5 Steps To A Successful Body Transformation

                                     
Having gone through my own transformation and lost eight stone in fat, education was key to learning not only how to lose weight, but finding out how to do it in a healthy way. After discovering Greg Plitt's website, who was a massive inspiration to me, I realised fat loss was about hard work and science.
 It was then that I started my own education path and pursued my qualifications in personal training and nutrition.
 One thing I learnt quickly over the following months is that the body doesn’t want to hold on to all that weight. It does a lot to try and get rid of it – when you give it the right tools to do so. And I'm going to tell you how, based on my own learnings and experience. These are the 5 essential steps to a successful body transformation.

Educate yourself on macro-nutrients

First of all, if you want to lose weight and look good then you need to realise that 80% of the changes you seek come from nutrition. The macronutrients (or macros) of protein, fats and carbohydrates all perform essential roles in the human body, and all three are needed in your diet as each perform vital functions.
Protein helps to build, maintain and repair body tissue, while fats act as protection, along with promoting growth and development, while carbohydrates provide a vital energy source for the body.
Understanding and getting the right balance of these macros for your body will not only see you lose weight, but you’ll be burning fat and building lean muscle more effectively. The first thing you need to do is work out your macros and stick to them.

Get the right quality of sleep:

Sleep is key for any fat loss or muscle building programme. Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep deprivation can alter your appetite hormones, and can leave you pilling on the pounds and craving sugar.

Getting the right quality of sleep is also essential, as this will promote results. The main functions of sleep are growth and mental alertness, and without adequate sleep your time in the gym could be wasted.
To get an adequate night’s sleep make sure you don’t oversleep, get some exercise, create the right sleeping environment, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and finally DO NOT watch TV in bed (!!) as this will make it more difficult to doze off.

Understand that supplements are not the key.   

     

I’m not a huge supplement fan. With the state of the supplement industry as it is, there are literally millions of products that promise the earth but often don’t deliver and more often than not, have zero scientific backing and actually don’t work.
I’m a fan of getting all the essential vitamins and minerals from your diet, however, there are times when it’s preferable to top it up with some supplements that do help and are backed by science.
I learnt that the key to success comes from nutrition and training – in fact, supplements are less than 5% of the overall package.

Get the right training intensity: 

 

As the saying goes, "no pain, no gain". And I learnt that one the hard way, trust me. In order to achieve the body you desire, you’ve got to go through a bit of pain so you see real results. Short term pain will always lead to long term pleasure. Pushing yourself to the pain threshold where you produce lactic acid and far beyond, will see you burning fat and gaining muscle.

Do not focus on the scales:This notion that we are defined by a number on the scales has to stop and fast! Stop focusing on that little number. Your body will change ‘weight’ frequently and for a number of reasons.There might be a relationship between the two, but weight gain or loss and fat gain or loss are rarely connected. You need to think about water retention within the muscles, water retention within fat cells, bone density and muscle mass before you jump the gun and instantly assume that you have put on body fat.

A good progress indicator can be found in measuring yourself and taking progress photos weekly. This will show you just how far you’ve come.