Fad diets, multiple week exercise challenges, meal replacements… these things are marketable because for some people they actually work and they work well!
But once you have finished the challenge or the diet or the box of protein shakes, what next?
In this Post written by top NZ and UK Strength and Conditioning expert – Andy Flint, we show you the Top 5 MOST IMPORTANT aspects of burning fat fast and maintaining a sustainable lifestyle so you can keep that pesky fat off and guide you through your weight loss goals.
#5: SLEEP
Waking up after a poor sleep can really play with our mental ability to stay strong! When we move through our day fighting cravings and feeling like we need energy, many people tend to turn to food and drink to “give them energy”.
SLEEP
There is a pre conceived misconception that sugar perks us up, so we tend to look for energy in forms of sugary foods and sugary drinks and can often over indulge. In essence feeling tired gives people an excuse to eat the type of foods that help you GAIN fat, not lose it!
Poor sleep can also lead to our bodies and brains becoming stressed which inhibits our ability to recover as well as we can from exercise and can release a hormone called cortisol which in short, is rubbish for our fat loss goals!
Better sleep helps recovery and the balance of our hormones, so sleep well and get these under control.
Getting a good sleep along with some other factors can set you up for the day and keep you focused on your work, your life and is this case, the most important goal… losing fat!
#4: HYDRATION
When we are dehydrated we mentally underperform and can make poor decisions! A great metaphor for being dehydrated is to imagine our brain looking like a shrivelled raisin instead of a juicy hydrated grape!
HYDRATION
Believe it or not hydration is linked to how tired we feel and simply becoming hydrated can really perk us up!
Some people turn to caffeine which can give them an instant pick up, but with it being a stimulant, caffeine can dehydrate them even further and make them even more tired when the caffeine wears off. From point 5 (Sleep), we know what happens when we feel tired!
Hydration and the consumption water is a great tool for suppressing appetite.
When using weight loss methods such as intermittent fasting, water is a 0 calorie option to make you feel full… and what the benefit?… you become hydrated and mentally ready to make better life choices!
#3: EXERCISE
Exercise is sometimes seen as THE way to lose fat! It certainly helps a lot and can assist in controlling the most simple form of fat loss methodology… energy intake vs energy expenditure. Burning calories in exercise can balance the scales in the favour of energy expenditure but it wont do the job if you are still consuming more energy than what you burn.
EXERCISE
It makes sense that exercise such as cardio and HIIT sessions that burn calories fast are great tools to put your body into calorie deficit, so if your soul purpose is fat loss, then these methods are for you. However if you are looking at a long term approach then including weights into your exercise regime will build muscle and allow you to burn more calories whilst simply walking down the road… I know right? I’ll explain again in the form of a metaphor.
Let’s compare a person with minimal muscle mass to a car with a very small engine and someone with a very large muscle mass to a truck! Which one do you think is going to burn more petrol driving 10 kilometers down the road? It’s the same with our bodies. Our muscles are the parts of our bodies that require energy, so if they are larger, they will burn more. Simple.
My advice, burn your fat first and focus on that, but include a small amount of weights to build a base, then when you have burnt enough fat, you can focus more on weights, keep off the fat (as doing weights still burns a considerable amount of calories) and feel good about the way you look!
There is lots of controversy around what form of exercise if the best method to lose fat. Cardio, HIIT and weights are but a few methods but the simple fact is… some exercise is better than none. If you are at ground zero and do nothing, then simply going for regular walks is a great start to build from the ground up. Do exercise that you enjoy or have motivation for and with the addition of paying attention to all five of these tips you will start to see fat leaving your body.
#2: NUTRITION
Why is nutrition in front of exercise as a top tip? Well first of all, not everyone has to exercise, it sometimes needs motivation if you live a sedentary life. EVERYONE needs to eat!
NUTRITION
Hand, fork, spoon, cup all go to our mouths because we need water and energy to live, but we CHOOSE what we put in our mouths.
I have already touched on energy intake vs expenditure, ultimately to lose fat our bodies need to be in a calorie deficit and with nutrition, you control the “intake” aspect by making sure you don’t over feed yourself. Great tools for measuring this are apps such as My Fitness Pal that are free and measure how many calories you consume compared to how many you need in order to lose fat. Highly recommend!
I am NOT a nutritionist, but I have studied it, worked with many great sports nutritionists, advised professional athletes for many years and competed in weight cutting sports and have found that the best way to lose fat through nutrition is to cut down or cut out glucose.
Before I go any further with this I do need to mention that a high fat diet and high carbohydrate diet = fat increase as your calories will most likely be through the roof, however we tend to consume way to much glucose in our diets which we cant burn, which is then stored and turned to fat. Cutting down or out on glucose is really difficult for athletes and people that are very active unless you take your body into Ketosis (which takes a huge amount of discipline or the aid of supplementation) and might not be the best option for performance, so this is where nutrient timing becomes really important.
If you have to eat carbohydrates in the form of bread, potato, rice, high amounts of sugary fruit etc. then limit them and choose the right time to eat them. At the beginning of the day or an hour or three before exercise are your best options, otherwise, save them for a treat!
By cutting these type of foods down or out allows more space for more vegetables and salad which are rich in vitamins and minerals and much lower in calories! The other food portion that may increase will be your protein source which allows your body to recover better from exercise and will contain essential fats and amino acids that are simply… essential!
Eating carbohydrate dominant foods late at night is where a lot of people fall short in their weight loss journey due to any excess energy not burnt when our metabolism slows during sleep turning to fat, therefore picking times during the day that gives your body a chance to use that energy makes total sense right?
Liquids play a big part in calorie consumption in some peoples lives! Full sugar fizzy drinks alone hold a huge amount of responsibility for obesity in many populations, so being aware of how much sugar or calories is in the drink that you are selecting is a very important part of your fat loss journey.
Nutrition for fat loss is really simple! Eat healthy and clean, don’t eat junk food more than 20% of your week (the lower the percentage the quicker you lose fat), drink for hydration, cut down or out your glucose, when you do have “cheat’ meals make it a meal not a binge day! Make sure you are in a sensible calorie deficit where you still feel energised AND still find ways to really enjoy your better food choices with things like home made healthy sauces, herbs and spices.
Another aspect of nutrition to consider to aid in your Fat Loss Goals is the use of specific fat burning products and more general supplements.
#1: CONSISTENCY
Once you have finished the fitness challenge or the diet or the box of shakes, what next? The key and THE top tip for fat loss is CONSISTENCY in making the right choices.
CONSISTENCY
The key and top tip for fat loss is consistency in making the right choices. Thats the right choices for lifestyle, sleep, exercise, food and drink! This doesn’t mean that you have to be a robot and only do what’s in the best interest of you and your fat loss goal… it’s buying into the lifestyle that most of the time you are going to respect your body and give it the good stuff, so that you can feel great mentally and physically, function well and every now and then (20% of the time or less depending on whether you are maintaining body fat or still trying to lose it) you can enjoy some of the “naughtier” things in life, like a beer with your friends and a late night home, a fast food meal or have a night off from training.
Being healthy and becoming a better physical version of ourselves should be reward enough for making the right choices but lets be honest, fast food, sweet treats and a lazy Sunday are also things we enjoy.. chocolate is proven to release endorphins!… It’s actually important to reward yourself with whatever it is you are craving after being good, or you’ll most likely starve yourself from it for a period of time and then not enjoy living like that and give up doing the right thing the majority of the time altogether. So for the sake of consistency , create balance, but make sure the balance falls to the favour of the calorie deficit the majority of the time. The 80/20 rule is the best rule to follow (80% make the right choices, 20% treat yourself sensibly).
To aid your quest in consistency, being organised is key! Preparing and prepping your food, following some sort of exercise program with short and long term goals, setting a time to go to bed and sticking to it, drinking a certain amount of water each day and sticking to it. All these things may seem quite simple but with a plan, goals and being organised you will find that being consistent will be much easier and you journey to fat loss not difficult at all.
“Turning up” is the last point I will make in this section as it sums up all of the other 4 points nicely. Just turn up!
- Turn up to your bed at night at the right time and get a good sleep, even if you want to watch one more episode of Game of Thrones.
- Turn up at the tap to fill your water bottle instead of buying yourself a Mocha or a can of Coke.
- Turn up to the gym even if you don’t feel like it, do something.
- Turn up to the supermarket instead of ordering Uber Eats so you make and buy the correct foods and prep for breakfast lunch and dinner instead of having to eat on the run.
Keep turning up and you won’t just go on a temporary fat loss journey you’ll lose your fat and be full of pride and confidence due to the changes you have made for the better.
