top of page
Search

Sustained Fat Loss

So for this post I thought I’d move away from the mental wellbeing aspects of this lockdown and touch on how you could potentially come out of this situation in a better physical shape (dependant on your goals) than you had at the start. With news that the lockdown is set to extend for another 3 weeks, it seems like a good time to assess what you would like to get out of this time. I should probably start off by saying that this might not be the best time to pursue any weight loss/fat loss goals you may currently have. If you’re already quite stressed and struggling with the sudden transitionary period we all find ourselves in, then your time may be better put to use trying to find your own routine and your own way of coping with the day to day dilemmas of lockdown life. However, if you feel like you are settling into a routine now and that you are ticking off positive boxes daily, then it might be a good time to chase the ever elusive ‘Fat Loss Fairy’ and here are 6 tips that will help you to do so.


1. WORK OUT YOUR CALORIE INTAKE!


Arguably the most crucial step. Being in a calorie deficit (eating less than your body burns on a day to day) is the most important factor in the pursuit of fat loss. If you’re not in a calorie deficit for one day, then you have not lost body fat for that day. Working out how many calories you should be eating is based on a variety of factors specific to you. Your age, your weight and height, your body composition and how active you are, will all play a role in calculating your rough daily calorie intake. I’m happy to help you work out this number if it’s something you struggle within but remember that random eating equals random results. Roughly working out your calorie intake and testing it through trial and error (more on this later) is the first step to giving yourself the nutritional structure necessary to consistently work towards your goals.


2. DON’T OBSESS OVER THE SCALES 


Now there is a reason why I’m saying ‘fat loss’ over ‘weight loss’. For many, seeing the numbers come down on a scale is the fundamental measure of progress and any plateau or, God forbid, increase on those scales may lead to feeling deflated or unmotivated to continue. Whilst scale weight can be used as a tool to keep you on track, it can and will fluctuate on an hourly, daily, weekly basis and a lot of the time these fluctuations will have nothing to do with how much body fat you’ve lost or gained. Fat loss is much more linear than weight loss and better reflects how different we look and feel. Taking progress pictures, clothes fitting better, taking your waist, arm and leg measurements and just generally feeling better and more confident with how you look are all much better indicators that you are heading in the right direction, than weight on a scale.



3. TRACK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!

What gets measured gets managed. The tracking process doesn’t have to be forever and I know that it is a process that is quite unnatural for the majority of people. However, the irony of something as structured as tracking your food is that it allows you so much more freedom in the long term. Even a 3-7 day food diary can teach you a lot about the foods you eat, the calories they contain and how you can adjust your diet to align with your goals.


4. PLAN YOUR MEALS


Know what you’re going to eat before you get to the starving/hangry stage. This can mean either prepping your meals in advance or making a note of the meals you’re going to make each day. Either option can prevent you going down the route of thinking about all the fun stuff you want to eat whilst you’re already hungry. Take the thought process away from your hungry self by pre planning. Also SIDENOTE: Don’t go food shopping on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you’ll get home and wonder what possessed you to get 6 packets of Oreos. The greatest antidote to impulsiveness is forethought.



5. EAT PROTEIN


Try and focus on getting a good portion of protein with each meal. You ideally want to be looking for between 20-40gs of the stuff. High protein meals can help with feelings of fullness and maintaining muscle mass. It’s a lot harder to binge out on chicken breast compared to a bag of Haribo. There is also something called the Thermic effect of food (TEF), which essentially means that our bodies burn calories breaking down and digesting food. Protein has a high thermic effect. The body burns more calories breaking it down compared to carbohydrates and fats.

6. GET MOVING 


Increasing your daily energy expenditure is another option to achieving your calorie deficit. This pretty much means moving more and increased movement can come in many different ways. Going for more walks to increase your steps, doing some gardening or DIY around the house, even fidgeting adds to your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). All of the activities you do outside of structured exercise (I.E going for a jog, lifting weights) fall under your NEAT and this makes up a fair old chunk of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. So controlling your calorie intake, whilst also increasing how many calories you burn by moving more, are 2 effective ways of ensuring that you are staying in a calorie deficit.

The key for all of these tips is CONSISTENCY. You won’t get to your ideal physique (if such a thing even exists) in a day or a week or maybe not in a month. But you will eventually get there if you keep working towards it. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a ‘bad’ day of eating or not moving. Just reset the following day and keep working towards your goal. One of my favourite analogies on sustained fat loss is this: If you got a flat tyre, whilst driving, you wouldn’t then get out and slash the other 3, you would try and get it fixed. The same applies to your nutrition. Don’t compound a bad/probably enjoyable day of eating with a whole week of it. One tyre is easier to fix than 4.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page