Without a doubt one of the most common questions that I receive from people on a regular basis is how to lose weight. I’ve always been perplexed as to why this topic is so confusing for so many people given that the answer is fairly simple – Burn more calories than you consume each day and you will put your body into a caloric deficit which will ultimately lead to a reduction in weight. See, simple. To be honest, losing weight is not as complex as some nutritional gurus or online training coaches will have you believe. You don’t need to starve yourself and you don’t need to do endless hours of cardio to lower your body fat percentage. Yes, you do need to clean up your diet, and yes, you do need to perform cardiovascular workouts, but not to the extent where you become a prisoner in your own body. You do not need to avoid social gatherings or family functions in fear that you might “cheat” on your diet. You don’t need to time out your meals perfectly throughout the day and drop your carbs as you get closer to night. And you don’t need to take copious amounts of fat burners and stimulants to try and “boost” or “speed up” your metabolism, just to give yourself that extra edge. What you have to do is be smart, logical, practical, determined and most of all, have a little common sense.

Weight Loss 101 – Class is in Session!

As I mentioned above, the concept of losing weight is simple. However the act of actually losing the weight itself is not as easy to do, as most of us know. Most people tend to associate the term weight loss with diet and exercise. Most of us tend to associate the words – diet and exercise with the words – restriction and suffering, both of which are negative words. Therefore when most of us think about weight loss, we immediately think about the negative impacts that this will have on our own lives. But why do we think this way? Since when did the words diet and exercise become such scary and dreadful acts? I personally blame misinformation and poor advice given by people who have absolutely no clue as to what they are talking about or have the slightest idea of the concept of thermodynamics and weight loss. This “Bro Science” has been passed down through generations and not only is it incorrect, but if followed can lead to numerous health issues such as an inactive thyroid or a metabolic meltdown. So is there a right way to lose weight and not have to suffer? Ofcourse there is! You just have to be willing to look outside the box.

When a client decides to work with me on his or her nutritional plan, whether it be for weight loss or not, they’re always shocked by the amount of food that I implement into the plan from the very beginning, or at the part that I like to call – “Phase One.” During phase one, my goal is to find out how my client responds to the increase in calories and fluctuation of macronutrients in the foods that they are allowed to eat. Because my plans consist primarily of clean foods, my clients must consume a large volume of whole food sources in order to reach their daily macro totals that I have calculated for them, which I base on their personal health information that they provide to me. It’s almost as if eating becomes a chore at first, however rarely, if ever do I have a client tell me that he or she is hungry while following one of my plans. In fact, most people I work with lose on average 1-3lbs each week and all without endless hours of cardio or following some kind of starvation diet. So what’s the secret?

There is No Secret!

Again, I’m going to be honest here – When it comes to losing weight, there is no secret. Unless you have an inactive thyroid or extremely slow metabolism, losing weight is not difficult to achieve. All you need to do is assess your situation and strategize for your results. What I mean by this is that you have to look at your current lifestyle. If you are someone who exercises regularly you’re obviously going to have more muscle mass then someone who does not exercise at all, and therefore will require more calories. Typically when I give more calories to these types of people, their level of performance in the gym goes up and they end up lifting heavier and moving faster throughout their workouts thereby burning even more calories and not just in the gym, but all day long. If a person needs to lose weight but does not exercise very often, then I usually would recommend keeping their calories on the lower side. These types of people are rarely hungry either though as they are not doing any strenuous physical exertion throughout the day. If this changes then so does their diet.

Don’t Be Afraid to Eat!

I always stress the importance of having a healthy relationship with food. Clean foods will not make you fat if you are using the calories in them to your advantage. Foods that are fried, processed and contain lots of sugar on the other hand will easily spike your insulin levels, increase your cravings, leave you feeling tired and lethargic, which will ultimately result in less movement and exercise leading to an increase in body fat levels (which is extremely common in today’s society).

Not All Calories Are Equal!

Despite what the IIFYM Diet (If it Fits Your Macros Diet) will tell you, I refuse to believe that all calories are equal. Sure, from strictly a weight loss perspective, I can see how this concept would make sense. However your goal should not be to just lose weight in any way that you can. Your goal should be to lose weight in a healthy and effective manner that will produce long term results, both externally and internally. You wouldn’t put cheap gas into your new BMW, so why would you put cheap dirty food into you body? Clean foods that contain complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and simple proteins will provide you with long lasting energy and allow you to stay focused and alert throughout your day.

As someone who has been involved within the fitness industry for almost two decades, I have a great deal of passion and devotion for making sure that my clients achieve the results they desire, in the quickest, and most effective ways possible. But more so then that, I want to ensure that they receive these goals in the safest and most healthiest ways possible.

You only get one life and one body. Why risk messing both of these up just to lose a couple of pounds?

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit