How to lose fat, How to lose belly fat!

This is the number one thing clients come to me for, the million-dollar question. It can be a lot at once. There is so much information out there you don't know where to start or maybe you do but it seems over whelming. Well, I am going to break it down one step at a time. This list is going to be in order of importance so if you need to start somewhere and doing it all at once is too much. I actually recommend you don't do it all at once but start with number 1 and slowly add on more and more. Now this is not going to be fastest or easiest way BUT it will be a way you can sustain for a lifetime. So, you NEVER have to start over again. How amazing does that sound?? 

Let's get to it then.......

Number 1. Calorie deficit 

I wish there was some quick fix, and some exercise you could do every day that would make this happen. The truth is it is calorie deficit. Now that does not mean crazy diet, you can live a balanced life while still being in a calorie deficit. Calories in vs calories out just means most of your calories need to be nutritious foods that bring you lots of energy and have high level or nutrients. Find what your Maintenace calories are here is a link to a quick google search I did but there are tons out there to use.

 Macro Calculator 

Now find your Maintenace calories and then subtract 300-500 cal a day for a good calorie deficit. you may have to play with this number a little bit. If you are absolutely starving every day, then you need to increase by a bit but if on the other hand you are not hungry at all every day and you are eating plenty of calories then you may need to be more towards the 500 range. The calculator will ask you if you want to lose .5-1lb to even 2lbs a week and it will subtract this for you. But I want you to understand how it is getting this number, so you have the ability to play with the numbers on your own.

These are estimates, we are all so different and although these are good estimates they are still estimates and we need to find exactly what our numbers are. So do not get frustrated if it takes you some time to play with the numbers. If it has been 2 weeks and you are consistently hitting your number and you haven't seen the scale move at all then reset the numbers and try something a bit lower. Do not go crazy and reduce by 700 but just take it down a bit more and see how your body responds.

Unfortunately, it is a lot of trial and error in this space, since we are all so different. But the concept is the same. Calorie deficit. Most importantly stick with it long enough to see what happens, 4 days is not long enough. 2 weeks is an okay amount of time and if you are sticking to things every single day you should see something in 2 weeks, which will allow you to adjust but overall stick with it for weeks, and months while making small adjustments when need be. 

And lastly before I move on you did not earn a "cheat meal" after being in a calorie deficit for 4 days. It is so easy to get caught up with what someone on social media is doing and you see so many people saying it's a cheat meal or cheat day whatever. The reality is chances are that person is either in maintenance, has a lot of lean muscle on them already, or is fine scarifying progress for a week to have a specific meal. You need to understand that it will not work it your cheat meal is so insane on the weekend that you end up balancing out your calorie deficit of the week! Now I am a big fan of going out and enjoying yourself, but do not get upset when and you haven't made any progress that week because you inhaled chips and queso with a margarita the size of your head this weekend. Just understand what is going to happen, make the decision and move on. 

Now if you are unsure how to read a food label or really need some quick guidance about food check out my nutrition label video here 

(3) Reading nutrition labels!! - YouTube

Number 2. Daily movement 

If you are sticking to a calorie deficit and you can add in anything else, prioritize movement. That is not only going to help you create that calorie deficit, but it is also going to help you maintain muscle mass and even gain a little bit if you are an absolute beginner. Now this also does not mean you need to work out 5-7x a week. This just means every single day you need to move your body you need to get at least 8500 steps in per day min. More the better. So, this can look like 2-4x strength training sessions a week and a 20min walk every single day. More or less, create the schedule that will work for your life and your responsibilities. 

You cannot out train a bad diet, to an extent no and really you shouldn't. To out train really bad eating habits you need to be training for hours a day every single day and that is just so unrealistic and so unnecessary when you can dial your nutrition in a little and also increase the movement. If you have a sit-down job, get up and move every 45min, take 5 min and walk to the bathroom, or walk to get some water, or if you work from home like I do walk around the house and do some light clean or picking up. These extra little movements throughout the day increase your NEAT-non-exercise activity thermogenic (basically the extra calories your body burns while doing regular daily things that need to get done). The higher you can get this the even more benefit it will have on your overall fat loss plan! 

Lastly do not think a 10-15min walk a day means nothing, 10min everyday adds an extra 70min of cardio to your week! Take the walks! 

Here is a little core and cardio workout you can do at home right now! 

(6) Core & Conditioning - YouTube

You can find more workouts on my channel if you want something different! 

Number 3. Drink water 

If you are absolutely crushing 1 and 2 and have the ability to add something else into the routine, then make sure you get your water. Drink a min of 1/2 your body weight in ounces every single day. Not flavored water, just regular ass water. Be a big kid and just drink the water! Yes, you can have other things on occasion, but majority of your liquids should be water. Water not only helps nutrients move through out your body, but it helps with digestion and waste removal and not to mention oh HYRDATION. There are just too many benefits to drinking water. Drink the water. Start the day with a good 8-10oz to get your metabolism going and just to get a head start on that count. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and just take sips throughout the day. It is not as hard as it sounds, just do it. Here is a great article on it 

Why Is Drinking Water Important | 6 Reasons to Drink Water (universityhealthnews.com)

Number 4. Eat protein 

You have heard this 100x and although it is true it probably isn't as much as you think. You do not need to be consuming 100s of grams per day of protein for this to benefit fat loss. Protein is one of the macro nutrients, and it is so important especially when trying to lose weight. Protein keeps you fuller longer, protein allows you to maintain muscle (which is super important when losing weight, you want to loss fat not muscle right?) So how much? There are so many different studies out there, but the main agreement is that about .8-1g of protein per body weight is ideal. There are some studies that show that more then .8g per lb of body weight has no actual benefit and some say it does, but overall, they have all agreed that .8g per lb of body weight is ideal for maintaining muscle and building so start with that and stick within the .8g-1g to be safe. Now if you are a large weight, I wouldn't recommend using this so try and use your goal body weight instead. Since ideally this .8g is per lb of lean body mass that will help you get as close to that number. So, if your goal body weight is 150lb eat 150g of protein per day. 

Quality protein is another thing to consider, you want to be getting as much lean protein as possible. Basically, protein that is high in protein but low in fat. Chicken, lean beef, lean steak, turkey, fish, eggs, tuna, things in that range and don't worry the more you focus on reading the labels the more this will all be common knowledge to you. 

Number 5. Stay consistent. Track consistency.

Lastly, this is actually one of the most important not sure why it is last. But anyways you can be doing 1-4 but if you are not doing them consistently week after week, month after month. It will not happen! Period. I am so sorry to tell you. You cannot undue years of bad eating and exercise habits by doing it for 4 days at a time. Tough love, but it's true. I don't want you spinning your wheels forever! I also recommend tracking your consistency I have had people swear they are being consistent and so I ask them to track their consistency on a calendar mark every day you do all the things you need to be doing to lose weight. After looking at month they realize they actually had 12 good days and 17 bad ones. Now those 12 days are amazing such good progress, but you are not allowed to say it doesn't work if you are not putting in the work consistently. 

I truly hope this helps you in some way, if you have any questions or need anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on my website I would love to hear from you. 

Personal Training-Weight loss and building lean muscle (presidentialfitness1.com)