Blog Layout

Understanding The Disconnect Between Exercise and Weight Loss


When you're diligently hitting the gym, breaking a sweat, and sticking to your exercise routine, it's disheartening when the numbers on the scale refuse to budge. The common belief that exercise directly translates to weight loss isn't always accurate. More effort is required outside, and inside the gym to achieve results. If it were that easy, we would all be walking about with six packs!


Are you truly in a caloric deficit?


Weight loss fundamentally boils down to expending more calories than you consume. While exercise contributes to calorie expenditure, it doesn't guarantee weight loss unless paired with a sustained calorie deficit. Simply put, if you're not burning more calories than you're consuming over time, shedding pounds becomes an uphill battle.


Tracking your food intake through a meticulous food diary and monitoring your daily activity levels can unveil potential obstacles hindering your progress. By pinpointing areas where you might be overindulging or underestimating calorie intake, you can fine-tune your approach and ensure you're maintaining a consistent calorie deficit.


You're not doing the right things


You will often hear about a 70/30 rule, 70% of health and fitness goals are achieved in the kitchen, and 30% in what you do for exercise, this does not discount the importance of performing correct movements, exercise techniques and sequencing. For example, if you are going to run multiple times per week wouldn't you want to know if your gait pattern is optimized? Wouldn't you want to know how to lift weights correctly without injuring yourself?


We have an on-going joke in the gym I work at, that people as well as training bodyparts in the day also train their 'personality' meaning the gym is more of a social occassion than exercise retreat for them. This is where a Personal Trainer or Coach comes in handy.

How to consider non-exercise activity levels


Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) encompasses the energy expended during daily activities that aren't formal exercises, such as walking, cleaning, or fidgeting. This can significantly contribute to your daily energy expenditure, potentially comprising up to 50%.


Avoid falling into the habit of counting your daily steps, which include the steps you make from your house to your car, your car to your workplace, or your kitchen to your bedroom. You have metabolically inherited these steps, they're considered baseline. I like to incorporate a 30 minute rule, in which you only count the steps where you are on your feet for a minimum of 30 minutes.


Prioritize maintaining an active lifestyle throughout the day, aiming for a minimum of 10,000 steps daily.

Are you consuming more calories than you think?


One common pitfall is overestimating calorie expenditure from exercise while underestimating daily calorie intake. The notion of 'earning' extra calories through exercise often leads to indulgence or larger portion sizes, offsetting the calorie deficit created by physical activity.


Subtle cues of increased hunger may prompt additional snacking or larger meal portions, gradually undermining your weight loss endeavors. Combatting this requires vigilance in monitoring food intake, whether through calorie tracking or portion control. Maintaining an objective view of your dietary habits can prevent unconscious overeating and align your calorie intake with your weight loss goals.


Conclusion


While exercise undoubtedly plays a crucial role in overall health and fitness, its direct correlation with weight loss isn't as straightforward as commonly perceived. By reassessing your approach to calorie intake, prioritizing non-exercise activity, and practicing mindful eating habits, and exercising in the correct way you can bridge the gap between exercise and weight loss effectively. Remember, sustainable weight loss stems from a balanced combination of dietary modifications, physical activity, and consistent lifestyle habits.

Start Today!


Ready to transform your fitness journey? Take the first step towards achieving your goals with personal training!

My take on Health and Fitness

The benefits of skipping breakfast

By Jay Shreddinger • December 2, 2024
Is Breakfast Truly the Most Important Meal of the Day? Should you eat breakfast to achieve your fitness goals, or could skipping it be more beneficial? I aim to challenge conventional fitness advice when necessary to deliver the best results for my clients. My commitment to tailoring fitness solutions to individual needs is what sets me apart in the personal training industry. In a world dominated by one-size-fits-all approaches, it’s critical to remember that the most important person in any fitness journey is the client. Forcing a rigid mindset on someone often leads to frustration and failure, pushing them away from their goals. For many, breakfast has long been considered a non-negotiable meal. Decades of marketing by the breakfast cereal industry have ingrained the belief that starting the day with a bowl of sugary cereal is essential. For these individuals, switching to a healthier option—like grilled salmon and vegetables—can feel revolutionary. But what if you don’t enjoy breakfast? What if skipping it altogether makes you feel better? The Breakfast Myth: Science vs. Belief For years, health experts have drilled into us that skipping breakfast is a fast track to obesity and chronic disease. The phrase “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is so entrenched in society that questioning it seems almost heretical. Interestingly, a recent meta-analysis of breakfast-related studies found that the belief in breakfast’s benefits often outweighs the strength of scientific evidence. Researchers uncovered significant biases in how results were interpreted, leading to conflicting conclusions. Does this mean breakfast is bad? Absolutely not. Instead, it highlights the need for an open-minded approach to nutrition, prioritizing what works best for you. While nutrition debates can be divisive, achieving body composition goals ultimately boils down to three basics: creating a calorie deficit, eating nutritious foods, and sticking to the plan.

6 healthy breakfast ideas to start your day

By Jay Shreddinger • September 12, 2024
6 High-Protein Breakfast Ideas to Fuel Your Morning Starting your day with a high-protein breakfast can boost your energy levels, improve focus, and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Whether you're trying to build muscle, maintain weight, or simply stay energized, incorporating more protein into your morning routine can make a big difference. Here are six delicious and easy-to-make high-protein breakfast ideas to kick-start your day.

Why fat doesn't care about your feelings

By Jay Shreddinger • August 7, 2024
Through my experience as a Personal Trainer, I have observed the patterns, themes, and trends in a manner by people ive spoken to and worked with. A singular, unifying catalyst for successful weight-loss narratives exists: the moment of realization, an epiphany, the "Aha, I can’t continue this way." This is precisely why the 'healthy at every size' ideology is flawed. You are not healthy at every size. "But one can be ill and underweight too," they retort. Indeed, that is possible, yet it’s merely deflection. The focus here is not on anyone else. If one is overweight, the probability of death escalates. The greater the excess weight, the higher the propensity for illness and the decline in life quality. This is an irrefutable truth, regardless of how anyone attempts to spin it. The term ‘morbid obesity’ (morbid, implying death) exists for a reason. 
More Posts
Share by: