How to lose weight during an F45 or Orangetheory Challenge
From a Registered Dietitian and Online Weight Loss Coach
When you think of a weight loss challenge, you might think of game shows The Biggest Loser, going on an extreme diet like keto, or working out 3+ hours a day.
That’s just not sustainable, you might stick with it for a week or two, but what’s the point of losing a few pounds if you will just regain it? And you can still get incredible (if not better!) results by sticking with steady, consistent weight loss that you can keep up instead of throwing in the towel after a few days.
The turtle won the race after all - while the hare burnt himself out and had to take a nap!
F45 and OrangeTheory often both have weigh ins, progress photos, measurements, and inbody scans at the beginning and end of your challenge so that you can track not only your total bodyweight change, but also how much fat you’ve lost!
But workouts are often the “easy” part. They are hard when you’re there, but the accountability and group environment makes it so you’ll have a great workout every time you go! It’s the other 23 hours of the day that are hard - and without a coach you need to make sure you have a game plan.
Why should I focus on nutrition during a fitness and weight loss challenge?
I often hear “I’m working out 5x per week and not seeing any weight loss! Should I go more??”
This is the hare method. You’re going to burn yourself out.
And you’ll also be putting your energy in the wrong place - more workouts won’t help. 80% of your weight loss results come from your diet! Nutrition is more important than workouts when it comes to fat loss.
So if you’re trying to lose fat and busting your butt at the gym, you need to make sure that your nutrition is on point!
Be honest with yourself, are you having more treats than you want to admit? The best way to tell is to track your foods in an app like My Fitness Pal or Lose it. Track everything, it’s amazing how little things here and there can add up.
What should I eat before or after my workout?
If you are going to F45 or Orangetheory early in the morning, I recommend having a very small something before your workout like an applesauce pouch, a box of raisons, or half a banana. You can even keep the applesauce or raisins in the car so they don’t get forgotten! This helps give you energy but isn’t enough to cause nausea. Then have a meal with protein within 45 minutes of the end of your workout. If you wait hours to eat, your muscle doesn’t have the protein it needs to rebuild and your workouts will be less effective.
Here are my favorite protein shakes - I like to have these all ready to go in the blender cup in the freezer the night before so I can add liquid and blend!
If you are working out later in the day, then the rule of thumb is to make sure you’ve had a meal in the last 4 hours. So if you are working out at 9am and had breakfast at 7am, you don’t need anything extra. But if you are working out at 5pm and lunch was at noon, its best to have a snack 1-2 hours before.
Here are my favorite snacks to help you have the best workout!
Fluids!!
You’ll be sweating a lot in your challenge workouts, so make sure to drink lots of water. If you are a heavy sweater, I recommend adding some electrolytes like Nuun, Ultima, or Liquid IV to replenish them so you don’t get dizzy.
It’s also important to limit drinks that have sugar or alcohol - specialty coffees are a big offender here. Alcohol and high sugar coffee should be thought of as a treat when you are trying to lose weight, and not something you have daily.
Help! I’m eating well and still not losing weight
If you are eating protein and veggies, drinking water, and tracking your foods and you still aren’t losing weight, it might be time to see a professional. You can reach out to me on my contact page, and if I can’t help you as a Registered Dietitian I might be able to point you in the right direction.
It also can be worth asking your doctor for vitamin D, B12, iron, thyroid and testosterone labs to make sure there isn’t more going on beneath the surface.
Take pride
You are doing something hard - it isn’t easy to go all-out in these workouts! Even if you don’t win, enjoy the journey and the strength that you have gained along the way. Focus on learning new skills, and be proud of accomplishing something hard! Rome wasn’t built in a day - but every day got them closer.
