A fitness coach has shared her seven-step programme for steady and sustainable weight loss – and why you should never cut out your favourite food.
Sophie Allen, 30, says one of the most common mistakes she sees clients make is ‘playing all their cards at once’ by dramatically limiting their diet, training six days a week and pushing themselves to do 12,000 steps as soon as they start their journey.
While this is a simple way to see rapid progress in the short-term, the Melbourne trainer warns it is also the fastest way to burn out and become disillusioned after the first week.
Instead, Ms Allen advises a slow burning approach that begins with a moderate calorie deficit, short sessions of light cardio and a diet that allows you some guilty pleasures to ensure you can stick to it, all year round.
She says depriving yourself of your favourite meals and occasional treats like restaurant dinners and drinks with friends is simply ‘unrealistic’.
Australian personal trainer Sophie Allen (pictured) says cutting out your favourite food is the fastest way to fall off the wagon on your fitness journey
1. Start with a moderate calorie deficit
Different for every individual, a calorie deficit is the energy your body requires to survive and maintain your current weight, minus the calorific value of your daily food intake.
If your body requires 2,000 calories a day and you only consume 1,200 a day, you are in calorie deficit of 800 and will steadily lose weight as long as this is maintained.
Depending on your maintenance calories, Ms Allen usually advises starting with a deficit of 20 percent.
For example, if your maintenance calories are 2,200 per day, you should limit yourself to 1,760 per day.
2. Make cardio your friend
Once you have decided on your calorie intake, Ms Allen advises incorporating manageable sessions of light cardio into your daily routine.
This can be anything from jogging or running to swimming or cycling.
‘Don’t do too much too soon,’ she warned.
Ms Allen (pictured) says one of the most common mistakes she sees clients make is ‘playing all their cards at once’
3. Avoid setting step count too high
Messaging from health organisations urges us to walk at least 10,000 steps each day, but Ms Allen advises against setting yourself a step count target that is impossible to reach.
Depending on your usual level of activity, she says anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 per day is a good place to start.
‘If you’re already training every day, walking 15,000 steps a day, doing extra cardio and eating super low calories, you’re going to run into problems,’ she said.
4. Stick to what works for you
If your current diet and fitness plan is working and you’re seeing results, Ms Allen says there is no need to change things up.
‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ she added.
5. Be patient
It’s tempting to go all in straight away to see results fast, but Ms Allen says it’s better to approach weight loss by doing as little as possible that is still enough to make progress.
Your body needs time to change, so Ms Allen says you shouldn’t assume you’re in a plateau when the scales don’t move for one week.
Ms Allen (pictured) advises against setting yourself a step count target that is impossible to reach
Ms Allen (pictured) advises a slow burning approach that begins with a moderate calorie deficit, short sessions of light cardio and a diet that allows you some guilty pleasures
6. Avoid over training
If you are completely new to training, Ms Allen recommends starting with three to four gym sessions per week.
‘Your body needs rest to recover and this will help you avoid burning out later in your program,’ she said. ‘Remember, more isn’t always better.’
7. Don’t eliminate your favourite food
If you want to stay motivated, Ms Allen says warns against cutting out an entire food group or avoiding your favourite meals.
‘Sustainability means something you can do all the time, when in doubt ask yourself the question – is this something I could stick to all year around? If the answer is no, change it up!’ she explained.