
Are you ready to embark on a successful and sustainable fat loss journey? Before diving in, it's essential to establish a strong foundation. Skipping this crucial step often leads to minimal or temporary results.
A balanced approach to fat loss requires attention to all five pillars: Mindset, Movement, Habits, Nurture, and Nutrition. By implementing protocols for each area, you can create a sustainable framework for optimal well-being.
Here is what establishing a consistent routine with the basics may look like:
Mindset: Practicing stress management using meditation or breathwork.
Movement: Get at least 15-30 minutes of daily movement (ex. walk) and complete a full body resistance training routine 3x/week.
Habits: Scheduling workouts and planning meals each week.
Nurture: Sleeping 7.5-9 hours/night.
Nutrition: Prioritize whole foods with protein and plant-based options at every meal.
Once you have a consistent routine with the following, you will likely start seeing and feeling some results but to ensure you’re losing fat, you can continue into the next step, a caloric deficit.
Essential Steps Often Missed: Avoid These Common Pitfalls
When starting a fat loss journey, many people overlook crucial steps that can significantly impact their success.
Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
Not prioritizing strength training.
Instead, many people prioritize cardio instead of resistance training. Cardio is very important and should not be neglected but relying on it solely as a tool for fat loss is not very effective or efficient.
The reason resistance training is so important especially in a fat loss phase is because it signals your body to keep and maintain lean mass so when your body is losing weight, you lose the weight from fat rather than muscle. This is important because if you lose weight and see the scale going down but your body composition is not changing, you won’t look any leaner. The appearance of being lean occurs when there is more muscle definition and less fat.
Not reaching your daily protein target.
Similar to the previous point, consuming enough protein each day helps to protect muscle mass ensuring the weight lost comes from fat rather than muscle.
Losing too much too fast.
Losing a lot of weight sooner than later can be tempting but understanding that the body doesn’t want to give up its fat stores right away is crucial for pacing weight loss correctly. The recommended amount of weight to lose per week is about= (0.5 lbs. -2lbs/week or 1% of bodyweight per week). So, losing 2-8 lbs. per month is great progress. Even if you don’t lose weight for one week but you maintain your weight instead, that is also progress. The slower you lose it, the more permanent your fat loss is.
Unrealistic expectations
Don't expect to shed all your unwanted fat in a single fat loss phase. Progress is often gradual. Falling short of unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and setbacks. A healthy fat loss journey is a marathon, not a sprint. The duration of a fat loss phase varies depending on individual factors like muscle mass and the amount of fat to lose. While 2-3 months is a typical phase, it can sometimes extend to 6 months or more.
Post-Fat Loss Phase
After a fat loss phase, it's essential to transition into a maintenance phase to prevent weight regain. This typically lasts 4-6 months before starting another fat loss cycle. To ensure long term success, it's important for your body to be in a maintenance phase more often than a dieting phase.
By following these guidelines and avoiding common pitfalls, you can create a personalized plan that sets you up for success.
What is your biggest challenge during a fat loss phase? Share your experiences and tips for overcoming these obstacles in the comments below!
Not sure where to start? Looking for a coach or program? Don't hesitate to reach out.
My method rests on the 5 pillars of: Mindset, Movement, Habits, Nurture, Nutrition.
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