As a personal trainer I have see this a lot, people really going for it with their workouts, giving it 100% and then not getting any results. They try different workouts, new routines, scouring the internet for new techniques, but the one thing that they are over looking that is holding them back is their diet!
If you are looking to lose body fat you are going to have to use the calories that are in you system before you body will switch over to using it’s fat stores. The more calories that you put in you system the longer this will take and less body fat you will burn in your workouts.
As I say to my personal training clients, ‘you can’t outrun a bad diet’ and here is why. It is a hell of a lot easier to consume calories than it is to burn them off.
Example1
1 cheese burger = 290 calories
Running at 5mph for 32mins = 290 calories burnt
2 minutes to eat the cheese burger, 32 mins to burn it off!!!
It is a losing battle exercising to lose weight if you are not sorting out you diet. You will simply struggle to get into a calorie deficit and burn any body fat. Now, lets say you chose a healthier option and see what difference that make.
Example 2
1 banana, 1 apple, 1 orange = 180 calories
Running at 5mph for 32mins = 290 calories burnt, 180 from food, 110 from body fat to make up the deficit!!
Picking a lower calories option is less calories to burn through, so you will tap into you body fat sooner. I have simplified the process here but the fundamentals remain the same.
Calories in = calories used = no change
Calories in > calories used = weight gain
Calories in < calories used = weight loss
The first thing I do with all my personal training clients is to get them to do a food diary and set them up with a diet plan that is easy to stick to and helps them keep control of what they are eating. Doing a food diary is a great way to make you aware of what you are consuming, it is easy to lose track.
Once you get a good diet going, your fitness goals will come easy, plus you will also perform better in your workouts burning even more calories. A good diet is much easier than you think to follow and once you start getting great results you will want to stick to it. Is your diet holding you back? Feel free to give me a call or email for a further chat about how personal training can work for you.
