If you’re plus size and want a slim body, there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s a myth that the only road to fat loss is to starve or develop an eating disorder.
Now before I go on further, take a good look at the image below to clearly understand my message.
If you want to look like Wonder Woman, you can! You need not develop “big” muscles to get a svelte waist and fit into a size 6 outfit.
As a former personal trainer, I can confidently tell you that every single overweight client I ever had, who had “struggled” for years with their weight, went about fat loss the WRONG way.
One of the mistakes they had made was either not doing any strength training, or, if they were, it was not intense enough.
Don’t give up your goal to slim down. Do not let obese women guilt you into thinking that wanting to go from a size 18 to a slender size means you hate yourself.
Just make sure that your goal is realistic. For instance, a woman who’s 6’2 shouldn’t be aiming for a standard size 6.
At a job I once had, a coworker woman was 6’2 and wore a size 12. Yet she was sometimes referred to as “skinny.”
But for the average woman, a size 6 is far from anorexic thin.
I helped clients with an obese-range BMI (body mass index) get down to a normal-weight or lean body. And yes, they were happier.
Did it help them pay their bills? No. Did it bring them love? No. But did they physically feel better, sleep better, have more energy and no longer have knee pain or high blood pressure? YES!
The Formula for Safe, Permanent Fat Loss
This formula works whether you’re morbidly obese, moderately obese or 20 pounds overweight.
• Lift weights: heavy, intensely and hard – enough to be breathing hard after each set — for at least 75% of your sets. Below are examples of some exercises.
Back or barbell squat. Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
Bodyweight squat. Shutterstock/LightField Studios
Dumbbell squat. Shutterstock/BLACKDAY
Standing dumbbell press. Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
Deadlift. Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
Seated chest press
Leg press. Shutterstock/Aleksey Boyko
Seated cable row. Freepik.com yanalya.
• Do high intensity interval training. ANY body can do this. It can be effectively done on a stationary bike or elliptical trainer. It can be done walking inclines on a treadmill (do not hold on). To learn more about HIIT, here are guidelines.
• Control portions of your food. Do not eliminate your favorite foods.
• Restrict processed food (e.g., eat grapes for energy, not an “energy bar”).
• Eat your highest-calorie meals within a few hours of your workouts.
Do not let body positive women – who DON’T have the body you’ve always wanted – convince you that your mental health is in a bad state just because you “hate” your body.
And besides, the issue isn’t your body. The issues are not knowing how to maximize workouts and apply mindful eating habits.
If you see yourself as “fat” and want a trim and toned body, then by all means, continue to strive for this. NEVER settle for being fat. Embrace being a work in progress.
Tips for Fat Loss
Do not center your gym workouts around crunches, the inner-outer thigh machine, balancing on one leg while curling little dumbbells and spending lengthy amounts of time on cardio equipment. (A 20 minute HIIT session will incite major fat-burning.)
Most exercises should be multi-joint: working more than one joint at once, rather than a ton of triceps kick-backs or arm curls.
Do NOT skip workouts. Don’t. No excuse. Never replace a strength training or HIIT workout with housework or yard work.
- This isn’t about whittling down to a waif.
- It’s about becoming lean and strong. Learn the difference!
Do not let “fit shamers” brainwash you into thinking that it’s wrong to hate a fat body and want a lean toned body.
More on the deadlift.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
.
