Losing Weight Is As Easy As Gaining It: A Personal Trainer Explains Why by Dawn Taylor

As a certified personal trainer my clients are always amazed at how easily they put on 5 pounds. This is the perfect opportunity for me to tell them it's just as easy to lose 5 pounds. Let me explain...

It wasn't some dramatic event that led to putting on weight. They likely didn't eat a Big Mac every day or eat dessert after every meal. Oftentimes, it is small things added up that leads to weight gain. Maybe they can't resist that extra creamer or sugar in their morning latte. Maybe they stopped taking the stairs like they used to or stopped going to their yoga or Pilates class a couple times a week.

Truth is, weight loss and being healthy doesn't have to be dramatic. You don't have to skip everything you love, but those little habits add up to weight gain and other health issues so curbing them, even just a little, can lead to weight loss and feeling better. 

• Maybe treat yourself to that special latte two times a week instead of five days a week (or more). This could add up to a calorie deficit of over 1,000 calories a week just on this alone. A pound is 3,500 calories. Do the math.

• Tweak a few other things and add exercise and you are set. Maybe it means you take the stairs whenever it is an option. Even two days a week at the gym is going to be better than zero. 

By making small changes and following through, not only will you see results, but those results will stay with you long term.

I never start an exercise plan with clients that they cannot manage. Health and wellness should not be overwhelming – it should be something that can be worked into people's lives. My clients are usually amazed at this. They think they have to work out hard seven days a week, eat lettuce and never have the things they love. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Workouts are not easy, but we progress over time and within weeks they tell me they feel better, their back doesn't hurt and they are stronger and have more energy. Not because they ran a marathon or skipped having a glass of wine or ice cream or did a high-intensity workout every day, but because they learned how to moderate their choices and how to make fitness a habit. They now see it is not an all or nothing concept.

Getting started doesn't have to be so difficult. Those little habits you will give up are just that, little, and you won't notice when you replace them with good habits. What you will notice is that you will lose weight and keep it off, you will feel better and you will realize how easy it really is when you approach it this way.

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