Of course, the advice on diet and supplements will vary depending on the results that are required.  However there is one critical underlying theme that cannot be ignored; there is no wonder cure for weight loss or indeed for weight gain.

In the majority of my clients, weight loss is the main result required and I strongly believe that for this to be achieved, then a permanent change of attitute to eating is required.  Repeatedly I advise my clients to eat a healthy balanced diet to the guidelines of the World Health Organisation.  If they are aiming for weight loss then they need to burn more energy than they take in.

First way to tackle this is for them to complete a five day diary of everything that they consume.  Often people are not fully aware of their intake.  I analyse this and compare it with the WHO guidelines on food (50-60% Carbs - high fibre if possible-, 20-30% fats - monounsaturates where possible, and 10-20% good quality protien.).  This sits along side the advice that little and often is better, control your portions and make sure you are eating enough variety to ensure good vitamin intake.

Often this simple tool throws up areas where simple tweaks can be made to produce a significantly improved diet that can secure those results.  For example, the client that believes that avoiding bread and potatoes and eating a large meat portion is good but suffers with energy levels and has trouble shifting weight despite increasing their activity levels.  Or the client that avoids cheese and other dairy to avoid fats but could potentially be storing up trouble for the future with a calcium deficiency.  In most cases, if such a diet is followed then supplements are not required.  Muscle gain has a slightly different approach, but with the same underlying principle of instilling good healthy habits.

Working hard at a carefully devised weights programme along side a balanced diet will give results.  With a lot of weight training, clients will require slightly more protien than someone who isn't working out, between 1.8-2g maximum per kilo body weight per day for an athlete on a weight gain programme.  One meal of pasta with a tuna sauce, slice of cheese and a yoghurt would give 47g of protien; 31% of a 75kg athletes requirements at the maximum levels.

This along side reducing excessive fats in the diet- for example by not taking all the protien from red meat- and undertaking cardio to burn off that covering layer is the only way.  This is the one instance where I would regularly recommend an occasional supplement; a protien shake is a good quality low fat protien that can easily and conveniently give the protien boost post training. Again though, they should not replace balanced healthy meals.

And finally, I do not recommend complete denial.  I advise to tackle one change at a time and do not cut out all the treats at once, failure will soon follow and this will only help to undermine any confidence gains.   Good habits are more effectively installed in small easy steps, and more likely to be maintained over time.

Bookmark with: