For years people have been searching for the secret to weight loss. The answer to that is… there isn’t one. It’s a combination of consistency and a calories deficit diet.

Everyone likes to make it sound complicated, but it’s not. Yes, it is hard… to say no to foods, to limit foods, to increase NEAT + exercise, to stick to long term, but not complicated.

Participating in a calorie deficit regime requires you to consume less calories then you are expending. This may sound like a hard process to figure out however it is actually quite simple. If you are interested in learning more about eating in a calorie deficit, and how to figure your calorie intake out, we wrote a blog about it. Check it out here.

Non- exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is a process your own body completes every day. Daily movement from walking to your car, to going up the stairs and even typing at a computer, all fall under the NEAT processes and expel energy. Basically, anything that is not exercise or sleeping. All of these actions will increase your metabolic rate, even if it’s only slightly, and will add together to make your NEAT expenditure. External factors can impact whether an individual’s NEAT outlay will by increased or decreased. Your job, daily step count, diet and non-exercise activity, can all influence how much energy your body expels without needing a workout.

The big-ticket weight loss question is ‘can you out train a bad diet’, and the answer is no. As previously mentioned, a consistent calorie deficit diet is paramount for weight loss. Once your recommended daily intake has been considered and a healthy deficit has been decided, added calories burnt off during a workout can be reintroduced back into the diet. Saying this, if you have a cheat meal, or a food item that is going to make you feel better, there is no need to go punish yourself in the gym. Just don’t believe that you can constantly consume a dodgy diet and your 30 min work out is going to save you.

Remember there is no magic pill to weight loss despite what that add you saw on Instagram might say. The secret is to be consistent, patient and find a healthy food and exercise regime that works for you long term.