Weight Loss Principles 101 – You must have a caloric deficit to lose weight.Meaning, you have to burn more calories than you consume.  If you have a 3500 calorie deficit over a 7 day period, you will lose one pound.  That is a 500 calorie deficit everyday for 1 week.  If you have a bigger deficit then you will lose more weight.  Therefore, counting calories and tracking your food intake is the #1 requirement you need to do on a daily basis to achieve success. The smart way to lose body fat is to maintain a deficit through both diet & exercise.  Trying to lose body fat with diet only and not exercising is not optimal.  You want to burn the body fat off while maintaining or increasing your muscle mass.

I like to use the free version of My Fitness Pal.  All you have to do is download the app to your phone and input everything you eat and drink.  Sounds hard but it is really easy and doesn’t take that much time.

The app will also give you a breakdown of your macros & nutrients.  This tells you how many grams of protein, carbohydrates & fats and the percentage of each macro.  I recommend a 40-30-30 split of Carbs, Protein & Fat.  After you input your age, weight, gender, activity level and weight loss goal of losing 1.5 or 2 pounds per week, you will see your target calorie goal.

Exercise – Cardio & Strength Training: The National Strength & Conditioning Association, NSCA, recommends a minimum of 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular training for weight loss.  This breaks down to 5 – 30 minute cardio sessions per week.  I advise to incorporate steady state training as well as interval training so you get the benefits of both.

Strength Training or lifting weights is essential to weight loss and achieving a desired body composition.  Resistance training burns calories, builds muscle and also works the heart & lungs to improve aerobic conditioning (especially if you are doing my team training hiit classes).

Detox & Recovery – Using our wellness amenities such as the Infrared Sauna, Red Light Therapy and Normatec Leg Compressions can help you lose weight, feel better and recover faster.  Benefits include: detoxification, immune system boost, reduced pain & inflammation, cellular health, heart health, skin health and improved sleep, energy & well-being.

The Keep It Simple Program: 

1. Use the My Fitness Pal app and track your calories daily.  Trainer check & discussion before each session for accountability.
2. Perform a minimum of 5 – 30 minute cardio sessions per week & 3 infrared sauna.
3. Complete 2-3 strength training sessions per week or do Team Training classes.
4. Only one cheat meal per week and limit alcohol to once per week with a max of 5 drinks.