The fitness industry has never been more overwhelming, it feels like every week brings a new miracle trend. One minute it is apple cider vinegar shots, the next it is carb cutting or some secret “hormone hack” splashed all over social media. With so much noise online, it can be hard to know what is genuine advice and what is clever marketing.
That is why we had a chat with Colm from Body Mechanics Health and Fitness in Cork. Based in Douglas, the gym has been helping people for over eight years with a health-first approach that is focused on long term results. Colm sat down with us to talk about all things weight management and revealed the most common mistakes he and his team see every day.
“We have a lot of clients come in and the main concern is usually that they want to lose weight” Colm explained. “Especially women around the pre menopausal or menopausal age group, having gained that bit of belly fat or pouch fat as some people call it ”
While prioritising exercise and strength training will certainly help, Colm says the real secret is patience. “It does take time, that is why we take the health first approach. We do not like or do big cuts or short fads.”
According to Colm, quick fixes are the biggest trap. “Everything is being advertised for people for the short term fix. Misinformation is crazy at the moment, especially in this industry. It is good marketing, people selling you the dream just to sell a product, and it is playing on people’s insecurities.”
Balance is the key. Balance and a healthy lifestyle is generally the best solution no matter how much we want that quick fix.”
Colm laughs when recalling some of the diets that land at his door. “Biggest ones would definitely be low carb diet or no carb diet for a few weeks. Look, it depends on your lifestyle, for some people it can be somewhat sustainable for a few weeks, but most of the time it is not realistic.”
Another common mistake Colm sees is people undereating for long stretches of time. “You are not fuelling your body if you are on a fad diet and you are leaving out one macronutrient. You are essentially starving your body of that nutrient which will in turn cause hormonal imbalances. It is all counter intuitive.”
Tracking, he says, is where the real eye openers happen. “People come saying oh I eat really healthy and I am not losing any weight, or I have barely eaten and I cannot lose weight. It generally comes down to them not tracking properly. They think they are undereating because they have a couple of little pieces throughout the day but if you track 100 percent from morning to evening and break down their calories, they are not in a calorie deficit at all. They are eating their baseline calories or else in a surplus and not exercising enough to put them in a deficit.”
One clients story stands out. “We had a client who was really struggling to lose weight. We had her track absolutely everything and write it all down. Turns out she was eating quite a healthy balanced diet but she was having about a quarter bottle of olive oil each day, which means she was completely exceeding her maintenance calories. It comes down to maths at the end of the day, it is calories in versus calories out.”
Even with all the focus on food, exercise is still essential. “Ten thousand steps a day is a great rule of thumb. It is not a magic number but it is just a good baseline. Little bits every day throughout the week is best, not just one larger bout of exercise. For example, a 10k run at the weekend is great but what you do daily is more important. I would prioritise strength training, that will assist with weight management, but again little and often is the most important. Keep a good routine and everything will fall into place.”
And when it comes to progress, Colm wants people to stop obsessing over the scales. “We track by pictures, weigh-ins, and measurements. The scales may not necessarily change but people look better, feel better and their clothes are fitting better. Fast weight loss will only put a lot of stress on the body. The slower, steady approach always wins.”
At the end of the day, weight management and loss is about cutting through the noise. Forget the detox teas, ditch the quick fixes, and stop fearing carbs. Balance, consistency, and a realistic routine are what will carry you through.
https://www.bodymechanicshealthandfitness.ie
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