Weight Loss Fundamentals 101

Fat loss macros is our topic today legends, 

Today I am going to talk about, losing weight, specifically losing body fat. 

I think we can all agree that for many of us, at some point we have wanted to lose bodyweight, and have potentially, successfully or unsuccessfully gone into a dieting phase. 

If you have been unsuccessful with dieting, one possible reason could be because of your fat loss macros.

Let's talk through my favourite ways of going into a dieting phase and the best ways to track progress to ensure you are moving in the right direction to achieve your fat loss macro's.

A quick note before I start.  I don't promote seeking unhealthy behaviours to achieve quick wins. I must emphasise that our goal in life should be to aim for a healthier and more confident version of ourselves. We should not be seeking out quick wins, we should be seeking to feel better.  We should be aiming for sustainable practices, which, when compounded over a given time frame add up to the results we want in a healthy manner. 

Now let's get into the meat and potatoes... Yummm potatoes... 

So fundamentally we need to create a consistent calorie deficit. We've all heard this before, but what you may not have heard before is that I want to start you on as many calories as possible whilst still losing weight. 

Many people will create the biggest deficit possible to initiate a weight loss phase to lose as much weight as possible in the quickest time frame possible. Typically, this causes a big spike in weight loss but causes an unsustainable method in which to continue the diet. At some point, the mental willpower breakdown and we can consume too many calories, stop tracking and it all goes to shit and we start to plateau.

The goal isn't to lose as much weight as possible in 2 weeks. Remember that mindset. The goal is to be in incredible consistent shape 12-24-52 weeks down the line. 

Here is what I would recommend: 

The first job is to work out how many calories we need to lose body fat: 

 

1. You can use my personalised calorie calculator by clicking here:

 

2. Understanding our fat loss macros based off our calorie target. 

Who you are and the lifestyle you lead may cause some differentiation when it comes to dieting. However, for many people who train 3-5 x a week, and who want to lose weight whilst maintaining or adding muscle, then I would be aiming for something like this from a calorie perspective: 

2.2g of protein per 1kg of bodyweight. 

0.8g of fat per 1kg of bodyweight. 

The rest can be built of highly satiating carbs that fit within your overall calorie target. To be consumed before and after training. 

While this may sound a little intimidating to start with, within 1 week of tracking on myfitnesspal, you will soon have a grasp of what that will look like. 

Alternatively, click this link and schedule a call with me, I will walk you through step by step, and we can discuss working together.

3. Ensure our bodyweight is tracked alongside our diet.

As we are tracking our meals and nutrition, it makes sense that we also ensure we track our bodyweight to see how it is being reflected by the diet. In the initial phases we may notice a big drop, as the reduction in processed carbohydrates means we lose water weight quickly, from there our weight may stabilise. I like to aim for 0.5KG of weight loss a week. Roughly 1lb for my American amigos out there. 

4. Tracking before / after pictures.  

Think about this, the shower is hot and steamy, you're 4 weeks into your dieting phase, you get out of the shower, your skin is bright red and steamy, then you look in the mirror and notice what looks to be a bicep vein, or a shoulder vein, or the slight glimpse of what some would call abs... Holy shit.. this dieting thing is working. 

Make sure you track before and after pictures, each week or every 2 weeks so you can ensure that you are moving in the right direction with what you are trying to do. 

No-one needs to see them but yourself. You can even create a hidden folder on your phone where you hide everything.

5. Daily activity. 

Now, our diet is making sure we lose the body weight, but there is nothing saying we can't increase our weight loss caloric deficit range by increasing our daily activity. A good gym program would have you training your muscles multiple times a week, I recommend adding daily walking steps and potentially 1-2 x of cardio a week.

For me, I use my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training as the main place I'll get my cardio in, for you it could be a run, cycle, swim, whatever floats your boat... Kayaking on a boat would also count. 

And there you have it... 

If you were to complete each of these tasks over a given period, consistently monitoring these variables then you would turn into an absolute killer. You would build muscle, lose body fat, drop body weight, feel better and feel healthier etc etc.

If you need any help, then here is a list of my free resources to get you started and on your way. 

If you enjoyed that and like what I'm putting down and want to meet the man behind the mask, you can schedule a call with me on here: www.accountability90.com 

I help people lose weight, build muscle and get into crazy shape. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, then let me know and I will help you join the rest of my athletes.