There are many conflicting views in the world of health, fitness, and wellbeing regarding the best ways to ‘burn fat’ or ‘lose weight’. This is partly because our scientific knowledge is evolving. There are also many so-called ‘experts’ on this topic with very different viewpoints. Largely, no single magic formula works for everyone, and a holistic weight-loss approach is needed.
We keep learning more and more about how to keep our bodies optimally healthy, and new ideas emerge in the process. Some embrace the new ideas, e.g., training methods. Some stick to old-school ways, and some seemingly new ideas emerge. Many of these ideas take us back to how things were done 20 years ago, or even 2000 years ago!
The ‘experts’ won’t all agree with each other!
It is nearly impossible to obtain a unanimous agreement on the best training method for this or that. However, the health and fitness industry generally agrees on the emphasis that should be placed on exercise versus nutrition when weight loss is the primary objective. That consensus is as follows. For best results:
FOCUS 70% OF EFFORTS ON NUTRITION
FOCUS 30% OF EFFORTS ON EXERCISE
Your exercise efforts are unlikely to produce the weight loss results you want unless you place significant emphasis on nutrition. Your efforts would not be wasted, as exercise alone offers many benefits. For example, decreased risk of disease, increased muscle strength and endurance, increased bone mineral density, increased energy levels, improved distribution of blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body, improved functioning for activities of daily living…the list goes on.
You should also understand that any type of exercise can be a piece of your weight-loss jigsaw. Contrary to some beliefs, weight lifting can be a crucial element in your weight loss training plan.
However, if your primary objective is weight loss, very few people will achieve this goal through exercise alone. Employing a more holistic weight loss approach will help you reach your goals, including those beyond weight loss.
[Find out more in the video “Is exercise without a nutrition focus enough to burn body fat?“].
A holistic weight loss approach
I propose a few changes to the areas of focus required to achieve sustained weight loss for most people. You may already have one or two of these areas in check. Then focus on the areas that need the biggest improvements. The focus should look something like this:
- 40% Nutrition
- 20% Exercise
- 10% Sleep
- 10% Stress
- 10% Mindset
- 10% Relationships
You might be wondering how on earth your stress levels or thoughts are going to affect your ability to lose weight? The reasons ‘why’ and the details about ‘how’ they do are subjects for future articles, but for now, just believe me that they do. By adding four additional factors beyond exercise and nutrition, we create a more holistic weight-loss model.
Complete the following exercise.
Rate each section of the circle from 2-10, with 2 being terrible and 10 being excellent/optimal. Rate yourself as you are now and shade in each section as appropriate. An example has been done for you:
Your Chart:
The Wheel concept has been used in numerous ways to represent balance in one’s life or in a particular area of one’s life. The wheels here focus specifically on the balance of one’s health, fitness, and well-being. This is a holistic weight-loss approach.
Take a look at the example wheel. This person has paid attention to some areas of their health, fitness, and well-being and has neglected others. This has resulted in a strangely shaped wheel.
What happens if my holistic weight loss wheel is a bit ‘bumpy’?
In real life, this means that although the person is doing reasonably well on the big chunks of the wheel (nutrition and exercise), they are missing out on the benefits of optimal sleep, positive thoughts, and great relationships. In this case, their mental and physical performance will be impaired, and ultimately, their weight loss results will be limited.
Your body is essentially a safety-first, satisfaction-second machine. If it needs to work hard just to keep you functioning throughout the day, do you think it will be concerned with turning you into the fat-burning machine you long to be? Compare the example wheel to a bicycle wheel. Without pumping up the areas that have been neglected (or are flat), you’re in for an awfully uncomfortable journey.
Now, look at your own wheel. Which area(s) came up with the lowest score? Focus on changing these first.
Here is a final point of emphasis regarding the wheel. Although some sections have been assigned a smaller percentage of importance on the wheel, do not underestimate the power of the 10% or 20% they represent.
The wheel functions as a whole, and if you neglect any one area, you won’t achieve long-term results. So, always focus first on the area(s) with the lowest score. Pump a little into this area, ensuring it’s something small enough to sustain long-term. Then, we move on to improving the other areas bit by bit.
Your next step towards a holistic weight loss approach
Injecting adequate knowledge, skills, and desire into each section of the wheel will turn you into the fat-burning machine you are striving to be. For further information on my approach to holistic weight loss, check out my sustainable weight loss book.
I have produced a series of videos about holistic weight loss. In these videos, I interview a weight loss expert about a specific lifestyle area related to burning fat. These interviews were created alongside my book. I have also created several short snippets (usually just 2 or 3 minutes) where you can listen to/watch one Q&A at a time.
I have included a few of the video snippets below. Just click on the ones that interest you the most!
More holistic weight loss resources
If you need a bit of a reality check in terms of realistic weight loss, check out this blog post. You might also want to read about the value of incidental exercise for weight loss or perhaps about energy blocks and weight loss.
Or perhaps you’re simply desperate to lose weight, but no willpower is in sight? This article takes you through four steps to a fit summer (or winter!) body.
For a personal weight loss story, you can read about how Katie Kulich lost 43 pounds without fad dieting (and kept it off). Also, make sure you read all about these effective NLP techniques for weight loss and these top natural fat-burning foods that support weight loss.
Learn more about holistic health and fitness by understanding the times when healthy food choices can be overrated. Find out how you can apply the 80-20 principle for long-term weight loss success and what to do on the days when you’ve got no motivation to exercise!
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