Fat Loss Strategies
Now that we have covered the fundamentals of effective nutrition i.e. calorie balance and macronutrients, lets move into more practicality.
And in particular we are going to zone in on fat loss as I know this is the dominant issue with most people that attend our gym.
But first, just to ensure we are clear on how fat loss occurs.
Fat loss happens because of thermodynamics.
It happens because a calorie deficit is created within the body.
We expend more calories than we consume, and over a period of time we start to lose body fat.
It's a straightforward enough concept, but tricky to achieve.
Hence why fat loss and even obesity is becoming an increasing problem in Ireland and many other countries.
The science is somewhat simple but the application is not as easy to achieve.
How do we create this caloric deficit ?
There are a number of approaches to take, but know that you must tip the energy balance scales in your favour.
However you want to skin it, you can't defy physiology.
As with most things in the realm of health and fitness, there is always a “it depends” answer as to which approach is best.
Three things to keep in the back of you mind when choosing an approach to fat loss:
1-Adherence
2- Lifestyle
3-Individuality
These are three factors we use when deciding what the best approach is for any new or old member at RTB.
As you will have seen in the earlier images these three factors affect the RTB nutrition pyramid.
So before going into the nuts and bolts of the approaches, you'll see I have described an accuracy / convenience gauge with the approaches.
This is purely my own opinion, so what’s convenient for me might not be convenient for you.
Also, what I find accurate, other people may find inaccurate.
Option 1: Calorie Counting.
Accuracy = High
Convenience= Low
This is a great option if you want a “fool proof” way of getting the result you desire.
Once you log all calories accurately you will lose body fat.
This is also really suitable for those who are of a good physique already and want to get an amazing physique.
Think about going from a “B” grade to an “A” grade.
Due to the nature of the counting of calories, it makes the accuracy far higher when we go this route.
To use this approach properly; first you must decide how many calories you will consume.
This can be done two ways.
You can record all you eat over a 14 day period and find the average of this period.
It's recommended to not change your diet a massive amount just yet, we are trying to find a baseline for you.
Another way to do so is to use a calorie equation.
The most common and accurate is the Harris-Benedict formula.
At RTB we tend to use the calorie estimation from the Inbody reading, which is a variation of this.
This has proved to be an approach that yields profound results.
After establishing what your baseline is, we want to decrease our intake.
Some coaches will use a percentage drop of 10-20% whereas other coaches will use a set calorie drop, for example 500 calorie reduction.
Personally, I think the percentage drop is a more accurate and individualized approach to take.
A safe and achievable starting spot is 10%.
The greater the reduction, the faster the drop in body fat, but the more that adherence is challenged.
So while I love to see enthusiastic efforts, experience has taught me that those who play the long game are dealt the best results.
Start with a small reduction and over time adjust with the help of a coach.
Option 2: Food Diary
Accuracy = moderate
Convenience = moderate
This is a simple way of improving your diet and creating a calorie deficit.
Start by recording everything you consume which is going to be all food and drink.
It's important to record everything!!
From this we start to reduce or even remove the “low hanging fruit” for fat loss.
What this translates to is: removing high calorie food.
Examples of foods that are generally high in calories and tend to make fat loss more difficult can be peanut butter, coleslaw, sweets, ice cream, crisps, alcohol, latte, etc etc.
The problem with going this route is that we associate higher calories foods as being “bad”.
For example, avocados are higher in calories than most would expect, does that make them a bad food?
No it doesn’t, they are full of good unsaturated fats but just so happen to be high in calories.
This approach probably requires the least amount of coaching as the majority of foods we remove are common sense i.e. highly processed foods.
For good results to be obtained with a looser method like this abstaining from these higher calorie food choices is probably sensible.
Option 3: Intermittent Fasting
Accuracy = moderate
Convenience= High
Intermittent fasting falls into the bracket of time restricted eating.
You are going to set a certain time with which you can eat food.
This was a very popular way of dieting a few years ago.
There is no magic to it, only that by confining yourself to a set period you will ultimately eat less food.
For example the “Lean Gains 16:8 method” involves fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8 hours.
This might look like the following:
Fast from 8pm to midday the following day
Eat from midday to 8pm
Repeat
From this you see that two big things occur :
Number 1; you don’t consume the traditional breakfast.
Number 2; late evening snacking is not an option here.
You do not have to follow this exact time frame, or even this fasting approach.
For example you could fast for 14 hours and eat for 10 hours.
You could fast for 20 hours and eat for 4 hours.
Whichever timeline you use, you will ultimately eat less food (hopefully).
I have tried a few 24 hour fasts and I did feel far more energetic the following day, and it surprisingly did not kill me to go without food for that long.
I think it’s something that is worth experiencing.
This is a solid approach for people who want a simple yet effective approach.
The caveat to this approach is that when you do eat at 12pm, you must control how much you eat.
If you eat all around you, then you are defeating the purpose.
The simple rules associated with intermittent fasting make it effective.
You can only eat for a set period.
I think there is merit to this approach for most people.
Option 4: Ketogenic diet.
Accuracy = moderate
Convenience= Low
This is where you consume a high fat diet with moderate levels of protein and no carbs.
Personally, I don’t think it's a great long term approach.
I tried this approach for a few months and lost a some unwanted body fat.
The main issue I found was the rigidty of this diet means that social situations are really compromised.
Fat loss is quick as you are removing a macronutrient; carbohydrates.
Option 5: Vegan/Vegetarian.
Accuracy = moderate
Convenience=Low
Plant based diets have become more popular in recent years bu more so for personal reasons than for fat loss.
It can certainly be effective as you remove a big proponent of most irish diets; animal products.
Again, not one I would recommend for a long term adherent diet.
Some other common fat loss diets;
Paleo, Mediterranean. DASH, weight watchers, carnivore Atkins.
Lastly, and probably most common is the meal plan approach.
While this has definitely got merit, its adherence is probably short term.
Flexibility is not allowed for in meal plans so generally they are not something we provide at RTB.
They are great to provide a visual for what a day of eating might look like but after a while the mundaneness of it all becomes unsustainable.
Remember, all fat loss approaches do the same thing!
Negative calorie balance is what we are after when we want to achieve fat loss.
Three factors that will influence what you choose:
1- Adherence: what approach can you adhere to for a long time ? For any diet to work, you must give it time. Any worthwhile fat loss takes weeks and months to achieve. That's not to say you can’t swap between them but you must sustain a calorie deficit for a prolonged period. I personally found ketogenic a difficult approach to adhere to.
2- Lifestyle: What lifestyle changes are needed for your new approach? For example, someone using intermittent fasting is going to have to arrange dinner to be earlier than their cut off time. Someone who tracks calories is going to find it more difficult to eat out.
3- Individuality: We are all individual little snowflakes so choosing an approach that lines up with you as a person is important. An example could be the anxiety that logging every morsel of food that calorie counting creates may not be the most suitable for very busy people and just adds further stress. Choose what lines up with the type of person you are is really important.
If you are on a journey of trying to lose body fat I think this is where I would start:
Food diary - record what you eat, become aware of your eating habits and start to make the most obvious changes.
As you progress and the food diary approach slows down, probably moving to a calorie counting approach is best.
Things like intermittent fasting are a great method of adding novelty and perhaps simplicity to your eating routine too.
Who’s to say that they they can’t be intertwined with a food diary?
Whatever approach you go with, remember:
Adhere for a long time, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Create the lifestyle that aligns with your new eating habit.
Adjust to your individual needs.
Having a coach to be accountable to is the icing on the cake but these few tips will get you started.
Hope this helps