Let me teach you how to lose FAT. Losing fat is different than losing weight. When we weigh ourselves, we are measuring the combination of our muscle, body fat, bone, organs, fluids, waste in our digestive tracts, and glycogen (carbohydrates stored in our muscles). Weight can easily be manipulated because of all these different factors that contribute to the measurement.
Body fat however, is lost ONLY by being in a caloric deficit for a consistent period. Simply put, a caloric deficit is when you consume less calories than your body burns.
Here are 4 tips to lose fat in a way that will help you keep the fat off once you lose it. These are 4 simple and actionable suggestions to get yourself into a healthy caloric deficit.
EAT HEALTHIER
To lose fat, you need to pay less attention to the quantity of food you eat, and more to the quality of food you eat. Losing fat isn’t about restricting yourself from food or calories. It’s about finding the nutritious food you enjoy eating, and eating a lot of it. We all generally know which food choices are healthy and which are not. The hard part is actually choosing the healthy options. Start opting for the healthier food choices as often as you can.
When you eat more nutrient-dense food, you are likely eating food that is not calorically-dense. This means if you choose the right type of food, you can eat a lot of it and stay full, while still being in a caloric deficit.
ACTIONABLE TIP
If you are are serious about losing fat, try this. Before you're about to eat a meal, ask yourself, "Is there a healthier food choice I can make?" And if there is, choose the healthier option.
The fat loss process is about becoming aware of what goes into your body, and if you form the habit of stopping to THINK before you eat, you will naturally start to make healthier choices (if you truly care about losing fat).
SLEEP MORE
Sleep is an underrated factor when it comes to fat loss. When you don’t get enough sleep, your insulin hormone becomes less efficient at regulating glucose in your body. Because of this, your body starts creating more insulin. The problem? Insulin is a fat-storage hormone. The more of it you have in your body, the more likely the food you eat will be stored as fat.
ACTIONABLE TIP
Prioritize your sleep. It really is THAT important. If you want to improve the quality of your sleep, try these things:
Don't use your devices at night (if you must, at least use "night mode")
Get daily exercise (even if it's as simple as 1 minute of jumping jacks)
Clear your mind and relax before bed
DRINK WATER
Water is an important indirect factor of fat loss. It can fill you up and suppress your appetite, causing you to eat less throughout the day. The fat loss benefits are especially helpful when you replace sugary beverages with water. If you want to lose a significant amount of fat, you will have to do a lot more than drink water. Drinking water is only one small part of any attempt at losing fat in a healthy way.
You really should be drinking at LEAST half a gallon of water each day (64 oz).
Drinking water also results in many other health benefits outside of fat loss. These benefits include having more energy and brain power, flushing out toxins, improving your complexion, boosting your immune system, and preventing headaches, cramps, and sprains.
ACTIONABLE TIP
When you wake up every morning, drink at least 1 cup of water. If you already do this, then drink at least 2 cups of water after you wake up every morning. If you're not already doing this, I promise you will notice a positive difference once you start.
START RESISTANCE TRAINING
While cardiovascular exercise does help you burn calories and stay in a caloric deficit when you are trying to lose fat, you should incorporate resistance training to help you keep the fat off when you lose it.
Resistance training is any exercise that causes your muscles to contract against some type of resistance. Examples of resistance training would be push-ups, pull-ups, and squats.
The more muscle you build, the more calories your body will naturally burn every day. This means it will become easier to maintain lower levels of fat.
ACTIONABLE TIP
Set aside time on your calendar for you to train, and actually follow through with it. If you struggle with motivating yourself, you may need some outside accountability, and that's okay. If that's the case, ask someone you trust to hold you accountable to your training sessions.
For example, let's say you schedule a workout on your calendar on Monday from 6pm - 7pm. You would ask someone to text you on Monday at 7pm to see if you actually worked out. This should be someone you trust and someone who isn't afraid to call you out if you don't follow through with what you said you were going to do. You'd be surprised at how motivated you become when you know someone is holding you accountable.
If you commit to eating healthier, sleeping more, drinking more water, and training for muscle, you will notice not only fat loss, but also higher energy levels, improved mood, healthier skin, muscle gain, and better sleep.
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Also, if you have any questions about fitness, or if you or anyone you know is looking to hire a personal trainer in Fresno/Clovis, California, or an online coach anywhere in the world – please contact me. I would be more than happy to chat.
Justin Yurong