Getting started with sustainable weight loss

Let's start with the unavoidable cold, hard truth: weight loss requires a calorie deficit—consuming fewer calories than your body uses.

For many, just hearing this can trigger a spiral toward the comfort of the cookie jar, conjuring up images of restrictive diets, endless fasting and constant hunger. Decades of yo-yo dieting and failed attempts can amplify this stress response to the idea of restriction.

Two problems most women have experienced when trying to lose weight and then maintain it, is that they try to do too much, too quickly.

• Found yourself unable to stick to a diet? Don't beat yourself up about it! Over-restriction makes daily life very difficult!

• Lost a significant amount of weight then put it all back on after? Putting your life on hold to lose weight makes extreme restriction possible but unsustainable so when you return to your previous habits, the weight comes back on.

There is another way.

At EmpowHer, we provide you with the tools to lose weight WITHOUT putting your life on hold. While diet and exercise are essential parts of any weight loss journey, your mindset is what truly determines your success at making meaningful, lasting changes. Our holistic approach to training both your brain and your body promotes health, confidence and above all sustainable habits.

Weight loss vs. fat loss

It's a common misconception that to make ourselves smaller, we need to focus solely on a drop in the numbers on the scale. This decrease in weight doesn't necessarily equate to improved health because in addition to the loss of fat this number can also include loss of muscle, water, and other essential body components.

Reducing lean muscle mass can negatively impact health in several ways, including:

• Lowering metabolism: Your metabolism, which determines how many calories you burn daily, can slow down, making it harder to maintain weight loss.

• Fatigue: Muscle loss can lead to a decrease in energy levels, leaving you feeling more tired and less motivated.

• Loss of strength: A reduction in muscle mass can diminish your overall strength, increasing the risk of injury and reducing mobility.

• Increased risk of chronic diseases: Lower muscle mass is associated with a higher risk of developing conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Aiming to lose fat whilst maintaining, or even building, muscle is healthier and more sustainable. Our online strength training program, EmpowHer.6 combines strength training in a user friendly app, with nutrition, recovery and all you need to make this a lifestyle NOT a diet.

Step 1: Finding your why

This is only going to happen if it is truly important to YOU. Not to anyone else passing judgement, not even to your partner/children/horse, YOU have to want it. 

Finding your "why" for weight loss is essential because it provides motivation, direction and purpose to your efforts. Without a clear "why," it's easy to lose focus, become discouraged or revert to old habits.

Here’s how you can discover and define your "why" for weight loss:

1. Reflect on your motivations: Are you looking to improve your health? Do you want to improve your mental health? Are you seeking more energy to be more active with family and friends? Do you want to increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life?

2. Identify whats most important to you: Do you respect and value yourself enough to make a change? Do you simply want to feel more comfortable in your own skin? Maybe there’s a goal you've always wanted to achieve?

3. Visualise your future: What will you be wearing? How will you be feeling? Sexy? Energised? Youthful? Who will you be enjoying this with?

4. Write it down: Writing down your reasons can make them more real and provide a reminder when things get tough. Keep it somewhere visible.

Step 2: Taking stock

Imagine that you are saving up for a new big expense, maybe it's a car or a house deposit. In order to reach your target savings you need to know three simple things:

1. How much you need to save i.e. where are you now vs where you want to be.

2. How much you have coming in and out each month.

3. How soon you want to achieve this.

The same principle applies to weight loss.

For one week, without judgment or changing anything, record your food, drink, steps and workouts. We recommend using a free app such as MyFitnessPal.

What makes us different at EmpowHer is that we don't do quick fixes. The likes of Weight Watchers and Slimming World have based their business model around cultivating yo-yo dieters whereas we believe this is a lifestyle.

Do expect:

• To be asked to commit to resistance training on a weekly basis - it is essential you build lean muscle mass whilst losing fat.

• To be set a smaller calorie deficit but over a longer period of time, especially if you are a smaller woman - this allows you to enjoy life whilst still losing fat.

• That no food is off limits! Instead learn how to make simple swaps with foods you enjoy and meet daily targets for protein and vegetables.

• To be set a range for daily steps and movement - a large part of your calories expended are used in your non-exercise activity like cleaning the house, walking the dog, commuting.

Don't expect:

• That everyone has to track calories to lose weight - focusing on the basics gets results.

• Weekly weigh ins - in fact, we recommend using alternative measures to the scales and giving yourself at least 3 weeks of focus between measurements.

• To struggle when you go on holiday or out for dinner with friends - we show you how to enjoy eating out without losing track of your "why".

Step 3: Work smarter not harder with small simple steps

Create the habits that are going to help you break your big goal (target weight loss) into small simple steps for success!

Here are some of our top tips:

• Establish accountability. Share your goal with a supportive friend, family member or work colleague who will help keep you accountable when it gets tough.

• Make the steps small enough that you guarantee will succeed. A little, done a lot, is easier than a lot, done a little. Most people lack the discipline to be consistent because they make it too hard.

• Make sensible swaps. It is much easier to swap a food for a choice that more closely aligns with your goals than it is to totally cut something out. Remember nothing is off limits.

• Set boundaries. We've all got our weakness, whether that's a glass of wine or a pudding. Set yourself up for success by not putting yourself in the position to slip e.g. if you simply cannot exercise willpower, don't bring chocolate in the house regularly.

Lastly, START NOW! The time is going to pass anyway, so rather than put it off until tomorrow, or next week, or after your holiday, start with your next step or your next meal.

To hear more top tips on weight loss, subscribe to our weekly podcast to hear our clients problems and how we help them overcome them.

If you need more support, check our EmpowHer.6, for 6 weeks to change your life.