Sometimes the smallest changes can lead to the most astonishing results. They call it the Butterfly Effect, and personal trainers say it can play a pivotal role in weight loss and dieting success.
Who knew? Some guy swears off soda and, voila! Total body transformation in no time. It can sound too good to be true. But if certain improvements are applied “on the daily” we can expect to see some dramatic results. Here are five of the best nutritional “life hacks” that personal trainers recommend and, though subtle, these tips can help you make tremendous strides toward weight loss success.
1. Focus on Fiber Sources
Many personal trainers are huge advocates of fiber intake, believing it to be the real key to sustainable weight management.
Most of us understand how fiber works in the weight loss game - we eat foods rich in fiber, and we expect to experience a pleasant feeling of “fullness.” Hence, we eat less and lose weight as a result.
While that’s true, the real advantage of fiber as a weight loss strategy can be traced back to its role in controlling our blood sugar levels.
Here’s the science: foods rich in fiber move slower through our digestive system helping us to achieve the full feeling we desire, and it also slows the absorption of sugar into our digestive tract. With our blood sugar levels more appropriately regulated, we’re less likely to experience those hunger pangs or cravings for sweets that can derail our weight loss efforts.
Fortunately, finding foods that are fiber-rich isn’t difficult at all. Just focus on unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. One personal trainer we often speak with from Canary Wharf (London) offered up a curious strategy. “Work the perimeter of the grocery store. That’s where the unprocessed foods are often kept. In other words, avoid the aisles.”
2. Consider Intermittent Fasting
Look. When Elon Musk is your booster, people are going to stand up and take notice. That’s what’s been happening in the case of intermittent fasting; a weight loss strategy that’s catching on in a big way. And it’s not just Elon. Upon discovering how effective intermittent fasting could be, swaths of celebrities have taken to social media, singing like a canary about the fantastic results they’ve experienced.
What is intermittent fasting? In a practical sense, it’s simply an eating plan consisting of a bracket of time that is set aside for eating a nutritious diet. That bracket is then bookended by periods of fasting. Consider the “16/8” intermittent fasting routine. A program that keeps all your eating activities held to within 8 hours. For example, 12pm to 8pm is reserved for eating while anything outside those hours is reserved for fasting only.
Personal trainers agree that intermittent fasting can be very effective for weight loss. In fact, studies demonstrate intermittent fasting can be just as effective for weight loss as counting calories. As a dieting strategy that requires nothing more than a healthy dose of discipline, what’s not to love?
3. Focus on Protein
More than half of the calories we consume come from highly processed sources so getting enough protein needs to be at the top of your nutritional priority list. This is especially true if changing your body composition is your goal. Of the three macronutrients that make up our diets, protein can undoubtedly have the most profound impact on whether we achieve any level of sustainable weight loss success.
There are two huge advantages to supplementing our diets with the right sources of protein:
Protein is satiating. In other words, snacking on sources of protein like beef jerky, peanuts, or yogurt will lead to a fuller feeling for a longer period. With less of an appetite, we’ll be more successful in our efforts to consume fewer calories which can help us shed extra weight.
The thermic effect: Of all the macronutrients, protein has the highest thermic effect by far. That means that our bodies must work harder (burn more calories) when having to digest and process protein sources. As a result, a diet rich in protein can encourage our bodies to burn a greater number of calories.
4. Avoid Specialty Coffee Drinks
2 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each day. I guess a lot of us just can’t start our days without the rich taste and enticing aroma of coffee. However personal trainers tell us that our weight loss goals will be much harder to achieve if we push dietary boundaries with the repeated consumption of cappuccinos, lattes, and other specialty coffee drinks that are heavily loaded with sugary flavorings, calories, and carbs.
While coffee on its own doesn’t cause us to gain weight, loading it up with sugar and flavorings is where we run into trouble. Consider the Starbuck’s White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino. Oh, it’s delicious. No doubt. But it also packs a serious wallop in terms of unwanted fat. Just one of these drinks consists of a whopping 425+ calories, nearly 20 grams of fat, and at least 50 grams of sugar!
Talk about going right to the waistline?!
To get around this, personal trainers recommend exploring other caffeinated options like tea and iced coffee. Otherwise, if you can’t start your day without them, at least go with a small!
5. Take Sleep More Seriously!
While we lobbied London’s top fitness professionals to get their best nutritional guidance for losing weight, sleeplessness was a surprisingly common topic. Frankly, adequate sleep is difficult to come by in modern society. Lack of a consistent bedtime routine coupled with constant brain stimulation from our smartphones has left many of us too wired to have any hope of getting a decent night of sleep anymore.
If you’re getting fewer than 6 hours of sleep, science puts you at a greater risk of obesity.
Here’s why:
Research shows that not getting enough sleep slows the process by which our bodies convert calories into energy. When that happens, we end up storing more fat than our bodies need.
Poor sleep can increase the levels of cortisol in our bodies; a process that also promotes fat storage.
A consistent lack of sleep can upend those important hunger-regulating hormones. Result? More eating when we’re not even hungry according to one study.
Though it may sound easy, we need to approach getting enough sleep with a deliberate effort for it to work consistently within our busy lifestyles. Here are a few steps that personal trainers say can help:
Set the thermostat between 60°F and 67°F – it’s the best range for sleep.
Adopt a consistent sleep schedule, weekends included. Our brains have a real appreciation for regularity and predictability.
Explore the expansive world of sleep apps. They offer powerful sleep-tracking features, soothing music, and meditative strategies to help you calm down.
One bit of advice we found very interesting: don’t ever lay in bed awake but not sleeping. If you’ve been staring at the ceiling for more than 15 minutes without sleeping, it’s time to get up to go reset your brain somewhere. The last thing you want is for your brain to associate your bed with a state of anxiety.
Conclusion
Weight loss is a common goal, but personal trainers tell us we need to adopt a “long game” mentality if we want to lose weight sustainably. Using the nutritional tips above, losing weight at a rate of .5 to 1 lb per week is absolutely achievable…if you’re consistent. Plus, when we experience these incremental achievements in weight loss over time, we’re more likely to cultivate these tips into long-term habits that ensure we keep the weight off once we lose it. Who knew it would only take a few subtle changes to our lifestyle to succeed?