Fitness columnist Emmet Rushe outlines five things you should know about weight loss to help you on your journey

Weight loss can be a frustrating thing.

  • How much should you be losing each week?
  • What if weight loss stops?
  • What am i allowed to eat?
  • Will I be able to stick to my diet?

There are loads of things that go through your mind when you start out on your journey.

This week I am going to give you 5 tips that you should know about weight loss.

(1) Don’t try and lose 1/2 stone each week. 
Having a ‘weight’ number in your head that you ‘should’ be losing each week can be the downfall of many a dieter.
Thinking that you ‘should’ be losing this arbitrary number each time you step on the scales, is a sure fire way to fail.
This is the truth about rates of weight loss.
1lb per week is a great rate of weight loss.
2lbs per week is AMAZING.
Don’t get caught up in trying to match what you lose on week 1.
You will always lose more in the 1st week, this will slow down, as long as you expect this to happen, you will be fine.

(2) Your weight will fluctuate EVERY DAY.
If you have a bad relationship with your scales, please don’t weigh yourself.
Your weight, WILL fluctuate, day to day and week to week, especially around your menstrual cycle.
Don’t get caught up on this. It is supposed to happen.
As long as your average weight is dropping weekly and monthly, you are on track.

(3) If you have a binge you WILL weigh MORE.
When you diet, you inevitably drop carbs.
This will give a drop in fluid and muscle glycogen, as long as you are in a calorie deficit, yo will also be dropping body fat which is the most important part.
When you have a binge, and eat a load of carbs, you will refill the muscle glycogen and the fluid you had lost and you WILL weigh more.
This doesn’t mean that the weight you have gained is fat.
Once you get back on track, you will be back to normal in a few days, so beating yourself up and using it as an excuse to eat more is counterproductive.

(4) The scales never tell the full story.
Regarding point 3 above.
The reason you get frustrated and disappointed with the scales, is because the don’t tell you what is fluid, fat, muscle, bones, organs etc.
‘Weight’, isn’t what you should be focusing on.
‘Fat’ is what you want to be losing.
Saying that someone is overweight is technically wrong.
They are actually over FAT.
The reason this isn’t used, is because it sounds insulting.
But, if you understand what you are actually trying to lose, you won’t get caught up on what the numbers on the scales tell you.

(5) There are better ways to track progress.
How your clothes fit.
How you look in the mirror.
Take progress photos and assess them monthly.
Get a trainer to test your body fat with calipers.
Measure your Chest, waist, hips and thigh on a weekly basis.
These are all ways that you can measure progress and they are better than worrying what the number on the scales tell you.

5 small tips that will should have a big impact on how you look at starting your weight loss journey.

I use all of the tips above with my Rushe Fitness members in my Fit in 42 classes in Letterkenny.
The next 6 weeks starts next Monday 3rd of April and there are limited spaces available on it.
Drop me a message to join us in your Rushe Fitness Family.
#TrainSmart