FAT LOSS FUNDAMENTALS
FAT LOSS IS SIMPLE, NOT EASY The theory of fat loss is simple. You need to be in a calorie deficit. If you are consuming less calories than you are burning then you'll lose weight. But just because something is simple that doesn't mean that it's easy. There are multiple factors that need to be accounted for, to ensure your fat loss journey is successful. There's training, nutrition, sleep, stress and recovery to name a few. We'll take a look at these areas within this article. TRAINING AND RECOVERY An overriding factor in any journey is sustainability. It's something I'll talk about a lot with all my clients. When it comes to training, especially at the start of the process, you may think that working out and training as many days as possible is the best way to go. Surely working out everyday is going to get you to your goal quicker, right? The biggest issue with this approach, (this links to last week's article about the all or nothing approach), is that you may have gone from doing little to no training, to trying to train everyday. You've gone from 0-100 and forgotten about all the numbers in between. This isn't sustainable. So you won't be able to continue at that pace for more than maybe a few weeks. Furthermore, your body is not used to all that stimulus and this can impair your ability to positively recover from the sessions. Now, training in itself is a stressor on the body. The session itself doesn't acutally change you. It places a stimulus on your body and causes micro-tears within the muscle fibres (in resistance training), which your body then has to repair. This repair requires energy and rest. So, in actuality, it's during the rest and recovery phases that your body adapts to the stimulus you have given it through your workout. One of the best times for your body to recover is when you are asleep. SLEEP Sleep is one of the most important things your body can do when you are looking at recoverability. A lack of adequate sleep has been associated with:- *Weakened Immune System * Weight Gain * Risk of Diabetes *Memory Issues *Mood Changes *High Blood Pressure The list goes on. Being sleep deprived will affect your energy levels, which in turn will affect your activity during the day, your ability to train and the choices you make when it comes to your diet. So what can you do to give you the best chance of getting the sleep you need, which for most adults is around 7-9 hours. You can try these simple changes to assist in improving your sleep:- No Caffeine after 2pm. Try using de-caf alternatives instead Set a regular bedtime. The body loves routine. Remove devices 45-mins to 1 hour before you are going to be. Artificial light keeps you stimulated. Why not pick up a book instead? The use of breathing exercises or meditation may help you to calm the mind before tucking in for the night. STRESS Stress is something that we will have to deal with a one point or another, I mean, we're still going through a pandemic. Stress can have a multitude of affects on the body, so it's important to recognise some of the signs so we can manage our stress to the best of our abilities. (It's important to note that stress isn't necessarily something that happens to us rather than something that we create for ourselves based on our perception of a situation.) Signs of stress:- Irritable, aggressive or high strung Racing mind Anxious or nervous Unable to concentrate Unable to sit still Headaches Problems sleeping Muscular tension And the list could go on and on. There are many stressors within modern life so it's important that we recognise signs within ourselves and take action to relieve. Things that you can do to lower your stress levels:- Take a walk in nature Listen to music Take a warm bath Call a friend to talk about the issues that are causing you stress Breathing exercises/mediation/yoga Workout Helping to reduce your stress levels will impact your fact loss journey. Lower stress levels will help you think clearer and make better decisions. You'll have more energy to train. Your sleep will improve. Are you starting to see that all of these factors inter-link to assist in you fat lose journey. NUTRITION As we know, proper nutrition is a huge part of the fat loss journey. However, people always overcomplicate their nutrition, by over analysing the less important aspects of nutrition. People always want to know, which foods should eat, which supplements should they use, what macro split do they need. But, as shown below you need to build strong foundations and only move onto the next level once you have mastered each layer. ADHERENCE:- This is stage one. The most important stage to master. Ultimately, if you can't adhere to your diet (diet meaning:- "the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats") then it's not going to be sustainable (there's that word again) in the long run. Don't just do what someone else's is doing if you know that its not something you can stick to. CALORIES:- Once you have created plan that you can stick to, the next layer is to calculate your calories so that you are in a calorie deficit. (I have a link to my calorie calculator in my instagram bio - dan_slack_fitness ). MACROS:- After you have been able to adhere to your calorie deficit, you can then start to look at the marcos splits to see how you are breaking your calorie intake down. FOOD CHOICE:- This comes down to personal preference and it's important to include the food you like (sustainability). You want to prioritise single ingredient, wholefoods, such as leans meats, vegetables, rice, potatoes etc. Aim for minimally processed foods where possible. TIMING:- Meal timing is something that you can manipulate once you have completed each of the prior levels, as its importance is not as great as the levels below. This would include timing you meals around training to maximise performance. SUPPLEMENTS:- This isn't shown on the pyramid, but this would be the highest levels, as it's the least important. Supplements are there to supplement your diet, not as a magic shake to do all the work for you. Before you overcomplicate your journey, look at the fundamentals and spend time mastering the basics so you can build strong foundations. After all, you can't build a sturdy house on weak foundations.