Obesity and How to Lose Weight

Before writing this blog, I was doing some reading on obesity and was shocked to find out that 2.1 billion (yes billion!) of the world’s population are now considered to be overweight or obese!

This is now a major problem worldwide and this number is likely to increase. We seriously need to be doing something about this.

Weight loss/losing weight is one of the most searched for phrases on the internet – but what is scarier is the number of searches for weight loss tablets or green tea for weight loss. People need to understand that these will never solve the problem, as it is all down to an individual’s lifestyle. Remember, those companies making gimmicks for weight loss won’t care if you don’t lose the lbs, as they will be making the £s.

It’s time for us all to get smart. The only way to successfully lose weight is to eat clean, eat the right size portions, believe in yourself, and move more. Fact: if you try these 4 things you will see results.

As a trainer I have been pulling my hair out with utter frustration for years and years, as I see so many people suffering with weight issues and then finding that as they see no progress their weight increases because they either adopt an unhealthier eating approach or move even less, because their motivation and self-belief take a nose-dive.

I see diet companies making billions with crazy diets, and the media doing weight loss programs with a model showing off a six-pack, alongside the most unrealistic workouts, which are never going to be suitable for someone who is obese.

I feel desperately sorry for people that are misinformed, however, with the advantage of being online I am excited that I can reach out with an honest message of how for once we can address obesity.

We don’t need to go down the road of weight loss surgery, gastric bands, & so on, because it is all about teaching individuals the basics, and providing step-by-step adjustments that can be made to their lifestyle patterns.

If you are carrying extra weight the last thing you want to do is an intense workout which makes you and your body uncomfortable. Recently I saw a celebrity trainer on a tv show training some women who were all plus sized, and after posing there for the camera, they had them getting down on to the floor to do insanely hard exercises! After shaking my head in despair, I analysed what I’d seen, and I concluded that in my opinion it was all about the trainer and not about these ladies who wanted to lose weight. The sad thing is that if someone who is overweight finds themselves in this type of scenario then they are likely to be put off exercise for life after being asked to attempt such a ridiculous choice of workout.

Instead of posing for the camera, that trainer could have worn something to make them feel comfortable so that the ladies were less inclined to be self-conscious of their shape and size and start to compare their bodies with that of the trainers. Then the trainer should have got them all out for a walk and chatted to them whilst out, about what they wanted, what they found hard with exercising and then start to educate them, by means of a doable workout and some healthy eating tips to get them started. But that wasn’t the case, and I imagine that it was more about the trainer increasing their profile and gaining more followers on various social media platforms rather than helping this group of ladies!

I don’t normally rant, but when I see this, it really gets to me, because it is the people struggling with weight issues that we need to help, and yes, I am now talking about that 2.1 billion worldwide. So, this is how I would go about addressing this worldwide issue.

First, we must be positive about this and accept that we can address the issue, if we have a positive mindset we will get results, whilst a negative one tells us we can’t, and therefore, we give up before we have even started!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this can be solved by a quick fix with a drastic diet, which may solve the issue short term but as soon as that diet is over the weight is likely to start creeping back on again unless you have also learnt about the crucial elements of adopting a healthy lifestyle. It is all about learning how to make healthy nutritious food choices, try cutting down on sugar and make sure any snacks are healthy and a key factor too is learning about getting the portion sizes right.

Then whether you call it exercise, fitness, or just healthy activity, simply moving about more is too overlooked when it comes to weight loss. As a trainer, if someone is obese, I would not suggest they do any exercises which are going to make them, and their joints feel uncomfortable. The perfect choice for getting started is with some gentle home indoor walking workouts.

These are low-impact and terrific way to burn calorie and most importantly are DOABLE – yes, this is the magic word, and I will say it again DOABLE. So, start off doing some gentle indoor walking workouts, these are quick and usually can be done be in just 15 minutes. By starting to move more you will start to see some weight loss and with each walk that people do, the fitter they get, and as the weight starts coming off, it becomes a positive spiral. Then when you are comfortable and walking more you can look at trying some of the other simple standing or seated workouts before you know it this kind of simple and DOABLE exercise routine becomes a lifestyle.

So, the way to tackle this for the 2.1 billion is not to go down the failing road of gimmicks (pills, drastic diets, or surgery), but instead just add a little determination, and a lot of education, along with more movement and the right size portions. That is how we can then start to tackle obesity.

I have specially created a Plus Size, 4-week plan, and have seen clients get results. I also have some walking workouts on my YouTube channel. As a trainer with over 25 years’ experience, helping tens of thousands of people lose weight, believe me I know what works, and the most important thing every trainer should remember is to make someone feel good from the start.