Tired of sifting through endless weight loss advice, only to feel more confused and frustrated? You’re not alone. With so much conflicting information out there, it’s easy to lose sight of what really works.
At Skyterra we value the importance of research-based weight loss practices. Below are three scientifically backed strategies that are essential for improving your body composition. From understanding the importance of a caloric deficit to optimizing your workouts and prioritizing recovery, we’re sharing our top three essentials for a successful weight loss journey.
Understanding Your Unique Biology
First things first: it’s important to acknowledge that every body is different. Our physiological makeup varies from person to person, which means that what works really well for one person might not be as effective for another. This individuality extends to our metabolism, hormone levels, and even how we respond to different types of food and exercise.
However, despite these differences, there are some universal truths when it comes to weight loss. There are very specific, foundational principles that apply to all. By understanding and applying these core concepts, you can tailor your weight loss journey to fit your specific needs, while still adhering to what science tells us really works.
Step #1: Ensure You’re in a Caloric Deficit
Weight loss is impossible without a caloric deficit. Let’s clear something up—it isn’t only about the ratio of the calories you eat versus the calories you burn. It’s more complex than that, but at the core, you must be in a deficit to lose weight.
Creating Deficits: Different Paths to Success
There are several ways to create a caloric deficit:
- Overall caloric limiting: This is the classic approach—simply consuming slightly fewer calories than you burn throughout the day.
- Intermittent fasting: For some people, narrowing the window in which they eat each day can be an effective strategy to manage their eating patterns.
- Food-based elimination: Maybe counting calories isn’t for you, but you focus on slowly limiting or eliminating specific items like refined sugars or alcohol.
Knowing your nutritional needs is crucial to achieving weight loss in a safe way. While the word deficit might sound drastic, it’s essential to understand that healthy weight loss is a gradual process. Small, sustainable deficits are key. If you’re doing it right, it won’t feel like a crash diet; it’ll feel like baby steps in the direction of a lifestyle change.
For more information on how to optimize your nutrition for weight loss, click here.
Step #2: Optimize Your Training Approach
When it comes to exercise, it’s not just about burning as many calories as you possibly can in an hour. The way you train can dramatically affect how your body uses energy and builds muscle, which in turn impacts your metabolism and fat loss.
Strength Training: The Game Changer
We can’t stress this enough: strength training should be a cornerstone of your workout routine. Here’s why:
- Metabolic effects: Building muscle through strength training increases your metabolic rate, meaning you’ll burn more calories even at rest. Even if you feel like you don’t burn as many calories during your lift, you’ll be experiencing the positive effects of your training hours after the gym.
- Long-term gains: The muscle you gain is more important than the fat you lose. It helps refurbish your metabolism, making it more efficient at burning fat.
- Strength vs. cardio: A common misconception is that cardio is the best way to lose weight. While it has its place, excessive cardio and extreme calorie restriction can backfire. At Skyterra, we focus on building strength because of the lasting benefits.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is another powerful tool in your arsenal. Here’s why it works:
- Time efficiency: For those with busy schedules, HIIT maximizes calorie burn in a short amount of time.
- Afterburn effect: Both strength training and HIIT lead to what’s known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). This means you continue burning calories even after you’ve finished working out.
Ensure that your HIIT is true HIIT! Many popular workout classes that claim to offer high intensity interval training do not encourage you to work as hard as you can for a certain length of time, followed by plenty of rest to fully recover in between. If there isn’t enough time for your heart rate to come back down in between your all-out work, your training may not be as effective and may even have the opposite effect on your weight loss.
Zone 2 Cardiovascular Training
Don’t overlook the power of steady, low-intensity exercise. Zone 2 training, where you’re working at a moderate pace, is incredibly useful for weight loss and overall fitness:
- Daily movement: Incorporating daily movement in Zone 2 helps create caloric deficits and taps into fat stores for energy.
- Oxidative pathway: This type of training helps your body become more efficient at oxidizing fat, rather than just burning through glucose during workouts.
For more information on how to optimize your training for weight loss, click here.
Step #3: Prioritize Rest and Recovery
It might surprise you, but rest and recovery are just as important as what you eat and how you train. In some instances, it’s even more important. Your body needs time to repair and rebuild, and without proper rest you might be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.
Forms of Recovery
Recovery isn’t just about sleep, although that’s a big part of it. You can also recover through refueling your body with proper nutrition, stress management and self-care, and even light activities like stretching, mobility work and yoga.
Stress and Cortisol: The Hidden Villains
When we talk about stress, we’re referring to both psychological and physical stress. Your body doesn’t differentiate between the two, and stress hormones like cortisol can be major obstacles to weight loss. Elevated cortisol levels signal your body to hold onto fat, working against your goals. Mental health practices like deep breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga can significantly reduce cortisol production.
A Balanced Approach
At Skyterra, we see guests from all walks of life—some who undertrain and others who overtrain. The key is finding a balance that works for you. Depending on your fitness level and conditioning, your recovery needs will vary. Some guests are surprised to learn that they don’t need to work out all day to see results. Sometimes, less is more.
For more information on how to optimize your rest and recovery for weight loss, click here.
Getting Started: Where to Begin
So, where should you start? It all begins with understanding that your weight loss should feel sustainable and comfortable for you. The path to weight loss should never feel like punishment. It’s about finding what works for you and integrating it into your everyday life in a way that’s not overly disruptive and just feels right. The most important aspect of any weight loss plan is sustainability. Try what feels least restrictive to you, and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
For more in-depth tips and personalized guidance, we invite you to check out the three episodes of the Inspired Intentions podcast linked throughout this article where we dive even deeper into the strategies we’ve discussed here, offering practical advice and insights that you can apply right away.
But if you’re ready to take your weight loss journey to the next level, there’s no substitute for an immersive experience. That’s where Skyterra Wellness comes in. Our expert team is dedicated to helping you achieve your weight loss goals in a way that not only delivers results, but also feels good and sustainable. At Skyterra, we understand that your journey is unique, and we’re here to support you with a customized approach that makes sense for your body, your lifestyle, and your long-term wellness. So whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your approach, we’re here to help you succeed in the most supportive and empowering way possible.
