What NOT To Do If You Want To Lose A Few Pounds For Summer

Yup, it’s that time of year again. When yachts set sail, beaches get busy, and your favourite #fitfluencer hard sells you a ‘’summer shred’’ program. Now perhaps work, life, or [insert your reason of choice] has taken priority over fitness, and you’re a little behind on your weight loss goal for the season – which is already here, oops. That can lead to some pretty unhealthy and unnecessary decisions to get the weight off as quickly possible. Don't mention the "O" word!

Here’s a few you don’t want to make - stick around for the last one!

1. Don’t crash diet

While being in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you consume is essential for fat loss, it’s not a good idea to be overly restrictive or starve yourself. Apart from the fact that it just isn’t sustainable and you’re going to hate your life, you’re also likely going to lose muscle mass, feel fatigued, and risk undernourishment. 500 to 1000 calories per day is generally a healthy deficit to aim for. Cut 500 if your goal is to lose 1lb per week, or 1,000 calories for 2lbs per week.

Ps. Don’t try to lose more than 1% of your total bodyweight per week.

2. Don’t fall for programs that set unrealistic expectations

We’ve all seen them, and maybe even indulged once or twice. Programs that promise visible abs or your dream bods in increasingly unrealistic timelines, from 12 weeks to six weeks, to mere days. Only for you to be on the receiving end of the same old cookie cutter workouts once you make the purchase. Can some of these workouts help you drop weight through increasing calorie expenditure and helping put you in a deficit? Yes. Can they result in a more muscular body composition if there’s sufficient hypertrophy training? Perhaps. But whether you have visible abs or look like the program’s cover model in the listed timeframe, depends mainly on your starting point.

3. Don’t do excessive cardio

Cardio, whatever your mode of choice, is great and brings a ton of health benefits. Do it! Just don’t ruin your relationship with it by completing triathlon equivalents everyday or doing HIIT workout you hate, in a desperate effort to burn fat fast. It is simply not needed. Instead, create your target deficit (see point 1), through a mix reducing calories consumption and increasing activity. How much to reduce vs burn is up to you, but keep in mind, it’s a lot easier to consume fewer calories than burn them.

4. Don’t obsess over the scale

Just like that friend who says they’re five minutes away when they’ve just hopped out the shower, scales can often be misleading. It’s important to keep in mind that weight and fat are not the same. And while you may be losing fat in many instances, your weight on the scales might say otherwise due to various factors from increased muscle mass to water retention. Letting this get to you can lead to making some extreme diet and workout choices. You can try and limit those some of the variables through replicating weighing conditions i.e. first thing in the morning, pre meal, etc. But sometimes it’s just a matter of trusting the process, seeing how you feel, and how you look – progress photos are your friend.

One final, and possibly most important point – don’t chase unattainable or unsustainable body standards. Body dysmorphia is real and has only been worsened by the world of social media and fitness models. While it’s fine to follow and perhaps even be inspired by them, just keep in mind, it is their actual job to look good, all the time. It is how they make a living. It can be unrealistic to try and compete with that as someone with a 9-5, a business, or several other time commitments. Not to mention, in many cases, what goes up on their pages are heavily edited images, featuring flattering angles and lighting that don’t truly reflect what they look like on the day to day.

So, instead of letting a post make you feel like your body still isn’t ‘’bathing suit ready’’, be proud of the progress you have made, be proud of your body today, and stay consistent with your approach. And have a sensational summer!

// Ethan Zach Nair, Certified PT and Nutritionist