Woodlands Fitness Centre

Hi, So let's recap what has hopefully been learned here: the big picture realities of permanent weight loss and how you can look at a weight loss program and decide for yourself if it's for you based on what has been in newsletters over the previous weeks: • Permanent weight loss is not about finding a quick fix diet - it's about making a commitment to life style changes that include nutrition and exercise • Any weight loss program you choose must pass the "Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?" test. You know that quick fix diets don't pass this test...? • The weight loss program you choose should ultimately teach you how to eat and be self reliant…

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Hi, There is a sucker born every minute. Seriously. Some people out there are - like - super gullible. So why don't you see this type of honest information about the realities of long term weight loss more often? Let's be honest here, telling the truth is not the best way to sell bars, shakes, books, supplements, and programs. If - by some miracle - everyone who read these newsletters actually followed it, and sent it on to millions of other people who actually followed it, the makers of said products would be in financial trouble quickly. However, these businesses also know that "there's a sucker born every minute" - so I doubt they will be kept up at night worrying…

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Hi, Sometimes you have to lower your overall training volume and frequency. When eating a calorie deficit, you're feeding your body LESS energy than it needs every day to create a negative energy balance and encourage weight loss, predominantly through the loss of fat. This means your body won't be able to repair itself or recover as fast and its capacity to bounce back from training sessions will be diminished whilst you're in a calorie deficit. For this reason, you want to be careful with how often you train and how much training you do. Here's why... When you lift weights, you damage the cells in your muscle fibres which signals the body to increase protein synthesis rates to repair this damage. Your body then…

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Hi, I see too many people using isolation movements for weight loss. Why? You should focus on compound movements. These are movements which work multiple muscle groups through multiple joint actions and because you're using multiple muscle groups you can generate a lot more strength and power, which in turn means you can lift more and burn more calories. This means your focus should be on exercises like the following: Bench presses - incline or flat Shoulder presses - standing or seated Deadlifts - conventional, Romanian, trap bar, sumo Rows - bent over, Pendley, single arm Squats - lunges, pistols, step ups, leg press Pull-ups, chin ups or pull-downs. Dips When training in a calorie deficit you're training goal should be at a minimum to maintain your strength, but what rep…

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Hi, Train using heavier weights. This is a must. Don't make the mistake of jumping on the 'light weights burn fat' bandwagon. Why? Because this propels you down the path to fat and muscle loss - which will leave you looking small, feeling weak and quite frankly being skinny fat. You know, the not enough muscle to be lean but also too much fat to lean look skinny look. Skinny fat. If you don't want your body to think you don't need your muscle mass and start using it for fuel you need to give it a reason to hold on to it. If you don't give your body a reason to hold on to muscle mass, your body will start…

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Hi, Do you keep losing your muscle when dieting? This is because you're not maintain your muscle when eating, and training in a calorie deficit. The best training program in the world is absolutely worthless without the will to execute it properly, consistently, and with intensity. It's like every time you try and lose body fat you just end up skinny, or worse, skinny fat. Stuck in some no-man's-land between where you want to be and where you are. You think you're doing everything right - but now you're just not sure. It's tempting to pack it all in and give up, but you didn't get into this fitness game just to give up and walk away when things don't go your way. You're here…

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Hi, Many diet programs out there don't address the psychological aspect of why people fail to be successful with long term weight loss. However, quite a few studies exist that have looked at just that. In many respects, the psychological aspect is the most important for long term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component. Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the weight off to people who have regained the weight, see clear differences between these two groups. For example, one study that looked at 28 obese people who had lost weight but regained the weight that they had lost, compared to 28 formerly obese people who had lost weight and maintained their weight for…

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Hi, When I talk about weight loss, I actually mean fat loss. They are not the same thing. A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories whereas a pound of muscle equals only 600 calories - so a large calorie deficit and rapid weight loss will result in more muscle loss. Not an ideal outcome. So if I use the term 'weight loss', I do so only because it is a familiar term most people understand. The true focus and goal of a properly set up nutrition and exercise plan should be on fat loss, not weight loss. A focus on losing weight, which may include a loss essential muscle, water, and even bone, as well as fat, is the wrong approach. Losing…

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Hi, People who have successfully kept the weight off overwhelmingly have incorporated exercise (especially resistance training) into their lives - and in my experience, the people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off invariably find these people were consistent with their diet and exercise plans. I am not going to list all the benefits of regular exercise here (recent newsletters and social media posts cover this topic!) - but regular exercise has positive effects on your metabolism, allows you to eat more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit. This will help you to preserve lean body mass - which is essential to your health and metabolism. The many health benefits of regular exercise are well known, so I…

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