HEALTH vs WEIGHT LOSS

I hear it all the time. " I eat so healthy but I can't lose weight"
Why do some people who eat what seems like only "healthy food" struggle to lose weight while others seem to have treats on a regular basis and they are able to maintain a leaner physique?
Maybe you've recently started a weight loss journey , have been making healthier choices and as a result lost some weight, but now you can't seem to lose the last 10 lbs.

There isn't really an argument when it comes to making eating healthy a priority. In order for your body to function properly, perform at peak, keep hormones in check and disease at bay it needs different nutrients , vitamins and minerals; not only all of the macronutrient groups, but micronutrients as well. But what most people don't realize is that just because your body is getting all of these things, doesn't mean that it is in a prime state for weight loss.
Eating healthy can equal weight loss, but they are by no means mutually exclusive.

You can eat like the healthiest person around and carry extra body fat, and you can also have a 6 pack and only eat protein bars, McDonald's burgers and pop tarts. How? Because when it comes down to it (for the most part, excluding hormonal conditions etc) strictly weight loss is about one thing: energy balance.

Energy Balance
Energy Balance can be defined as the relationship between "energy in" (calories taken into the body through food and drink ) vs "energy out" ( calories being used in the body for daily energy requirements)

When Energy In  equals Energy Out : maintain weight
When Energy In  is greater than Energy Out : gain weight
When Energy In  is less than Energy Out : lose weight

TEF: This refers to the thermogenic effect of food. The amount of energy your body burns on top of its resting metabolic rate due to the energy it takes for it to process said food for use or storage. Different foods have a greater thermogenic effect than others. For example, protein has a thermogenic effect upwards of 5 times greater than carbs and fats.

Resting Metabolic Rate: the energy (calories) required by an animal/human to stay alive with no activity. Basically the amount of calories you would need to consume to sustain the body you have if you did nothing but sit there all day. 

Simply put, if you eat the same as you burn, you maintain. If you eat more than you burn you gain,  and if you eat less than you burn you lose. Period. No matter what you eat.

If you take a look at the scale in the picture above, you basically have 2 options when it comes to weight loss. Eat less, or increase your energy output. Because here at Mindful Muscle  we are about sustainability , it's all about finding what works best for you, and what is reasonable to stick to over a longer period of time. ( lifestyle changes vs diets) Crash dieting or overly restrictive dieting doesn't do anybody any favors, and actually can work to decrease your metabolic rate, which then throws off your energy balance once again. It also isn't reasonable for everyone to increase their level of activity continuously.

Can you increase your resting metabolic rate? What if you've consistently been eating less and exercising more but your weight loss has plateaued? Is weight loss and fat loss the same thing? How can you move past a fat loss plateau without starving yourself? What is the most optimal way to increase energy out put? Is there a way to eat more and still lose fat?

All these  questions and more will be answered in series of blog posts called HOW (NOT) TO GET RESULTS . In these posts I will go over different common questions I get as a trainer and coach when it comes to reaching goals and how to find the most optimal way to reach your own personal goals using tools that you might not know you even had. Look for the first post of the series tomorrow! If you have any questions or specific areas you would like me to focus on, leave me a comment and I will do my best to address them.