The Fat Loss Cheat Guide

The Fat Loss Cheat Guide:

(1) Calorie Deficit: The most important thing to do if your trying to lose body fat is to create a calorie deficit. This will always be your first step when trying to lose body fat. This is based on the law of thermodynamics and there is no way around this. Now there a myriad of methods to create a calorie deficit but for the purposes of this article I will keep it simple ??

Take your target ?? weight in pounds and multiply that by 12. This figure will represent your initial calorie target during your fat loss phase. So for instance if your target weight in pounds is 170 pounds, simply multiply that by 12 to give you 170 x 12 = 2040 calories per day.

With my clients I like to work in calorie ranges rather than specific number to give them more flexibility. With this in mind we aim for a 200 calorie range around that initial 2040 calories. Therefore it would be the range of 1940-2140 for this individual in this example. The benefit of this range is that it helps avoid any stress about one set number such as our calculated 2040 calories per day.

(2) Minimum Protein Target: Having set up our calories, the next step on our fat loss phase would be to hone in on our protein target. Protein is vital during a dieting phase as it helps to preserve lean muscle mass and it is the most satiating macro, helping to keep you fuller for longer which is exactly what we want to help minimise the inevitable hunger that comes when at a calorie deficit.

In a similar vein, take your target weight in pounds and multiply it by 0.7, so if we use the previous example of 170 pounds x 0.7 = 119 grams of protein. You can of course eat more protein than this provided it fits in your daily calorie target range but this is your minimum protein target per day.

(3) Lift Weights: Weight training is paramount during your dieting phase as for health and aesthetic reasons you want to lose body fat and hold on to as much lean muscle mass as you possibly can do which in tandem with hitting your minimum protein target, lifting weights will help to preserve your muscle mass during this cut.

In terms of what programme to follow and frequency/intensity/volume of said programme, as a good rule of thumb if your hitting each major muscle group 2x per week and getting close to failure on most sets with 12-20 sets per week being a great target for each major muscle group, this will definitely help you improve your body composition goals on this dieting phase. Not to mention the unbelievable health benefits that come from lifting weights regularly such as improved strength, mobility and coordination.

(4) Cardio And Daily Steps: Do you need to lace up the running shoes to lose body fat? No you don’t but for your heart health and overall longevity I highly encourage some form of level 2 low intensity steady state cardio. As I say though, it’s not strictly necessary for fat loss which is the primary purpose of this article.

In relation to steps per day and boosting your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which is a fancy name for all the stuff you do outside your set workouts, a target of 7500 steps per day can really help with achieving a calorie deficit as you will be burning more calories and thus putting you in a negative energy balance which as discussed above is essential to achieve a successful fat loss transformation.

(5) Lifestyle Factors: Other lifestyle factors such as managing stress, getting adequate sleep and sunlight exposure, drinking 2 litres minimum of water per day alongside consuming sufficient fibre are evidently vital for your energy, performance and health. In addition these lifestyle factors can affect how quickly you lose body fat and whether it is ultimately sustainable for you during this fat loss phase.

On balance though, whilst lifestyle factors do contribute, if you hit your calorie range and minimum protein target per day alongside lifting weights regularly and getting your steps in, those 4 big rocks will ensure that you lose body fat successfully

This article is simply a cheat sheet guide to fat loss and indeed I could have wrote so much more on how to measure your fat loss progress and the psychology behind fat loss and keeping body fat at a healthy level long term but that’s not the purpose of this article.

It is simply to provide you with the essential practical tips on how to start to lose body fat and not get confused or overwhelmed with the myriad of information that surrounds fat loss in all corners of the internet

Hope it helps to get you started and get results which I know it will?