Weight Loss for Golfers - Here's HOW!
I get a lot of questions about golfers wanting to lose weight, and obviously the biggest one being HOW.
Let's dive in.
More important than How... WHY?
Before working to understand the HOW, we need to understand the WHY.
Why do you want to lose weight?
Whenever I ask this question I get shallow answers.
"I want to look better"
"I want to be healthier"
"I want to fit into a size smaller"
Okay, these are all fine, but why?
Why do you want these things?
What is the deeper reason?
Before truly undertaking a weight loss mission, it's necessary to understand why you want to lose weight.
Dip deep.
Write it down.
Share it with others.
Now it's time to get to work.
Secondly, before examining the HOW?
Don't weigh yourself daily.
Don't even let the scale tell you whether or not your mission has been successful.
I understand you want to lose weight, and the scale is what tells you that weight.
But, to be honest, I don't care much about the scale.
I care about the confidence you have in your body and it's ability to move.
I care about your ability to accomplish any movement task that your life asks of you.
I care about you becoming a resilient and strong individual, showcasing the athletic qualities within you.
None of these are dependent on what the scale says.
Now, I'm not saying to never weigh yourself, but don't let it run your life.
On top of all that, understand that our weight fluctuates massively on a daily basis.
So, weigh yourself monthly or every other month.
Commit to long-term change, and a slow, progressed weight loss journey... not short term mega-drops that won't stick.
HOW to lose weight?
Losing weight is all about calories in vs. calories out.
Are you burning more calories than you are taking in?
Now, overall health is about MUCH more than this, and we will discuss some tips later that we should be surrounding our weight loss journey with... but when it comes to losing weight, this is priority number one.
But how do we obtain that caloric deficit?
Nutrition and physical activity.
Nutritional Advice for Weight Loss.
On a weight loss journey, most people immediately think about going to the gym.
Which, while it is VERY important and we'll discuss this later, I've found that the majority of success in weight loss stems from the kitchen and what you are putting into your body.
I have three thoughts on nutrition for weight loss...
First, shed the s**t.
It is so much easier to remove than it is to add in.
I would love it if you ate 25-30 fruits and veggies a week with only the leanest cuts of protein and nutrient rich carbohydrates.
But that's tough to do.
It is much easier to remove the bad, so let's start there.
Things we should work to limit (or remove):
Liquid calories (soda, super processed juices, tons of cream in your coffee, alcohol, etc.).
Calorie rich junk food (donuts, potato chips, fried foods)
Snacking multiple times a day
Secondly, make sure you are eating plenty of protein.
Protein is both very filling and necessary to maintain muscle and strength gains during weight loss.
Therefore, we should be consuming high amounts of protein on our weight loss journey.
1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is a good spot to aim for.
For example, I weigh 210 lbs, if I was seeking out weight loss I should be consuming ~210 grams of protein daily.
Thirdly, make your own food.
It's so much easier to be consciously aware of what you are putting into your body when you are the one making your own food.
I understand it takes time and it's a tough skill to master, but do it.
Your weight loss journey will be better because of it.
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Nutritional advice for weight loss could be it's own article (or multiple articles) so I am keeping it pretty surface level.
Shed the s**t.
Eat TONS of high quality protein
Make your own food
Physical Activity for Weight Loss
Like I said, there are two parts of a weight loss journey... nutrition and physical activity.
We should not just go hop on the cardio equipment for an hour.
Not only is this monotonous and boring but it's not as effective as other physical activity mechanisms.
I care about your overall movement abilities.
I care about you building a strong, resilient body capable of thriving both on the golf course and in life.
Running on the treadmill for an hour isn't helping this cause.
Instead, our physical activity should consist of three things:
First, strength training.
Strength training will expose you to exercises that both create strength adaptations and simultaneously burn calories.
We will work towards building muscle, while losing weight.
Secondly, elevate your heart rate.
Yes, cardio does have a place in a weight loss activity program.
But none of that "fat-burning zone" stuff.
If you are doing cardio, get your heart rate up.
I recommend interval work so you can expose yourself to higher intensities.
For example, next time on the treadmill instead of jogging for 20 minutes, break it up into sets of 1 minute of high intensity running and 1 minute of low impact jogging.
Thirdly, be more active.
Go for a daily 30 - 60 minute walk.
Being more active on a daily basis (outside of our physical training program) is going to help burn calories and achieve that caloric deficit we need to lose weight.
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So, to summarize, a great recipe for physical training:
Strength train.
Elevate your heart rate.
Be more active
Oh, and join the SCRATCH training community HERE ;)
Other Health Qualities that Can't Go Unheard
Calories in vs. calories out is the foundation of weight loss, but we can't ignore the other health components that help make our bodies highly functioning.
While these will more indirectly help you on your weight loss journey, they will be helpful nonetheless!
Hydration.
Micronutrient intake - get your vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies.
Sleep and recovery.
Mental health.
Healthy relationships with others.
SUMMARY
Weight loss is a long-term journey, not a short-term race.
Understand that everybody starts their mission at a different point.
There will be ups and downs, twists and turns, along your path to success.
But remember, THE MOST IMPORTANT thing on your mission is a clear understanding of WHY you want to lose weight.
How is it going to benefit your life?
At the end of the day, the goal is to become the best version of yourself... losing weight may play a role in that, but so will all of the other health qualities that exist that we should be prioritizing.
Good luck on your journey, please don't hesitate to reach out with questions!
Let's go low.
Carter Schmitz
Founder: SCRATCHGolfTraining.com
