Weight Management - Where To Start

The first step of any weight loss program is to define your weight loss goals.

They should be carefully considered and desirable.

If you are in the healthy weight range for your height, your weight loss goals may be aesthetic.

If you are overweight, it is purely health based.

Ask yourself why you need/want to lose weight?

Weight loss can be good in some cases but in others it will do more harm than good.

Whether it is good or not depends on initial body fat percentage.

A realistic weight loss goal is approx 1kg every 2 weeks.

The more rapid the weight loss, the more likely it is to come back, the more likely you will lose more muscle and potentially decrease performance.

I could argue here that this depends on personality. Maybe you are someone who needs to see quick results to get motivated.

If so, quick weight loss is a good thing for you.

But if you have a history of repeated attempts to lose weight and have tried multiple diets, quick weight loss that is unsustainable is not a good place for you to go.

Also, it is perfectly fine to have weight loss goals for vanity. Just monitor the rate and type of weight you are losing. Take photos, use clothes as a marker, take measurements, get a DEXA scan. Use every measurement to ensure you are losing the right type of weight.

Ideally we want muscle to stay the same or increase slightly and body fat to decrease to a healthy fit level.

I'll be back tomorrow with the three main methods you can use to lose weight and you can decide what is the best approach for you.