Weight loss is a common goal for most of us. At some point in our lives, we’ve all decided to shed a few pounds. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
It takes planning, consistency, carefully tailored workout plans, and a firm resolution just to get it done. Let’s face it, irrespective of whether you’re blessed with a high metabolism rate.
As you grow older, your metabolism slows down, and you find that you gain weight faster, even though your diet remains the same. The amount of lean muscle mass also reduces, and your hormones change.
Research and planning are key components of a beginner’s workout plan for weight loss. Diets work in that they help create a calorie deficit that you can stick to for extended periods.
Also, exercises you can do at home like lunges and weight training help you burn fat and build lean muscle mass. All this may sound daunting, but luckily, we are here to help.
Weight Loss Plan For Beginners
Here are a few tips and pointers for getting the perfect beginner’s workout plan for weight loss.
1. Exercise
There are numerous exercises you can do at home daily. These types of physical activities are convenient and can be easily performed in your place.
For instance, walking is one of the best exercises to lose weight. Many health and fitness experts advise brisk walking as a calorie-burning exercise.
Your target should be 30 to 90 minutes of brisk walking for five days in a week or even less, provided the total for the whole week should be 150 minutes at the very least.
You can use a fitness tracker to monitor your heart rate. You also incorporate activities such as bodyweight workouts, which include lunges, yoga, and even Pilates.
Physical activities increase blood circulation, which allows oxygen to reach every part of your body. Whether it is a light or moderate-intensity exercise, it is a useful addition to a beginner’s workout plan for weight loss.
2. Strength Training
Strength training is the best exercise to lose weight. It helps you maintain muscle mass once you lose weight since you lose both muscle and fat. Strength training helps you gain more lean muscle mass.
This is because resistance training stimulates muscle growth, which leads to an increase in mass as time passes.
You’ll still burn calories in the process, all the while increasing your basal metabolic rate and burning more calories at rest.
For better results, incorporate cardio and strength training; cardio to burn calories and strength training to build lean muscle and increase metabolism, and they are great exercises you can do at home.
3. Water Intake
It is important to monitor your water intake to make sure you are drinking just the right amount. Monitoring water intake is part of the beginner’s workout plan for weight loss.
Water plays a key function in several body functions such as excretion and bowel movement. It helps remove waste from the body in various forms, including sweat and urine.
When waste builds up in the body, it leads to bloating, which may add a few pounds to your overall weight. Therefore, it is advised to stay hydrated to avoid retaining waste and dehydration.
4. Sleep
Sleep is an important component in every beginner’s workout plan for weight loss. Poor sleep has been linked to higher body mass index (BMI) and weight gain.
Poor sleep has also been shown to dull the activity of the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision making and impulse control. This makes it harder to resist cravings and increases the chances of snacking in between meals.
For a good night’s rest, it is recommended to have an average of 7-9 hours. It may not seem important, but it ultimately affects your brain function and metabolism.
5. Persistence Pays
How persistent you are, plays a key role in how fast you lose weight. To achieve phenomenal results, ensure you don’t skip meals, you get enough sleep every night, and more importantly, don’t skip workouts.
As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Weight loss does not happen overnight – it needs meticulous planning, discipline, and ultimately, persistence for results to start showing.
Don’t feel discouraged when you don’t see any changes after a few days, good things take time, and with these tips and workout plans, you are guaranteed when you don’t see any changes within the first week.
Remember to incorporate strength training, bodyweight workouts like lunges, and make sure you stick to your diet for guaranteed results.
6. Have a Working Schedule
It’s advised to have a clear working schedule, where you can plan your meals, exercise duration, and intensity, and even how long you sleep or rest. It’s all part of a beginner’s weight loss workout plan.
You can start by drawing up a timetable for when you work out. Another great idea would be to prep your meals beforehand.
This way, you know what and when to eat. Keep your gym clothes stashed somewhere handy, and also make sure to monitor and record your daily water intake to avoid dehydration.
7. Lifestyle Changes
The first step in every beginner’s workout plan for weight loss is ensuring you are living healthy.
Chronic stress and inadequate sleep cause an increase in stress hormone levels in your body, and this results in increased hunger, leading to weight gain. Ensure you are getting enough sleep and cut beer from your diet as it slows down fat burning.
Eat only when hungry and make sure you eat till you are full. Limit any unnecessary snacking and also avoid processed foods such as bread and ready to heat meals. Remember to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
They are rich in fiber and antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation and improve immunity.
The Truth About Weight Loss and Fat Loss
Most people get confused between weight loss and fat loss. Weight loss involves a decrease in your overall body weight, which includes fat, muscle, and some amount of water. On the other hand, fat loss involves a decrease in the amount of body fat.
Losing fat is the ultimate goal of weight loss, but you lose other components as well. That is why health fitness experts advise you to incorporate strength training and bodyweight workouts into your weight loss workout.
This ensures you build up a considerable amount of lean muscle.
Exercise Duration and Frequency
A common problem in weight loss workout plans is not knowing how often to exercise. Some end up exercising too little such that they don’t see any results, while some overdo it and end up gaining more weight due to overeating.
For significant weight loss, studies recommend over 250 minutes of exercise per week, or slightly above 35 per day.
You can adjust this to reach your set exercise time faster by increasing intensity and reducing calorie intake or incorporating moderate-intensity workouts for the same result but over a longer period.
You don’t have to always go to the gym, there are exercises you can do at home. You can personalize your workout routine according to your schedule.
How Soon Will You Start Seeing Results?
This depends on several factors such as diet, BMI, and starting size. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. Your diet type influences how much weight you shed: how many carbohydrates you take, your water intake, and the like.
Also, our bodies don’t lose weight evenly, so some places may fit into smaller sized clothes compared to other regions of your body. It takes roughly about four weeks to see significant and tangible changes, although it’s not the same for everyone.
By then, you’ve established a working eating and exercise plan, which feels more like a normal routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
A good diet is an important component of every beginner's workout plan for weight loss. A good low- carbohydrate diet such as the Atkins diet and high-fat diet are good examples.
Eat more natural fat such as bacon, butter, eggs, and fatty fish. Avoid processed foods such as bread, pastries, and fizzy drinks like soda.
They digest quickly and increase your blood sugar drastically, leaving you craving more sugar and carbs once your blood sugar goes back to normal. Cut back on dairy products and nuts. Dairy products contain lactose, which slows down weight loss.We all know exercise and a good diet go hand in hand. But what happens when you just can't find one that suits you? There are still ways you can lose weight safely without having to embark on diets.
Here are proven ways to do this, first, ensure you eat plenty of protein. This increases feelings of fullness and helps you eat fewer calories. Integrate jogging, running, and walking. These are among the best exercises to lose weight.
Eat foods rich in fiber since they leave you feeling fuller for longer. Lastly, reduce portion sizes, drink enough water every day, and get enough sleep.
A keto diet is a very low carbohydrate, high-fat diet. The reduction in carbohydrates causes your body to enter a metabolic state called ketosis.
This is where far from what you eat and from your body is metabolized for energy. Your body is burning fat for the most part. Added benefits include less hunger, a steady and constant supply of energy, keeping you focused.
However, there are a few things you should keep in mind when going on the keto diet. Always ensure you maintain a moderate protein and fat intake and avoid snacking when hungry. Be sure to limit the amount of carbohydrates consumed as well.
Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions that change food into energy. Hormones play a crucial role in metabolism and weight loss. Insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas, influences the storage of fat in the body.
It dictates when cells break down or store fat. Estrogen, a sex hormone that regulates the female reproductive system influences weight gain. High levels of estrogen, common during PMS, cause an increase in cravings leading to weight gain.
To combat the effects of these hormones on your weight, introduce measures such as minimizing sugar, reducing carbohydrate intake, workout regularly using the best exercises to lose weight, and eating plenty of fiber to reduce estrogen levels.
Studies recommend that you start your workout early in the morning. Distractions are fewer and you can concentrate fully on your workout. You're also more alert in the morning.
This is a result of the cortisol hormone, which increases in the morning. It also helps control appetite by reducing ghrelin, the hormone that influences hunger.
An early workout also increases your chances of getting a good night's rest, taking less time to fall asleep. Besides, it increases your overall activity and gets you feeling pumped and ready for the day.
Conclusion
Weight loss can be quite challenging. This is because it’s composed of various parts, each playing a key role. You have to incorporate the best exercises to lose weight, dieting, and even lifestyle changes such as cutting back on alcohol and avoiding stress to successfully lose weight.
A good beginner’s workout plan for weight loss should consider all contributing factors. This will help you make an assessment and determine what you’ll need to do to achieve your weight loss goals.
Ensure you have a sustainable diet that you can follow for extended periods for better results. A low carb diet is best, consisting of whole foods.
Keto diet is a good example of a low carb diet. Cut back on alcohol and processed foods and incorporate bodyweight workouts into your exercise plan.
Processed foods spike your blood sugar levels and leave you craving more sugar once blood sugar levels stabilize. Drink enough water and ensure you get enough sleep at night, preferably 7 to 9 hours for a good night’s rest.
An effective beginner’s workout plan for weight loss isn’t complete without strength training and moderate-intensity exercises such as walking, swimming, and jogging. There are also exercises you can do at home, such as pilates and yoga. These activities increase aerobic respiration, which burns fat.
Lastly, remember to get enough sleep, observe your diet guidelines, and to make sure you get the required amount of exercise every day. Ensure you are doing the best exercises to lose weight. Keep your stress levels at a minimum. This is because increased cortisol levels (a stress hormone) causes an increase in hunger that leads to snacking, which later culminates into weight gain.
