The biggest secrets to weight loss - revealed!

Apologies for leaving my last post on a cliffhanger - it was getting a little long and I still had a lot more to say. To make sure that this post doesn't go in the same direction, I'm going to get to the point right away.

If you didn't catch my last post, I was giving a quick overview of the state of the fitness industry today in terms of miracle supplements and fad diets. To sum up - there's a lot. From diets and magical workouts, to special powders that instantly make you lose multiple stone in body weight - they're all out there. The worrying thing is, you don't even have to look very far.

This piece is going to cover one of the real secrets to successful weight loss, and you're going to kick yourself for not having thought of it before; this part concerns nutrition.

You've probably heard countless people reciting the phrase 'abs are built in the kitchen'. This isn't strictly true, you don't 'build' abs, everyone is born with them, they just might be covered at the moment. However the sentiment of that statement definitely holds true. Nutrition is the cornerstone to weight loss. You can work as hard as you like in the gym, but if you're shovelling a ridiculous amount of calories into your body then all of those hours working out aren't going to add up to much.

At the highest and most basic level, here's what nutrition really boils down to:

Calories out > Calories in = Calorie deficit = Weight loss

Calories in > Calories out = Calorie surplus = Weight gain

Yes, it really is that simple. To lose weight you need to be burning more calories than you're consuming, and to gain weight you need to be consuming more than you're burning. Too simple to be true, right? 

Wrong. 

You technically don't need to spend hours punishing yourself  in the gym to lose weight (but I'll cover how it can help in my next post), you simply need to eat less. That being said, there are always certain guidelines and rules to be wary of whilst putting yourself in a calorie deficit. The main ones are as follows: 

1. Don't starve yourself, It's not healthy, doesn't do your body any good, and nobody likes to be hangry 24/7.
2. Don't demonise certain foods - A calorie is a calorie, a carb is a carb, fat is fat, protein is protein. Your body largely can't tell the difference between carbohydrates consumed from starchy vegetables and carbohydrates consumed from rice, pasta, or even the devil's food - bread. Damn you Satan, you sandwich loving maniac.

There are many others, but those two are a good starting point. I keep seeing a meme doing the rounds on social media and even as a flexible dieter, its something that I agree with. I'll admit that there are some parts that I'd question, but the message is clear -

To sum up, the real secret to nutrition is to K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple, Stupid! I'm not saying that you should go all 'bro' and start eating 6 meals a day comprising of chicken, broccoli and rice - that just isn't sustainable, and it's boring as hell. I'm saying that you should take an 80/20 approach to your diet. Make sure that 80% consists of good quality foods, one that you really get your calories' worth as it were. For example: chicken, cous cous, vegetables, rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tuna, lean beef, turkey and greek yoghurt are all huge staples of my diet. Most days I'll eat at least 5 of those foods and it gives me that little bit of leeway and those macros left over to be able to enjoy something a little sweeter like some chocolate, or my personal favourite - COCO POPS!! Again, I'm not telling you that if you eat chicken and broccoli all day that you can just afford to binge on junk food. Be smart about your nutrition, take the 80/20 split and then allow yourself your favourite foods IN MODERATION. Maybe one bowl of coco pops, and not 5 (Something I save for refeed days), four pieces of chocolate, and not a whole bar. Don't restrict the things that you love because you'll only crave them more. Instead, learn how to enjoy them in moderation.

Now that's an extremely loose guide on the secret of weight loss and by no means am I proclaiming that its the full answer to it. However, if you're just starting out then why not adopt that approach? Of course as time goes on, you'll have to start looking at your diet in more detail depending on your long term goal, but this should give you an extremely strong framework and foundation to work from. For anyone that wants to push further and learn more about the intricacies of nutrition then there will be a few posts coming along soon to cover that. Until that time you can get in touch with me on social media to ask any questions using the buttons below. Stay tuned for my next post in this series, which will be covering the secret to sustainable, successful training.

For anyone interested in purchasing supplements, head over to JBC Nutrition and enter the code JBCALEX04 at checkout to get 10% off your order!

Until next time...

Alex

#TeamJBC

 

Biggest secrets to weight loss!

Ok so the title is a little misleading, but I had to get your attention somehow! Throughout the year I see posts from various people claiming to have the 'secret to weight loss', mostly through ridiculously overpriced, underwhelming supplements and fad diets. However with the masses making their new years resolutions to get fitter, leaner, and healthier,  the health gurus come out in force. Not only do we see a rise in self proclaimed fitness and weight loss experts, most multi level marketing schemes also decide to rear their ugly heads.

Want to lose weight, AND make money? 

Those ^^^ are the kind of questions that you see posted freely around various forms of social media, usually coupled with a ridiculous amount of emojis and exclamation marks. You know, just to really prove their point. I'd say 75% of people have the common sense to stay away from these kinds of posts. However there are always some pour souls that are sucked in by the false promises because they're either desperate and kidding themselves, or just unaware of how dieting works. 

There are plenty of fancy sounding supplements out there, most are complete with their own catchy slogan and promise of success. Pills, powders, diets, detoxes, you name it, its out there. Which leads me to this question..

When did dieting get so complicated?

I'll tell you when - right around the time that people realised that they could make money by exploiting the lack of widespread public knowledge of nutritional science. They realised that they could slap fancy labels on what is effectively a placebo, and people would buy it out of desperation. The fitness industry has become saturated with over-complicated diets, workouts and supplements. 

So how do we separate the right information from the lies? Tune in to my next post where I'll be revealing the three pillars of dieting success.

Until next time...

Alex

#TeamJBC

  

Now a JBC Ambassador!

Anyone that manages to catch any of my social media posts might have noticed that I've recently been taken on as a brand ambassador for JBC Nutrition. If you didn't know before, you do now! This means that I'll be representing the brand and promoting their products. It also means the following:

10% Off ALL JBC Nutrition Products (Excl. 3 for 2)

Use the code JBCALEX04 at checkout to claim discount

I'm really excited to have the chance to work with JBC because they're a brand that I've used religiously for a while, and therefore a brand that I actually believe in. All of the products that they stock are extremely high quality and lacking the price tag that you see from their competitors. I'd encourage everyone to give JBC Nutrition a try for their next supplement order. With 10% discount on already low prices, what do you have to lose? 

If you're anything like me then you probably hear the name of a supplement company that you've never heard of before, and you're a little hesitant. The majority of people already have their own trusted supplement company and are always reluctant to try something new. For that reason I welcome any questions whatsoever about the brand, and will of course answer any questions on the supplements with complete honesty. After all, it's no good lying, and trying to sell poor quality supplements to people for three reasons: 

1. Poor customer satisfaction and therefore poor feedback and reviews
2. No repeat business
3. No recommendations to others

If you're wary of coming directly to me for honest feedback on JBC products, then not to worry. I'll be doing a series of posts on here reviewing their key products, starting with my personal favourite - JBC Iso Whey protein powder. 

If you'd like to contact me regarding this post, or just in general, then you can find me on social media using the buttons below. 

  

Until next time...

Alex

#TeamJBC