Common Weight/Fat Loss Questions

COMMON WEIGHT/FAT LOSS QUESTIONS

“My weight has not changed in 3 weeks, should I cut my calories?”

Firstly, before cutting calories, let’s start by reviewing the following:

*How do your clothes fit?

*Have your measurements changed?

*Are you tracking your calories honestly?

*Do you know how to track calories correctly? For example, are you weighing your food, or is partly guesstimate?

If your measurements have reduced and you’re feeling more energized, this is a great sign that you’re losing fat. Therefore, it’s unlikely that you need to change anything at all.

On the other hand, If you know that you’re not tracking correctly/honestly. I’d recommend focusing on a few weeks of being significantly more diligent with tracking before making any sudden changes.

“Can coffee speed up my weight loss?”

In simple terms, drinking coffee alone won’t speed up weight loss.

It might provide some benefits in terms of energy as caffeine is a stimulant and if you’re moving more as a result of drinking coffee, this could result in a calorie deficit.

It’s important to keep in mind that coffee with syrup, milk, and various other additions can be an easy way to consume a significant number of calories and counterbalance a deficit.

“Is sleep really that important for weight loss?”

YES!

Here's why...

When it comes to weight management and sleep studies show that those who were dealing with a significant lack of sleep had increased ghrelin and decreased leptin. Which often leads to an increased appetite.

Making, you guessed it – weight loss and calorie control so much harder. Especially because as a result you are more likely to eat larger servings and turn to more highly palatable foods…

“Do I have to count calories to lose weight?”

No, but it’s without a doubt, a great place to start.

Even if calorie counting simply enables you to build a better understanding of serving sizes and your daily energy intake.

For people who find tracking stressful; I’d recommend working on a system that involves focusing on building a healthy plate for each meal. Alongside, taking the time to really connect and learn about personal fullness and hunger cues. At the same time, it's important to work on establishing the right serving size, all with the core objective of a more mindful approach to fat loss.

“Should I be reducing my carbohydrate intake for fat loss?”

In short, again the answer is no.

Truth be told, most people will innocently consider only foods such as oats, rice, pasta, bread, potato, etc to be “Carbohydrates”.

When actually, fruits, vegetables, chocolate, certain drinks, sauces, etc are all sources of carbohydrates.

Therefore, if we limit food groups, this might result in short-term fat loss but could result in a disordered relationship with food. Followed up by, poor energy levels, a lack of compliance towards the program, weight fluctuations, and long-term frustration.

In some cases, a diet slightly lower in carbohydrates might be beneficial. But please keep in mind this would be on a personalized basis and I would need to take into account that person’s individual needs.

“Is fasting good for fat-loss?”

Only if you’re in a calorie deficit and enjoy eating in a shorter window of time.

It won’t be effective unless you pro-actively consume less energy (calories) than you expend.

For some people, this is a very effective way of creating a deficit and there’s nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, if you enjoy breakfast or like eating lots of smaller meals, that’s fine too!

“How fast can I reach my goal weight?”

The answer is really simple – It depends!

There’re so many factors we need to take into account such as –

Your starting weight
Your current lifestyle/fitness routine/stress levels
Your current diet
How much weight do you want to lose

No such thing as a cookie-cutter answer for everyone I’m afraid.

“What is a calorie?”

To explain in the simplest of terms, from a weight loss point of view a calorie is a way of measuring the amount of energy in that food.

The term calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

“How many meals should I eat each day?”

In all honesty, it doesn’t matter, providing you’re in a calorie deficit (If weight loss is the goal).

Some people enjoy 3 main meals and 2 snacks, whilst other people would prefer to have 6 small meals throughout the day.

The most important thing is to find a way of eating that enables you to feel energized, fits into your life, and meets your calorie goals

“Can you spot reduce fat?”

No, if only…But, sadly you cannot just reduce fat in one particular area of the body.

I offer 3 comprehensive coaching packages, you can find out more here.