How To Lose Fat And Keep It Off
1) Move Every Single Day
Most adults spend half of their waking hours sitting down - working away at their desk, watching TV or commuting. This reduces our energy expenditure (calories) and hurts our ability to lose fat.
Just walking can have a huge impact on your calorie expenditure, as well as helping combat the health implications of a sedentary lifestyle such as increased risk of depression, pain in your lower back, shoulder and neck etc.
The general guidance is that most adults should walk 10,000 steps per day, with less than 5,000 steps being considered sedentary.
It's important to make the conscious effort to find the time to walk each day. Here are 5 ideas that you can leverage to increase your daily activity:
- Change habits - take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Find a place that you’d visit regularly such as the office or gym and commit to walking there
- Look for nice routes to walk and take someone with you
- Find a recurring meeting with your team that you can do walking
- Get a treadmill desk
2) Avoid Drinking Your Calories
The foundation of weight loss comes down to energy balance - calories in versus calories out.
Liquid calories can often sneak up on you, so be careful. This can really throw off your fat loss plans.
Here are a few ideas to avoid drinking your calories
- Focus on drinking sufficient water:
- European guidelines advise 2L water for women and 2.5L water for men
- US guidelines advise 95 oz water for women and 130 oz water for men
- Drink herbal teas
- Opt for black coffee - reduce or avoid sugar where possible
- Zero calorie sodas can be a good substitute for sugary drinks when it comes to fat loss
3) Protein, Protein, Protein
Make sure that you have sufficient protein to:
- Increase fullness while decreasing your cravings to help you stay on track
- Retain muscle mass when in a calorie deficit
- Increase calorie burn (energy expenditure) while digesting your food
- Help your body recover after training
4) Snack Wisely
Snacking on high calorie foods is an easy trap to fall into.
If you like to snack, being prepared can save you a lot of time and ensure you don’t fall off track when under stress and lacking better options. We’ve got 10 nutritionist approved healthy snacks for you.
5) Take action NOW
It’s too easy to say “I’ll start on Monday” or wait for the perfect moment that doesn’t really exist. Remember that motivation comes after action.
The longer you wait to start or get back on track, the harder it becomes. The right time is always now.
Summary
In short - losing fat doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. If you implement these 5 strategies, you’ll be able to boost your fat loss even further:
- Moving throughout the day
- Avoid drinking your calories
- Choose sensible snacks
- Eat protein with every meal
- Start now
Want help to make sure you're on the best path to sustainable fat-loss? Let's have a chat to create a roadmap that adapts to your lifestyle.
