One of the most common comments I receive on social media is: “I want to lose belly fat. Please help me.
I wanted to take a moment to expand my knowledge on fat loss.
There are some misconceptions about fat loss.
When it comes to losing belly fat, a holistic understanding of fat loss is necessary because you can’t focus on just one area, no matter what workout you see that will say “6 packs workout for the abs! »
When you reduce your body fat percentage, you lose fat everywhere (even on your face!).
After you lose a certain amount of fat, the muscles beneath your subcutaneous adipose tissue (adipose tissue) will begin to show more.
In the fitness world, this is called being “skinny.”
Most of us want to achieve some sort of “leanness”.
So, the question is, how do you do this?
Nutrition is the main way to lose fat, but exercise also plays a role.
Overall, the goal is for you to be in a calorie deficit, meaning your energy intake (food consumed in a day) is less than your energy output (calories burned in a day) by around 500 calories every day.
Energy production occurs in three ways:
1. Calories are burned to keep you alive and keep your organs functioning
2. Performing daily tasks (even going to the bathroom or squatting to pick something up burns a certain amount of calories)
3. Train and recover (i.e. repair your muscles).
Severely limiting your calories isn’t the answer, however, and that’s why crash diets aren’t sustainable.
If you restrict your calories too much, you will most likely lose muscle as well.
How do you know if you are in a calorie deficit?
Well, you can’t know EXACTLY how many calories you burn in a day, but you can estimate it and get pretty close.
The total amount of calories burned using the three factors listed above is called your TDEE, which means Total daily energy expenditure.
My macro calculator will help you calculate your TDEE by taking into account things like your age, weight, and daily activity level.
Once you know this number, just make sure you’re eating 500 fewer calories.
PRO TIP: Muscles burn calories. So, the more muscles you have, the easier it will be for you to achieve and maintain a slimmer physique. You don’t want to lose muscle!
How to lose muscle?
You can lose muscle by not eating enough, training too much, or doing too much steady-state cardio, to name a few.
Branched-chain amino acids, a supplement known as BCAAs, help you maintain muscle during your workouts or if you have to go a while without eating.
BCAAs include the three amino acids known to be important for muscle health and recovery: leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
This is one of the reasons why MA programs offer you meal plans that will put you in a calorie deficit, but not extreme (if you choose fat loss over muscle building).
You lose a little bit every day.
My programs require commitment in this way because you may not get the instant gratification of seeing huge changes right away, but over time you lose fat in stages and also build the habits which you will need to maintain this fat loss over time.
ANOTHER PRO TIP: Processed foods don’t metabolize the same way as clean, whole foods, so they’re more likely to “stick” to your body as fat.
So, the bottom line: eat healthy, eat at a slight deficit, and as a bonus, use resistance training to build muscle. It’s that simple, but most people struggle to adopt healthy habits.
My programs present this in an easy to follow way.
To register today, click here and get started.