Читать книгу Body Blitz: 5 Simple Steps to Permanent Fat Loss - Joanna Hall - Страница 16

Not everyone will lose weight and body fat at the same rate. We are all different, and there are several factors that can affect our rate of weight and body fat loss.

These include:

1 Your existing metabolic rate

2 Your dieting history

3 Your exercise history

4 Your existing eating patterns

5 Your existing activity patterns

1. YOUR EXISTING METABOLIC RATE

As we have just discussed, our muscle mass starts to decrease as we get older and our metabolic rate tends to slow down, which means we burn fewer calories. Imagine you are 20 years old and you are sitting in a chair, and now imagine you are 50 years old sitting in a chair. Even though you are doing exactly the same everyday activity, if you have not kept up your muscle mass between the ages of 20 and 50 you will be burning less calories sitting still at the age of 50 than sitting still at the age of 20!

Action: Invest in physical activity now! Step Four of the Body Blitz Plan will help you boost your metabolic rate through structured exercise sessions.

2. YOUR DIETING HISTORY

If you are a seasoned dieter and you religiously try every diet on the market and have experienced weight gain/weight loss again and again – long-term it will be harder to lose weight effectively. You may already have experienced this. For example, every January you may have a favourite diet that gives you great results – well, it did the first couple of times you did it and now you are experiencing frustration as the scales are not giving you the results you want. This is because as the body is continually put through phases of excess and deficit there comes a time when our metabolism may stop working effectively and instead of losing weight we can actually increase the amount of body fat we have.

Action: Stabilize your calorie and fat intake now. Step Five of the Body Blitz Plan will show you how to be consistent with your nutrient intake whilst still continuing to live life to the full.

3. YOUR EXERCISE HISTORY

To lose weight and body fat you need to exercise regularly. If you were active when you were younger you will be at an advantage as muscles have a memory – this means that even if you are not exercising now the muscles will be able to respond more effectively and quickly to exercise once you do start. But even if you were not active when you were younger, it is never too late to start. Becoming active now and staying active will help you realize your fat loss goals as well as have an immediate protective effect on your health.

Action: Start being active today. Step Four of the Body Blitz Plan will show you how to increase your accumulated physical activity levels.

4. YOUR EXISTING EATING PATTERNS

Quite simply, the more erratic our eating patterns the harder it is to lose weight, and the longer you have had erratic eating patterns the more frustration you are likely to experience trying to lose weight. The body actually balances itself out over seven to eight days; however, in those seven to eight days if you have overeaten one day and then starved yourself the next in an attempt to make up for the excesses, the body will rebel and you will not lose weight and body fat.

To lose body fat, and for us to actually see a difference in the shape of our bodies, we need to eat a healthy and balanced diet and be consistent about it.

Action: Apply the starch curfew and cut your intake of fat – and be consistent! Steps One, Three and Five will put you in control of your diet no matter what the situation.

5. YOUR EXISTING ACTIVITY PATTERNS

If you are reading this and thinking, but I already exercise and go to the gym and I am active during my day but still I’m not losing weight, you may be experiencing frustration because:

 You do not have enough variety in your exercise programme and your body has become complacent at always doing the same thing.

 You are not working hard enough at your daily activity so you are not putting your body under enough physiological strain to increase your fitness.

Action: Complete the activity audit in Step Four and work out your exertion rates. This will give you a better picture of how you can expend your energy effectively.