Personal Training With A Twist - how to lose weight

Helping women discover the benefits of fitness through strength training and belly dancing.

How To Lose Weight

# 1 What is your body-fat %

Determine your body composition before you start a weight loss program. This is an important first step. As you workout you will add muscle weight to your body, at the same time losing fat weight. If you rely on a scale then you will not know that you have made positive changes and may actually be discouraged. But if you know the ratio of adipose tissue (fat) to lean tissue (muscle) when you start a program, and re-measure the ratio to find positive changes, you will be encouraged to continue.

The scale alone does not tell the whole story.
Find a qualified trainer or Dr. to measure your body composition first!
Your trainer can help you to determine a healthy fat loss/muscle gain that is perfect for your body.

More on this subject.

See chart below for General Body-fat Percentage Categories
(Chart from The American Council On Exerise)

#2 What are your goals

A realistic goal for fat loss is about 1-2 lbs of fat per week. It varies for everyone so please don't get too stuck on the numbers, you may lose very little fat the first few weeks but if you stick with the program your body WILL respond to your demands.

Keep in mind that the more de-conditioned you are the longer it may take for your body to respond. It doesn't happen overnight and it is hard work, but well worth it for your health and happiness.

#3 How many calories?

Generally speaking a woman should not reduce her calories below 1200, and a man should not go below 2000. If you reduce your calories too much than you will start to lose muscle.

Here is what the American Council on Exercise says:

Protein-approximately 50-70 grams depending on body size, or 12-20% of caloric intake.

Carbohydrate-a minimum of 125 grams, optimal 350-400 grams, or 55-65% of caloric intake as carbohydrate.

Fat-approximately 30-65 grams, depending on caloric consumption, or 25-30% of caloric intake from fat.
Water 2-3 quarts per day.

#4 How much cardio

30 minutes to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise will be enough to jump start your metabolism. If you are a beginner or very de-conditioned than you may have to start at a lower level and a shorter duration. It is dangerous to jump right in and risk an injury. By combining calorie burning aerobic exercise with a limited amount of calories, you will force your body to use the stored energy(fat).

Once a weight reduction goal has been set your trainer and you can determine what is realistic for your situation. You will have to ask yourself some serious questions. Such as...

How much time are you willing to spend each week on this program.

How willing are you to change your eating habits? Here is a link to a website with lots of great information on weight loss and changing your current eating habits. It is written by Dr. Dan Curtis and has a lot of good advice. Bookmark it, beause their is a lot of information that you will want to refer to as you lose the weight.

What motivates you?

How will you deal with people who may try to sabotage your efforts?