It’s the first of the year... the holidays are over... and before we know it, spring break, vacation, and wedding season will be here!
For many of us, myself included, this means dialing things in to get back in shape and lose the unwanted weight we put on.
If you've ever tried to lose weight before, you know that it is hard, it is a process, and it will take time. But it is also far from impossible and in fact... We’ve got quick tips on things you can start doing TODAY to result in weight loss TOMORROW.
In this blog, I'll share with you the best ways to lose weight for men without skipping meals, hours of cardio, or anything else crazy.
The Science of Weight Loss
This is probably a refresher for most readers, but it’s worth taking a look at how and why people gain (or lose) weight.
There’s a lot that goes into the science of nutrition, but at the end of the day, the pounds we put on are directly related to our energy balance. But, what does that mean?
Well, every single day we use energy in the form of calories. These calories come from the foods you eat like your fats, carbs, and protein.
Now, our bodies use calories to power its basic functions like pumping blood and digesting food. However, when we take in more calories than our body needs, those calories can be stored as energy for later (body fat).
On the flip side, when we consume less energy than we use on a daily basis, your body will start using tissue on your body to account for that energy. So, generally speaking, there are two ways to put your body in calorie deficit to lose weight:
• Eat fewer calories so your body needs to utilize stored energy
• Increase your activity levels to burn more calories so your body needs to utilize stored energy
Even though this is simplified quite a bit, this is how it works! That's also why every tip you'll leave here with today will be directly or indirectly tied to your activity levels and nutrition.
One more component to weight loss that I consider to be crucial is protein intake. You see, even though your body only needs to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight and utilize stored energy ... that stored energy can come from both fat and muscle. By keeping your protein intake high while your calories are low, your body can maintain more lean muscle. This can encourage your body to utilize stored fat for energy as opposed to muscle tissue.
As simple as all of this sounds, it certainly isn't easy. But, that's where these tips will really help you out!
Before we jump into the best ways to lose weight for men, there is one more aspect of effective weight loss that's worth discussing: Planning.
Plan Out Your Weight Loss First
If you’re looking to lose weight as a man, or woman, you’ll need to quantify what that means to you.
• How much weight do you want to lose?
• How long do you have to lose the weight?
• Is it weight you want to lose or fat?
• If you lose weight but gain muscle, is that ok?
• Is this weight loss meant to be temporary for a special event or do you want to keep it off forever?
These kinds of questions are all very important if you’re looking to lose weight.
They tell you what you’re really looking for and what kind of actions you can take to get there. They give you guidelines as to what you need to implement into your routine to lose the pounds and control your weight rather than letting your weight control you.
Once you’ve got your goals clearly established, as well as your timeline, it's time to go to work on the plan to get you there! This plan needs to consist of your nutrition, exercise, supplements, sleep schedules, water intake, and daily routine all working together.
If you need a plan, check out the 1st Phorm App which you can download here, or reach out to our team at customer service.
Whether you are male or female, we can help you with your plan to lose weight.
Now, when it comes to the plan... and daily actions and habits to help you reach your goals... there are many options out there.
Here are some of the best actions and habits you can implement into your life to help you execute on your plan to lose weight.
The Best Ways To Lose Weight For Men
Eat Protein For Breakfast
Most people eat a bagel or some cereal for breakfast. That might be fine for some people but most people are left feeling hungry 30 minutes after breakfast when they eat like that.
Or they find they have a mid-morning crash of energy. To help avoid that and improve your weight loss, try eating some protein.
Eggs, lean breakfast meats, greek yogurt, and protein powder have a lot more protein in them than cereal, toast, or your whipped frappuccino drink. They also “stick” with you better throughout the morning.
Not only is there a strong chance you end up eating fewer calories overall, but you’re also helping your body to use more body fat as energy.
This can help you burn more calories and body fat over the course of a day. When you feel full, you’re less likely to indulge in unhealthy snacks.
That means you’re eating less over the course of the day.
Now doing this one … two mornings a week will not yield impressive results. But when you consistently eat protein at breakfast over weeks and months, you can help your body burn more fat and earn better results than if you don't have enough protein at breakfast.
So, skip the Nutella toast, sugary cereal, or the daily donuts and go for something with more substance. You’ll stay more full for longer which leads to less snacking between meals.
Reduce Your Calories In a Way You Can Sustain
As I mentioned earlier, if you want to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than you use. Part of that requires eating less food.
Different diets will be effective for different people but they’re all ultimately doing the same thing. They’re helping you consume fewer calories.
Therefore, if you want to earn the fastest results possible, you have to first understand how many calories you are eating. If you don't know this, how do you REALLY know what your calories should be to help you lose weight as efficiently as possible?
I would recommend tracking your food for a week. Don't change your habits, just simply track what you are eating. Doing so will help you have a better understanding of how much you are eating, and where to start making adjustments.
Or if you are going to work with someone for your nutrition plan, they will have a better idea of where and how to start helping you!
Now, also keep in mind that cutting your calories TOO low will not be beneficial for your health or long-term results.
On paper, it looks like a good idea. In reality, not so much.
Severely restricted diets can slow down your metabolism as your body adapts to conserve energy, and may also lead to muscle loss as your body starts breaking down sources of available protein.
So instead of looking for a quick fix to weight loss, focus on creating a sustainable caloric deficit.
Remember that lasting weight loss is about making lifestyle changes that you can maintain over time. Weight loss is not about putting your body into emergency mode by cutting out nutrition entirely.
Find a Way To Get Moving That You Enjoy
Exercise is an important component of losing weight. In fact, it really is one of the best ways to lose weight for men.
If you’re going to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories or burn more of them. Therefore weight loss can happen when you lower your food intake, increase your activity, or a combination of both! ... which is what I recommend.
But what is the most effective workout or exercise for weight loss?
The most effective form of weight loss is the kind you enjoy the most and will stick to consistently.
If you’re trying to run, but you hate running, you’re more likely to quit.
If you think of exercise in the "traditional sense" of hitting the gym to lift weights and a little cardio ... but that seems boring to you, you're intimidated by the weight room, or it just doesn't appeal to you. Either way, you will have a hard time doing it consistently.
Therefore, one of the best things you can do is find something that gets your heart rate up that you actually like doing! Don't be afraid to try a variety of things to get an idea of what you like the most!
Build a Helpful Body
What in the heck does that mean?
Well, a great way to burn extra calories is by building more muscle.
Plus... when you think about it, or I should say, think about your ideal body ... I am guessing it has some sort of shape, tone, definition, to it ... right?
The more mass you have, the more calories your body needs to maintain its mass and therefore will naturally burn every single day.
This will help not only with weight loss, but also in maintaining your results long term!
Well in many cases, achieving that will happen when you preserve the muscle you have and help add lean muscle tissue.
Don’t Drink Empty Calories
When people look for ways to cut calories they often forget about all of the calories they drink.
If you’re drinking soda, juice, elaborate coffee drinks, or beer on a regular basis... take a look at the nutrition label, or look it up online.
When you do, I think you will see how quickly those calories can add up.
Getting rid of or simply cutting back on these drinks is a great way to cut excess calories that your body doesn’t need. This is especially true when it comes to alcohol.
I know it's not easy. Trust me, there's nothing I love more than cracking a cold beer with the guys. However, alcoholic beverages are often calorie-dense while providing minimal nutritional value.
On top of that, alcohol is a toxin that your body works quickly to process out of your system! Because of this, other metabolic functions can be hindered when you consume alcohol.
Am I saying you can never have alcohol? Of course not! What I'm trying to say is this: drink alcohol in moderation.
One or two drinks on a Saturday isn't going to derail your progress. A few drinks every night, or even every other night, certainly can though.
Increase Your Water Intake
Drinking water is important. It’s important because it helps your body to operate properly.
But it is also helpful because drinking water can also help with weight loss. It does so by helping with metabolic processes inside the body as well as helping to prevent cravings and overeating.
Many people have a hard time telling the difference between when they’re hungry and when they’re thirsty.
Oftentimes when we feel hungry, it’s just our body’s way of telling us we’re dehydrated. Next time you start feeling hungry, drink a cup or two of water and wait 30 minutes.
This will help you figure out if you’re really hungry or if your body was just looking for more water.
Get Enough Sleep
What does sleep have to do with weight loss?
More than you might expect. Adequate sleep plays a crucial role in managing your weight.
When you don't get enough sleep, it can disrupt your body's hormonal balance, particularly affecting the production of ghrelin and leptin (hormones that help regulate feelings of hunger and fullness).
If you’re not getting enough sleep, you might not be getting the right balance of these essential hormones, and it could lead to increased cravings for high-calorie and sugary foods.
As an added penalty, sleep deprivation means less energy, and that means less power to put into your workout.
If you want to give your body the best foundation for healthy weight loss (not to mention keep your hormones in check and reduce your cravings for unhealthy foods), aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.
Track Your Food
When faced with your favorite foods (or an unexpected lunch invite) it can be hard to stick with strict dietary guidelines.
Fortunately, tracking your food is an effective strategy you can use to manage your calorie and protein intake. Now, you may be wondering, "Well, how do I track my food?"
This is where a tool like the 1st Phorm App can be super beneficial. The 1st Phorm App can keep track of the foods you eat, the calories they contain, and the macronutrient composition (AKA the amount of protein, carbs, and fats the food contains).
This can help you make better choices and adjust your other meals to meet your nutrition goals for the day.
In the app, you can even work one-on-one with a certified advisor to help set up your nutrition and teach you everything you need to know to earn incredible results!
We have a saying here at 1st Phorm, "If it can't be measured, it can't be managed." If you think about it, it really is true! If you don't know how much you're eating every day from a calorie and macro standpoint ... How are you ever going to make the adjustments necessary to see progress? You can't!
In other words, if you haven't started tracking, now is the best time to start!
Supplement Your Fitness
We already talked about the importance of having protein at breakfast. For most people, this time of day is chaotic as you get ready for work, school, and the day in general!
Plus, most typical quick breakfast food options are low in protein.
Therefore one of the most popular times to use a supplement is at breakfast to help you get protein in! This is where Level-1 is a great protein powder that won't upset your stomach and can easily be added to what you're already doing!
You can simply drink it, mix into your coffee, or stir into your oatmeal!
Or if you don't even have time to do that, you can grab a Level-1 Bar as you rush out the door!
Either way, supplements are not magic. But when you use high-quality men's weight loss supplements to support your nutrition and exercise plan, they can help you speed up your weight loss results.
Do It Right or Do It Again
It may be tempting to push yourself harder than recommended, but that’s not a smart strategy.
You need to give yourself time to recover from workouts.
You need to give your body the nutrition you need. You also need to get quality sleep.
Denying yourself of these things may seem like a good way to lose weight fast but it isn’t a good way to keep the results long term.
If you do something that sets your progress back, or you take drastic measures to earn the results super fast... there is a good chance you regain some of the weight, all of the weight, and in many cases ... EVEN MORE of the weight!
For me, I have been caught in this Yo-Yo dieting conundrum and let me tell you... speaking from experience, it's an emotional roller coaster you don't want to ride.
This is one of the many reasons I am so passionate about helping people through the 1st Phorm App! When used properly, the app can help you lose weight the correct way and build good lifestyle habits.
This way you are more likely to not only reach your goal but maintain the results, while also looking and feeling better.
1st Phorm Can Help Men Lose Weight
Now if you noticed... all the best ways for a man to lose weight, would also help women lose weight! Certainly, there are differences in the male and female body that can influence weight loss and the speed in which it occurs.
In most cases though, those differences don't matter nearly as much as these simple tips above!
Once you have these habits built, you're earning results, and have a good healthy lifestyle ... then it would be more appropriate to worry about small differences in adjustments to your plan based on gender difference.
See, what I have learned through my own journey and now helping clients for over 7 years is that it’s not about outright rejecting habits you once had, cutting out your favorite foods, or exercising for hours on end.
It’s about perspective, focus, and control.
Any combination of the steps and solutions we discussed today can increase chances of weight-loss, a healthier daily routine, and good diet regimens.
And if you need any help with any part of your plan, 1st Phorm can help!
That's actually what drew me into the company as a customer back in 2011, well before I started working here in 2015.
It doesn't matter if you need help with your nutrition, exercise, supplements, or anything else... if you are willing to do the work we can help you reach your goals!
