I hear this everyday from different women around me “I want to be as skinny as that girl in the magazine (or tv) so I can wear all those pretty clothes”. This is only one wish, but I hear way more varieties of the same wish. So what do the majority of us do when we make the decision to lose weight? We start with a diet. In most cases we are so anxious to lose weight, we starve ourselves to death to lose those extra kilograms as fast as possible. What we don’t realize is that a diet is simply what you eat, which means you’re already on one. That diet either works so you achieve and maintain the weight you want, or it doesn’t. The key to losing weight, and maintaining, this weight is find the suitable diet that you can live with and be patience. Remember this should be a long-term plan.
Steps to create the perfect diet according to A Workout Routine;
Adjust your calorie intake
• If your primary goal is losing fat, you need to create a daily caloric deficit of around 20% below your maintenance level.
• If your primary goal is building muscle (or increasing strength), you need to create a daily caloric surplus of about 250 calories above your maintenance level (about half that for women).
Protein intake
• Between 1.8 – 3.3 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. An even 2.2 gram of protein per kilogram is probably the most common recommendation of all.
Fat Intake
• Fat should account for between 20-30% of your total calorie intake, with an even 25% probably being most common
Carb Intake
• However many calories are left after a sufficient protein and fat intake have been factored in… those calories should come from carbs.
To compliment this diet you need to build up a workout routine. Nowaday choosing a workout plan is like going to a supermarket and choose the best wine. So which workout is the best for you?
Aerobics, Zumba, Spinning, P90x, Cross Fitness, Insanity, a gymnastics routine, Couch To 5K, Yoga Strength, bodybuilding routine, 10-Minute Abs? Well I can fill a couple of pages with all the options we have out there.
Unfortunately, all routines tend to present different information, require different diets, and make an effort to present themselves as the best thing ever. So the only advice we can give in selecting your perfect workout and diet plan is this;
The BEST workout and diet plan is the plan that you actually follow through with.
I will leave you with a quote by Martha Steward “You can be the most beautiful person on Earth, and if you don’t have a fitness or diet routine, you won’t be beautiful.” Very sorry to say this, but this is the painful truth.
Featured image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net