Fat loss is simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. In our personal training studio in Tunbridge Wells we help people lose the fat they have tried to get rid of over the years, and it's different for everyone.
There are a few things that need to be covered before we dive into the 'Top Tips' and these are the things that fundamentally cause success or failure while attempting fat loss. The undeniable fact that you have to be in a calorie deficit to drop body fat is no secret, and if you didn't know that, now you do. The calorie deficit is the deficit by which we must burn more calories than we consume on a daily, but also a weekly and monthly basis. Which nicely brings us on to our first tip...
It's not a daily thing.
The calorie deficit that we must create doesn't happen overnight. If one day we were in a calorie deficit but for the next 4 days we were in a surplus of calories, that one day deficit means noting. But more importantly, this holds true in reverse, which is where so many people end up failing. A social occasion, a meal, a little treat maybe that you end up eating and makes you feel like you've wasted the week, so you drop the diet until Monday where you will start again. The calorie deficit doesn't understand days of the week, it doesn't even understand days, and it certainly doesn't know when its Thursday or when it is Monday. So don't wait until Monday to start again. Like previously mentioned, a calorie deficit is more than a daily thing, meaning one day of excess calories doesn't mean your week has to end in surplus. You have the next few days to balance it out, manage your food well and end the week in a deficit. Then we can zoom out and think, 'even this week means nothing yet, unless every week of thins month is also within a deficit' and this must continue until the goal is achieved. If every time you throw the towel in on the week when one day consisted of a surplus of calories due to an event, a meal or a treat, you will forever be losing a batlle you could easily win!
2. Drink more water, it burns fat!
Water is the facilitator to most things good in this life. Whether that simply be life itself, hydration, healthy joints, smooth skin, you name it. It also plays are huge role in fat loss. Quite simply, the process of fat loss is called lipolysis, and the first step of this process is hydrolysis - the interaction of water molecules with your stored fat. Water is essential for burning fat. Cue you going to get a glass of water right now. Water is also a great help in satiety. A lot of the time our body can turn on hunger signals when thirsty to attempt re-hydration, but we mistaken it for the desire to eat. Keeping topped up on your fluids is a great help when attempting a fat loss journey.
3. Get ahead on your protein early doors!
It's also no secret that protein is fundamental to a diet, if it is to go well. We all know this, hopefully. But its all too common in the current world that peoples breakfasts SUCK! Whether thats toast, cereal, a bowl of granola, or even nothing and maybe just a coffee. You have a protein goal to hit based on your weight, height, activity levels and level of muscle mass. This is higher than what most people would imagine and for the sake of the fat loss, it the most important part of the diet. Not eating high amounts at breakfast leave you with a mountain to climb for your next 2 meals of the day that inevitably leads to failure once again.
Let's say you require 120g of protein a day, but at breakfast you get none. That leaves you with 60g to eat each meals for lunch and dinner. But lunch is a quick sandwhich, or a lunch at work which has about 20g in it. Now you have 100g to eat at dinner and thats just not going to happen unless you smash a whole 3 breast pack of chicken.
Protein enables us to be fuller for longer, it retains our muscle tissue, it even burns calories when we eat it. The satiation protein gives us means no more mindless snacking, no more overconsumption of carbs and tasty treats. Protein helps us be successful during a diet. Look to get ahead on your day with a high protein breakfast, hitting at least a third of your protein goal for the day. Download our protein recipe book below.
4. Exercise in the morning.
Doing something productive in the morning is extremely helpful, and what better thing than exercise. Before your high protein breakfast, getting in some form of exercise would be very conducive to your fat loss goal. The main reason is to start the day with intent, with positivity and with action. How you start your day is how it will continue. Setting your intentions early is a great way to set up your day for success. Not only this but how often do you exercise and want to straight away undo the hard work. You will be wanting to snowball the positive action with more positive actions across the day. The days you don't exercise are also probably the days you find yourself eating the extra treat, the extra snack or the extra portion, "because there is nothing to un-do" right? Don't fall into the trap of the daily deficit, it's a weekly thing, and even greater than that, its monthly thing. Start positive, set your intentions for the day and you will certainly be more successful.
5. Get more sleep
Sleep underpins everything when it comes to your body. Every system in your body is affected by sleep, especially your hunger, motivation, and even time. Firstly, under slept individuals experience higher levels of Grehlin, the hunger hormone. Not through actually being hungry, but sleep deprivation elevates this hormone leaving us with huge desires to snack, which is really unhelpful. Furthermore, sleep deprived individuals will suffer with very low motivation and obviously tiredness. Within the limbic system of the brain, the Amygdala plays an important role in controlling motivational behaviours, especially cognitive ones, leaving us extremely at risk of not carrying out the actions we know we need to complete. On a more simple note, it a calorie deficit is non-negotiable for fat loss, and we have less time to eat because we are sleeping more, that can only make it easier. If you are asleep, you simply cannot eat.
We hope you enjoyed our fat loss tips, and maybe you can go away and apply some if not all of them. If you do still need some support to drop the pounds you have been trying to, do not hesitate to get in touch and book your free consultation today.
The team at Thrive | July 2024
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