I want to lose weight: Nutrition and Training

More and more people can be found in the gym. The way to iron has been discovered and young and old are experiencing the benefits of strength training. In the first few weeks you will see quick results, you will lose a few kilos effortlessly, your posture will be better and your strength will improve. I always call it the “ honeymoon phase ”. But then, you stay at that same weight, your muscle mass does not grow as fast as you want and you lose your motivation . And we found out what caused that and I'm not going to mince words, it's your food .

How important is nutrition?

When you start training your body needs the smallest stimuli to make progress, but after a while that is no longer enough and you will have to do (or not do) more for the same result. And that's when you really need to get started with your diet. It can sometimes be quite confusing what exactly best anabolic shop to eat and sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. paleo ? If it fits your macros? vegan? With or without bread ... the choice is huge. But the harder you make it for yourself, the harder it is to sustain.

Sustainable change requires a calm, clear approach and then it can be useful to call in the help of an expert for a short or longer period of time. How do we do that? We offer various options .

The power of strength training

Let's be honest: with food you can ensure that you lose weight. As long as you basically make sure that you take in fewer calories than you need, you will lose weight.

Would you like to eat something tasty now and then and work on your physical condition, fitness or muscle mass? Then strength training is a big fat 'go'. By doing strength training you ensure that you burn a lot of calories. But even after your strength training you will continue to burn calories, because you simply have to recover (and this costs energy).

“How is it possible that I gain weight through strength training?”

We get this question regularly. Muscle outweighs fat . It is therefore possible that someone of 1.80 meters weighs 85 kilos, but has a low fat percentage.

So don't be afraid that you will gain weight when you do strength training. Mainly try to see how you feel. After all, that is the most important: are you comfortable in your own skin?

Customized nutritional adviceadvies

The most important advantage of tailor-made nutritional advice is that you can interpret it yourself. What do you like or don't like? Do you want 6 eating moments, or only 3? Do you have exchange services? allergies? All things that I can take into account as a dietitian. And if you have any questions, you can always ask them. Very different from nutritional advice from a book or from a website.

You also decide for yourself how the guidance is. Would you like an occasional consultation? Or do you just want to be helped? Do you want a big stick by being measured once every 6 weeks? Everything is possible.

Bonus: 8 Tips to Build Muscle, Lose Fat, and Lose Weight

As promised: the 8 bonus tips. Here you get 8 tips to build muscle and lose fat .

Compound exercises

By doing big heavy exercises, such as the deadlift, squat and bench press, you use a lot of energy and put a lot of muscles to work. Ideal when you have little time in the gym, for example.

Bring variety

If you want to build muscle, it is important to vary. This applies to your intensity and volume, as well as to the exercises you do.

Work as hard on your legs as you do your torso

Nearly 70% of your muscles are in your legs. By doing squats and deadlifts you activate even more muscles than just your legs. So win-win.

Nutrition is more important than training

In the beginning you probably won't have to watch your diet very strictly, but the more advanced you get, the more important nutrition becomes. Same for weight loss.

Eat more fat than carbohydrates

Fat is both a building material and an energy source. A way of life that fits well with this is also called the ' ketogenic diet'.

More calories out than in

Do you need 2,000 calories a day? Eat less and you lose weight, eat more and you gain weight, simple right? This is of course very short sighted, but in general you can stick to this guideline.

Get enough sleep

Sleep is incredibly important. For example, if you sleep too little, but you have more cortisol (= stress hormone), you perform less well, etc. etc. And this is just a tip of the mountain when it comes to chronic sleep too short.

Skip snacks

Where in the past the engine always had to keep running, this has now changed to 'normal' food 3 times a day. This way your blood sugar level remains more stable and you will experience less appetite throughout the day.

How further?

As you have read, losing weight, gaining muscle mass or pursuing a healthy lifestyle consists of different disciplines. We've talked about nutrition and training in this blog, but do you also know, for example, how important behavior is?

Whatever you do, at least start moving. Try to take the bike regularly, leave the car at home (also good for the environment), take the stairs and get coffee for your colleagues more often .