Can HPR be used for weight loss?

What can and can’t be used for weight loss is likely one of the most googled questions of the past 50 years. Depending on the industry trends, foods bounce from the “naughty” to the “nice” list and back and forth more times than a 4th grader trying to impress Santa three weeks before Christmas.

It’s a simple enough question, sure, but what’s more of a concerning subject (and one rather close to my heart) is the associated stigma, misconception and misinformation around weight loss itself.

Through the years, social constructs and marketing strategies have led us to believe that we need to look a certain way for societal acceptance and advancement. A guy called Maslow categorized our human needs in a hierarchy, suggesting that only when our physiological needs are met (breathing, food, water, shelter, sleep) will we start paying attention to our needs of belonging, self-esteem and status. But with the rise of social media platforms, we can see this hierarchy being challenged. ‘Basic needs’ are often not the foundation of many people’s focus (as argued by social neuroscience researcher Matthew Lieberman) but rather what’s become more important is our overall acceptance based on societal standards.

The idea of what we ‘need most’ seems to be changing – and society and its products are happy to accommodate our insecurities and desires for acceptance and advancement to drive sales.

Everywhere we see “thinfluencers” and #influencers perpetually pushing ideologies, bias’s, supplements and fad diets. The crazy thing is that each decade ushers in a new set of weight loss/gain standards. Regardless, what we thought was important before is rapidly changing as society momentarily reconstructs its’ acceptance standards’. This mindset is extremely dangerous and I have made it my social responsibility to educate and nullify the noise around this topic and genuinely help people lose weight (if it’s the healthy choice) and do so healthily and sustainably.

Now don’t get me wrong, we also live in a world that promotes instant gratification and poor self-discipline, resulting in an increase in type 2 diabetes. Then again another current trend is for men and women to also ‘get the gains’ and grow bigger in size (see… ever changing standards for acceptance depends on who you ask) – so my plight is one of education and health, both physically and mentally: to lose weight (get smaller) or grow muscle (get bigger) if these are done healthily. So, let’s get to it.

Weight loss is not rocket science. It’s a simple equation: calories burnt needs to exceed calories consumed. So, if your BMR is 2000cal (8300kJ), you’ll need to burn at least 2500cal to see weight loss. You can achieve this through a well-balanced diet, exercise or a combo of both. And weight loss is collective. By that, I mean you will lose water, you will lose muscle and you will lose fat. The ultimate goal is fat loss, all while retaining as much lean muscle as possible.

I really dislike the word diet because it carries such a negative connotation. Diet literally refers to that which you eat to sustain you, but all people hear is “ah, restriction, rules, plans… and have to cut out all my favourite things and starve and not go out and not have this or that or….”. Stigma. I aim to change your vocab, so let’s instead refer to ‘food in’ as your nutritional plan. Now you should be thinking positively since you’re no longer ‘losing out’ but instead gaining health. Your nutritional needs are catered for, and you can lose weight healthily, effectively and safely while keeping the bad weight off. 

People fail to understand that all ‘diets’ work because of the calorie deficit it puts your body into. FYI, you can eat a diet of only chocolate, but because calories in (remember above equation) are less than calories out, you’ll lose weight. You won’t necessarily look or feel amazing because the fuel you provide your body with is not well-balanced or nutritional, but you will experience weight loss. It’s the same as putting diesel into a car that runs on unleaded: it will go for a little while, but ultimately your engine will seize because you’re not refueling correctly.

This is where HPR comes in. Now before you think, “ah yes, here comes the marketing angle”, just hear me out. Drinking HPR, as part of a good nutritional plan, can definitely equal weight loss (the equation again) but this should not be the only thing you are fueling your engine with. It is, however, a great addition to meeting your nutritional needs. HPR is high protein (helps retain lean muscle), it will fuel you substantially (good balance of energy and carbs) and that it’s only 200 calories per serving. This means that it can easily and efficiently fuel your engine well while slotting HPR perfectly into your nutritional plan ad caloric goals. 

All in all, failing to plan is planning to fail – so seek professional help to help plan your nutrition for your fuel requirements and goals. Everyone is different. There is no cut and paste to this. Your car is different to mine. 

Ideally, you want to lose weight healthily, have the energy to still function in the day and when your body starts to plateau, change up your nutritional plan. A professional can help you if needed. 

Diet and nutrition shouldn’t be ‘this or that’; it’s moderation, it’s balance, it’s a healthy relationship with food. It’s holistic. Forget the constructs of what you think society expects of you, it’s ever-changing. Instead, build a healthy life for yourself according to your needs.

Please feel free to contact me for assistance; I am passionate and driven and on your side with your journey. 

Tfh@thefitnesshybrid.com

HPR is a specially formulated, high-quality protein recovery drink, packed with 21 grams of protein and 8 added vitamins that are crucial for high-intensity exercises. It provides all the necessary components to speed up muscle recovery so you can Recover Like a Pro.