Get Fit

pmckernon17

Hi All ,

My name is Peter, I am trying to drop about 15 / 20 kg after a long time with issues with my knees.

Braden96

Hi Peter,

In order to lose weight, one must be in a caloric deficit. Meaning, consuming less calories than they require. In order to find out your 'maintenance' calories (What your body needs to stay at your current weight.) You can google a calorie calculator. Enter your age, weight, height etc, and you will find your 'maintenance' calories.

A good goal is to be around 200-300 calories below your maintenance, this will mean you will lose weight slowly but surely. Eating 1000 calories less than your maintenance will see rapid weight loss, but will maintain loose skin etc, and is not an ideal way to lose weight. So, stick with 200-300 calories less than your maintenance.

Diet: You will need to reduce your carbohydrate intake, but still consume complex carbs, and supplement those lost calories with lean protein and healthy fats. Also, cut out all processed/pre-packaged foods. Stick with natural/whole foods. (If it came out of the ground, or came from a farm, you can eat it.) Note, beer is loaded with carbs and may contribute to a caloric surplus (more than your maintenance) so if you drink, either substitute it with water or limit yourself to 1 or 2. Plus, cut out all processed sugar, so soft drink, lollies, etc. Simple sugars, when consumed spike your blood sugar and your body releases excess insulin to combat the blood sugar spike, the release of insulin prompts your body to store fat instead of burn fat.

Food Examples: Carbs: Complex carbs such as Oats, Rice(Brown), Sweet potatoes and greens Like Broccoli.
Protein: Whole proteins like Chicken, Eggs and Milk are great staple protein sources, plus meats like Turkey, Steak, etc. Although, certain cuts of steak contain Saturated fats, and that is what you need to cut out. So stick with things like Chicken, Turkey, Egg Whites.
Fats: Healthy fats are un-saturated fats, which include oils (Olive, Avocado, Flax Seed, Canola) Nuts, Fish (Salmon) plus avocado and peanut butter (Natural preferably). Healthy fats are essential when losing fat as they are used for a secondary energy source, so when your carbohydrate intake is lowered, the fats kick in to assist in energy restoration.

Exercise: Naturally any kind of cardio would be fine. But, cardio is only there to burn calories and therefore will put you into an even bigger calorie deficit, so if you already are in a calorie deficit, cardio is not necessarily necessary. Although if you want to lose weight fast, cardio combined with a caloric deficit would be a fast way to loose weight. I would recommend yoga or Pilates or even just a basic body weight exercise routine (Push ups, sit ups, chin ups, dips etc.)

I hope I answered some of your queries, thanks and good luck.