Hi Alfonso,

I am sooooo needing to lean out after a rough year and emotional eating. I have about 10–15 pounds I want to lose but just can’t get cut again.

I love Zuzana’s workouts but I wonder if that is enough to lean out alone or if I need to go back to traditional weights and cardio?

There is so much information out there about being in your target heart rate for fat loss vs. HIIT etc. I would love to hear your ideas!

Thank You,

Sonia

 

Hey Sonia, how are you?

I sooooo know what you’re talking about when it comes to emotional eating. I’ve been there and the key is being aware, which you are, so now it’s just a matter of implementing a change.

Ok so here’s the deal and this is something that’s taken me years to learn and an issue that I think most people deal with incorrectly – DIET IS THE KEY to weight loss and maintenance. Read that again because that’s your answer. All too often when people are looking to shed weight they look at their workouts and either work out longer, harder or more times per week. Some even try double daily sessions! My fellow FitStudio advisor and good friend Steve Pfiester has a saying, “You Can’t Compete With What You Eat”. Meaning you can always eat far more than you can exercise. So in truth, the first issue that needs to be addressed to reach your weight loss goal is what you’re eating.

Of course I’m not going to downplay the importance of exercise, and workouts like Zuzana’s and other bodyweight type routines are great. Will returning to a more traditional weight program and cardio help you lose faster? I’d have to say, “no I don’t think so”. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t lift and I’m always suggesting for people to try other programs. So maybe now is a good time to get back to the gym for a few weeks and pump some iron.

The thing is, and I find myself saying this over and over, your workout and diet plan needs to be realistic and sustainable. Sure maybe doing double duty in the gym or eating broccoli and steamed chicken might help you lose faster, but then you’ll be a slave to the workout and you’ll rebel on the diet for sure. And most likely whatever weight you’ve lost will come back. I’ve seen this time and time again. So here’s my suggestion and this is really simple. As you may know I try to eat mostly whole foods, kind of like a Paleo type diet. With this type of eating plan it’s really hard to overeat because you’ll be full from all of the veggies you’re eating. Stick with lean meats, nuts and seeds and try to stay away from rice, pastas and breads. I’ve all but given those things up. The added benefit of this way of eating is that you’ll have low blood sugar release and low insulin output, which speeds fat burning.

For your workouts I’d shoot for 4–5 days per week for about 45 minutes to an hour. Try hitting the weights and even take a look at my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/AngryTrainerFitness for some quick, easy, very productive workouts. Losing 10–15 pounds is totally reasonable and easily doable. I’d give yourself an 8-10 week timeframe to be sure whatever is lost STAYS OFF!

And here are a few other tips for you to remember. When it comes to health and fitness I want to think of these 3 components in order of importance – 1) Sleep, 2) Diet, 3) Exercise. That’s right, exercise is last and the reason is simple. Without proper rest or nutrition you can’t possibly put 100% into your workouts. Makes sense right? And drink at least 6 glasses of water per day. There’s a growing amount of research that shows people who drink water before meals and throughout the day eat less and have lower body weights.

Good luck – and if you have a question – please just click here. I’d love to help you!

 

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