Achieving Your Weight Loss Goals

If you know how many calories you need per day (see the weight loss page under “Training”) you’re on track. Now you need some of the key ingredients in your journey toward your ideal physique.

Besides counting calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, and getting in great workouts, what else do you need to consider in your quest for fitness? There are actually many things that can either contribute to your success or hinder your progress.

Another one of the biggest things you can do to help yourself (actually, in many areas) is to drink water. Water is an awesome substance. Water will help fill you up when you’re feeling hungry. A full belly will definitely help you to eat less; a step in the right direction. Water also helps your body flush out waste and toxins. And, amazingly enough, it also helps your body get rid of fat – a definite bonus. You also need to stay hydrated in order to get the most out of your workouts. Without sufficient water, you won’t have the energy to push yourself through those tough last reps, or squeak out those extra ten minutes of cardio.

Stress is another big factor in your ability to lose weight. Sometimes stress can cause you to lose weight very quickly. This generally occurs when you experience something so traumatizing that you just can’t eat. Don’t be fooled though; this is never a good thing. When you lose weight super fast (more than two pounds per week) you are most likely losing muscle mass. Losing muscle is detrimental to your weight loss goals. Muscle is the substance that burns fat. This means it is tissue that is metabolically active. The less muscle you have, the fewer calories you need. Conversely, the more muscle you can add to your body, the more you’ll be able to eat and not gain weight! So, it is critical that you preserve muscle mass at all costs. Stress also raises cortisol levels (a hormone) in your bloodstream. Guess what this does? You got it – it makes you gain weight; especially in the stomach area.

Another big part of losing weight, believe it or not, is sleep. Yes, sleep allows your body to recover and heal. While your body is resting and recharging, you make gains in muscle mass. Your body repairs the minute tears caused by lifting which result in muscle being built. By the way, back to “stress” for a second; stress makes it hard to go to sleep. You tend to have “a lot of things on your mind” and toss and turn for hours. Lack of sleep will most likely make you irritable, increase your stress hormone levels, and affect the way your body uses and stores carbohydrates. These things can lead to you gaining weight you otherwise might not have gained.

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