What’s the best way to lose fat?
I’d probably be a gazillionaire, if I was paid $100 every time some one asked me that question.
This is a question that’s been asked time and time again, and the answer is not always clear-cut.
That’s just because there’s a ton of new, ‘promising’ products and dieting schemes that seemingly grant quick and effective results. (I’m rolling my eyes here)
In this series of blog posts, we’ll explore the basics of fat loss – what it is, how it works, and how you can achieve your own personal goals.
More importantly, in part two, I’ll tell you more about what you need to know so you can keep the fat off!
Stay tuned – the journey begins!
Why Do We Gain Fat?
In order to understand how to lose fat, it’s best to reverse-engineer the entire thing and first answer an important question.
Why do we gain fat in the first place?
The answer, is quite simple: we gain fat because our bodies are designed to store excess energy.
In an ancestral environment where food was scarce and physical activity was plentiful, this made perfect sense.
Our bodies would store energy in the form of fat and use it when needed.
But in today’s world, where food is plentiful, and physical activity is often scarce, this mechanism works against us. 😢
When we eat or drink more calories than we expend (burn), our body convert those excess calories into stored energy in the form of body fat. 😫
To put it simply – the fat you wanna lose, is your body’s spare tire.
If you consume more energy (calories from food) than your body needs to maintain its weight and function well, you’ll gain fat.
Simple as that.
Your Needs
Soooooo, how much energy does your body need to maintain its weight?
Well, this is strictly individual, since it depends on a variety of factors, including:
- Gender
- Age
- Height
- Weight
- Non-exercise activity (NEAT)
- Exercise activity
- Food & Drink consumption (yes, food also expends energy during digestion)
There’s a mathematical formula for each of these variables, but luckily for you, all the formulas are well-integrated into the so-called “Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)” calculators.
In my experience, one of the most accurate TDEE/Macro calculators is on the following websites – for your TDEE and for your macros.
You can input your individual characteristics and get a pretty accurate reading of your TDEE/calories and macros.
The Inevitable Rule
Okay, you know your TDEE. Now what?
Well, now you have to follow the inevitable rule of fat loss. The rule that no pill or magical diet will bypass.
That is, namely, the rule of “eating in a caloric deficit.”
As you’ve learned, you gain fat because you consume MORE energy than you use (more than TDEE.)
Logically, the only way to lose fat is to USE more energy than you consume.
This is what we refer to as “eating in a caloric deficit.”
More isn’t always better – aggressive caloric deficits will quickly slow down your metabolism and hinder fat loss. READ THIS AGAIN!
This is why I recommend losing about 0.5 to 1 lb/week, which would happen in a caloric deficit of about 200 – 500 calories per day.
For instance, if the calculator shows that your TDEE is 2500 calories, you should aim for about 2000-2300 calories per day.
Note, however, that the calculators are not 100% accurate, so you should adjust your calories by the results you’re getting.
If you’re eating 2000 calories a day and you maintain your weight, well, that is your maintenance, regardless of what the calculator says.
This is why the goal should be to ultimately lose 0.5 to 1 lb/week.
Lean Body Mass & Macros
A period of weight loss can feel like a battle between the body and the mind.
On the one hand, you’re trying to achieve a healthier weight; on the other hand, your body is fighting against you, trying to hold onto every last bit of fat.
In this battle, one of the key battlefields is lean body mass (LBM).
LBM is basically every other tissue besides fat, including muscle tissue, bone tissue, organ tissue, etc.
When you’re trying to lose weight, your body will lose both fat and LBM.
Logically, you want to mainly lose fat and minimize LBM losses.
This is why it’s so important to consume plenty of protein during a weight-loss period – protein helps to preserve muscle mass.
Quality dietary fat is also essential, since it’s needed for optimal hormonal health.
By consuming the right nutrients, in sufficient quantities, you can make sure that your body releases mostly fat, not muscle.
The general recommendations are as follows:
- Consume 0.8-1g of protein per lb of bodyweight per day
- Consume ~0.45g of fat per lb of bodyweight per day
- Give the rest of the calories (after calculating protein and fats) to carbohydrates😉
Non-Linear Fat Loss
When it comes to fat loss, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach.
What works for one person might not work for another, and that’s why it’s important to experiment and find what works best for you or if you don’t have the patience to do that, hire a professional (like me) to do it for you.
For some people, a linear approach is the best way to go.
But for others, a non-linear approach (taking diet breaks) can be more effective.
A diet break/refeed is a period of time that you eat enough calories to maintain your weight.
This doesn’t mean making drastic changes to your diet or workout routine or ditching them altogether.
It’s simply a period of maintenance.
Diet breaks can be done every 3-4 weeks for a period of up to two weeks.
This can be beneficial because it prevents your body from adapting to your diet and plateauing.
Again – a diet break/refeed doesn’t mean saying ‘screw it’ to your diet and indulging.
You’re still counting calories, but you eat a bit more food than usual so as to maintain your weight.
Final Thoughts
When we’re talking fat loss, there’s no single magical pill, program, or piece of advice that can bypass the inevitable rule of the game – eating in a caloric deficit!
If you’re trying to lose fat, this is what you have to do.
Consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight, and you’ll tap into your fat stores and burn the fat once and for all!
Setting up a moderate caloric deficit and a balance between all 3 macronutrients is an important part.
More importantly, after you lose the fat, you need to, keep it off!
How do you do that? Stay tuned for part 2 of this series, where I’ll explain just how to keep it off!
Take care till next time,
Felicia
P.S. What aha moment did you have after reading this? Are you excited about part two? If you got overwhelmed, just reading this, no worries, I can do the “hard part” for you and you simply prepare the food, eat, drink your water, rest, check in & repeat. If you wanna cut out all the calculations and need some accountability, apply to work with me here.
