If you’re someone who carries a few extra pounds than they would like, and you feel you’ve exhausted all avenues to lose it (although, have you tried getting off your phone?), you may get to a point where you lose all hope – although, Adam Sullivan of Evidence Based Training says we should be setting realistic fat loss goals of less than a kilo a week (if that’s what you’re trying to do).
But British personal trainer James Smith has recently come out with an inspiring message that will give you plenty of optimism. Taking to TikTok, James admits that those with “20 to 30 kilograms of body fat to lose,” will likely be worried about stepping foot in the gym because “they’re programming what exercises they should be doing,” i.e. they want to make sure they’re performing the best workouts to achieve optimum fat loss. They could also be hesitant to step into the gym due to fear of ridicule (or the intimidation factor).
And so, worrying and fretting about these things will no doubt cause you to become demotivated. But, James says overweight people “overlook the most simplistic ways of helping them lose fat.” He admits that there needs to be a calorie deficit involved, but in terms of exercise, James says that people carrying extra weight can use that to their advantage.
He uses a 15kg weighted vest as an example for himself, adding “I’m not taking the piss out of people that are overweight or they’ve got weight, but even the simplest of tasks is going to be a lot more difficult. Walking or even performing a lunge, or going up the stairs. It’s going to be a lot more difficult if I wore this for a few hours.”
“For many of you out there that have got tremendous amounts of excess weight, in essence, you have got enough resistance on your body to burn more calories than other people.”
“Don’t underestimate going for walks, going outside, opting to take the stairs. Understand it’s a tool, it’s something you can utilise.”
“Something as simple as taking the stairs and monitoring your food intake, over the course of three to six months, means that after a while, you could be saying goodbye to the amount of weight that a weighted vest even weighs. And when you drop that weight, suddenly the idea of coming to a gym and exercising may not seem so daunting.”
It’s an inspiring message for sure, and one many should take onboard. Especially because, as Adam Sullivan explains in a video on his Instagram account, “no exercise directly results in fat loss,” as it all comes down to putting yourself into a calorie deficit. This doesn’t contradict James’ message that simply getting outside isn’t going to work, because it will. But it does make sense within the context of going to a gym.
There’s no point spending money on a gym membership to go and walk on a treadmill and lift a few weights – although it has been claimed that muscle gain can also play its part in fat loss – if you’re not looking at what you eat. Combine these two messages: getting active and reducing the number of calories you’re consuming on a daily basis, persevere, and you’ll soon seen the pounds fall off.
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