice about losing weight across the whole internet, and I promise you that every weight loss plan you find will feature something in relation to your NEAT.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

This is the largest portion of your daily caloric burn. It is responsible for burning as many calories as structured movement and how many calories you burn through digestion combined.

Essentially the simplest way it can be measured is by your step count.

But there are other aspects of it as well. When I designed my five awesome rules for fat loss life, I made one of those rules: 10k Steps A Day.

Science has since shown that 10k steps a day are not necessarily needed for improving your health, the figure stands at around 7.5k steps a day if you are only focused on improving your health.

But as you aren’t counting calories, and I am telling you that you can lose weight easily, then we need to put in some targets here.

This is the simplest way to make sure that your step count is right:

Take your previous month’s daily average number.
Multiply it by two.
That is your new step count.
Then after about two weeks, you need to multiply it by two again.
And continue doing this all the way up to 10k steps a day and then keep it there as consistently as possible.

Now if you just don’t have time to fit in that amount of steps a day in, there is another solution. We need you to walk faster. If all you have is the maximum time in your day to do 5k steps a day, then a great way of making that 5k steps as effective as possible for you is that every time you walk, do it with as much purpose and direction as you possibly can.

Don’t dilly-dally. You aren’t strolling, you are walking with the intention to get to your destination as effectively as possible.

Other great ways to increase your NEAT are:

Incorporate more movement into your daily routine by using a standing or adjustable desk.
Take regular stretch breaks throughout the day to loosen up and move your body.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator whenever possible.
Walk or bike to the store or grocery shop instead of driving or taking public transportation.
Park further away from the grocery shop in the car park.
Every time there is an ad break on TV, climb your stairs three times.
Wear ankle weights when walking.
Take up a new hobby that involves movement such as rock climbing, ice skating or roller skating.
Do some gardening.
Every time there is an ad break on tv, use it as a Dance Break instead.
Never sit down when you are on the phone, always stand or walk.
Take the kids or grandkids to the park and play games or sports with them.
Carry your shopping as opposed to using a trolley.

Walking is your solution to most things. Emotional stress, physical stress, or maybe you just need to find some more energy to help get through the day. You might want to improve the quality of your sleep or even to help you easily lose weight without counting calories, I promise you, walking solves more issues than you will ever thought possible.

How Do You Know If You’re In A Calorie Deficit

As I mentioned earlier, counting calories gives you instant feedback on whether or not you are in a calorie deficit.

So if we are taking counting calories away, it is useful to know what other signs you can look for, to get similar feedback on your progress.

Here are the kinds of things I always tell clients to keep aware of to measure their success when they aren’t counting calories:

SCALE WEIGHT

This one is always tricky as many people who aren’t counting calories, likely won’t be the most comfortable with getting on the scales either.

However, if we are directly answering the question of “easily losing weight”, then at some point you will likely check in with your body weight.

Now read this very carefully:

You should only compare your scale weight on a monthly basis, not weekly, to determine if you are in a calorie deficit or not.

You can track daily, or you can track weekly. But from only comparing Day 1 to Day 31 will you know if you are in a Calorie Deficit or not.

This is because scale weight is a fickle fiend and comparing weight loss on a shorter timescale will drive you insane due to all the fluctuations involved.

Please, if you want to look at your scale weight in relation to easily losing weight only compare monthly readings.

2. MEASUREMENTS

These are probably your better friend than scale weight to track your progress. Again, only compare on a monthly basis maybe even a 6-week basis. Another great sign of your measurements changing is feeling different in your clothes - if you feel like they are fitting you better, or you feel like you are wearing them better, then you are probably making an impact on your measurements.

The measurements I ask my clients for, if they are comfortable doing this, are the following:

Neck
Chest
L Bicep
R Bicep
Waist at the Belly Button
Waist 2in below the Belly Button
Waist 2in above the Belly Button
Hips
L Thigh
R Thigh

3. WORK IN PROCESS PICTURES

I don’t call them before or after photos. I don’t call them “progress pictures” either.

Simply because a photo solely looking at your physique, can often cause more issues than it solves. It automatically puts you into a mindset of “the way I look is all that is important”.

And it’s not.

The way you look is one aspect of you, and it is likely one of the last reasons anyone enjoys being with you.

Think of your friends. Are you only friends based on the size of their body? Of course not.

So I like to try to change the narrative of photos. Your work in process pictures are just that, designed to capture your process and the changes you are seeing along your journey.

This could be, photos of you working out, or on walks.

This could be family snaps where you remember not feeling awkward in the photo.

This could be a photo on a night out where you didn’t automatically feel anxious when someone asked for a picture, and you resisted the urge to want to look at it, in case you didn’t like it and wanted it deleted.

These are work in process pictures.

When you engage in a weight loss journey, sure weight loss is the goal, but in truth its the least interesting goal that actually occurs.

Use your photos to celebrate your journey, celebrate your building confidence, celebrate your consistency, celebrate your confidence changing as you progress.

These are all signs of progress too, aside from seeing your belly reduction on two photos that are six weeks apart.

Your physique can and will change. But a photo only focussed on your physique will never capture the internal changes that have occurred to you over time. Get photos that describe your internal monologue as well.

Document that progress.

It’s so much more rewarding.

4. CONSISTENCY

Another incredible sign that you are in a calorie deficit is recording your consistency. Tick off these things:

How regularly you are getting your workouts in
How regularly you are keeping your structure with food
How regularly you feel less guilty about the food you are eating
How regularly you are trying to move away from calling foods “good” and “bad”
How regularly you are getting your steps in
How much water you are drinking
How regularly you are getting 7-8 hours sleep a night

You can do this on a calendar, a tracking app or a journal.

Remember there is a key difference between consistency and perfection. In order to be consistent you need to be hitting your goals and habits 25 days out of 30 in a month.

5. HUNGER

Going to bed and feeling a little hungry is also a good sign that you are in a calorie deficit. At no point in your life do you want to be ravenous, and hunger should be managed relatively well throughout the day, especially if you have a structure with your food.

But going to bed and feeling a little hungry is a good sign that you are in a calorie deficit.

Really Simple Solutions

When I first became a Personal Trainer, one of the firs things my Coach gave me to work on was the concept of KISS.

Keep, It, Simple, Stupid.

And therefore over the years, I have always worked on trying to distil weight loss and fitness into the simplest and most effective messaging I can come up with.

And here is what seems to have stuck:

THE 3, 4, 5 SYSTEM

I remember where I was when I came up with this a few years ago. I was on the Gym Floor with one of my best Australian friends, Ben. I had been training him for nearly a year at this point, and he was aware his life was getting busier again, and it was about to cause havoc on his progress. I could never get Ben to track his food, so I asked him to stick to this.

3 litres of water a day.

4 movement sessions a week; Walking, Workouts and anything else you might enjoy.

5 moments with food every day: 3 meals, two snacks.

Its simplicity gave me so much joy. I then introduced it to one of my online clients in Colorado, doing my Strong & Confident Program and she sent me this as it was her lock screen to keep her on track.

What a beautiful idea.

how to do calorie deficit without counting calories

DAILY AWESOME SALAD

The DAS.

Get your protein source. Add a huge bag of salad and some carby veggies.

Job done.

Do this for lunch each and every day. It’s easy to prep, its cost-effective, and it will do a good job.

BUILD MEALS AROUND PROTEIN

Start with protein.

Then add veggies to your plate.

Then if you look at your meal and still feel like you need something else, add a Carbohydrate source.

Try to aim for 100g of protein a day. This is the equivalent of:

My recommendation to clients is to always start with 100g of protein a day, or if you are vegetarian or vegan then aim for 80g of protein a day.

You can get more complex if you like, but if you don’t want to count calories, then there really isn’t much of a need to past those recommendations.

And always make sure it fits on one plate, as mentioned in the structured eating section of this article.

FIVE AWESOME RULES FOR FAT LOSS LIFE

I have written about these many times.

In a nutshell, they are:

Be in a Calorie Deficit
10k steps a day
7-8 hours sleep a night
Protein and Veggies at every meal
3 litres of water a day

If you want to find out more about how these rules work then head here:

5 Easy Ways To Do A Calorie Deficit Without Working Out

FOLLOW THE DADDY HUMPHREYS PLAN

Here is my Dad and I, out on the Golf Course back in Essex where we used to live together. I since moved to Australia. My Dad was recently diagnosed with Cancer at the age of 67.

He recently went from 80kgs to 75kgs in a matter of about 4 months.

He has never been overweight or really had any body weight concerns. But when he got Cancer, he was told that getting his BMI down a touch would be helpful, and would help him feel better in general.

His Cancer is quite serious, it is Stage 4, and he can only get onto Maintenance drugs to help him, never into full remission or be Cancer free.

But in terms of his treatment, it has all been relatively easy compared to what most people go through with chemotherapy. His side effects have been some hiccoughs, and interrupted sleep and that’s about it. My point is, he didn’t suffer weight loss as a result of his treatment.

He got his bodyweight down through behaviour, none of which was counting calories.

Here is what he did:

how to create a calorie deficit without counting calories

As you can see, it’s a pretty simple, and sensible solution.

The Daddy Humphreys Plan: I wonder if it will sell….

What’s Next…

Well, I am an Online Coach who has helped thousands of people work through the challenges in this article.

And it would be my pleasure to help you too.

My program is personal one-to-one online training called the Strong & Confident Program.

If you have ever wanted to achieve the following:

✅ Escape the constant dread of dieting?

✅ Release the guilt you attach to eating certain types of food?

✅ Learn to stop worrying about “the pesky last few pounds” and focus on all your body can do?

✅ Become truly happy with what your body is and what is capable of?

✅ Enjoy the feeling of being stronger and fitter as opposed to trying to reduce your size all the time?

✅ Achieve all of this and still lose body fat at the same time without huge restrictions and slavery to a fitness regime?

✅ Do it all on your own schedule, in your own way, with a program specifically designed for you?

Then please click on the button below and fill out an application form to start working with me.

Apply To Work Wth Me

If you feel like you need more help learning how to lose weight and release the need for counting calories then you can look through the following articles of mine as well:

Thank you so much for reading my work, and good luck with building a stronger relationship with food.

I cannot wait to see how you go!

Coach Adam

References:

Ingels JS, Misra R, Stewart J, Lucke-Wold B, Shawley-Brzoska S. The Effect of Adherence to Dietary Tracking on Weight Loss: Using HLM to Model Weight Loss over Time. J Diabetes Res. 2017;2017:6951495. doi: 10.1155/2017/6951495. Epub 2017 Aug 9. PMID: 28852651; PMCID: PMC5568610.
Klok, M.D., Jakobsdottir, S. and Drent, M.L. (2007), The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review. Obesity Reviews, 8: 21-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00270.x
Howarth NC, Huang TT, Roberts SB, McCrory MA, Lin BH. Eating patterns and dietary composition in relation to weight change over 7 y. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001;73(2):209-218.
Van Walleghen EL, Hogg MM, Bell EA, Rolls BJ. Television viewing increases motivated responding for food and energy intake in adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010;91(4):829-835.
Kristeller JL, Hallett CB. An exploratory study of a meditation-based intervention for binge eating disorder. Journal of Health Psychology. 1999;4(3):357-363.
Pre-meal water consumption for weight loss. (2013). Australian Family Physician, 42(7), 478. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.405716872190923

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 21/3/22 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 21/3/22

Diet vs Exercise To Lose Weight: What Is More Important?

Sometimes I like to think I have a secret.

A secret that no one else in the world will ever know.

A secret so important for the well-being of mankind that I’m scared to share it because it will just blow the minds of everyone and create a new world order.

This secret might be bigger than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

It might change the world more than when Sir Isaac Newton discovered Gravity.

Heck, it might just change your life.

This is actually far more important to me than changing the world - which is the premise of this Blog Post. I can’t change the world at once - but I certainly can change the mind of one person at a time through words like these, and slowly over time that might help make a change in the world.

But if it doesn’t - at least we had this moment. You and I. And that means an awful lot to me - so much in fact that I would love to have a few more moments with you.

Without sounding too creepy - I just wanted to ask you to be my friend.

As your friend, I will send you some very important things, like educational material, inspirational material and maybe just some stories from my life which you can enjoy reading with a coffee, beer or glass of wine.

See - I told you we could be friends.

If you would like to send me a friend request then please just fill out the form below and I will be in touch once you have finished this article.

Table of Contents for:

What's more important Diet vs Exercise vs THIS to lose weight?

How does Diet help you lose weight?
How does exercise help you lose weight?
My secret: How does Imperfect Action help you lose weight?
Being Optimal is a privilege
To Conclude…

How does Diet help you lose weight?

I have failed to see a scientific study that doesn’t look at the topic of weight loss and explains that in order to create weight loss a Calorie Deficit must be achieved.

And I have read a lot of these studies:

“Health professionals recommend that individuals with overweight and obesity lose weight by reducing energy intake while maintaining a healthful diet” [1]
“Individuals interested in losing weight should continue to be advised to regularly self-monitor energy intake and expenditure as well as to create a consistent daily energy deficit” [2]
“Individuals can lose body weight and improve health status on a wide range of energy (calorie)-restricted dietary interventions” [3]
“With the increasing obesity epidemic comes the search for effective dietary approaches for calorie restriction and weight loss.” [4]
“Overall, for significant safe weight loss, an energy deficit was required, which was commonly achieved by reduced fat intake” [5]
“An energy deficit is the most important factor in weight loss” [6]

*She* sadly I don’t get to make sure GIFS are balanced…so please don’t get offended if you are a female reading this.

But I think you get my point when it relates to just how important a Calorie Deficit or Energy Deficit is for losing weight.

Being in Energy Balance you will maintain your weight.

Learn how to maintain your Calorie Maintenance Level in my blog post that has helped thousands of people so far

How To Find Your Calorie Maintenance Level

To create a Calorie Deficit you will need to do one of three things:

Adjust the energy in (what you consume through diet).
Adjust the energy out (what you burn).
A combination of both.

When I set a client up, who has a weight loss goal, I will always work on their dietary intake to create the calorie deficit first.

It is incredibly easy to overeat due to a number of factors.

Emotional Overeating:

It is not uncommon for us to use food to soothe our emotional state and thus compulsively overeat without realising it to meet unmet needs from our childhood [7].

Food is Addictive:

This sums me up pretty well, sat here, in a coffee shop, writing this post.

A study called "Food Addiction: Implications for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Overeating” concluded that:

“There is evidence to suggest that, for some individuals, food can induce addictive-type behaviours similar to those seen with other addictive substances” [8]

With this pretty awesome graphic attached:

Diet or Exercise to lose weight? What is more important

This graphic also gives us great insight into other reasons we can easily overeat:

Stress
Social Difficulty
Cravings
Vulnerability
Impulsivity
Other emotional responses both positive and negative

You can see the complex web of why, when looking at weight loss as a goal for someone, we must always address Energy Intake.

There are also many studies that advocate for all different types of dietary control to aid weight loss.

Whether that is:

The Keto Diet (please do not do this and find out why here)
Intermittent Fasting
Low Fat, High Carb
Low Carb, High Fat
High Protein
Slimming World and Weight Watchers
Paleo Diet
Vegan Diet
Carnivore Diet
Vegetarian Diet
Celery Juicing

Essentially it doesn't matter what diet you do from a purely physiological point of view - if it gets you into a Calorie Deficit it will work.

This does not mean I am advocating for all of those dietary behaviours - I am simply informing you that they are all designed to create a calorie deficit. In fact, of that list, I would probably advocate for only one or two of them in general terms.

cough - I am a vegetarian - cough

But in terms of being able to adhere to it for long enough, to protect your relationship with food, or at the very least rebuild it, many of the diets I have listed will be absolutely damaging to you regardless if you achieve your goal or not.

And this is why diet is so very important in the discussion of weight loss.

You will eat every day, and relatively speaking it is easier for you to manage your food intake throughout the day to create an energy deficit than it would be to exercise.

Let us say you are working on a 500kcal deficit diet each day.

All else remaining equal, that is simply not having the Venti Iced Mocha with Whipped Cream at Starbucks each day which comes in at ~450kcals.

That’s an easier thing to adhere to than getting into the gym each day to try and burn 500kcals.

Its easier to learn an element of portion control and increasing lower calorie foods in your diet than it is to show up to the gym for 75 mins a day to burn calories.

It is better for your overall well-being to increase your vegetable and fruit intake to help create a calorie deficit each day than it is to panic about getting to the Spin Class at 5 am when you have a family at home - or a stressful job to go to.

How does exercise help you lose weight?

I’m not sitting here, denying science.

Exercise does burn calories.

But it doesn’t burn enough calories for you to get into a deficit each day irrespective of your food intake.

It is also incredibly hard to know how many calories you are burning in a workout. Believe it or not having a watch on, made by a computer company, isn’t that scientifically accurate, in fact, this study [9] found them to be up to 60% inaccurate.

The other issue I have with using the Gym to burn calories is that it creates a hamster wheel scenario.

When you get into the habit of burning calories in the gym, you also get into the habit of demonising food - and you end up on this perpetual path of trying to undo the calories you ate, which destroys your relationship with food and exercise.

In an average strength session, you will be lucky to burn 300kcals.

On a Cardio Machine you will burn more in the moment, but less over time - and the more you eat the more time you have to spend burning calories.

Which only damages how you feel both on the inside and the outside.

This is why it is incredibly important to separate the two.

Allow your diet to dictate your Caloric Deficit and make sure you exercise to get strong.

Not just in the body, but in your heart, in your mind, in your soul.

When working out, ask yourself:

Does this exercise make me feel stronger?
Do I feel accomplished for completing it?
Do I want to get that feeling again?

And if the answer is yes, regardless of calories burned, then you are exercising in a way that will make you feel good.

And that is what is most important in this scenario.

Exercise can help you lose weight in other ways too...but these take time.

Preservation of Muscle Mass

By lifting weights, you will preserve or potentially increase your muscle mass. Which over time will increase your metabolism because muscle is more efficient at burning calories than adipose tissue (fat).

When you only diet and eat fewer calories to lose weight, without exercise you will lower your metabolism by up to 20% [10].

As you lower your calories to lose weight, you need to work against this as a lower metabolism will not help you in the long run - and the best way to prevent this lowering from occurring is by lifting weights.

Regulation of Hunger Hormones

Our two friends: Leptin and Grehlin.

Grehlin is like a little gremlin that sits in your stomach and whinges at you telling you that you’re hungry - even when you aren’t.

Grehlin = Gremlin.

And in people with higher-weight bodies, their ability to control the production of grehlin is reduced - and their sensitivity to listening to it is increased.

This study called: “Acute Exercise and Appetite-Regulating Hormones in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Meta-Analysis” [11] concluded:

“An evidence synthesis of the six studies on overweight/obese individuals indicated that a moderate reduction in acylated ghrelin occurs after acute exercise”

By exercising, the effects of grehlin are reduced and therefore over time will help you achieve a calorie deficit.

Now onto Leptin.

Leptin is the hormone that tells you you're full.

And its tricky. The more Adipose Tissue we have, the higher levels of Leptin in the body - but when levels are increased for so long, we develop a resistance to it.

Creating a “Leptin Resistance”.

This resistance is more prevalent in Obese Individuals and inherently runs through families [12].

And as you can expect…Exercise might be one of the best ways to combat Leptin Resistance as this study from the University of Oslo confirms [13]:

“Long-term changes in lifestyle consisting of decreased intake of dietary fat and increased physical activity reduced plasma leptin concentrations in humans beyond the reduction expected as a result of changes in fat mass.”

Which is a conclusion I love for two main reasons.

“Long Term Changes in lifestyle” is something I am on board with. There’s little point, to try and change things quickly for a short period of time hoping those changes will last a lifetime.
Engaging in long-term physical activity and reducing your dietary fat in the long term has better results for your Leptin Resistance, and probably your overall health (a fair inference) than just losing weight.

How I Like To View Exercise For Weight Loss

Use it as your guiding light, as a signal for you to stay on track with your diet.

I used to play badminton with my best friend - and after every session, he would want to go for a beer - which made no sense to me.

Yes. I enjoy Beer like the best of them.

But, I used to think to myself what was the point of slogging it out on a court for 90 minutes to then harm all of your recovery efforts with a couple of Beers.

I used the movement as a way of improving my willpower and my desire to keep my diet in better place.

And if you can do that over time - you will then see the effects and benefits of weight loss as a result of your movement.

Because it will lead to better dietary choices.

It will reduce stress which will lead to better dietary choices.

It will help your Mental Health which will lead to better dietary choices.

But either way, you are looking to use exercise to improve your dietary choices and create a better balance in your life in favour of your goals.

My secret: How does Imperfect Action help you lose weight?

This secret is the greatest superpower you will need in this whole “weight loss thing”

It is understanding the concept of imperfect action.

I think, it is fair to conclude that to lose weight you need to combine both Diet and Exercise to help you.

But knowing this doesn’t necessarily help.

Because as you can see, the complex hormonal balance in your body just from Leptin and Grehlin is a hard thing to control, combined with the fact that not everyone finds the ability to, or the enjoyment out of exercising in a manner that might be “optimal”.

I was on a call with one of my online Clients on the Strong & Confident Program the other day and I was explaining this concept to him.

He is a very high Politician in the UK - and as you can imagine he, therefore, has a very crazy life. He also sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee - and at the time of writing this - Europe is at War.

Nonetheless, he has big goals and wonderful aspirations and it is my pleasure to help him.

And at the moment, helping him the most is putting the brakes on him.

Telling him not to work out, rather than do more.

He wants to try and aim for four workouts a week - and I am having to tell him not to. I am a fan of four workouts a week, truly I am, but not when it means that you will only be able to do it for a few weeks, and missing workouts will have a bigger negative effect on your feelings of accomplishment and strength than only doing three workouts a week.

But no one needs perfection. You need consistency and setting up a system that
will inspire consistency over perfection is imperfect action at work.

I know one thing to be true for him, if he gives up, nothing will change - and therefore making sure that he is set up in a way that will not make him feel like he can’t stay on top of everything will lower the likelihood of him giving up.

There is a point of diminishing returns in all things we do.

When doing more, is actually counterproductive.

MRV stand for Maximal Recoverable Volume.

You want to get the best bang for your buck - especially if you struggle with adherence over time. Therefore staying where the curve is steepest is best.

Doing more isn’t worth it - and what determines what is recoverable is dominated by one thing: Stress. The more stressed you are, the lower the amount of maximal recoverable volume you will be able to take on.

And how much exercise do we know to be too much?

That’s determined by time - not necessarily the amount of workouts.

Previously I stated that I like clients to do 4 workouts a week - Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower.

However when I program this, I don’t program four hours of workouts.

I try to keep my workouts to 30mins of working to intensity for my clients. This would be the time outside of a warm-up and a cool-down, but from the load, they will really need to recover.

You need to keep between two and three hours a week.

That’s all you need to do.

Examples of Imperfect Action

Can’t get to the gym for an hour? Go for 30 minutes.

Can’t get to the gym for 30 minutes? Go for 20 minutes.

Want to have pizza for dinner? Order a massive salad with it too.

Have a night out? Maybe substitute Pints for halves. Mixers for Soda Water. Large Glasses of wine for Smaller ones.

When I was at Drama School we had to write our own film - and they bought in two professional writers to help us learn how to do it.

The very first thing, and most useful thing that these two writers told us was:

“Don’t get it right, get it written”

— Two Writers

And that is the best way I can sum up Imperfect Action.

Nothing needs to be perfect or exact. Nothing needs to be optimal.

It just needs to be done.

If getting it done means it might not be perfect….then get it done anyway.

Do you know how many of these blogs I have written with spelling errors in them?

A fair few.

Because if I fretted over getting everything right all the time, I just wouldn’t get as much work done as I need to and I comprehend that the quality of what I write and how I help people is more important than the odd spelling error.

Over time, all of these imperfect actions add up. They compound within you, inspiring more action, more results and more motivation.

You see, no one gains weight from missing one workout, no one gains weight from eating one McDonald’s.

It is the build-up of these behaviours over very long periods of time that creates weight gain.

And therefore the reverse is true.

It is the opposite of the all-or-nothing mindset you need to approach this with, because all-or-nothing mindsets always lead to nothing - if that wasn’t true - you wouldn’t be sitting here reading this.

Tick off and sweat the small stuff more.

Being Optimal Is A Privilege

Privilege is a word that is banded around a lot these days. I do feel that sometimes it’s on the verge of being overused.

However, this concept is very important to understand when it comes to imperfect action.

In fact, privilege is important to understand full stop. I remember when I first grappled with this idea during the Black Lives Matter protests and it took a lot of interesting and eye-opening conversations to understand the concepts set behind my privilege.

I also remember my birthday in 2021 was almost ruined by being attacked online for “not understanding my privilege” when I commented on a post about how progressive overload works.

I was described as an “SIS White Man, who has a genetic advantage over the rest of the world and has never had to worry about his health and therefore has no right to comment or to help those who have had struggles I would never understand”.

I have a 7-inch scar down my chest, which I have had my entire life because I have to worry about my health each and every day. In fact, I was born with a condition that means I will have had to have gone through open-heart surgery twice in my lifetime - and at the moment, I am just waiting for the day I am told “let’s go in again”.

Never judge a book by its cover.

When you are on the Socials seeing people “succeed” you have no idea what privilege is afforded to them that isn’t afforded to you:

Genetic
Societal
Family
Occupational
Health - Mental and Physical
Financial

I used to struggle with this.

I honestly used to believe that if Chris Pratt could change his body the way he did, then I should be able to too.

But what that doesn’t take into account is the fact that I have a very different life to him.

He has chefs who manage his food each and every day.

He has Personal Trainers paid for by Hollywood Studios in order to make sure he changes the way he needs to.

He also has the allure of being able to put in the work because at the end of it is a $3m bonus, on top of actually being contractually paid to workout and change his body.

I do not.

He has a significantly greater privilege than me to help him manage his change.

And that’s not his fault, that’s not my fault.

Its just fact.

You may not have the ability to execute what is optimal - and understanding the concept of Imperfect Action is a release from the pressure of making sure you are “doing everything right”.

You need to do what you enjoy.

And setting yourself up for an optimal diet, an optimal workout plan and an optimal weight loss journey is more than likely setting you up for failure.

Because you simply do not have the privilege that is required for an optimal environment.

To Conclude…

To lose weight your diet is the driving force.

To help make that process easier. and more maintainable exercise is the driving force.

To make the journey as easy as possible with self-compassion and taking pressure off of your shoulders…

To allow you to coach yourself through the journey and to talk to yourself with self-love…

To keep your mindset in the place that will help you most…

Imperfect Action is the driving force for long-term sustainable habits that will build up over time and make it easier as you go.

The National Weight Loss Registry [14] is a database of over 10,000 members that have lost over 30 pounds and maintained that for one year or more.

They conclude:

98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.
94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
There is variety in how NWCR members keep the weight off. Most report continuing to maintain a low-calorie, low-fat diet and doing high levels of activity.

78% eat breakfast every day.
75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

If you want to lose weight, I urge you to not look at the picture of one vs the other.

Diet vs Exercises.

This isn’t a competition.

It’s a blend of behaviours that create a bigger picture over time.

Balance everything always.

What’s Next?

what's more important when losing weight diet or exercise

I hope you found this article useful, and that you feel a lot better about your struggles at the moment.

If you would like to join my free Facebook group: Straightforward Fat Loss then click below:

Diet vs Exercise to lose weight - what is most important?

Join Now

Added to all of that, if you would like a Free Calorie and Macro Calculator then just put your email here:

References:

Tatiana Andreyeva, Michael W. Long, Kathryn E. Henderson, Gabrielle M. Grode, Trying to Lose Weight: Diet Strategies among Americans with Overweight or Obesity in 1996 and 2003, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 110, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 535-542, ISSN 0002-8223,
Robert A. Carels, Kathleen M. Young, Carissa Coit, Anna Marie Clayton, Alexis Spencer, Marissa Hobbs, Can following the caloric restriction recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans help individuals lose weight?, Eating Behaviors, Volume 9, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 328-335, ISSN 1471-0153, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.12.003.
Thom G, Lean M. Is There an Optimal Diet for Weight Management and Metabolic Health? Gastroenterology. 2017 May;152(7):1739-1751. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.056. Epub 2017 Feb 15. PMID: 28214525.
Johnstone A. Fasting for weight loss: an effective strategy or latest dieting trend? Int J Obes (Lond). 2015 May;39(5):727-33. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2014.214. Epub 2014 Dec 26. PMID: 25540982.
Ramage S, Farmer A, Eccles KA, McCargar L. Healthy strategies for successful weight loss and weight maintenance: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014 Jan;39(1):1-20. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2013-0026. Epub 2013 Nov 4. PMID: 24383502.
Kim JY. Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. J Obes Metab Syndr. 2021 Mar 30;30(1):20-31. doi: 10.7570/jomes20065. PMID: 33107442; PMCID: PMC8017325.
Miller KD. Compulsive overeating. Nurs Clin North Am. 1991 Sep;26(3):699-705. PMID: 1891402.
Adams RC, Sedgmond J, Maizey L, Chambers CD, Lawrence NS. Food Addiction: Implications for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Overeating. Nutrients. 2019 Sep 4;11(9):2086. doi: 10.3390/nu11092086. PMID: 31487791; PMCID: PMC6770567.
News.iastate.edu. 2020. Activity Trackers Not As Accurate For Some Activities, ISU Study Finds • News Service • Iowa State University. [online] Available at: <https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2015/08/19/activitytrackers> [Accessed 22 June 2020].
Fat facts. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2022, from http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/fatfacts.html
Douglas JA, Deighton K, Atkinson JM, Sari-Sarraf V, Stensel DJ, Atkinson G. Acute Exercise and Appetite-Regulating Hormones in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Meta-Analysis. J Obes. 2016;2016:2643625. doi: 10.1155/2016/2643625. Epub 2016 Dec 27. PMID: 28116150; PMCID: PMC5223036.
Lee, J., Reed, D. & Price, R. Leptin resistance is associated with extreme obesity and aggregates in families. Int J Obes 25, 1471–1473 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801736
Reseland JE, Anderssen SA, Solvoll K, Hjermann I, Urdal P, Holme I, Drevon CA. Effect of long-term changes in diet and exercise on plasma leptin concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Feb;73(2):240-5. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/73.2.240. PMID: 11157319.
“National Weight Control Registry.” Nwcr.ws, nwcr.ws/default.html

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 13/3/22 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 13/3/22

How To Get Past and Fix A Weight Loss Plateau

will a weight loss plateau go away on its own

I absolutely love this image.

Because in one fell swoop it has summed up this horrible term that the Fitness Industry has perpetuated over and over and over again as a negative happening.

The Weight Loss Plateau.

Just the word plateau is horrible to say - “plateauuuuuuuuu….”. And the connotations of what it means are even worse:

If you are in a Plateau - you probably think:

You are failing
You are never going to reach “your goal”
You need to try something new
You chose the wrong path
You can’t seem to “crack” it
That everyone else knows something you don’t.

And not one single one of those feelings is true.

I can promise you that.

In this article, I am going to take you through How To Get Past and Fix A Weight Loss Plateau - and I almost guarantee it isn’t going to be what you were expecting.

Which is exciting - but not as exciting as what I am about to offer you.

I want to be your friend.

As your friend - I will obviously stay in touch, send you things, some educational, some thoughtful, and probably some that are a bit near the mark - but hey ho - I think that is the hallmark of a beautiful friendship: balance.

If you would like to be my friend also then please send me a friend request right here:

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR HOW TO GET PAST AND FIX A WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU:

What is a weight loss plateau?
Why do weight loss plateaus occur?
How does scale weight actually work?
How to actually get past your weight loss plateau

What Is A Weight Loss Plateau?

If you’re in one…replace the word “fetch” with scale weight - and this GIF sums it up pretty well.

A weight-loss plateau (urgh) is when your body weight seems to have stopped going down on the scale - even though you have changed very little in your behaviour compared to when it was coming down.

It is normally regarded as a temporary stalling of scale weight.

There was a study done in 2021 called: Management Of Weight Loss Plateau [1].

In this study they define weight loss and a weight loss plateau thus:

“Studies comparing different diets have shown that a similar degree of weight loss can be achieved in an 8 to 12-week period, as long as a caloric deficit is achieved.[1] However, when looking at individuals in the longer-term, 24-weeks and beyond, only about 10 to 20% of those individuals successfully maintain their weight loss”

This doesn't mean they successfully maintain the weight they got to - this means the actual stats of the scale falling.

It also goes on to say:

“A misconception to beginners attempting to lose weight is that the process is linear. Therefore, one can expect that weight loss will occur more rapidly in the early stages. Still, then in the coming weeks, the weight may stay steady or even slightly increased despite maintaining the established calorie deficit”

This sets us up nicely for the rest of this article.

Why Do Weight Loss Plateaus Occur?

This is a very loaded question because as I always say “everybody is different” and every body is different.

And the solution to a weight loss plateau is likely not one sole thing for each person.

However, the most important point to this question is not a physical thing.

It’s not “your calories need to come down” or “you need to do more exercise”

It’s a psychological point that needs to be made - and it is so very important that I am putting it front and centre of this article.

Why do weight loss plateaus occur?

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In his application, he wrote this.

Got me in the feels.

What a truly lovely thing to say.

Some beautiful words from beautiful people who have all given me the pleasure of working with them.

Since moving to Toowoomba, I have enjoyed being able to carry on my work and help as many people as is humanly possible, and I love being able to se

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So you can watch as well listen if you do wish.

This episode has come from a conversation I had w

Take Me There…

You Have Been Conditioned To View Them Negatively

Let me be very clear here.

Maintaining your body weight is a true success.

Sadly, we live in a world where allowing you to actually be proud of what you have achieved thus far, and promoting the fact that the scale may not be going down - but by golly - it isn’t going up…that is a true success.

This is what you and the fitness industry has allowed you to view as a:

“Plateauuuuuuu”

As a negative happening in your life. When actually it is a true success.

I am sure you have heard the phrase: “80% of all diets fail”. The definition of successful weight loss maintenance is:

“Successful long-term weight loss maintenance is intentionally losing at least 10% of initial body weight and keeping it off for at least 1 year.” [3]

Therefore if you are currently in an active deficit, and you have lost 10% or more of your body weight and your weight loss has “plateaued” you are actually on the path of being in the top 20% of the world’s population when it comes to dieting.

“Research has shown that approximately 20% of overweight individuals are successful at long-term weight loss when defined as losing at least 10% of initial body weight and maintaining the loss for at least 1 year” [2]

Therefore you aren’t stalling, failing or just not good enough.

You are actually in an elitist group of people. A rare cohort of incredible success - and you have been told to see it as a failure.

That’s a damn fucking shame.

I am sorry that we have done this to you. I am truly sorry that you have been led to believe that it is possible to keep dieting down and down and down and if that process ever stops then you are simply not good enough.

This has led to many people getting frustrated, angry and feeling shame at their inability to see scale weight continuing to tumble and it has to stop. Right now. Right here. With this post.

How Does Scale Weight Actually Work?

Scale Weight is a very fickle thing. You may or may not be aware that scale weight when you are in an active calorie deficit and trying to lose weight, will fluctuate.

Wildly.

Up and down. It will be stubborn at times. One day you can weigh on things, and the very next 24 hours later you can weigh 5-7lbs more.

This is normal.

In fact let me show you some of my weight readings, when I was in a caloric deficit and weighed myself each and every day.

This is July into August of 2021 - I started at 85.4kg and then deficit down to 81.9kg.

how long does it take to get past a weight loss plateau

It looks like the best rollercoaster you have ever been on.

But as you can see I was constantly trading peaks and troughs. This is actually a very normal graph of scale weight. If you ever see a graph that is more linear than this - that is indeed not giving you the full picture of someone’s body weight.

I have Coached many people through weight loss and every single one of them have had this experience.

These fluctuations mainly occur due to:

Hormones and Menstrual Cycle
Medications
Sleep
Types of food you consume
Digestion
Exercise

One of the most common reasons scale weight will fluctuate is because carbohydrates retain water. When you eat any Carbohydrate your body will absorb 3g-4g of Water to help store the glycogen from the food.

This is not body fat and is perfectly normal - and is a big reason you see a big reduction in scale weight when someone goes “low-carb”

There is just one other thing to say here and that is that when you are tracking scale weight as a marker of success or not when trying to lose weight, you must gather more data than weekly scale readngs.

This is another common reason that plateaus occur - you just aren’t getting enough data.

Looking at the same graph from my weight as before I have circled every seventh reading - to repllicate one a week weigh ins.

how do i get out of my weight loss plateau

As you can see every other week my weight was up from the week before.

Looking at the last circle, which is seven days from the one previous if I was weighing in weekly, and weighed in on the 6th day I would have had a reading that was lower than the last reading 7 days previous as opposed to one that was higher.

This is when data can become your best friend - and the more you gather the more insightful you can be when it comes to analysing what is going on.

If you have Scale Anxiety then please read my article that has helped hundreds of people overcome gravitophobia:

Have Scale Anxiety? Learn to imrpove your relationship with the scale

How To Actually Get Past Your Weight Loss Plateau

I guarantee I could find someone on the internet telling you very opposing things in relation to this question. You will be told to:

Reduce Calories
Increase Calories
More Exercise
Less Exercise
More Water
Less Water

And each person is just confusing you more and more and more - adding to your frustration and not knowing where to turn.

In truth, each solution could be correct.

Reducing your calories may lead to a calorie deficit as you will be consuming less in the short term.

Increasing your calories may lead to a calorie deficit in the long term as you might be less likely to binge and more adherent to your calorie moderate calorie deficit as opposed to always reducing and cutting and restricting.

More exercise might lead to a calorie deficit in the shorter term by way of burning calories (but this is a very silly way to go about losing weight) but it might lead to more hunger.

Less exercise might lead to a calorie deficit due to less hunger from exercise - especially with things like HIIT.

And water might help reduce hunger, but it does have a weight to it, and that will show up on the scale.

But I understand none of this is overly helpful right now.

Therefore I propose these solutions to your weight loss plateau problem.

Reframe it as a Success

What is the opposite of weight loss not going down? It going up…

And if weight loss is your ultimate goal, but it is in a “plateau” then you are indeed doing a fantastic job as your weight is stable and you are learning to manage your new body and its new weight.

I do feel like I want to caveat the above statement.

A lot of people, women especially, but men too, do feel great shame when their weight increases. This is because they get so much praise when their weight is coming down. Praise from friends, family, coaches, and society at large. This leads them to feel like failures when their weight may increase again, even if it is only slightly. As I mentioned before learning to maintain weight loss is incredibly difficult, and there is no shame or failure attached to regaining weight - because what the scale doesn't show is how much you have learnt, how much more skill you have developed in the gym, how consistent you have been with your actions, how much better your mental health is as a result of working hard and trying, how much more energy you have and how much better you are sleeping.

Even if you learn to manage your new body at its new weight and it is slightly up from the lowest scale reading you have - you are still succeeding at so much more than you are giving yourself credit for.

Remember, 80% of people cant maintain their weight.

A plateau really isn’t a bad thing.

Trust Yourself

Look at it this way…you got to the point of which a plateau can actually occur. You must have done something right thus far.

So now you just need to trust yourself. Trust you know what you are doing, trust that your actions will lead to the result you are after. One of the hardest things for people who are trying to lose weight is this element of trust.

Usually, because they have been sent on a path of yoyo dieting and then been made to feel like they themselves are the thing that is broken - not the diet itself. And relearning to trust yourself is very hard

To get to the issues of a weight loss plateau, you have a process that has worked, you have a process that is sustainable for you and you have a process that you know you can trust - you’re at this point already - and now it’s just a case of making sure that you trust that process, and trust yourself.

Remain Consistent, Remain Patient

The more weight you lose the slower it will occur. This is because many people who want to lose weight probably want to because they view the body fat they now have as excess.

They are above their body’s settling point that they are used to for themselves.

This can happen for many reasons, mainly lifestyle factors like becoming parents or changing from an active job to a sedentary one.

At the beginning with a tiny bit of focus, and dialling up a few things in terms of their diet, increasing some steps, in fact living by my 5 Awesome Rules for Fat Loss Life (please excuse how cringy the video below is), they then manage to lose that “extra” body fat relatively quickly.

But the closer you get to the point upon which you’re near when you want to be - think the classic last 5lbs of stubborn fat - then it will take an awful lot longer to get there.

The curve will always level off.

There is more at play in terms of this as well - which I go into further down.

But generally - you will lose weight quickest in the beginning - and this is also why many people do 6-week challenges that are all about losing lots of weight in that time frame - it’s a safe and easy way for personal trainers to get all the glory without having to actually do the hard work for people - get them through the moments when it feels hardest for them.

It’s a huge reason I don’t do them. I’m a Coach and there is no glory in not supporting people properly.

I digress.

As the curve levels off (something you have been told to view as a plateau), the most important thing to do here is to be consistent. Is to not change anything drastic, and just keep ticking off the days and the process.

Begin to enjoy the process more, begin to appreciate that you are doing so much more good for yourself than necessarily losing weight.

And the more you focus on the process provided it has been set up correctly (preferably with the aid of a Coach - I know a good one wink, wink, nudge, nudge: head here) then the results will eventually take care of themselves.

Patience is a virtue - and I’m sorry but if your weight hasn’t decreased in two weeks you are not in a plateau. In fact, if your weight hasn't decreased in a month, you are not in a plateau. If you are executing the behaviours that constitute a calorie deficit and your weight hasn’t moved from month one to month six, and you have investigated the areas of your life that you think might be getting in the way, then we can look into the possibility that you are indeed in a plateau.

Without a doubt, one of the main ways to get past a weight loss plateau is be more patient with yourself and the process.

Realise there is so much more to celebrate

SO MUCH MORE!

I used to call my coaching program this - because the list of things you can celebrate and crucially should celebrate away from weight loss is so much more empowering than celebrating the reduction of your body.

Getting Stronger
Being Consistent with your own health
Better Sleep
Eating in a more balanced way
Having more energy
Improving your relationship with you
Improving your relationship with others
Being in nature more
Learning new skills and applying them
Improving your relationship with food
Improving your relationship with exercise - more on this here: How To Love Exercise Again
Building your confidence through keeping promises with yourself
Building your self-esteem
Improving your mental health
Burning more energy
Increasing your Metabolism

I’m sure there’s more - but I’m a little hungover today so let’s leave it there.

But look at that list.

It’s a bloody good one isn’t it?

Why would you want to give up all of those benefits simply because you aren’t losing weight? Or you have lost weight and it appears to have stalled.

If you are engaging in a health and fitness journey and you are not working on all of those things that I have listed - and only working on losing weight - you are setting yourself up for complete failure - because naturally, your weight loss will stop - and when that happens you will feel like you are failing.

I always say:

“Focus on production, not reduction”

— Adam Berry, The Gym Starter

I appreciate that list might look overwhelming, but many of it is the by-product of just engaging in physical movement and an active lifestyle appropriately - and only focussing on weight loss - that is not an appropriate way to engage with not just movement, but yourself too.

I understand and appreciate that weight loss might be a great tool for which people begin, get started and can discover all of this - but once you have got over that initial moment of engaging because of your body weight - you need to transfer your thoughts onto that list I have laid out.

Be proud of what you managed to lift and how you managed to lift it. Be proud of the fact that you are eating in a more structured way and that is having huge benefits on your relationship with food.

And if you aren’t doing those things and if you aren’t focussing on that list …it could be an indicator as to why your weight loss has plateaued.

Bodyweight Settling Points

Set Point theory is the premise that you have a predisposition to a certain body weight. This is due to a number of factors, but genetics and lifestyle are the two main ones.

It is only a theory, but it is backed by quite a lot of evidential studies. [3, 4, 5].

This doesn’t mean that you are predetermined to always be overweight if that is where your set point is. It means that changing it might be a lot harder than you ever thought possible. Having worked with thousands of people on weight loss over my career I have found this to be true as well. Very few people lose the 3 stone of weight that they were aiming to, and then also manage to stay there for the rest of their lives. Most people I have worked with, we are always trading around 5lbs here and 5lbs there - and those who do lose more, have to overhaul a lot in their lives both mentally and physically to manage it, and it takes a lot longer than you would ever believe.

Setpoint theory is also why we define successful weight loss as losing 10% of your body weight and keeping it off for at least a year. You may lose 17% initially - but that might be an amount too great for your body and therefore 10% is the marker of successful weight loss.

Because weight will come up and down.

You can change your set point - which is why I refer to it as a “settling point”. At different phases in our lives, we will probably have different bodyweights. Think of it like this - if I took you out of your environment right now and placed you on an island somewhere to live - it is likely that your bodyweight will change - as you have different access to different foods.

This happened to me - when I moved to Australia - trying to learn the nuances in the different foods here took a while - and it meant I stuck to things I knew a little more - which were obviously brands that generally pack their food with calories.

Added to that my activity levels were very different whilst I was trying to find a job, get used to being out of the sun for certain hours of the day and not having the money to be able to pay for a Gym whilst I was setting everything up.

Then once I got used to my environment, my body weight started to decline again back to where it nearly always sits at around 80kgs.

Therefore your body settles depending on its environment - and the more comfortable you are in an environment the more likely you are to hit a plateau.

Added to all of this, we also have mechanisms in our body that when it realises calories are being reduced, it changes your hormones to increase hunger to protect you. These hormones are affected by Adipose Tissue (Fat Cells) and the more of them you have the more the hormones will affect you making things just that little bit harder for you.

And as you can imagine, the closer to that point you get - the more your body will fight back - the more likely you are to be in a plateau.

This is exactly why you should focus a lot more on the list above than just the scale readings you are collecting.

Metabolic Apdation (check in with your numbers)

Metabolic Adaption [6] is the very simple fact of life that a smaller organism needs fewer calories to survive. As you lose weight, you will require fewer calories to maintain that weight.

Therefore if you have been losing weight, and that seems to have slowed down for a long enough period to quantify an actual plateau (at least a couple of months) depending on the amount of weight you have lost in that time, it could mean you need to check your calorie deficit numbers again.

The caloric maintenance of your body has literally changed - and it is quite common for someone to still be eating the same amount of calories that were designed for when they started their fitness journey as opposed to where they are now - as they have noticed a big slow down in weight loss.

So always check in with your maintenance numbers, which will then allow you to adjust your calorie numbers.

For more on Bodyweight Maintenance head here: How To Find Your Calorie Maintenance Level

And if you want a free Calorie Calculator then please head here: Free Fitness Goodies

Build More Muscle and Be More Active???

It would be remiss of me to write this whole article without touching on these points.

And I have put a question mark next to the points for very good reason. For this article, I have written it with the perspective that you probably already are being very active - and probably don’t have the privilege. to increase that part of your life too much.

If you are stuck, and you aren’t doing 2-3x strength sessions a week, you aren’t regularly hitting 8k steps a day at least, then yes - please do that.

By doing that I almost guarantee your weight will change again.

I also want to discuss the art of building muscle here.

Everyone is different - but building muscle takes time. It takes more time if you are female and it takes more time the more experienced you are at doing it.

For a woman, you are looking at about 1lb a month in the first year, then 0.5lb a month in the second year of training.

For a man, you are looking at about 2lbs a month in the first year, and then 1lb a month in the second year of training.

1lb of Muscle at rest burns 5kcal a day.

Therefore after your first year of training as a woman, you will have only added an extra 60kcals a day to your metabolism, and if you are a man, you can double that.

Yes, building muscle will help your metabolism because you will also burn calories as you exercise, and after you exercise. But in order to improve your metabolism enough to see it on the scale and to help break through a plateau you are going to have to be very dedicated to the cause of building muscle for a period of time a lot longer than you probably believed before you read this article.

Of course, I am an advocate of strength training for all people - I just wanted to bring to your attention that when people tell you to build muscle to improve your metabolism, it is true, but not in the manner you may interpret it, or the manner in which they believe it would help you also.

Just be aware, that building muscle probably isn’t the quick fix you are hoping for to break through a plateau - but it’s a blinking good thing to do for your health.

What’s Next?

How long does a weight loss plateau last

I really hope you found this article useful, and that you feel a lot better about your struggles at the moment. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work, it really does mean a lot to me to have you here.

If you would like a Free Calorie and Macro Calculator then just put your email in here:

References:

Sarwan G, Rehman A. Management Of Weight Loss Plateau. [Updated 2021 Oct 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576400/
Wing RR, Phelan S. Long-term weight loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jul;82(1 Suppl):222S-225S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/82.1.222S. PMID: 16002825.
GEMA FRÜHBECK,, JAVIER GÓMEZ‐AMBROSI, Rationale for the existence of additional adipostatic hormones, The FASEB Journal, 10.1096/fj.00-0829hyp, 15, 11, (1996-2006), (2001).
Hoeger, W., Hoeger, S., Fawson, A., & Hoeger, C. (2019). Principles and labs for fitness and wellness. Cengage.
Liao, T., Zhang, S.-L., Yuan, X., Mo, W. Q., Wei, F., Zhao, S.N., Yang, W., Liu, H., & Rong, X. (2020). Liraglutide lowers body weight set point in DIO rats and its relationship with hypothalamic microglia activation. Obesity: A Research Journal, 28(1), 122-131. doi: 10.1002/oby.22666
Trexler, E.T., Smith-Ryan, A.E. & Norton, L.E. Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 11, 7 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-11-7

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 28/8/21 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 28/8/21

Why Can't I Lose Weight No Matter What I Do?

Inability to lose weight despite diet and exercise

Choose a Lego Head above.

Any Lego Head.

And I imagine its pretty close to how you are feeling about your weight loss efforts…and how you happened to end up here…reading this Article.

And if you have been trying to lose weight for a while now…and you have ended up here, reading this, then I am sure you probably feel more like this:

To find the images of the Lego Heads I used two words:

“Angry” and “Frustrated”

This gives me one sole goal for this article - as your Coach - to remove your frustration and your anger about your inability to lose weight no matter what you do - and be able to set you up on a path to success.

Just like my friend Jenny who lost over 7kgs working with me online on the Strong and Confident Program.

She came to me at her whits end - having spent hours on the Gym floor, following every single piece of advice they gave her on diet and exercise. Sometimes she would exercise twice a day just to try and achieve a change on the scale, in her clothes or how she felt about herself.

And still couldn’t crack the “secret code” to weight loss.

Then we spoke on a video chat, she was very emotional and I held out my hand, told her to stop worrying, and together….we’ve got this.

She achieved this by just doing 10mins a day every day for 3 months.

Because she had a process that she could trust.

And that is what I am going to share with you today in order to make you feel empowered, strong and confident to finally Google the term:

“How to get strong enough to wrestle a bear in the woods”

Please remember this article is not from a Medical Perspective - it is a Coach’s perspective on why you aren’t losing weight no matter what you do.

I am presuming you have been to the Doctor, and got the all-clear from any severe Metabolic conditions, I am also going out on a limb and saying that if you have Hypothyroidism, PCOS, or are currently struggling with the symptoms of Menopause what I am going to share with you is still relevant, and will still work - it just is that much harder.

If you need help with PCOS and Weight Loss then read this:

HOW TO ACTUALLY LOSE WEIGHT WITH PCOS

The structure of this article is a little different from my “normal” ones. For each header, I am going to pose you a question for you to answer - from there I will hope to establish some holes in your approach to losing weight - and I will tell you the science-backed solution to fixing that hole in your approach.

By the end of this article, you will be able to reset, reapproach and feel reinvigorated to help make the changes you need.

All I ask from you, as you read this, is that you are honest with yourself in how you respond to these questions.

If you are able, to be honest, then I will be able to help you…and we can make you feel more like a Super Hero in your weight loss journey. We can literally get you eating ice cream and losing weight….

Which in truth is the ultimate goal anyway isn’t it?

Table of Contents for “I Can’t Lose Weight No Matter What I Do”

Are you in a Calorie Deficit?
Are you sleeping enough?
Are you blaming your Metabolism?
Are you making the most of your Metabolism?
Are you restricting your diet too much?
Are you being consistent?
Are you expecting your movement to do the job for you?
Are you on a plan that is making you unhappy?
Are you too stressed?
Are your expectations too great?
Are you comparing yourself to others?

Question 1: Are you in a Calorie Deficit?

If you have read any of my work before then you will know that a Calorie Deficit is the only way you can lose weight.

As in you need to burn more calories from your body than you are putting into it - and this is what a Calorie Deficit is.

Very simple to understand - but not easy to implement.

If you have found this article, and you have never heard the term Calorie Deficit before then this is the reason you are not losing weight no matter what you do.

You should probably watch this for further context on what a Calorie Deficit truly is and how to set yourself up in a Deficit:

If you have heard the term before, and believe it is what you have tried to implement - then keep reading because every single point I am going to explore in this article is literally going to be the best Coaching advice I have for you to investigate WHY you aren’t in a Calorie Deficit DESPITE your best efforts.

So lets get into it…

Question 2: Are you Sleeping enough?

I have laid out the correlation between sleep and weight loss in one of my more recent Blog Posts: Why Does Sleep Affect Your Weight Loss?

In writing that Blog, I came to the realization that Sleep is probably more important to a human in order to lose weight than a Calorie Deficit.

Because…

Without enough sleep, you simply will not be able to get into a Calorie Deficit.

In a nutshell…sleep helps you process your emotions like stress and anxiety. When we are deprived of sleep, there is greater activity in the part of the brain known as the Amygdala [1].

The Amygdala is responsible for your emotional responses to what is happening to you during the day.

In subjects who are more sleep deprived, the Amygdala is buzzing with activity, and therefore the sleep-deprived person is responding more emotionally than if they had their 8 hours a night.

And if your emotions are high and negative, your Caloric intake increases.

As the study ‘Modeling the Effects of Positive and Negative Mood on the Ability to Resist Eating in Obese and Non-obese Individuals’ [2] states:

“We also demonstrated strong associations between food craving and these eating behaviours, particularly after following a negative mood induction in obese individuals”

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Question 3: Are you blaming your Metabolism?

Throughout life, you may have heard lots of different theories on your Metabolism. The two main ones are:

Your Metabolism slows down as you age
Your Metabolism is broken or Starvation Mode

Let’s deal with your slowing Metabolism first.

A new study called: Daily energy expenditure through the human life course [3] has found that your Metabolism is stable throughout your adult life from the age of 20 all the way up to the age of 60.

This is despite going through Menopause and Pregnancy.

This is good news. As it now clearly shows us that assigning blame when it comes to weight to something that is “out of your control”, ie; your Metabolism, is not a useful strategy.

You can now look past this, and start investigating other reasons you may be unable to lose weight - more than likely one of the other points in this blog.

And as for your Metabolism being broken from a history of eating too little…that is also not relevant.

You can’t break your Metabolism.

The thoughts on this stem down into something known as Starvation Mode; the idea that if you eat too little over your life then your body goes into a “survival mode” or a “starvation mode”.

This does not exist.

Your body metabolically adapts but does not stop as the study Metabolic slowing with massive weight loss despite preservation of fat-free mass [3] concluded:

“RMR declined out of proportion to the decrease in body mass, demonstrating a substantial metabolic adaptation” .

in 1944 the University of Minnesota wanted to find out what extreme Famine does to a population and crucially how to rehabilitate people out of extreme famine in the wake of World War 2.

The study [4] started with, starving people. For real. In study conditions.

36 participants were recruited and were put into Prisoner of War conditions. Made to do manual labour, walk 22 miles a week and were fed 50% of their caloric needs.

Oh, it gets worse…

They did this for 6 months.

One participant cut off his fingers just to get out of the study early…

And as you can imagine it got pretty rough for them. On average each participant lost 25% of their body weight. Here is a photo from the experiment:

But crucially what happened to their Metabolism?

Their metabolisms were performing about 20% lower than predicted after losing weight - their metabolisms adapted.

But this was a two-fold experiment. Participants were put into a “recovery diet” to help them regain the weight they had lost, and after 12 weeks their metabolisms were re-assessed. In 12 weeks their metabolisms were only underperforming by 10%. And in some cases - there was no Metabolic damage at all.

So after being put into Prisoner of War Camp-like conditions, given just 5o% of their caloric needs each day and being forced to do what can only be described as a fuck tonne of exercise, their Metabolisms were not “broken”.

And if you look at this study it would suggest that if you followed the recovery of the subjects in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment for longer than 12 weeks - their Metabolism made a full recovery.

And…

Each participant continued to lose weight throughout the whole experiment.

Question 4: Are you making the most of your Metabolism?

Your metabolism (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is made up of four components.

why can't I lose fat in a calorie deficit?

As you can see in the chart above, your Basal Metabolic Rate which is 70% of your Metabolism is the largest portion of your Metabolism. But it is also largely out of your control. This 70% is determined by your Sex, Height, and Weight. It's how your body just keeps your body functioning to get the most out of your Metabolism, as in, to burn the most amount of Calories each and every day, you should focus on your NEAT.

This makes up 15% of your Daily Caloric burn.

It outranks your time in the Gym by 10% and outranks the food you eat by 5%.

So how do you increase your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis?

Aim for 8-10k steps a day
Stand up when on the phone
Stand up when at work
Have walking meetings/social events
Park further away from the shops
Fidget more
Stand up on Public Transport
Use the upstairs toilet, not the downstairs toilet
Stand when you brush your teeth

Many people when they want to begin to lose weight will prioritize in this order:

Exercise in the Gym
Nutrition
Daily Movement

Even to the point that 2 and 3 sometimes don’t even get thought of.

But in truth it should look like this:

Nutrition
Daily Movement
Exercise in the Gym

Question 5: Are you restricting your Diet too much?

Restriction of calories can lead to weight loss.

That’s basically what a Calorie Deficit is.

But there is a dark side to this as well - and this dark side is probably the number one reason people yo-yo diet AND just can’t seem to lose weight no matter what they do.

This is what occurs:

You decide to lose weight
You jump onto a Calorie Calculator and get an arbitrary number of calories to lose say 1kg a week
That number is a very low amount of calories
You manage to stick to this very low number for a brief period
The hunger and the restriction gets too much
You stop restricting but you don’t go into a balance
You go into a Binge
This binge lasts two months because now you feel like you failed
You gain weight again
You repeat the cycle

And what happens is you spend more time out of a deficit than in one which will lead to short and sharp results with the weight loss - but ultimately you will feel like you are constantly failing and unable to ever lose weight because it’s just too damn difficult to do.

This is what I describe as a classic Binge and Restrict Cycle.

You blame yourself for not being able to stick to it.

When in truth you were always set up to fail from the start.

When you over restrict - you have to compensate for that at some point down the line and this creates a swing of too much restriction and too much indulgence.

Then over a year, you have spent more time out of a deficit than in one - which is why you seem to never be able to lose weight.

It always comes down to sustainability and giving yourself a much longer-term view of your goals rather than trying to achieve what you want in a couple of months.

You need what I call…a wide angle lens….

@thegymstarter

When really you just need to be more level with everything to begin with. Drop your expectations of losing weight on a set schedule, because scale weight doesn’t work on a schedule, and give yourself a smaller deficit - which is wholly more sustainable.

To figure that out you can download my Free Fitness Goodies which includes a personalized calorie calculator which makes sure you set yourself up for success with sustainable methods.

Question 6: Are you being consistent?

It’s an infamous word, isn’t it? Consistency. I feel we all know what it means - and we all believe we are executing on it.

But much like the binge and restrict cycle outlined previously, when it comes to consistency what occurs is perfection and abstention - and often the perfection part of the pendulum is confused for consistency.

Many many many people tell me they are being consistent:

By going to the gym every day
By avoiding processed foods every day
By cutting out sugar all the time
By tracking their food every day

Whenever you use the words “every day” or “all the time” you are not being consistent.

You are striving for perfection. And perfection is impossible.

And then when you can’t keep up the perfect routine you are excusing for consistency the feelings of failure begin again…and you eventually give up.

You don’t need to do it every day. You don’t need to work out every day. You don’t need to track your calories every day. You don’t need to eat salads every day to have success.

You do need to do it consistently - a good guide for this is the 80/20 rule which would dictate that in a month you need to be hitting your goals around 25 days of the month.

As the study “The Effect of Adherence to Dietary Tracking on Weight Loss: Using HLM to Model Weight Loss over Time” [6] states:

“Successful behavioural interventions should emphasize the benefits of consistent dietary tracking for participants, motivating individuals to track for at least 5 days of each week for sustained and clinically significant weight loss"

Not 7 days, not even 6. At least 5 days.

That sounds like an 80/20 rule to me.

To find out more about how to implement consistency in your fitness journey head here: How To Stay Consistent With Your Fitness

Question 7: Are you expecting your movement to do the job for you?

Now I am sure you have heard the old saying:

"You can’t out-train a bad diet”

And this is pretty much true - although I detest over simplifications and cliches like this.

On an average strength training workout, you are burning maybe 300 calories.

At a real push.

You could try and get a bigger calorie burn in by doing some cardio or HIIT but these exercises increase your appetite - so any gains you might make in the Calorie burning department are going to be negated by your hunger increasing.

And for women, that increase in hunger can occur 3-5 days after you have actually worked out meaning it can become really unclear on what the root cause of that increased diet is.

You may well be reading this section and thinking:

“When I work out my watch tells me that I burn 600kcal a workout”

Well, again, your watch is lying to you. There are many studies like this one [7] that shows a wristwatch can be up to 25% inaccurate when looking at calories burned from exercise.

This isn’t to say that being in the Gym isn’t useful for your health and wellbeing - especially when you are wanting to lose weight - it is vitally important to help you get a sense of wellbeing, of strength and achievement.

But you need to get into the mindset of going to the Gym to “get strong enough to fight a bear in the woods” and you need to get into the mindset of your controlling your calories to try and help you lose weight.

The gym isn’t for burning calories, its for getting strong and proving to yourself that you can do hard things and repeat behaviours over time that will lead to your long term success elsewhere in your life.

Question 8: Are you on a plan that is making you unhappy?

This again is a very common behaviour and it doesn’t matter how great the plan is in terms of results, you will never be able to do it for long enough to actually see these results if you aren’t enjoying what you are doing.

I can think of many examples of Exercise regimens and Diets that do not prioritise balance and enjoyment - and sadly they are the ones that have a lot of marketing behind them and promise “fast results”.

When it comes to diet and exercise - enjoyment is the sole driver of success.

If you don’t enjoy what it is you are doing, but do see results, that’s great. But it just will not last. The results will be temporary and the inevitable weight regain will occur on the back end.

Now sure, we would all enjoy eating doughnuts all day long…

But that too would soon become unenjoyable, just like it did with Homer.

The key to successful weight loss is getting into a process.

The last thing you want is to reach a goal and realise it was all about the process in the beginning.

By focussing on the process, you also focus on the behaviours that will change your life - and get you to your goals.

If those behaviours don’t inspire you, don’t excite you and don’t drive you to take action each and every day then you will never be able to sustain what you are doing.

If you can learn to focus on the process of looking after yourself in this manner, then my friend, you have already won.

Question 9: Are you too stressed?

Stress is very underrated in terms of how it affects your ability to lose weight.

A point beautifully demonstrated by Homer. Again.

Stress will create two behaviors in your life that make a Calorie Deficit very hard to stick to.

The first is that it will disrupt sleep - now I covered that in Question 2, however, you cannot be reminded enough that you need a better sleep regimen to be able to stay in a Calorie Deficit.

The other role stress plays is its link to emotional eating.

Now firstly we all emotionally eat - please do not think that you are “broken” because you respond to emotions with food. We all do it. The biggest difference here might be the quantity or frequency upon which we do it.

Personally, my emotional eating reveals itself in chugging a beer or two.

For others, it can be hours of eating Haribos or hours upon hours of drinking alcohol - my emotional eating binges last for the duration of the food I am consuming - whereas, for other people, it can last whole evenings, possibly three to four times a week.

Often when it comes to emotional eating, we try to fix the emotions with food - however in truth, the only thing that will fix the emotional eating is learning to process the emotions correctly - and dealing with that head-on.

Stress is proven to cause an increase in caloric intake in someone’s life.

As the study: “Stress-induced obesity and the emotional nervous system [8] concludes:

“Stress also induces secretion of glucocorticoids, which increases motivation for food, and insulin, which promotes food intake and obesity. Pleasurable feeding then reduces activity in the stress–response network, reinforcing the feeding habit. These effects of stressors emphasize the importance of teaching mental reappraisal techniques to restore responses from habitual to thoughtful, thus battling stress-induced obesity”

As you can see there is a need to help reduce your stress in the best way possible.

These are my top recommendations to help you reduce stress:

Get enough sleep regularly. If you need help with that listen to my Sleep Stories here: Three Medatitive Sleep Stories by Adam Berry
Exercise regularly. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and help you sleep, as well as process your emotions.
Eat more nutritiously - make choices that align with your goals and you will feel like you are achieving as opposed to constantly failing.
Meditate. I don’t mean sit on the floor humming, I mean take time to connect to your breath and actively relax - that’s all meditation is. To get some free meditations from me head here: Centering The Breath: A YouTube Playlist

Question 10: Are your expectations too great?

I’ll let you in on a little secret:

Expectations are the number one reason people fail in fitness.

Forget everything else.

The issue is without a doubt expectation.

Many people start with an expectation that is wholly unrealistic - and usually based on an arbitrary human they have seen on Social Media as opposed to what is realistic for them, in their given circumstances.

And then when these expectations are seldom met, you start to feel like a failure….which inevitably results in giving up.

Let’s say you set up a goal to lose 5kgs. You aim for 0.5kgs a week and expect this to take 10 weeks.

Seems reasonable enough.

But over a 10-week period…you will inevitably have a few nights out….maybe a weekend away with your partner and let’s face it, a few missed Gym sessions.

You decide to weigh yourself weekly (more on why this is not a good idea here) and let’s say you only lose 200g one week….you have fallen behind your expectations, and go into “catch up mode”

The more this happens, the more drastic the behaviours come for you to get back on track.

The more drastic the behaviour the more unsustainable the whole thing becomes.

The only expectation you should have when it comes to your Fitness Journey is to simply try your best, do your damnedest, and get your strongest.

These are goals within your control, and they will result in your success becoming inevitable.

Question 11: Are you comparing yourself to others?

Ever heard the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy”?

Well, it’s true. By trying to live up to what someone else has achieved will only result in you not enjoying what it is you are doing.

You aren’t them. You don’t live their life. You don’t have the same abilities, genetics, finances, health, and support they have.

You are simply yourself.

You are simply only ever in competition with yourself. When you can try to just be better than you were yesterday you will build momentum, and momentum can be very very powerful.

But if you compare yourself to others, your momentum will stop immediately because you will only ever compare yourself to someone who is doing better than you - because that is all you will see.

The brain finds what we focus on. If you only want to focus on people who are thinner than you, lighter than you or more confident than you….then that is all you will ever see.

Nay.

That is all you will ever compare yourself to. When in actuality you have done better today than you did yesterday.

This is the last question in this Article. But I want to truly leave you with one thought.

One thought that will be the biggest game-changer you can imagine - an attitude that if you can adopt will allow you to stay focussed on what you are trying to accomplish and will allow the results you crave so much to come.

And it is this:

Adopt this singular thought - and your confidence will soar.

If we all just realized that nothing compares to ourselves…we will all become superheroes.

And being a superhero for yourself is what you should want to become.

Did You Find This Useful?

why can't I lose weight even when I exercise

Thank you so much for reading my article - I really hope you found it helpful.

As I mentioned earlier in the article, I would love to work with you if you need help with any of the above.

If you would like to apply to work with me then just click here:

Learn more

Thank you so much for being here.

Speak to you again soon.

Coach Adam

References:

Walker, M. P., & van der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological bulletin, 135(5), 731–748.https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016570
Udo T, Grilo CM, Brownell KD, Weinberger AH, Dileone RJ, McKee SA. Modeling the effects of positive and negative mood on the ability to resist eating in obese and non-obese individuals. Eat Behav. 2013;14(1):40-46. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2012.10.010
Johannsen DL, Knuth ND, Huizenga R, Rood JC, Ravussin E, Hall KD. Metabolic slowing with massive weight loss despite preservation of fat-free mass. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Jul;97(7):2489-96. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-1444. Epub 2012 Apr 24. Erratum in: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 May;101(5):2266. PMID: 22535969; PMCID: PMC3387402.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment
Zinchenko, Anastasia & Henselmans, Menno. (2016). Metabolic Damage: do Negative Metabolic Adaptations During Underfeeding Persist After Refeeding in Non-Obese Populations?. Medical Research Archives. 4. 10.18103/mra.v4i8.908.
Ingels JS, Misra R, Stewart J, Lucke-Wold B, Shawley-Brzoska S. The Effect of Adherence to Dietary Tracking on Weight Loss: Using HLM to Model Weight Loss over Time. J Diabetes Res. 2017;2017:6951495. doi: 10.1155/2017/6951495. Epub 2017 Aug 9. PMID: 28852651; PMCID: PMC5568610.
Shcherbina A, Mattsson CM, Waggott D, Salisbury H, Christle JW, Hastie T, Wheeler MT, Ashley EA. Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2017; 7(2):3. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm7020003
Mary F. Dallman, Stress-induced obesity and the emotional nervous system, Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 21, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 159-165, ISSN 1043-2760, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2009.10.004

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 3/6/21 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 3/6/21

Why Does Sleep Affect Your Weight Loss?

We live in an age where sleep is an aspect of our lives we compromise on more and more.

Sometimes through our own behaviors, we have ALL said “just one more episode” when watching Schitts Creek, despite knowing it would take our sleep from seven hours…to six and a half.

Or…many people struggle with their sleep due to more intricate issues like anxiety and stress. In fact in the UK during the first Lockdown in 2020, Britons suffering from sleep loss due to worrying increased from one in six to one in four, with Key Workers, Mothers, and people from Minority Backgrounds being the worst affected [1].

We know that Mental Health issues are on the rise, outside of the Global Pandemic. In fact, this is the World Health Organizations summary of the state of the Worlds Mental Health as of 2017:

“Mental health conditions are increasing worldwide. Mainly because of demographic changes, there has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last decade (to 2017). Mental health conditions now cause 1 in 5 years lived with disability. Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental health condition, with suicide the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. Approximately one in five people in post-conflict settings have a mental health condition.
Mental health conditions can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance, relationships with family and friends and ability to participate in the community. Two of the most common mental health conditions, depression and anxiety, cost the global economy US$ 1 trillion each year.
Despite these figures, the global median of government health expenditure that goes to mental health is less than 2%.” [2]

From this information, it is fair to conclude that as our Mental Health deteriorates, so too does our sleep.

And this links to increased body weight.

As the study “Sleep and Obesity” from 2011 states:

“According to recent estimates, the worldwide prevalence of obesity has doubled since 1980. This obesity epidemic has been paralleled in modern society by a trend of reduced sleep duration. Poor sleep quality, which is often associated with overall sleep loss, has also become a frequent complaint.”[3].

Please don’t misunderstand me.

Sleep is certainly a major aspect of every human’s life, but it doesn’t dictate whether or not you gain weight - eating too many calories does.

But Sleep, or lack thereof, is oftentimes the reason that you might be consuming more calories.

And that is what we are going to unpick in this article.

I’m going to show you some of the risk factors associated with lack of sleep, how that will then impact your sleep - and crucially a plan of action to help you improve your sleep.

Table of Contents for: Why Does Sleep Affect Your Weight Loss?

The Link between Sleep, Depression and Weight Gain
The link between Sleep, Stress and Weight Gain
The link between Sleep, Hunger Hormones, and Weight Gain
The link between Sleep, Reduced Movement, and Weight Gain
How To Improve Your Sleep

Over the years that I have been working as a Personal Trainer, one thing that very few people seem to have a handle is a good, solid, sleep routine.

And the second I bring it up with them, they get very defensive.

I have heard things like:

“I may go to bed at 2 am but I sleep really well”

“Lack of sleep just doesn’t affect me”

“But I must have “me” time”

And from Matthew Walkers brilliant book “Why We Sleep” he states this:

“People have said to me I’ll sleep when I’m dead. And that is exactly right…because lack of sleep in one’s life means that you will indeed die sooner”

The benefits of sleep sit directly opposite to many of the causes of weight gain and obesity.

We know that factors like depression, stress, poorer health, lack of confidence, lack of creativity, and lack of movement, are all things that can lead to increased body weight in an individual.

And they are all aspects of your life that sleep can improve.

The Link Between Sleep and Mental Health and Weight Gain:

According to the Sleep Foundation:

“It is becoming clear that there is a bidirectional relationship between sleep and mental health [4] in which sleeping problems may be both a cause and consequence of mental health problems.”

Cause and consequence.

The later stage of sleep, known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, a stage that you will visit up to 4-6 times as an adult has profound effects on your emotions and health.

The amygdala is part of the brain, that is responsible for your emotional memories. It is responsible for giving emotions meaning and memory. It is also responsible for your responses to your emotions.

All of your emotions.

In a study by Matthew Walker, [5] they took a group of people and split them in two. Both Groups were shown emotional Stimuli, and then one group was allowed to sleep, the other was sleep deprived.

As you can see in the Figure below the sleep deprivation group showed much higher activity in the amygdala:

Concluding that: “Without sleep, however, amygdala-mPFC connectivity was decreased, potentially negating top-down control and resulting in an overactive amygdala.”

But why does Depression or even an Overactive Amygdyla due to lack of sleep equal weight gain?

Have you ever heard the term “emotional eating”?

I think we all know what emotional eating is, although there isn’t an actual medical definition. I would describe it as:

The behaviour of consuming any food, as a direct result of an emotional experience you have had happened to you at any time in your past, or anticipate might happen to you in the future and seeking short-term comfort in this behavior.

In fact, I bet you have used it…I think we all have at one time or another.

Depression in and of itself doesn’t mean you will gain weight but there is a correlation.

About 43% of Adults with Depression are Obese according to the CDC, and those who are diagnosed with depression are more than likely to be overweight.

So you have to ask yourself. What is coming first? Depression, Emotional Eating or Lack of Sleep?

Well, I can’t sit here and tell you to just stop being depressed.

I can’t sit here and tell you to just stop eating emotionally.

But I can ask you to build a better structure around your bedtime, protect your sleep in a much better way…and can then see if that has a positive impact on the other factors at play.

The Link Between Sleep and STRESS and Weight Gain:

Stress impacts hunger in a number of ways. In fact, stress is an emotional term we give to a hormonal response pulsing around our body. This hormone is called Cortisol.

Cortisol can cause havoc in our systems.

When we experience stress, our adrenal glands on top of our Kidneys release insulin into our bloodstream, which means that there is more Glucose in our system.

This is fine when you are running from a bear - or a whirlwhind.

But repetitive exposure in the body to Cortisol can and will lead to weight gain - because that glucose needs to be used, or it gets stored in the body…and typically that occurs around the midsection.

A 2015 study [6] found that when people are stressed your metabolism is slower.

In the modern-day, a threat can be a bad news article, an unwanted text, bills to pay, just a scroll on Social Media. We don’t run from bears anymore.

What we do instead is sit at our desk fuming at the situation we are in, or we turn to our fridges in order to cope with the emotional feeling we are experiencing.

How does Sleep reduce Stress?

Having already established that REM sleep helps you reduce the activity in your amygdala each night and in turn helps you with your mental health, it stands to reason that it would also help you with the emotion of stress.

In fact, here is an image from the American Psychological Association [7] that demonstrates the negative effect of stress on people if they get less than 8 hours of sleep a night:

does lack of sleep cause weight gain does sleeping too much cause weight gaindoes sleeping in the afternoon make you gain weight does sleep affect weight losslack of sleep weight gaindoes lack of sleep cause weight lossdoes sleeping more i…

Looking at that list of symptoms of stress, outside the norms of being an emotional eater, many of them link directly to other factors that lead to weight gain.

Lacking interest, motivation, or energy - we know that boredom equals the consumption of food in many people, combined with the lack of motivation and energy leading to a lower metabolism each day.

Skipping Exercise - this will result in fewer calories burned, less muscle on the body and therefore opens up the potential to unwanted weight gain

The Link Between Sleep, Hunger Hormones, and Weight Gain

Your appetite is controlled by two very receptive hormones.

Leptin and Grehlin.

Leptin is the hormone that is responsible for your stomach telling your brain that you are full.

Grehlin is the hormone that is responsible for your stomach telling your brain (hypothalamus) that you are hungry,

In the ideal world we want our brains to be very recpetive to Leptin, and have low levels of Grehlin, leading to lower hunger and increased satiety once we eat.

Think of Grehlin as this:

A little gremlin that is easily influenced and affected by nearly everything that goes on in your body.

Factors that increase Grehlin in your body are:

Weight Extremes, both anorexia and obesity alter Grehlin
Low Muscle Mass
Lack of Protein in your Diet
Yo-Yo Dieting
Eating too few calories for too long a time

and, yup you’ve guessed it:

Lack of Sleep

Added to that there are many factors that cause Leptin levels to decrease, or more, can lead our brains to just not recognize it.

And therefore you may never feel full after eating…even though you technically are, which will result in more calories consumed.

When this is the case you are “Leptin Resistant” and to try and reverse this you should:

Exercise more
Eat less highly processed foods
Increase your Soluble fiber intake (fruits, vegetables, whole grains)
Increase your protein intake

and, yup you’ve guessed it:

Improve your sleep

How are Grehlin and Leptin affected by Sleep?

In 2004, Taheri et al, took 1,024 participants from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study [8] and tested their blood each morning for Grehlin and Leptin levels.

The study found a correlation between lack of sleep in duration and increased Grehlin and lack of sleep in duration and decreased Leptin.

As shown here:

The link between Sleep, Reduced Movement, and Weight Gain

The Sleep Foundation states: “Losing sleep can result in having less energy for exercise and physical activity” [9]

If I refer you back to the image I shared with you earlier, from the American Psychological Association, there were two symptoms of stress that I bought to your attention in terms of how stress affects your ability to affect your weight.

Lacking interest, motivation, or energy and Skipping Exercise

This all points towards “prescribed movement” and it stands to reason that you are going to be less likely to head to the gym if you are sleep deprived.

No one wants to see this:

But there are other forms of movement that help significantly with your weight loss efforts.

The Daily Step Count.

And let’s face it, those who are tired are less likely to walk, less likely to fidget, and therefore are less likely to burn enough calories in the day to help them with their weight loss efforts. Therefore lack of sleep reduces your metabolism.

How does reduced sleep mean fewer calories burned each day?

When we look at your Metabolism - the name given to the body’s ability to burn calories - we can see it is broken down into four main sections:

The two I want to draw your attention to today are:

NEAT - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and EAT - Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

These two categories are basically the calories you burn through movement. NEAT is your daily movement outside of prescribed activity, and EAT is your prescribed activity.

Therefore, if you aren’t moving, if you aren’t getting to the gym, then you are burning fewer calories each day. NEAT is 15% of your Metabolism and is the reason we Personal Trainers ask you so very often to increase your step count. More steps equal more calories burned which equals an impact on your weight.

Aside from all the other amazing benefits walking can bring you.

Added to this, the more tired you are, the less intensity you will be able to put into your training.

There have been a variety of studies on this.

This study [9] took 10 male athletes, deprived them of sleep for 30 hours, and tested their Sprinting ability - which was indeed reduced significantly.

This study [10] took Runners and Volleyball players and tested their time to exhaustion after being deprived of sleep for one night. It concluded: “We suggest that one-night sleep deprivation may reduce exercise performance by decreasing exercise minute ventilation and time to exhaustion. We also indicate that sleep loss may decrease more the performance of volleyball players than that of runners.”

It would is my belief that Volleyball players tire quicker because the sport would require much more cognitive work combined with physical work. It is a less repetitive movement pattern and therefore you are having to make more decisions relating to the execution of skill as well as your physical fitness.

Looking at these studies, it is fair to conclude that lack of sleep will result in less time being active, less intensity when being active and therefore not helping your overall goal of being able to sustain a healthy weight in the long term.

How To Improve Your Sleep

Now that we have looked into the effects that not having enough sleep can have on you, its probably a good idea to look at how to actually help you to get to sleep so that you can start implementing some better behaviors for your bedtime.

Plan to Get 8 Hours Sleep A Night

All of the studies I have looked into for this article state that the optimal time for sleep is indeed 8 hours. This is because our bodies go through sleep cycles - about 4-6 a night.

NREM sleep or Light Sleep is broken into three stages, and in one cycle to get through all three stages it can take about 45mins.

REM sleep or Deep Sleep can last between 10-60mins. Giving you a total, across 6 cycles, of about 8 hours worth of sleep.

The whole pattern of your sleep is known as your “sleep architecture” and as you can imagine, we all have a different architecture - but bearing these guidelines in mind will certainly help you.

Sleep with the Sun

Have you ever heard of a circadian rhythm? This is your body’s natural timer, that correlates with the sun.

As the US National Institute of General Medical Sciences states:

“Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes. Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms. One example of a light-related circadian rhythm is sleeping at night and being awake during the day.” [11]

Many people put great value on living in harmony with their circadian rhythm and making sure they get up when the sun comes up and go to sleep when the sun comes down - and it makes sense that it is what the human race has done since time began.

So if you are lucky enough to be able to do this…then I strongly recommend it. If you are a Shift Worker or a New Mum, then of course this will be more difficult for you to implement…but at times in your life when you can…make this a priority in the best way possible.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise makes you tired, which makes you sleep in a more restful state. By sleeping in a more restful state you will get much more quality sleep and feel more rested when you wake up again.

Exercise also helps stabilize your mood and decompress your mind which will help you drift off into NREM Sleep.

Listen to a Sleep Story

Why do we read to children before bed? One because it’s good for their development…but also to help them wind down after an exciting day of discovering the world. Yet as adults we simply think that we don’t need to do the same.

We give our brains no space to decompress from whatever we were doing in the evening to hitting the pillow. And then we just toss and turn and get frustrated that we can’t seem to drift off.

Sleep Stories are excellent at two things.

Distracting your mind and taking them on a journey
Helping you meditate before you sleep

I’m awful at keeping up with the habit of meditating - despite the fact I know how good it is for me.

Being able to quieten the mind during the day is something that takes discipline and repetition - and my days lack structure for that to be able to occur.

Therefore I do my meditation as I drift off to sleep - and I kill two birds with one stone.

Might not be optimal. But it’s certainly possible for me - and I do these with Sleep Stories.

I can’t remember how I first discovered them…but I have been listening to them very consistently on the Calm App for nearly 5 years now - and have journeyed in my mind’s eye to some of the most amazing places the world has to offer - and it has benefited my sleep beyond words.

Sleep Stories do take a while to get used to…and they do require an element of patience. For a while I used to fight them so much, I used to find them intrusive and frustrating…but just like meditation the more you practice the better the effect of them.

So if the Sleep Story doesn’t work right away - the issue is not likely to be the story (although we all find different voices soothing and not so soothing). Work through it - the benefits of being able to calm the mind to ensure you drift off peacefully are very much worth it.

If you want to try a Sleep Story…luckily I have recorded a few myself for you to enjoy.

Listen to a Sleep Meditation

These are very similar to Sleep Stories but rather than distract your imagination they are designed to focus you on your breathing, using suggestive language to help you calm your mind and drift away into NREM Sleep.

Meditation is a very powerful tool to help you learn to quieten the mind and help you move away from the stress of your day.

Here is a selection of Sleep Meditations I recorded for my clients.

If the Sleep Stories are too distracting these might help you in a very similar way.

Get Off Your Phone 60mins before Bedtime

Your phone releases Blue Light. In fact, most screens do. And this blue light directly stops your brain from releasing melatonin, which is the hormone required to induce sleep.

It’s great to have this Blue Light during the daytime, as it can be helpful to keep our brains switched on, however it is not helpful before bedtime.

In fact, many screens these days have a “Night Shift” Mode which takes out the blue light and makes your screen look yellow. I have this turned up all day every day on both my iPhone, my MacBook, and my iPad.

It has got to the point where when I look at a phone without this on…I feel like I need sunglasses to look at it. I also make sure my TV Screens have their backlight and Brightness turned down. It takes some getting used to in the beginning. But is so worth it on the other side of a great night’s sleep.

Reduce Caffeine late in the day

Now by late in the day I really mean late in the morning like 11 am.

And by Caffeine I’m not just talking about Coffee. I’m talking about all caffeinated drinks, including Coke Zero and Cups of Tea.

Let me explain why.

The standardized recommendation for caffeine for an adult each day is just 400mg.

Caffeine has a half-life of 5 hours. This means that if you drink a cup of coffee with 300mg of Caffeine in it, like a Starbucks Venti Americano, at 11 am, you still have 150mg of Caffeine in your system at 4 pm. Wind this on further, and at 9 pm you still have 75mg of Caffeine in your system - and at 2 am the next day 37.5mg of Caffeine in your system.

Now I know many people, that believe Caffeine doesn’t affect them. This is certainly not the case. About 10% of the world has the “Caffeine Gene” according to a 2011 study.

If you are still able to consume caffeine and drift off to sleep then that’s great, but the effects of the caffeine will happen in your sleep. The caffeine will affect your ability to get into the crucial deep restorative REM sleep [12].

Reduce Alcohol Intake

Sorry, Homer. This just isn’t true…especially if you struggle with fatigue.

Much like Caffeine, Alcohol also inhibits that all-important restorative REM Sleep.

Although alcohol can induce sleepiness and is a relaxant, you will get into a vicious cycle if you rely on it for sleep, because of how it impacts your ability to have deep REM Sleep.

In Conclusion

Sleep is one of the single most important pillars of a healthy happy life. Away from your body weight, sleep is a critical part of your human behaviour.

Now I am acutely aware that sleep cannot be afforded to us all in a fair manner. My fiancee works in Emergency Services, and she has looked into the negative effect that shift work has on your health. Poor Sleep behaviour isn’t the sole reason that shift workers’ health is negatively affected, but it is certainly one of the largest.

I am also aware that many people struggle to sleep for much deeper psychological reasons pertaining to something from their past.

And of course, as I have mentioned previously, new parents are always going to struggle with their sleep behaviour for obvious reasons.

What I would ask of you is this.

Give yourself a chance. Many people do struggle to sleep, but they also don’t do anything to help the root causes of this either.

I once heard that the bedroom should only be used for two things.

Sleep and Sex.

If you want to make your Weight Loss journey as successful as possible, as sustainable as possible and you want to get the most out of your training, then stop looking for the BCAA supplements, stop looking for the quick fixes, stop looking for the optimal amount of nutrition and for crying out loud….PRIORITISE YOUR SLEEP.

If you get this in place first…I bet everything falls into complete insignificance.

Sleep and Sex.

If you remember one thing from this article.

Remember that.

Did You Find This Useful?

Thank you so much for reading my article - I really hope you found it helpful.

I work with clients all over the world in my One on One Coaching Program called The Strong & Confident Program.

A New Program Designed To Get You Stronger, Healthier & more confident than ever before.

My aim with the friends I work with is to give them so much more out of their fitness by focussing them on the process of getting stronger and therefore making them more confident.

Just like with this article - where I like to give as much help to you as I can

My approach to online training is no different. The whole program is about you - how best can I serve you, and therefore help you in the best way possible.

Just like my client Tim who has nailed the last 5 months.

We actually worked very hard on two things I have referenced in this article with Tim. We increased his Steps (NEAT) and we improved his sleep.

Tim is getting married next year, and he is trying to make sure that he feels his most confident & strong on what will be a truly happy day. Tim has trained with me in person for a number of years until in 2021 he decided to take me up on my offer of working online.

And by making that switch…he really started getting some results. In 5months he has lost nearly 2 stone in weight, and every lift he is doing has improved. This coincided with asking Tim to get more steps in each day…and now he is on an average of 15k a day….and his sleep has improved leaps and bounds.

He still enjoys a beer at the weekend - and we both have a love of well Barista’d coffee.

But he has learned how to still enjoy meals out with his lovely fiancee (soon-to-be wife) as well as keeping on track with his goals of feeling stronger and more confident ready to tie the knot.

It goes without saying how utterly proud of him I am.

But more importantly…he is proud of himself.

And there is no better success than that.

If you want to get a Free Month of Coaching with me then hit the Learn More button below and apply to work with me on the next page.

LEARN MORE

Thank you so much for being here and reading my work.

Speak again soon,

Coach Adam

References:

the Guardian. 2021. Coronavirus lockdown caused sharp increase of insomnia in UK. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/02/coronavirus-lockdown-increase-insomnia-uk-sleep-mothers> [Accessed 24 May 2021].
Who.int. 2021. Mental health. [online] Available at: <https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2> [Accessed 24 May 2021].
Beccuti, G., & Pannain, S. (2011). Sleep and obesity. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 14(4), 402–412. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0b013e3283479109
Scott, A. J., Webb, T. L., & Rowse, G. (2017). Does improving sleep lead to better mental health? A protocol for a meta-analytic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ open, 7(9), e016873.https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016873
Walker, M. P., & van der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological bulletin, 135(5), 731–748.https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016570
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Habash DL, Fagundes CP, et al. Daily stressors, past depression, and metabolic responses to high-fat meals: a novel path to obesity. Biol Psychiatry. 2015;77(7):653-660. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.05.018
https://www.apa.org. 2021. Stress and sleep. [online] Available at: <https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep> [Accessed 2 June 2021].
Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D, Young T, Mignot E. Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index. PLoS Med. 2004 Dec;1(3):e62. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062. Epub 2004 Dec 7. PMID: 15602591; PMCID: PMC535701.
Skein M, Duffield R, Edge J, Short MJ, Mündel T. Intermittent-sprint performance and muscle glycogen after 30 h of sleep deprivation. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Jul;43(7):1301-11. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31820abc5a. PMID: 21200339
Azboy O, Kaygisiz Z. Effects of sleep deprivation on cardiorespiratory functions of the runners and volleyball players during rest and exercise. Acta Physiol Hung. 2009 Mar;96(1):29-36. doi: 10.1556/APhysiol.96.2009.1.3. PMID: 19264040.
Nigms.nih.gov. 2021. Circadian Rhythms. [online] Available at: <https://nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/Circadian-Rhythms.aspx> [Accessed 3 June 2021].
Sleepfoundation.org. 2021. Caffeine’s Connection to Sleep Problems | Sleep Foundation. [online] Available at: <https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/caffeine-and-sleep> [Accessed 3 June 2021].

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 2/4/21 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 2/4/21

How To Stay Full In A Calorie Deficit Without Being Hungry

The Calorie Deficit is an incredible tool when it comes to weight loss.

In fact…it’s the only tool.

So if you want to lose weight…you need to understand how to make a calorie deficit as easy as possible for you.

That being said…it isn’t an easy thing to do.

One of the quandaries that dieters are in is how to eat fewer calories overall….and not get stupendously hungry in the process.

And that is the aim of this article. To teach you how to figure out this conundrum - to keep hunger low and intake as high as possible - whilst still being in a Calorie Deficit.

Added to that I am going to share some recipes with you that are from the Recipe Manuals I give to, my clients on the Strong & Confident Program

The recipes are all:

As much food volume for as few calories as possible
Have MyFitness Pal Barcodes for you to track
Tasty as hell

For example…one thing that directly affects your caloric expenditure is indeed your caloric intake.

The simple adage: “Eat Less, Move More” is not only stupid but more and more it’s becoming clearer that you just can’t simplify the energy balance equation to something so base.

Firstly, let me say thank you to you for being here. What I am hoping by the end of this article is that you comprehend more about what a Calorie Deficit looks like in terms of the foods that will make it as easy as possible for you and help reduce your hunger.

Secondly, it would be awesome if we became friends by way of you joining my mailing list.

I will, of course, email you things. Sometimes they will be educational, sometimes they will be inappropriate, and sometimes I might just want to know how you are; either way…it would be delightful to connect with you more.

Just send me a friend request by filling out the form below…

Thirdly, please bear in mind that the body is clever…and it has what we call a “Set Point”. This Set Point in terms of your weight is where your body is happiest, and it’s very hard to change….but it can be changed.

Your body loves to be exactly where it is….and moving it away from that point, whether you want to gain weight or lose weight, the body will fight you.

Fight you every step of the way.

(Side Note: Sir Ian McKellen is actually one of the nicest actors I have ever met)

The body won’t fight you because it hates you, or because you are broken.

Your Metabolism is not broken (unless diagnosed by a Doctor and even then…it can still be affected to work for your Fat Loss in nearly all situations)

Don’t believe me? Read this:

Is My Metabolism Really Broken?

Your body fights you, and everybody’s body fights them because of something called Homeostasis - which is your body being in balance hormonally. It likes who you are. Your body just loves being cosy and warm and loves to snuggle you exactly where you are.

Personally, I have been trying to gain weight for about six months now. My body is comfortable and really happy at 80kgs - it’s where I feel best. I feel strong, I feel happy in my clothes and my belly feels normal.

In February I weighed in at 83.5kg. I remember going to a Birthday Party for a 1-year-old and I felt so out of sorts. My body didn’t feel right, my belly felt bloated and although I was at 83.5kg it felt like I was a lot higher weight than that.

It was an abnormal spike, I weigh myself every day, and I knew it was a spike. But I personally felt very uncomfortable. I was bloated and I felt awful for the whole day.

But if I look at my average weight over the last 90 days it is 82kgs - and I feel exactly the same now as I did at 80kgs.

I don’t feel bloated and uncomfortable. I feel exactly the same. I have changed my Set-Point. My Metabolism, Muscle Mass and Diet have all fallen into line with where I am at the moment.

And this happens both in weight gain and weight loss.

It takes time.

It’s not easy.

And there are ups and downs.

BUT

You can change that set point.

This is why Dieting is hard. This is why you might feel incredibly hungry when you are in a Calorie Deficit.

And this is why I have written this article.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR: How To Stay Full In A Calorie Deficit Without Being Hungry

How Much Food You Should Eat in a Calorie Deficit to help with Hunger?
What Foods should you eat to help with hunger?
Other Foods That Will help with hunger.
Other Tips and Tricks to help with hunger.

You can listen to the audio version of this Blog Post on my Podcast: The Fitness Solution

How Much Food Should You Eat In A Calorie Deficit?

This is a crucial question.

Now I am sure you are reading this because you have an understanding of a Calorie Deficit and you probably know the numbers you are trying to work towards.

However, if that isn’t you…before you read this article please head here:

What Is A Calorie Deficit Diet?

Now. personally, I get all of my clients to set their Deficit into a Caloric Window.

This window is between their Basal Metabolic Rate (70% of their Metabolism) and Goal Body Weight in LBS x 12.

(Provided they have given me a realistic Goal Body Weight - that’s a WHOLE other topic)

Then I encourage them to EAT MORE FOOD.

Many of them, when they start working with me will go for the lowest number…their BMR, because they believe that will give them their results the quickest.

But what you must always remember is:

“If the methods are unsustainable the results are unsustainable”

— Jordan Syatt

Therefore I encourage them wholeheartedly to eat more. Eat more food. Higher Volume food so that being in a deficit is as easy as possible for them.

If you want to learn how to lose weight and keep it off forever, then you need to do this too.

Sacrifice quick results.

For lasting results.

By eating more food than you ever have before.

The ultimate goal for your Calorie Deficit is to eat as much as you can within your numbers - that is the aim.

Not to eat as little to survive.

This comes down to the whole thrive or survive mindset - and like always I want you to be your absolute best….not just cling on for dear life.

What Foods should you eat to help with hunger?

Rather oddly.

Over the last couple of days, I have had a TikTok post go very viral.

All on this topic.

The aim of what you are going to eat should be quite clear to you now….

MORE FOOD!

But the question remains…how do you do that without increasing Calories outside your Window?

Don’t Forget To Follow Me On Instagram:

Take Me There…

Protein - The Weight Loss SuperFood

The first place to look is here - under this Macro Nutrient.

I’m sure you are aware that Protein is a very important aspect of your diet.

I think the world is coming around to how advantageous Protein is when dieting. But many people do still underestimate how useful it really can be.

It can also be one of the hardest things to increase to adequate amounts. (about 1.8-2g/kg of Lean Body Mass)

It has only 4kcal/g and has a multitude of other benefits when dieting:

Helps maintain muscle when losing weight (i like to think of this as eating muscle to get muscle).
Keeps you fuller for longer - as it takes longer to digest.
Reduces Appetite and Hunger Levels - as it reduces the hunger hormone Grehlin in your body.

My Favourite Sources of Protein (PRO):

Meat per 100g serving:

Chicken Breast: ~30g Pro / 6g Fat / 0g Cho / 165kcal
Turkey Breast: ~28g Pro / 7g Fat / 0g Cho / 189kcal
Steak: ~26g Pro / 19g Fat / 0g Cho / 276kcal
Kangaroo: ~20g Pro / 1.3g Fat / 0g Cho / 102 kcal

Fish per 100g serving:

Tuna Steak: ~29g Pro / 1.3g Fat / 0g Cho / 132 kcal
Salmon: ~22g Pro / 13g Fat / 0g Cho / 208kcal
Dover Sole: ~18g Pro / 1g Fat / 0g Cho / 89kcal
Halibut: ~22g Pro / 2.5g Fat / 0g Cho / 115kcal

Dairy per 100g serving:

Eggs: ~12g Pro / 11g Fat / 1.1g Cho / 155kcal
Greek Yoghurt: ~10g Pro / 0.4.g Fat / 3.6g Cho / 59kcal
Whole Milk: ~3g Pro / 3.4g Fat / 4.8g Cho / 63kcal

Some people find Milk filling, and others don’t. I quite often when I am trying to lose weight am able to survive all morning on two medium Coffees.

YoPro Plain Yoghurt: ~10.6g / 0.3g Fat / 4.4g Cho / 64kcal
Cottage Cheese: ~11g Pro / 6g Fat / 1.9g Cho / 127kcal

Many of my clients really don’t like Cottage Cheese, so I tell them my strategy. Use it instead of Butter in your Sandwiches and Rolls and you won’t even notice it is in there.

Vegetarian Options per 100g:

Tofu: ~11.9g Pro / 7.5g Fat / 0g Cho / 127kcal
Tempeh: ~12.4g Pro / 5g Fat / 0.5g Cho / 112kcal
Seitan: ~25g Pro / 0.6g Fat / 5.3g Cho / 126kcal
Lentils: ~9g Pro / 0.4g Fat / 20g Cho / 116kcal

Supplementation of Protein per 100g:

Isolate Whey Protein: ~ 84g Pro / 3.9g Fat / 1.22g Cho / 380kcal
Quest Protein Bars ~ 35g Pro / 10g Fat / 7g Cho / 302kcal

My Favourite High Protein Meals:

Carbohydrates - The Demonised Food

Let me take a moment to be abundantly clear here.

Carbohydrates do not make you fat.

Sugar does not make you fat.

Carbs are literally a third of your diet and they are mightily important.

That being said some Carbohydrates have this annoying trifecta effect.

They are so damn tasty.
They are can be very high in calories
You don’t get to eat a lot of food for that calorie amount

And remember we are trying to make sure you feel full after eating - not empty. So your best Carbohydrate options will be the ones that are Lower Calorie, Higher Volume and will fill you up for longer as they contain more Fibre too.

I always advise the friends I coach online to lean into their Carbohydrate intake. If Calories are hard to keep down…then changing up your Carbohydrate source is the most powerful thing you can do.

Carbohydrates have exactly the same energy in them as Protein.

Please read that again.

Protein has 4kcal per gram and Carbohydrate has 4kcal per gram.

Irrespective of if you are eating sugar as your Carbohydrate or a Vegetable.

The issue arises when we eat sugar we normally eat an awful lot of it at once, and it makes us want more….which is why we begin to gain weight when we eat it.

My Favourite Sources of Carbohydrate (CHO):

Vegetables per 100g serving:

Sweet Potato: ~20g of Cho / 1.6g Pro / 0.1g Fat / 86kcal
Potato: ~17g of Cho / 2g Pro / 0.1g Fat / 77kcal
Carrots: ~9.6g of Cho / 0.9g Pro / 0.2g Fat / 41kcal
Broccoli: ~7g of Cho / 2.8g Pro / 0.4g Fat / 34kcal
Tomatoes: ~4g of Cho / 0.9g Pro / 0.2g Fat / 18kcal
Bell Pepper: ~6g of Cho / 1g Pro / 0.3g Fat / 31kcal

Interestingly Potatoes rank as the highest satiating food on the planet….according to the Satiety Index - and you can see the difference between Potato and Sweet Potato is negligible - both have their individual benefits.

My other fun fact about Vegetables is that this rule generally rings true: If it grows under the ground it will be slightly higher in calories than if it grows above the ground.

Fruits per 100g serving:

Strawberries: ~8g of Cho / 0.7g Pro / 0.3g Fat / 32kcal
Blueberries: ~15g of Cho / 0.7g Pro / 0.3g Fat / 57kcal
Blackberries: ~10g of Cho / 1.4g Pro / 0.5g Fat / 43kcal
Banana: ~23g of Cho / 1.1g Pro / 0.3g Fat / 89kcal
Apples: 14g of Cho / 0.3g Pro / 0.2g Fat / 52kcal
Watermelon: 8g of Cho / 0.6g Pro / 0.2g Fat / 30kcal

Fruits are incredibly powerful in filling you out and being able to fuel your workouts. I have a Banana before every strength session I do and start most days with fruit and a protein yogurt. Many fruits are so incredibly low in calories which means you can eat an awful lot of them if you need to cure hunger.

Whole Grains per 100g serving:

Oats: ~12g Cho / 2.4g Pro / 1.4g Fat / 68kcal
Brown Rice: ~23g Cho / 2.3g Pro / 0.9g Fat / 111kcal
White Rice: ~28g of Cho / 2.7g Pro / 0.3g Fat / 130kcal
Bulgur Wheat: ~76g Cho / 12g Pro / 1.3g Fat / 342kcal
Quinoa: ~21g Cho / 4.4g Pro / 1.9g / 120kcal
Cous Cous: ~23g Cho / 3.8g Pro / 0.2g Fat / 112kcal

Beans and Legumes per 100g serving:

Legumes: ~14g Cho / 5g Pro / 0.4 Fat / 81kcal
Tinned Mixed Beans: ~22.8g Cho / 8.7g Pro / 0.5g Fat / 127kcal

My Favourite High Carb/Low-Calorie Meals:

How to stop counting calories and not gain weight

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Dietary Fats

As we are here let me know touch on Fats.

Fats in and of themselves might not be the satiating for you. It’s quite a personal thing.

Some foods high in Fats like nuts, also contain Fibre just like many of the carbohydrates foods I have outlined above.

However, Fats carry a whopping 9kcal per gram and so when you start to increase these in your diet…you also increase your Calories.

Fats play an essential role in our health - they help the absorption of the ADEK Vitamins. Fats are also very useful for our cognitive function and helping to regulate our Hormones.

Don’t avoid them. But when focussing on Fat Loss make sure that you use them wisely.

I always like to add a portion of Nuts to my Salads and I usually have an Avocado with Salads and whenever I have Beans on Toast.

It seems to keep me going just fine.

Other Foods That Will Help You:

High Protein Bread per 100g:

My personal favourite is Burgen Soy and Linseed Bread: 15.2g protein/287kcal
Helga’s Soy and Toasted Sesame Bread: 15.8g protein/280kcal

These are both great options - as they rank high in the Fibre department too.

Many people believe that “bread is bad” and actually, come to think of it when I first started as a Personal Trainer nearly 7 years ago….I used to say this too.

But I got educated, and am happy to admit that I am on a journey of growth as much as anyone else.

I love these two loaves of bread because, well, it gives you an opportunity to make a more informed choice that will help you. You are always going to eat the bread…so how do you affect the quality of that bread? Well, I think these two do that just brilliantly.

Zero Calorie or Very Low-Calorie Sparkling Water per 100ml:

Plain and simple Carbonated Water is 0kcal per 100ml.
or
Mount Franklin Lightly Sparkling Raspberry Flavour: 2kcal/100ml

I use Sparkling Water all of the time. I use it late at night to help me avoid going for Beer when I am just sick of drinking water - and it’s really effective, it’s really refreshing and I can’t recommend it enough.

Low-Calorie Pasta Alternatives per 100g:

Slendier Spaghetti: 3.9g Fibre/8kcal

The whole Slendier Range is just simply magnificent. The amount of Volume of food you can eat for such little calories - I wouldn’t be surprised if they put conventional out of business very soon.

My fiancee and I use this whenever we make Spaghetti Bolognaise, and honestly…I notice no difference at all.

Low-Calorie Ice Cream per 100g:

Strawberry Cheesecake Halo Top: 5g protein, 15g carbohydrate/132kcal

My Favourite Desserts:

Other Tips and Tricks to Help with Hunger

Brush Your Teeth

It’s odd how brushing your teeth kills your appetite. But apparently, it’s because removing the small food particles in your mouth it stops them from playing tricks with your brain about how hungry you are.

I think there’s also something nice about it that prepares you for bed and you are aware you don’t want to be eating too close to when you sleep.

Mindful Eating

That rage. That rage you feel when you are hungry….

I know you know it well. Because we all experience it.

And then you eat something….

And the rage seems to still be there.

Oh.

Maybe you weren’t hungry, to begin with, hey? (sorry….Australia is starting to get to me).

Being truly mindful in these situations is really helpful. I do think Mindfulness and the whole chat around it at the moment is just vogue…and it’s not really a term I truly enjoy using. But it does seem to sum this up quite well.

When you feel hungry ask yourself: “Am I actually hungry or just a bit bored?”

Boredom eating is a form of emotional eating combined with stress eating - something which I think we all do in truth.

What is really going on here is your inability to work with and process the emotions you are feeling.

It might not be as cut and dry as “hungry vs bored”. You could be anxious, depressed, upset, feeling lonely, or vulnerable.

When you feel “hungry” it’s really important you begin to ask yourself what is truly going on. Have an important and difficult conversation with yourself and see if there are other emotions at play that you need to process.

Slow The F-Down

I’m terrible at this too. I eat far too quickly - and whenever I do I am always a touch more unsatisfied than when I just take my time.

There is also Science associated with taking your time when you eat.

There’s a hormone in your belly called Leptin - and this Hormone tells your brain when you are full.

But Leptin isn’t quick - it takes 20mins for that signal to be sent, and twenty minutes is more than enough time to absolutely eat many many more calories.

Some key strategies to slow you down would be:

Put your fork down between each mouthful.
Don’t watch TV or Sport when you are eating.
Engage in conversation with your family at the Dinner Table.
Don’t “work on your lunch break”

Try it. See how it feels.

Did You Find This Useful?

how to make sure your in a calorie deficit

Thank you so much for reading my article - I really hope you found it helpful.

I work with clients all over the world in my One on One Coaching Program called The Strong & Confident Program.

A New Program Designed To Get You Stronger, Healthier & more confident than ever before.

My aim with the friends I work with is to give them so much more out of their fitness by focussing them on the process of getting stronger and therefore making them more confident.

Just like with this article - where I like to give as much help to you as I can

My approach to online training is no different. The whole program is about you - how best can I serve you, and therefore help you in the best way possible.

If you have enjoyed this article and want to see if a Free Month of Coaching would suit you then please click on the Learn More Button below:

Learn more

I also have a couple of other articles that might help you navigate your Calorie Deficit:

Again, I hope you enjoy them.

Speak again soon,

Coach Adam

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 27/9/20 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 27/9/20

How Long Will It Take To Lose A Stone With Diet and Exercise?

In this article, I will tell you exactly how long it will take you to lose a stone with diet and exercise. It's a complex issue and I will hopefully take you through it in a very easy to follow and concise manner.

But before we get started I would like to invite you to become my friend by getting on my list.

I’ll email you things. Sometimes they will be educational, sometimes they will be inappropriate, sometimes I might just want to know how the hell you are; either way…it means we can be friends.

Oh, and I will also send you some free fitness goodies too, like a free calorie calculator, a month of in-home and in Gym Workouts and much more…but only when you send me your friend request:

Table of Contents for: “How Long Will It Take To Lose A Stone With Diet and Exercise?”

How to lose a stone with diet and exercise?
What if you are “Skinny Fat”?
How Long Will It Take?
Worrying About Time Is Your Enemy

But first, I want to tell you a story.

Personal Trainers don’t know it all — and that’s ok

This question takes me back years. To a very dear friend of mine who I worked with on the Gym Floor in person.

I am actually Godson to her Nephew, and crucially she is the reason that I am about to marry the most wonderful person on the planet.

This is one of the greatest gifts of being a Coach, that no school or certification can ever tell you. The personal relationships that you build and the way these relationships can transform your life is incredible.

Back to Jess, one of the first friends I ever trained. She turned and looked at me when we were chatting, stressed as anything, and asked:

“How quickly will I lose this weight?”

Now, back then, I didn’t have the knowledge, the expertise, or crucially the confidence to stand back and say to her:

“As long as it takes. It will depend on far more factors than you can even fathom”

So I made the terrible mistake of running to the toilet, checking Google, and coming back saying:

“About 2lbs a week”

If I could have my time again.

It will come as no surprise to you that both Jess and I learned a lot over the course of working together.

And luckily we managed to get her losing weight and she achieved incredible things:

How Long Will It Take To Lose A Stone With Diet and Exercise?Tips to lose a stone in a monthLosing two stone in two monthshow long does it take to lose a stone on slimming worldtips lose a stone in a monthhow long does it take to lose a stone health…

From left to right: Jess’ “Work in Progress Picture 2015–2017, Jess with my Godson on his Christening Day, and Jess on her Wedding Day to Matt (who is another dear friend of mine).

What I adore about all of these photos is Jess’s smile. She was also so full of life, and everything she does she puts her all into. Whether that is being a Teacher for little children, training with me, or now being a mother to her new family that she and Matt have. She is one of the most exuberant and fun people to be around, and looking at these photos makes me well up because being able to experience all of these memories with her as well means so much to me.

What I truly see in these photos is a woman full of confidence and life. And she deserves everything she worked so incredibly hard for, and for her to entrust me with getting her and her husband ready for their wedding was a true honor.

But I did let her down. If I knew then what I know now about how long it will take her to lose a stone my answer would be very different.

It would be what I am about to tell you right now.

So in a vow to never make that mistake again, I am writing this for you.

How to lose a stone with diet and exercise?

I am wholly encouraged that there is a new hashtag emerging on Instagram, and it is the following #caloriedeficitdiet

How To Lose A Stone With Diet

Whether you want Fat Loss or Weight Loss there is only one answer to the question of how you lose weight, and that is a “Calorie Deficit”.

This is the principle that energy in as calories must be lower than energy out, and this will create weight loss for you. You can create a Calorie Deficit in two ways:

Eat fewer Calories
Burn Calories through Exercise

In order to know how many calories is less than your body needs, therefore creating weight loss then use this equation for your “Upper-Calorie Window”

Goal Bodyweight in LBS x 12

For your “Lower-Calorie Window” you need to find out your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR.

To do this you can download any number of Calorie Calculators from the Internet, but the one I think is the best one to use is available right here.

A couple of really quick strategies to help you manage a Calorie Deficit in terms of your Diet would be to do the following:

Eat Protein and Vegetables at every meal
Drink 3 liters of water a day
Snack on Fruit
Track your calories using MyFitness Pal or another tracking app
Avoid excess liquid calories from drinks like soda, alcohol, and very high-calorie smoothies.
Try to limit the number of times you eat out in a week, as when in restaurants you have very little control over the preparation and calorie content of your food.

These are quite general guidelines but they will stand you in good stead as you get started on how to lose a stone with your diet.

I’m not going into to it much more here as I have nearly 10 articles on it on my website, that explain a Calorie Deficit in great detail, what your expectations with it should be, and how to implement my system of a Calorie Window.

If you do need some extra help on it right now then watch this:

How To Lose A Stone With Exercise

Strictly speaking…you can’t. Calories In are what matter when it comes to adhering to your plan to lose weight.

Although, exercise does burn calories, but not as much as you think. In fact, a study [1] took 60 healthy adults and made them wear laboratory devices as well as activity trackers to see how accurate they were. The Fitbit Surge was the most accurate at calculating calories burned at an error rate of 25%.

Yup. It can be up to 25% inaccurate.

This is why you are driving yourself mad by checking your calories burned from exercise on your watch…and you aren’t seeing results.

This doesn’t mean that Exercise is a defunct part of the Energy Balance Equation. There will be some calories burned from exercise…so that’s good, and you are building some muscle on top of that…but again…not as much as you would think.

But exercising gives you so much more than a method with which to burn calories, and this is one of the reasons that weight loss takes so much time.

Lifting Weights, being in the Gym, doing something difficult is a very human thing to do because it keeps you being a productive person.

And a productive person is a person that burns calories. When you exercise regularly this gives you a feeling of wellbeing. It creates momentum for you, and that momentum will lead you to making better choices about yourself outside and inside the Gym.

You might walk more, you might be able to get an extra training session each week, you might just choose to stand on your commute as opposed to sit on the train, or take the stairs as opposed to the escalator.

When you start adding layers of exercise into your life, you will learn the positive effects that will have on your wellbeing…and that is very addictive my friends.

Added to the above, it will help your Calorie Deficit not just by calories burned from exercise, but by exercising more it will guide you into making nutritional choices more aligned with your goals each and every day.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to how to lose a stone with exercise is this one word: enjoyment.

Essentially it doesn’t matter what “mode” of exercise you do, if you aren’t enjoying it you will not stick to it. If you have loved running in the past…then go running. If you enjoy the Gym…then lift weights.

If you want to try something new and think that will be tons of fun…then go do that.

You don’t need permission from me to do any type of exercise, you only need to give yourself permission to focus on exercise that you enjoy.

My preference is weight training in the Gym for those I work with Online as it is more efficient but it is also more accessible. No matter what your ailments you will be able to lift weights to some degree or level. Every exercise can be adapted for your goals and your physiology.

Whereas running is just running. Cycling is just cycling. If you can’t do it…you can’t do it, and that is that.

Here are some Workouts you can do in the Gym which I took from the following article of mine: 4 Gym Based Workouts For Beginners both Male and Female

They are designed to help you burn fat and build muscle at the same time in order to facilitate the Weight Loss you are after.

They focus on what we call Compound Movements. Moving like this will be your best way to get the most out of your training as it will activate the most amount of muscle which will help your Calorie Deficit the most.

What if you are “Skinny Fat”?

Everyone I have worked with when we first started working together wanted to lose weight, and I think in truth this is because that is what you know.

Or rather, you didn’t know that losing weight and losing Body Fat were two different things.

Or, you didn’t think the difference mattered.

I do believe it is important to know the difference between these two things as many people who need to lose body fat, think they need to lose weight.

There are huge swathes of females out there who dislike the way look and feel. The best word I can think of to describe this feeling to you is “loose”. You just feel loose, and you want to feel tight and “toned”. And you believe the answer lies in losing weight.

If you feel like this, you need to decrease your Body Fat, not necessarily lose weight.

You are what we would call “Skinny Fat”.

Which is a term I really dislike, but it is the industry standard. So for you, today, reading this, as it does explain my point I will just go with it.

When you work on losing body fat, you might not necessarily lose weight.

Let me say that again: When you focus on losing body fat, you might not lose weight.

Weight Loss directly relates to the reduction of everything in your body:

Body Fat
Muscle Mass
Water

This is why you lose scale weight when you cut out carbohydrates because, for every gram of carbohydrate you eat, your body will hold 2–3 grams of water.

It’s doesn’t necessarily mean you are losing body fat.

If you aren’t activating and exercising your muscles you will lose muscle density and therefore you might lose scale weight.

When you focus solely on just a Caloric Deficit, without musclar activation then you will lose weight, but you will also lose strength and metabolic performance.

Which can lead you into a very trapped place in terms of your futurre caloric restriction and being able to sustain your Weight.

There is no easy way to directly know whether you are losing body fat or just weight overall. What I would say is this:

If you are feeling a lot better in your skin,
If you feel stronger,
If you feel more confident,
If you feel your clothes are fitting better,
If you feel like you have more energy
If you are finding your Calorie Deficit manageable and sustainable

Then what you are doing is working, don’t oveththink whats happening in terms of the scale and keep going.

If you think you are “Skinny Fat” then you need to focus on getting in the gym and building your body up, in terms of its muscular density is going to have the “weight loss” effect you desire, except the scale might not go down.

To conquer the “Skinny Fat” equation follow these steps:

Increase Calories to 110% of TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
Strength Train 3–4x a week following a Training Plan
Focus on Performance Goals not Scale Goals
Reduce Cardiovascular output

Look for these markers of progress in your journey:

Are clothes fitting better?
Is the scale not moving down or up too much?
Are you lifting more weight each session?
Are you seeing muscle?
Are you eating enough protein?
Are you having increased energy?
Has your posture improved?
Are you less tired?
Are you more confident?
Do you feel more powerful?

But I Don’t Want To Look Bulky!

You can feel strong and empowered….without looking bulky.

Women have about 15–20 times [2] less Testosterone in their bodies compared to men, but they do make up for this difference in other hormonal aspects of their physiology.

Other hormones that help with muscle building for women is Estrogen [3]. This is a growth hormone that is particularly dominant in the first two weeks of a female’s cycle.

Find out more by reading this: How Does Your Menstrual Cycle Affect Your Fitness And Weight Loss?

Estrogen is great at:

Stimulating Growth Hormone Production
Preventing Muscle Breakdown
Increases Metabolism

This will more or less balance out your inability to build muscle because of a lack of testosterone. The reason you don’t see women with the same muscle density in the Gym as men is because they begin with a much lower (nearly half as much) amount of muscle as men, and can’t gain as much.

The more muscle you build, the less bulky you will look. Muscle on the female body provides definition, shape, and tonality. Therefore the more of it you build, and the less body fat you have (about 20%) you will have that shape and tonality that you desire.

But the path to what you desire isn’t dieting. It is muscle building.

How Long Will It Take?

I have literally just received a DM on Instagram of someone losing 13lbs in 30 days.

This is not what you should expect.

Some of the friends I work with online have taken 2 months to lose 6lbs.

So where does the answer lie?

Whenever someone new applies to work with me via Online Coaching I always ask them this question:

Would you rather:
a) Make very fast progress that you know is not sustainable?
b) Make slower progress that you know is sustainable?

This gives me a guide on where to set their Calories, Training, and how they will need coaching into the future.

I know that most people will want fast progress that will be sustainable, but it doesn’t exist. There comes a point where taking the fast track will always come to a crashing halt, and this could create a very testing path into the future.

Firstly, when you get seduced by fast weight loss, despite knowing that it can’t continue at the Cerebral Level, your imagination will keep saying to you:

“I am different. Look at my results. I am different. I can keep this up”

Your imagination can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

And oftentimes, with people, I have worked with over the years and those who are low on self-confidence, their imagination can be their own worst enemy.

When it comes to losing weight, these two words are without a doubt the most important:

Reality and Perspective

You must always root yourself in the reality of what weight loss is, and the best way to do that is to make sure you have a very realistic perspective.

The reality of weight loss is something you aren’t going to hear, but you really seriously need to listen to this point.

0.5lbs a week is fast weight loss. 1lb a week is terribly fast weight loss.

2lbs a week is beyond epic.

But these numbers can only be seen in this context with hindsight. When you look back over a year you will see an average weight loss of between 0.5lbs and 1lbs a week.

When you are in the thick of it, there is no way that it will be that linear. You will have weeks, sometimes months, when your weight goes up and stays up for whatever reason. You will have moments when it just drops out of control and you will think you are walking on the stars.

Scale Weight by its very nature is erratic.

And with all things erratic we must always give it space and time with which to actually process the results and effect it has had.

1lb of fat is equal to 3500kcal

“A total of 3500 calories equals 1 pound of body weight. This means if you decrease (or increase) your intake by 500 calories daily, you will lose (or gain) 1 pound per week. (500 calories per day × 7 days = 3500 calories.)” [4]

Do this for 14 weeks…magically that is how you lose a stone. Cue eye roll.

This is a conventional stance by many people who are just poorly educated in the field of weight loss. Although I am not denying the science about how many Calories makeup 1lb of weight, what I am calling into question is the lack of understanding this principle has for the human condition and crucially metabolic adaptation [5].

Metabolic Adaptation is the method upon which as you reduce the size of your body, you will need fewer calories to maintain it.

As you lose mass, you don’t just lose Body Fat. You will lose muscle, which will affect your Basal Metabolic Rate, you will also burn fewer calories as you move each day, because you are moving something with less Mass which means you are using less energy with which to do that.

Added to that, sticking to a Caloric Restriction of 500kcals each day for 14 weeks, without any variation on that number is very hard.

Let's look at this in more real terms.

A 40-year-old female who:

Weighs: 182lbs (12st/82kgs)
Height: 176cm (5ft 8in)
Leads a Sedentary Lifestyle

Has a Caloric Need of 1871kcal to maintain her weight.

If you then restrict her to 1371kcal a day (1871–500) in order to achieve this weight loss of one stone you are restricting her to below her Basal Metabolic Rate of 1559kcal a day.

This can then become dangerous and more unsustainable as time goes on due to the fact that you are not eating enough to fuel the basic needs of your body. Your Organs for example.

Five Ways in which restricting your calories to below your BMR level could be harmful are [6]:

It can lower your Metabolism
It will cause Fatigue and Nutrient Deficiencies
It may reduce fertility
It can weaken your bones
It may lower your immunity

And one I will add:

6. It might trigger Disordered Eating habits and behaviors

I’m not in the business of scaremongering, therefore looking at that list, I personally think the most crucial point in terms of your ability to adhere to the Caloric Restriction is number 2.

Fatigue will create havoc in your ability to lose weight. When you are tired you become stressed, leading to a desire for higher-calorie foods [7]. Then you will notice that you aren’t losing weight…and then you will feel like a failure…and then you will be inclined to quit.

Number 6 is also extremely important, as the restrict/binge continuum is something that is more common than you might imagine, combined with the possible effects of this on your Mental Wellbeing also.

If you do experience any behaviors of Disordered Eating please seek specialist help. BEAT is a fantastic charity available here: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

If only you actually implemented a sustainable Deficit in the first place and realized my next point…

Worrying About Time Is Your Enemy

When you focus too much on “how long will it take to lose a stone” you will end up putting yourself in a prison.

What happens is that you focus so much on the weight coming off within this particular, made up out of thin air, time frame…when the scale doesn’t comply because of factors effecting you that you didn’t even dream of when you came up with this made-up time frame, you start to feel like you are failing.

And when you start feeling like you are failing, you will start to give up.

And when you give up…you will never achieve what you want.

When you are truly trying to calculate by what point you need to lose this weight. Ask yourself “why”.

If your answer to why is any of the following:

Because I want to look better
Because I need it now
Because it will make me happy
Because it will make me more attractive
Because Karen at work managed it so I should too

Then you need to understand that the answer to these points lies in taking a lot more slowly than it does achieving it quickly.

Without a shadow of a doubt, if you want to make your Weight Loss successful and sustainable then you need to take it a lot slower than you imagined.

Slower than a 500kcal a day deficit. Slower than 1lb a week. Slower than you might really want it.

Because the chasm between wanting it and achieving it is layered with far more traps and potholes than you ever thought when you first typed into Google: “How Long Will It Take To Lose A Stone With Diet and Exercise?”

I believe the truth lies here:

You don’t actually need to lose a stone or any amount of weight by any particular date in the future.

The stress that a time frame will cause, will undermine your ability to actually lose weight. It also won’t take into account the craziness of this world.

Even if you try to lose weight by 1lb a week…that is still 3.5 months.

A lot of things can happen in 3.5 months, a lot of things that are out of your control, and will wildly affect how quickly you are able to lose weight.

So please, give yourself more time to achieve the weight loss you desire…and ironically it will happen more quickly because you won’t go through cycles of restriction/binge or success/failure/quit.

You will just keep plugging away.

You will learn how to balance your fitness goals with your very busy life.

and

You will find it empowering because you will see progress over a longer period of time which means you will keep going for a lot longer, and get results upon which you never thought possible.

Did You Find This Useful?

I have plenty more articles about weight loss throughout this website.

Here is a selection I think would make great further reading for you:

Added to that it would be AMAZING if you wanted more help from me.

Just can send me that friend request we spoke about earlier…and I will send you lots of help straight away.

References:

Shcherbina, A. et al., 2017. Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 7(2), p.3. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jpm7020003.
Encyclopedia, M., 2020. Testosterone: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: <https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003707.htm> [Accessed 25 September 2020].
Legion Athletics. 2020. The Ultimate Guide To Female Muscle Growth — Legion Athletics. [online] Available at: <https://legionathletics.com/female-muscle-growth/> [Accessed 25 September 2020].
Guth, E., 2020. Healthy Weight Loss. [online] Jama Network. Available at: <https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1900513> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
Darcy L. Johannsen, Nicolas D. Knuth, Robert Huizenga, Jennifer C. Rood, Eric Ravussin, Kevin D. Hall, Metabolic Slowing with Massive Weight Loss despite Preservation of Fat-Free Mass, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 97, Issue 7, 1 July 2012, Pages 2489–2496, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2012-1444
Healthline. 2020. 5 Ways Restricting Calories Can Be Harmful. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calorie-restriction-risks#:~:text=1.,8%20%2C%209%20%2C%2010%20).> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
Verywell Mind. 2020. How Stress Can Cause Weight Gain. [online] Available at: <https://www.verywellmind.com/how-stress-can-cause-weight-gain-3145088> [Accessed 26 September 2020].

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 7/7/20 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 7/7/20

7 Things Stopping Your Calorie Deficit

7 Things Stopping Your Caloire Deficit (1).png

The epitome of Weight Loss.

The foundation of all that you need to lose weight.

Martin MacDonald once said:

“Weight Loss is as simple as “Calories In vs Calories Out” but “Calories In vs Calories Out” just isn’t that simple”

And he is right. He is as right as they come. We have all heard the saying to lose weight you just need to eat less and move more but if you have any concept of how hard weight loss can be you will realize that this phrase is just short-sighted and far too simplistic for someone who needs help.

Because eating less is a very difficult thing to do consistently enough when you want to lose weight.

So here are 7 Things Stopping Your Calorie Deficit:

1. Not Eating Protein and Veggies At Every Meal

Oh, golly. The first one is really about eating Vegetables.

COME ON ADAM

But this is hella important.

Protein is a truly wonderful Macro Nutrient for many reasons…but why I am always preaching about why you should have it in your diet is because it fills you up. Your body takes a much longer time to digest protein than any other Macronutrient. This basically means it will keep you fuller for longer [1]. The way in which this works is it helps keep Grehlin at bay. Grehlin is your hunger hormone that tells your brain you want food.

So keeping that happy is a good idea.

As you already know from my Article on your Metabolism that you have read haven’t you? Good. Great. Well as you know Protein has a higher Thermic Effect of Food as well and therefore will burn more calories when it is being digested than other Macronutrients.

I personally would suggest you aim for 2g per kg of bodyweight each day.

AIM FOR…

That's a lot of protein if you have never tried before, but it will inspire you to start eating more and trying to get it increased. Which is what we want.

Read My Article that has helped 100s of people understand more about their Metabolsm right here: Is Your Metabolism Broken

What about the V-word then? The dreaded Mushroom. Seriously…is there a vegetable worse than a Mushroom?

Vegetables are Calorie Friendly foods. They have far fewer Calories in them than other foods, and therefore you can eat far larger portions of them. Which again keeps you filled up for longer.

For example….

100g of Spinach contains 24kcal

100g of Oven Chips contains 202kcal

100g of Chicken Breast contains 165kcal

So as you can see…you can eat A LOT more Veggies as oppose to anything else at the same quantity.

2. YOUR DOING TOO MUCH HIIT

Let me be clear…I love running and Cardio Exercise. I love lifting weights.

I very rarely get less than 10k steps in a day and I promote walking and cardio work to everyone in The Fitness Collective.

And all my clients follow Strength Training protocol.

However…HIIT has been known to damage your ability to control your Calories. Studies have shown that those who participate in HIIT might burn a few more calories in the session, but they then have a much higher appetite after the exercise session will then consume up to 350kcals more than someone who has followed a traditional Strength Training Programme. You also think that you have worked so hard you are entitled to be more relaxed around your diet. [2, 3]

It can sound so enticing when you hear about the idea of High-Intensity Interval Training. The idea of burning more calories in less time in the Gym. Who wouldn’t want that?

But in truth…let's say you do one 30min HIIT Session. That’s all you will do because of how exhausting it is.

Whereas if you did a Strength Training you might spend an extra 10–15mins in the Gym…but you will end up burning more calories overall for your workout.

Added to this many of the headlines regarding HIIT relate to a comparison against Steady-State Aerobic Exercise eg Running a 5km. [4]

Not a Strength Training Workout.

3. YOUR FOCUS IS IN THE WRONG PLACE

If you have been looking at my work for a while I would fully hope that you're a true member of team Calorie Deficit.

And by that, you know the only way to create Fat Loss is understanding your Energy Balance.

Calories In vs Calories Out

Now if you are starting your weight loss journey, or have tried in the past I am almost certain your top priority was activity.

Get a Gym Membership
Get a Personal Trainer
What Workouts to do?
Go for a run

etc etc

Your focus was on Calories Out.

If you send the word focus to the other part of the equation so that you begin to address your Calories In…

The Calories Out will take care of themselves.

I’m sure you have heard the old adage…you can’t out-train a bad diet. But the truth is you can’t out out-train a calorie-dense diet.

There is no good or bad…but if you are making the Calories Out your priority and focus…you will find a Calorie Deficit very difficult to create.

I’m not saying don’t exercise. Training is very important for your Health and your global wellbeing…and it will help you burn some calories and improve your body composition so you begin insuring yourself against future fat gain. But you must pour your focus into your Calories In.

4. YOUR CALORIE DEFICIT IS TOO BIG

You have to trust me here.

Your Calorie Deficit is too big. As in…you are allowing yourself too few calories.

If you have been at this for a while and you see initial results and then they stop you have probably set your Deficit to too low. What then happens is you end up in a cycle. You have a deficit, you maintain that for a few weeks maybe a month, you have seen some good results, but its hard work. You get tired, grumpy, and sick of tracking all foods and you just run out of steam. You then stop thinking about your calories and they start creeping up. You start eyeballing your portions and the calories start sneaking in more and more before you know it…you are no longer in a Deficit.

And all this has happened because your initial experience in the Deficit was far too hard.

By beginning with a smaller Calorie Deficit and allowing yourself to eat more within that Deficit you will find it far less restrictive and far more sustainable.

Yes…the results might not be as fast as you honestly want. But they will last a lot longer and you will still be able to have a night out with the girls.

I call that a Win Win Win.

If you want to find out how to set your Calories in a sustainable way then watch this:

5. YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN TOO QUICKLY

Quick question…

What do you think a decent amount of weight to lose each week is? Say you went to the gym two to three times, started eating a little more nutritiously and made health a little higher on your priority list…

What would you expect to lose each week?

Was your answer 2lbs a week? Maybe 3–4lbs a week?

No, I didn’t read your mind. I just know that you think 1lb a week for weight loss is too slow. Despite the fact that 1lb a week is incredibly realistic, incredibly sustainable, and would signify incredible progress.

By wanting more…you are damaging your chances of success. By wanting it to happen quicker you are damaging your chances of success.

Why the rush? Why the sudden it must happen in 3 months?

You need to take a long hard look at your health and you should want to incorporate it into a part of your life…just like work, finances, socializing and family. It should be part of what makes you up…not what defines you for three months and then not for another 6 years.

Look, it's perfectly OK to be in Year 7 of your 5 Year Plan.

Because really…if you have balance and have found a system that is working, even if it is slower than you initially wanted then what does that matter? Really?

And if you need proof of 1lb a week being normal weight loss…not slow weight loss…then watch this:

6. YOUR NIGHTS OUT

I’m not here to tell you to stop socializing. I really am not. Really.

Because you are a human being. And you have friends and family and you have to live your life right? And if I told you to not go out and enjoy your life you would just ignore me anyway…and rightly so.

The issue here really comes when you drink to excess. Although alcohol does pack a punch in terms of caloric value (about 9kcal per gram).

I will always allow my clients to do what the hell they want…but consider this little story of a night out and let me know if it resonates with you:

Night out with alcohol.
Get a kebab on the way home.
Eat toast when home…put kebab under bed
Eat kebab for breakfast because you are hungover.
Lay in bed all day feeling sorry for yourself.
Try to cheer yourself up with a Domino’s (other Pizza is available)
Eat half of that.
Still not moved all day.
Go to sleep
Wake up….eat the rest of your cold pizza
Feel a little better.
Get a text from a friend about going out.
Feel like you need to feel like you have actually done something this weekend.
Meet up with said friend…
Have a drink or five.
Get a kebab on the way home.
Eat toast when home…put kebab under bed,
Eat kebab for breakfast because you are hungover.
Spend all day in bed and get no steps in.
Take about 3–4 days to regain your energy levels from lost sleep and feeling groggy
Finally, get back on track maybe Friday.
Then its the weekend again…

I have done this. If I haven’t done all of this (like a Kebab for Breakfast) but I have definitely noticed the huge drop in discipline, activity and focus after a night out.

When you see Trainers on Instagram piling on the “Weekend Calories” bandwagon…its not because we don’t like fun.

Its because you see it as one night out.

We see the effect it has on everything for the next three to four days.

7. YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME LETTING THE SMALL THINGS STOP YOU DOING THE BIG THINGS

Here is a conversation I had on Instagram with someone this week. This was someone who is at the moment doing Keto. By her own admission, she knows it is unsustainable due to the extremely low carb intake it requires.

When I asked her what she would then move into this was her response:

Now her suggestions aren’t that far off.

Other than the fact Protein itself doesn’t increase muscle mass. You can’t just eat Protein and magically grow muscles. To magically grow muscles you need anabolic steroids…which I do not recommend.

However, she has a Fat Loss goal. She would prefer to spend time figuring out the new regime of Intermittent Fasting, counting her Carbs and Fats, and then making sure her protein has gone up proportionally as well.

Maybe it is just me…but I read that and thought…BLIMEY. That's a lot of words. A lot of figuring out. When really all she would need to do is operate a system like my Five Awesome Rules For Fat Loss Life and its all taken care of.

This girl has missed the point, and its not her fault. But she has got bogged down on the small things.

Other examples are things like:

Cardio or Weights?
Bike or Treadmill?
BCAAs or Protein Powders?
Keto or Intermittent Fasting?
Macro Splits?
What Vitamins to take?
Normal Potatoes vs Sweet Potatoes

I’m sure you get the point.

You could spend all day thinking about this…and not actually go to the Gym…or move.

Or track your calories.

There's a massive reason most of my message is always about the same few topics…because those are the big things that make the biggest changes.

If you really want to start getting results, and getting them fast…stop worrying about the small stuff that will give you 10% of the result.

And do the Big Stuff that will give you 90% of the result you want.

You will thank me.

Oh and if you want the Five Awesome Rules for Fat Loss Life…its right here:

Did you find this useful?

You can Join The Fitness Collective which is my Membership Group. In there I give Monthly Updates, Live Q and A’s, I provide you with new workouts each and every month, and write guidance on your fitness journey.

To find out more about The Fitness Collective you can click here: The Fitness Collective

Please share this with your friends and anyone else you may know who is worried about training in a gym, and feel free to follow me using the links below…

And if you want to get updates on when I publish new articles, publish new podcasts or anything else then please remember to sign up below

And above all remember this…for as long as you are trying your best no one can ask for more from you.

Coach Adam

Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 5/5/20 Adam Berry - The Gym Starter 5/5/20

Is Emotional Eating Your Biggest Problem For Fat Loss?

I normally start an Article like this with a funny meme.

You know, a picture of Joey from Friends eating Pizza with a humorous caption to the effect of: “It's not my fault I can’t lose weight…it's my emotions”

But actually I was quite surprised by what I saw when I typed into Google:

“Emotional Eating Memes” because what actually showed up was “Stress Eating Memes”

And I think that is really what is going on with a lot of Emotional Eating.

In this article we will discuss the following:

Is emotional eating something that affects only me?
What is emotional eating and why does it occur?
How do you begin to change your behaviour with emotional eating?
Can I lose weight whilst working on my emotional eating?
Conclusion

Before we go any further I need to run a few disclaimers. I’m a very experienced Personal Trainer in the field of Female Fat Loss.

I am not a Psychotherapist, Eating Disorder Clinician or Doctor of any kind. If you are currently suffering from an Eating Disorder or feel like you might have an Eating Disorder akin to anything like Bullemia, Purging, Anorexia Nervosa or any other kind of Disordered Eating then please contact your GP immediately, or contact the fantastic Charity BEAT: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

Is Emotional Eating something that affects only me?

Many of my clients think that their emotional eating is significant to them, that they are the only person who turns to a Glass of Wine or a Bar of Chocolate to help them feel better about themselves.

And I’m sure you think that about yourself too.

But here's a thought…what if it is more normal than you originally thought? What if more women than you knew were actually emotional eaters…it's comforting right? That you're not alone. That you're not broken. That it's not something that is only wrong with you.

People find a lot more comfort in the knowledge that there is a sense of “normality in numbers”. When a client first comes to my Gym and starts working with me, they are normally nervous as hell…until I tell them that actually everyone is nervous. Everyone in this building is nervous, which is why they are here in the first place. All my clients are scared their first time, but they got through it…and you will too. They then relax, they calm down. It's now not “just them”. They are now not singled out in their minds. Social Psychologist Robert Cialdini in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion says the following:

“Whether the question is what to do with an empty popcorn box in a movie theater, how fast to drive on a certain stretch of highway, or how to eat the chicken at a dinner party, the actions of those around us will be important in defining the answer.”

We find great comfort in following the crowd. But we must always know that the crowd exists first. When you type “Emotional Eating” into Google you get About 397,000,000 results (0.44 seconds).

It's a popular topic. You aren’t alone and it's certainly not the case that you are broken.

In short, …it is a normal behaviour pattern [1].

What is emotional eating and why does it occur?

I couldn’t write a whole article without a meme now, could I?

Emotional Eating is closely related to Binge Eating, however, Binge Eating is classed as an Eating Disorder, and Emotional Eating is not classed as an Eating Disorder due to the fact that as discussed above, we all do it.

I’ve eaten chocolate to feel better, I’ve got horribly drunk after I split up with an Ex and I have also eaten Pizza until my heart is content because something wasn’t feeling right inside of me.

You are jumping straight to the “Eating”And not looking at the “Emotional” with enough scrutiny.

The Pizza didn’t help. Nor did the Alcohol. Nor did the Chocolate.

The reason? The eating wasn’t the reason I needed comfort. The emotion was.

You will go through an emotional moment and then move towards an item of highly palatable, calorific food or drink. We all do it.

How Do You Define Binge Eating? <<< Read my article on how to understand if you are Binge Eating…

What we don’t all do however is look at the reason why we went to the food. You jump straight to the food being the problem because it doesn't align with the physical goals you have set for ourself.

You are jumping straight to the “Eating”, and not looking at the “Emotional” with enough scrutiny.

As a Coach I’m guilty of this as well. In the past, I have only focussed on the “Eating”. Clients tell me that they want to lose weight, and I will jump straight to the calories, without thinking about their Emotional state soon enough, or putting in enough measures to help them make sure that they are working on their emotional environment and behaviour as much as their physical one.

According to HelpGuide.org [2], these are the triggers that cause Emotional Eating:

Stress
Stuffing emotions
Boredom or feelings of emptiness
Childhood habits
Social influences

Then these triggers work themselves into the following cycle:

Its a continuum. It's a cycle that you cannot work yourself away from because you keep returning to the places that the triggers exist, and then you reach out for the food that comforts you.

Emotional Eating also presents very differently physiologically. You get hungry far quicker than normal, it is associated with specific cravings, you then eat quite mindlessly (watching television or a film, flicking through Social Media etc), you are never satisfied once the moment is over, and you experience feelings of guilt, shame and powerlessness when you experience it.

These are all very different to the feeling of physical hunger, which you can be satiated from, it is controlled by hormones (Grehlin and Leptin), it can be held off, you will eat a wider variety of food and you don’t experience such intense or any self-loathing after a meal that is regulated and makes sense to you in the traditional sense.

Its not all negative either. We can also eat emotionally to reward ourselves. Ever gone out for a Cocktail because you got a promotion at work? Or landed a bonus and celebrated with a bottle of bubbly?

These are behaviours that also constitute Emotional Eating.

How do you begin to change your behaviour with emotional eating?

With emotional eating, you must start focussing more on the “Emotional”. You need to develop your ability and practice your ability to manage your Emotional Wellbeing and state.

The reason you Emotionally Eat is not because of your genetics, your physiology or the fact there is something wrong or unfixable about you.

Its because you are stressed and fearful of what is happening to you.

“Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.” — Bertrand Russell

Now there are times that Emotional Eating is totally understandable and you should treat yourself with empathy when it happens. Those moments will be subjective to you.

But you must also develop two other things to get a handle on it.

Emotional Resilience and better coping strategies for when you are stressed.

We can do this by [3]:

Selecting self-efficacy: take ownership of the problem that is causing disbalance in your life, don’t run from it, as you are likely to run towards a less favoured behaviour.

2. Emphasise Empathy: allow yourself to understand what is happening to you and treat yourself with compassion

3. Practising Patience: you can teach yourself to be mindful in difficult situations, and chose to move away from the stressful moment. Give yourself time and space to comprehend what you are going through.

4. Create Capacity: we can choose these moments to work upon our discipline and desired behaviours rather than turn to the destructive behaviour you are trying to move away from

5. Perceiving Possibilities: from all moments of stress and emotional upheaval, there is always an outcome that can be positive. It might be hard to find, but if you can visualise it, and think upon the positive then you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

How Do You Deal with Stress?

There are many positive behaviours you can implement to help you cope with stress in a much more positive way…rather than returning to what you want to conquer.

There are many different types of stress, and each one and each person will need a different response to the stress they are feeling.

But we know the following will help you immensely:

Eat in a more nutritious manner

I’m not saying “eat better” or “eat good foods” or “avoid good foods”. I am saying eat nutritiously. Sometimes that will mean eat a Cookie, a Donut or have an Espresso Martini. But it also means building your plates with protein and vegetables, drinking 3 litres of water a day, make positive choices that align with your goals both physically, emotionally and mentally.

2. Exercise

Exercise is one very important aspect of dealing with stress. Whether that is hit the gym and follow a good Resistance Programme (Grab a Free Month of Workouts right here: Free Month of the Be Confident, Be Strong Programme) or go for a Swim, Jog, Yoga or even just a 10 minute walk. Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. [4]

Find out why Resistance Training is great for Fat Loss right here: What is the most important thing for Fat Loss…Resistance Training or a Calorie Deficit?

3. Sleep

Sleep is the most powerful tool in your ability to control stress. You need to be getting 7–8 hours a night. When we sleep we allow our brain to process the day you have just experienced and it will give you much better willpower for the day ahead. Think of sleep not just as a restful time to recover from the day, but time to prepare yourself for the day ahead — like warming up before you exercise. Also, make sure you are creating a good sleep environment for yourself. For example, you should limit caffeine at least 8 hours before you sleep, you should reduce screen time as much as possible, and if you have to be on your phone then use your Night Shift Filter to limit your Blue Light exposure (I have mine on all day every day — and its great!)

If you need help sleeping try listening to one of my Sleep Stories:

4. Meditation

Meditation and deep breathing is also an extremely powerful way to manage your stress. A lot of people give up on Meditation as they believe that they should magically be able to quieten their mind naturally. But it takes practice and is something just like fitness that needs to be worked upon. Also by engaging in Deep Breathing you connect with your Parasympathetic Nervous system which produces a relaxing effect [5]. You can also Meditate anywhere in the world, at any time in your life. it doesn’t have to be at Sunrise on a Beach or listening to Birdsong. Although being in Nature is one of the most relaxing things as humans we can do. You can do it on the Tube, or as you are walking. Try some of my 10-minute walking meditations and see how you get on:

5. Connect with others

By connecting with others and talking things through with your friends will help you solve problems and find the answers you need to figure out what is stressing you out. Plus its comforting to talk to those you are close to. Don’t text them. Speak to them or see them in person. Texting is not an appropriate human connection to help with your stress levels.

6. Give to Charity

There are few things higher up that we can do to improve our sense of self-worth than give to charity. When you help someone else, it makes you feel good, really good, and it helps put your problems into perspective a little more.

Can I Lose Weight Whilst Working on my Emotional Eating?

Let me be clear from the off; anyone can lose weight — all you need is Calorie Deficit:

However, if you are aware that you struggle immensely with Emotional Eating, then a calorie deficit will be an extremely hard thing for you to stick to, as you will constantly be stressing yourself out.

Lets run this through an example:

You have started a new diet and exercise programme and are feeling good for the first few days. You have a little bit of a busy day at work, and feel a bit let down by your colleagues. They haven’t done anything wrong per se, but they just didn’t feel supported. Your boss has hit you with a deadline, and although achievable…in truth its the last thing you want to do right now.

You get home and try to talk to your husband or boyfriend about it. He's only half interested, can’t wrap his head around your point of view and just says something like:

“Well just work hard and you will get it all done. Don’t worry about it”

(Men? Am I rite?)

It brings back all the feelings from your day, from your Boss and your colleagues and you then think about dinner. Feeling a bit low, you notice the Pizza in the freezer rather than the Meal Prep you made.

Pizza it is. You indulge in it. You begin to realise what you did and how that behaviour doesn’t match your new “healthy” regime. However, its ok because you know you are allowed flexibility in what you eat — no ones should be that strict on their diet.

However, you still seem hungry after the pizza. It's not quite done its job. You're not satisfied because you need emotional satisfaction, not physical satisfaction.

There’s Ben and Jerry’s in the fridge…

You get to bed. Sleep not as well as you would like, due to the stress from work, and as you wake in the morning you realise the calories you ate last night exceeded your deficit for the whole week. You now start to feel down on yourself again, and despite knowing all you have to do is follow the Four Step F*** It Philosophy as detailed thus:

STEP 1: Acknowledge you went off plan and why.

STEP 2: Say F*** It.

STEP 3: Draw a line under it.

STEP 4: Move on.

You can’t shake the feeling that you have now let yourself down. You feel your stress levels rising again. Work is just as stressful as before and it's now Karens Birthday. There's Krispy Kremes in the office. One or two won’t hurt, and you need it. You’re feeling low again.

And then the stress increases again because you aren’t matching your Diet to your desired behaviours.

And it goes on and on and on. Until you eventually give up on your diet, give up on your exercise and your goals seem further away than ever.

My point here is that you can’t build a house on a foundation of sand and with three walls. A Calorie Deficit is really simple. But it doesn’t mean it is easy, and to attempt to achieve one in order to lose weight and get a bit “healthier” is going to be extremely hard if you aren’t willing to work first on improving your relationship with food.

You can’t build a house on a foundation of sand and with three walls. Your relationship with food must be postivie before attmepting a Calorie Deficit.

You need to first learn to be able to draw a line right under it and truly move on. When you can achieve that as a habit, without guilt attachment and without you feeling like you are a failure, then you will find being in a Calorie Deficit so much easier.

In the midst of all of this to you will have to learn how to balance your hormones to your expectations. I find that my clients eat a little more during certain times of their cycle and that they need more flexibility in those moments. This is another part of your diet you will need to fully comprehend and understand to help you manage your stress a lot better, and therefore your relationship with food.

How Does Your Menstrual Cycle Effect Fitness and Fat Loss? <<< Read my article on this topic right here

Conclusion

Emotional Eating is a normal, human thing to do. We all Eat Emotionally and this can be both in negative moments of our life and positive moments of our life. Understanding this is crucial because it shows that your behaviour of emotional eating is standard practice and that you aren’t “broken” or “need fixing”

A lot of negative Emotional Eating comes from being in as Stressed state. When the hormone Cortisol and Adrenaline are running rampant in your body, you are much more likely to indulge in foods that do not match the behaviours you want to have in order to reach your goals.

If Emotional Eating is a particularly prevalent behaviour in your relationship with food you need to focus your efforts in the Emotional part of the equation. Not the Eating part of the equation.

Look at the things in your life that are causing you high stress and learn better ways to manage that. Through better nutrition, Exercise, Meditation, Connection with others, giving to Charity and getting out into nature.

It is possible to lose weight whilst being an emotional eater. But it is making your journey a hell of a lot harder. Try and work on your relationship with food before you engage with a Calorie Deficit as fixing your relationship with food will make the weight loss journey more successful and more sustainable.

Above all remember the following: You are not alone, and although this all seems quite daunting, you can totally do it. I know you can. And I believe in you more than you probably believe in yourself. If you got this far through the article, this is clearly something you want to understand more and work upon…and you are already ahead of 90% of the people who have read this.

Stop worrying about the food. Start fixing your stress levels and you’ll do just fine.

Did you find this useful?

To find out more about The Fitness Collective you can click here: The Fitness Collective

Please share this with your friends and anyone else you may know who is worried about training in a gym, and feel free to follow me using the links below…

And if you want to get updates on when I publish new articles, publish new podcasts or anything else then please remember to sign up below

And above all remember this…for as long as you are trying your best no one can ask for more from you.

Coach Adam

References:

Medainc.org. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.medainc.org/binge-eating-vs-emotional-eating-whats-the-difference/> [Accessed 4 May 2020].
HelpGuide.org. 2020. Emotional Eating And How To Stop It. [online] Available at: <https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/emotional-eating.htm> [Accessed 4 May 2020].
Bogdanos, M., 2020. 5 Steps To Help Build Emotional Resilience. [online] World of Psychology. Available at: <https://psychcentral.com/blog/5-steps-to-help-build-emotional-resilience/> [Accessed 4 May 2020].
Publishing, H., 2020. Exercising To Relax — Harvard Health. [online] Harvard Health. Available at: <https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax> [Accessed 4 May 2020].
André, C., 2020. Proper Breathing Brings Better Health. [online] Scientific American. Available at: <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/proper-breathing-brings-better-health/> [Accessed 4 May 2020].

Don’t trust everything you read. Except Here. Trust It All.

Welcome to my Blog. Here you can learn everything you want to know about getting stronger, losing weight and managing your diet, in an empathetic and scientific way.

Table of Contents for Creative Ways To Increase Your Steps Each Day:

Why Should You Increase Your Steps?

READ MY BLOG THAT OUTLINES EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR METABOLISM:

How Many Steps A Day To Lose Weight?

FOR MORE READING ON THIS TOPIC HEAD HERE:

Can Walking Help Your Mental Health?

How To Increase Your Step Count at Home

How To Increase Your Step Count at Work

A Final Word…

Table of contents for Easily Lose Weight Without Counting Calories:

Is Calorie Counting the Best way to lose weight?

How to be in a Calorie Deficit without Counting Calories

PORTION CONTROL

2. STRUCTURED EATING

3. WATER INTAKE

SLEEP

2. STRUCTURED MOVEMENT

3. INCREASING YOUR NEAT

How Do You Know If You’re In A Calorie Deficit

SCALE WEIGHT

2. MEASUREMENTS

3. WORK IN PROCESS PICTURES

4. CONSISTENCY

5. HUNGER

Really Simple Solutions

THE 3, 4, 5 SYSTEM

DAILY AWESOME SALAD

BUILD MEALS AROUND PROTEIN

FIVE AWESOME RULES FOR FAT LOSS LIFE

FOLLOW THE DADDY HUMPHREYS PLAN

What’s Next…

Table of Contents for:

What's more important Diet vs Exercise vs THIS to lose weight?

How does Diet help you lose weight?

Learn how to maintain your Calorie Maintenance Level in my blog post that has helped thousands of people so far

Emotional Overeating:

Food is Addictive:

How does exercise help you lose weight?

Preservation of Muscle Mass

Regulation of Hunger Hormones

How I Like To View Exercise For Weight Loss

My secret: How does Imperfect Action help you lose weight?

Examples of Imperfect Action

Being Optimal Is A Privilege

To Conclude…

What’s Next?

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR HOW TO GET PAST AND FIX A WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU:

What Is A Weight Loss Plateau?

Why Do Weight Loss Plateaus Occur?

Follow Me On Instagram:

You Have Been Conditioned To View Them Negatively

How Does Scale Weight Actually Work?

If you have Scale Anxiety then please read my article that has helped hundreds of people overcome gravitophobia:

How To Actually Get Past Your Weight Loss Plateau

Trust Yourself

Remain Consistent, Remain Patient

Realise there is so much more to celebrate

Bodyweight Settling Points

Metabolic Apdation (check in with your numbers)

Build More Muscle and Be More Active???

What’s Next?

If you need help with PCOS and Weight Loss then read this:

Table of Contents for “I Can’t Lose Weight No Matter What I Do”

Question 1: Are you in a Calorie Deficit?

Question 2: Are you Sleeping enough?

WOULD YOU LIKE A MONTH OF FREE COACHING WITH ME?

Question 3: Are you blaming your Metabolism?

Question 4: Are you making the most of your Metabolism?

Question 5: Are you restricting your Diet too much?

Question 6: Are you being consistent?

Question 7: Are you expecting your movement to do the job for you?

Question 8: Are you on a plan that is making you unhappy?

Question 9: Are you too stressed?

Question 10: Are your expectations too great?

Question 11: Are you comparing yourself to others?

Did You Find This Useful?

Table of Contents for: Why Does Sleep Affect Your Weight Loss?

The Link Between Sleep and Mental Health and Weight Gain: