The Physical Aspect Of Weight Loss

There are approximately 3,500 calories per pound of fat.

That means that you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat.

Makes you think twice before eating a hamburger with the fries doesn’t it?, especially when you put it into perspective with the amount of exercise you have to do to burn it off. That always makes me think twice before reaching for the tub of ice cream because I think how much I’ll have to sweat and burn to get rid of it.

But don’t think for a second that you need to be like those Biggest Loser Guys on television where they lose an unrealistic 10 to 15 pounds per week.

Who has the time to exercise for 6 to 7 hours per day? Not me and I’m pretty sure neither do you. I wouldn’t recommend this method of weight loss; it’s simply not realistic for the general population to follow when you have a fulltime job and family to worry about. Great if you can hole yourself up for 12 weeks with a personal trainer, all of the latest cutting edge technology equipment and with the entire world watching you’re every move, who wouldn’t succeed?

Please don’t think that because you are not losing 5 pounds per week
that you’re failing your program or that it’s not working. Don’t compare your results to these types of shows as the conditions they lose the weight under are extreme.

A recent study revealed that if you give someone a good enough reason to lose weight, they will. 25 overweight participants had pictures taken of them wearing nothing more than their underwear revealing of all their lumps, bumps and jiggly bits.

The challenge for the group was for everyone to lose at least 10 pounds in the next month or run the risk of having their picture published on the front page of the highest publication newspaper. 30 days later, how successful do you think the experiment was?

100% success rate and why wouldn’t it be? If you were faced with humiliation you would do anything to avoid the pain of it. Same thing with the Biggest Loser contestants, not only is money a motivating factor but who wants to look like a failure in front of the world?

Wouldn’t it make you want to work just that little bit harder?, you bet it would.

So please don’t put yourself under unrealistic pressure to match pound for pound what these contestants are losing. I recall once reading a weight loss forum post where a woman was so depressed having only had lost 3 pounds in one week compared to her favorite female contestant who had lost 8 pounds. It derailed her diet because she couldn’t keep up, she thought she wasn’t working hard enough which left her disheartened and feeling like she failed.

A pound of fat is a pound of fat no matter how you look at it; it’s a tiny miraculous achievement that adds up to your bigger goal. Whether you lose 1 pound, 3 pounds or zero pounds in a given week shouldn’t throw you from your overall goal because you need to remember everyone is different and will lose weight at different rates. Even if you don’t lose any weight in one week doesn’t mean you are not making progress. Remember that weight fluctuations will happen and if your weight seems like it’s not budging fast enough, I’m sure your clothes will prove differently.

Any weight loss is great. Just keep with it.

So exercise huh?

The thought makes most people cringe but don’t worry, we aren’t going to ask you to go out and spend hours in the gym working off your weight one mile at a time on the treadmill.

Instead you’re going to get a no nonsense approach to exercise anyone can do despite your current level of fitness.

Exercise in your life

Ok, let’s start the show by busting a myth or two along the way. Contrary to popular belief sneaking in a little housework during commercial breaks doesn’t cut the mustard. It won’t be enough to lose the excess pounds you gained over the years.

For exercise to be of any long term benefit you have to raise your heart rate for at least 30 minutes at a time for at least 3 or more times per week.

Would you believe that some people don’t consider walking around the neighborhood or up stairs as significant exercise? It may be low impact but it is better than doing no exercise at all and whether you realize it or not still burns calories.

When you think of exercise what images do you conjure in your mind?

Is it of sweaty bodies squeezed into a tiny spaces jumping to pounding music? Exercise doesn’t have to be a torture; it can be enjoyable especially if shared with your family of friends. Exercise can be going for a walk, chasing after your children, mowing and raking the lawn.

Anything that gets your heart rate up for an extended period of time is considered exercise.