Hi all,These tips are for those who are new to this battle or who are returning.
It is baby steps.
8 tips for losing weight for beginners
1. Just get started. Take decisive action.
So many opinions about how to lose body fat leave people end up completely confused and they do not do anything! People have read about 100 ways to diet, do cardio, lift weights, and supplements to take, but they still do not have a clue how to start. This could be termed the "paralysis by analysis" syndrome.
Therefore, the most important thing to do is take action. Just begin the journey and a knowledgeable coach or trainer right from the start will help out. Actually, losing fat is not that complicated. You do not need a Ph.D. in exercise physiology to figure out that any exercise is better than no exercise. You do not have to be a genius in nutritional biochemistry to figure out that an apple is better than a pop tart. Getting lean is simple if you follow these steps: exercise, eat healthier foods, and eat smaller portions.
Fear is what stops most people. They are so afraid of doing something wrong that they choose to do nothing, rather than make a mistake or look foolish. People who accomplish much and people who accomplish little both have fears. The difference between the two is that the latter feels the fear and it immobilizes them. The former feels the fear and does it anyway.
2. Walking is a great way to start a cardio program.
If someone decides to start working out, what form of exercise should he or she choose. Should someone pick the Stairmaster, Tae Bo, Lifecycle, yoga, kickboxing, elliptical machine, jogging, or swimming just to name a few? Any exercise is better than no exercise, so stop over-analyzing and pick something that you will enjoy.
If a decision cannot be made, then the simplest, easiest, most guaranteed way for any beginner to successfully start a fat loss program is to walk!
It requires no equipment.
It requires no knowledge of exercise technique.
It can be done by almost everyone, regardless of experience.
It can be done almost anywhere.
It is safe.
For all these reasons, walking is the perfect way to begin. However, the better your level of conditioning becomes, the more you will need to advance to higher levels of exercise intensity to reach higher levels of fitness. And, people will discover a big difference between walking for health versus walking for fat loss. Even a 10 or 15-minute casual walk has health benefits. However, an effective, fat-melting workout should include walking for 30 minutes or more. Walking briskly uphill (or on an inclined treadmill) is an excellent workout for anyone.
3. Do not get caught up in minutia. Focus on fundamentals.
Read any book about success and it will tell you to "pay attention to detail." It sounds like good advice, unless you have not mastered the fundamentals yet. In that case, it is the worst advice to follow.
Therefore, forget about the minutia until you are certain about the fundamentals!
Forget about supplements.
Forget about macronutrient cycling.
Forget about glycemic indexes.
Forget about the latest Bulgarian or Russian periodization program.
The fundamentals of fat loss include:
(1) do cardio,
(2) lift weights,
(3) burn more calories than you consume,
(4) eat 5 to 6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals,
(5) keep your fat intake low, but include small amounts of good fats,
(6) eat natural foods,
(7) avoid processed and refined foods,
(8) eat more complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables,
(9) eat lean proteins, and (10) think positively, by visualizing yourself as you would like to be.
If you are not doing all these things, and you are looking for the "magic bullet" supplement or the optimum periodization plan, then you are barking up the wrong tree.
4. Know your calories.
The most important dietary factor for fat loss is not how many grams of carbohydrate, protein, or fat you eat, the most important factor for fat loss is calories. Eat more than you burn each day and you will store fat. Eat less than you burn each day and you will lose fat. It is that simple.
Where the calories come from is important too, but without an understanding of the calorie concept, nothing else matters. The only problem might be overeating. Too much of anything gets stored as fat. Even if you are eating nothing but "natural and healthy foods," too many of them will still create fat.
5. Never quit. Make fitness a lifestyle.
Quitting is the biggest mistake made by beginners. Most people quit right when they are on the verge of making substantial progress. Most beginners never allow themselves the time it takes to get any momentum going. They expect too much too soon, get discouraged, and quit.
So, fitness should be viewed as a lifestyle, not a temporary quick-fix. Thinking about getting in shape for a New Year's resolution or vacation compared to thinking about getting healthy and in shape for life is a common mistake that people make.
6. Get a personal trainer, coach, or mentor.
Life is just too short to learn everything there is to know on your own. Learn from the experts. Get a trainer, personal coach, or mentor to help you start right from the beginning.
7. Join a gym if you can, but a set of dumbbells are more than enough to get you started.
In a well-equipped gym, the possibilities are endless, the atmosphere is motivational, and people are there to help you. However, beginners usually start at home. That being the case, the only piece of equipment you need is a dumbbell, or if you are very weak, something that can simulate a dumbbell, like a can of food or a piece of wood.
Dumbbells are the single most versatile piece of equipment in existence. You can perform hundreds, even thousands of exercises with dumbbells.
A set of 3 to 20 pounds will be more than sufficient for most women and a set from 10 to 40 should do the trick for many men.
If you also get yourself a bench and clear out a little corner in your favorite room, then you're ready to roll!
Here it is: The beginner's all-dumbbell routine
1. Bench press (chest)
2. Side lateral raise (shoulders)
3. One arm row (upper back)
4. Extension behind head (triceps)
5. Bicep curl (biceps)
6. Lunges (thighs)
7. One-leg calf raise (calves)
8. Leg curl (hamstrings)
9. Crunches (abs)
This workout is simple and effective at home or in a gym.
If you are just starting, do this routine for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise, except calves and abs which you can go up to 20 reps. You should only rest 1 minute between sets. Train your whole body in each workout, 2 to 3 three days per week on non-consecutive days.
After 3 to 6 months, you will probably need to add exercises and move up to a split routine. 8. Weight training is not optional, but mandatory.
It is a common misperception that you should start with aerobic workouts and lose the fat first before adding weight training. You may lose weight, but you will have a poor muscle to fat ratio
and a soft appearance. While weight training is the key to developing strength and muscle, few people realize that weight training also increases fat loss.
Weight training is anaerobic and burns carbohydrates (glycogen and glucose). Cardio is aerobic and burns fat when performed properly. So it seems logical to focus on aerobic training for fat loss. However, something interesting happens with weight lifting. Weight training increases your lean body mass, while aerobic training does not. Low-calorie dieting and aerobic training without weight lifting can make you lose lean body mass. If you lose lean body mass, your metabolism slows down, and this makes it harder to lose fat.
If you increase your lean body mass, you increase your metabolic rate and this makes it easier to lose fat. With a faster metabolism, you will burn more fat all day long; even while asleep. If you have limited time, and your main priority is fat loss, then do a very brief weight training program and spend the majority of your time concentrating on cardio. However, never neglect the weights completely. Always do both forms of exercise and if possible devote equal attention to each.