When it comes to weight loss and healthy eating, we are bombarded with messages from left, right and centre.

• Fire up your metabolism
• Eat less, move more
• Cut your carbs
• Increase your protein
• Eat more
• Lift weight

All these messages are confusing, and if you aren’t familiar with the science behind weight loss, it is easy to follow one of these principles to which will only lead you to be even more confused and less than satisfied with a lack of results.

There is actually no right or wrong answer – any of the above could be true for any individual. It all comes down to where they are at in their journey.  The bottom line is, every BODY is different, and will therefore have their own recipe for healthy and sustainable weight loss success.  It is just about having the right tools and support to help you find it!’

The first step in the equation is to understand where you are right now….so where are you?

The cornerstone to fat loss is energy balance… -> move more + eat less = weight loss…..right? The formula is never as straight forward as this, and nor would we pretend it to be.  Lots of factors come into play…..your sleep, stress levels, environmental toxins will also play a contributing role…

However let’s begin with food…think of your body’s energy requirements like spending money.

How much does it cost to keep your body alive? Let’s pretend it costs $1400.

Think about how much it would cost to keep your body active, to grow your muscles, to maintain your digestion, menstrual cycle and even cook dinner…much more than $1400, that’s for sure. However when it comes to food, so many people are guilty of ‘under spending’.

Our bodies are incredibly smart; as they are always in search for homeostasis, they learn to adapt to the environment around them…

Let’s think back to the energy balance mentioned earlier; if it costs you $2500 to keep your body active, and you are spending $3000, then you need to scale back your spending in order to see some fat loss.

On the flipside, if it costs you $2500 to keep your body alive and active, and you are only spending $1400, what does this mean for your body?  It gets used to your spending habit and adapts accordingly, compromising on quality for cost.   In other words, it becomes metabolically adapted to this amount of energy. When you are eating substantially lower that your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) you are in fact doing more damage to your metabolism than eating too much.  It is fairly simple to lose body fat when you have been over spending/eating.  It is tricky when you are under spending/eating.  Not only does this slow your metabolism, this will also upset your thyroid, adrenal system and hormones.

The trick is working out what your body’s total daily energy expenditure is and establishing whether you are eating over or under this amount.  This gives you a starting point and a plan of action to help you reach your goal.

At Terrific Fitness, every member who walks through our doors is different, which therefore means that every member will have their own unique energy requirements.  With our Nutrition software, we can customise a meal plan that is specific to your unique macro energy requirements to help you on your way to fat loss, muscle gain and increased metabolism.  This takes the guess work, deprivation and hunger out of the weight loss equation and helps you find a plan that is long term, sustainable, and most importantly, works!

-Written by Coach Dani