The R. Francis Weight Loss Plan
The two main parts to Weight Loss are:
Exercise & Nutrition
Nutrition
This is a subject where many get confused, there a hundreds of diet plans out there each claiming to lose weight fast. They are quick fix diets and they don't work! Most of the weight lost in the first week is water, and in the following weeks you will gain this water back.
No carb diets or low carb diets are not the answer, your body needs carbohydrates it is the most essential energy source.
Don't completely cut fat out, your body needs fat for your internal organs and eyesight!
Your body requires protein, if there is not enough protein in your system you body will start using muscle for protein. And the less muscle you have the less energy you burn even when you aren't exercising! In order to lose weight and have a healthy body you need to take these three foods in the right percentages.
Carbohydrates: 55-60% - (less than 10% simple carbs)
Proteins: 10-15%
Fats: 20-30% - (less than 10% saturated fats)
There are also different types of Carbohydrates, Complex carbs and Simple carbs.
Complex carbs are grainy breads, unprocessed flours, oats ect. these are the carbs you should eat the most of.
Simple carbs are sugar, sweets, fruit juices ect. You should limit these carbs to 10% or less of your intake.
The bad fats are called saturated fats you should try to avoid these and limit them to less than 10%.
It is also a good idea to eat 6 small meals a day instead of three large ones as this speeds up your metabolism.
Exercise
The main exercise to do for fat loss is cardiovascular also referred to as cardio (meaning heart).
Your body uses carbs and fat for energy when you exercise, the more intense the exercise the higher percentage of carbs you use as apposed to fat. But the total energy used will be higher if you exercise harder. The best intensity to work at is fast walking to light jogging for optimum fat/carbs ratio.
The second exercise to use is weights to build muscle and tone up. This speeds up your metabolism and thus burns more fat. A popular myth is that women become bulky from lifting weights which is not true, the reason men put on muscle when lifting weights is because of testosterone in their blood, which women don't have. Lifting weights should be done at least once a week but not every day as your body needs time to rest.
A good exercise program for weightloss is as follows:
5-10 minutes warmup, this can be anything that warms up you body eg skipping, walking, boxing.
Next you should add in some weight lifting exercises, a good start will be push ups, squats, abb crunches.
Then as much cardio as you can handle eg brisk walking, light jogging, skipping, swimming or boxing or a combination of as many as you want. If you haven't exercised for a while its a good idea to start off small like 20 min and then add a few minutes each time you work out.
Try to keep the exercises different and exciting each week.
Joining a sport team or hiring a personal trainer will keep your motivation high and keep your body on track.
After your cardio workout you should stretch your muscles to reduce stress and soreness.
This should be completed 3 times a week for optimum results. The more you do the faster you will get results.
For more Muscle Building information check out my Muscle Building article
(see below)
rsonaltrainer@aapt.net.au
Article supplied by:
Richard Francis is a Qualified Personal Trainer based on the Gold Coast, Australia
