For something to be called a ‘law’ it must pass a hypothesis, a theory and many other claims with a final methodology that everyone can apply and obtain the result first claimed. So there are no fat loss laws or muscle building laws, but there are statements that have been proven over and over with a large percentage of the population and they seem to work on a great level and to great extent. The main common factor here is consistency and discipline. If we all had those two daily we would be great at so many other things. But going back to fat loss. It’s not as complicated and hard as many fitness professionals, magazine or blogs might tell you it is. So let’s hit the three fundamentals for you to start you fat loss goals today and not tomorrow.
– Calories In V/S Calories Out
A large majority of us already know this. To lose weight you need to be eating less and to gain weight you need to eat more. Simple right? But let’s get a bit into more detail because ‘simple’ doesn’t mean always results. The first questions that many think are then ‘How many calories should I consume less?’ , “How many calories should have I been already eating?” When do I decrease again my calories? To make this much simpler, because that’s what we want, to keep things simple, click on this website - https://tdeecalculator.net/ it will calculate for you your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) Than scroll down and see how many calories based on your goals you should be consuming on average to lose weight. My advice is to start at a 10% calorie deficit and every 3-4 weeks decrease it to 15% than 20% but never go above 30%. If you have to go above 30% and you still aren’t losing weight consistently (and be honest with yourself, you aren’t cheating on your diet, you are exercising and you are eating for your goals) than it might be time to ask for professional help.
2-. A Calorie is a Calorie – Yes & No
For those that don’t know, a calorie is a measurement of energy. Anything you eat will contain calories, your beer (yes sorry), your vegetables, your protein shake etc…all foods are broken down into macronutrients (proteins, fats & carbs). How each macronutrient affects your physiology is very different. So even though a calorie is a calorie and to lose weight you must be under a calorie deficit constantly, the types of calories you ingest can help you lose weight faster and determine your body composition (fat to muscle weight basically). For example, there are two 30 years old men. They both weigh 180lbs and they both have the same height of 5’10. Now gentleman A has a 10% bodyfat and gentleman B has 25% bodyfat. Who do you think has more muscle? Gentleman A. Body composition is extremely important. How do calories play a role in this then? Let’s use another example. If Gentleman A is consuming 2,000kcal daily and so is Gentlemen B but one consumes the majority of his macronutrients and calories from lean proteins and healthy fats and one consumes the majority form processed carbs, little protein and fat who do you think will be leaner? Obviously Gentleman A. Who do you think will have more energy on a daily basis? You got it, gentleman A. Etc…you are getting the point. Now, they are BOTH on a calorie deficit, but you see how 2,000kcal from different sources can dramatically impact your goals, health and fitness levels? I believe in the 80/20 rule. Eat for your goals 80% of the day and allow 20% to eat something you are craving.
3- Exercise Selection
You want to build muscle, let’s be clear about that. Muscle is good as it aids in having a healthier body composition as we spoke earlier but it also aids you in burning more fat as muscle is more metabolic demanding on your body and needs to burn more calories to sustain it. Most people think two words that are very grueling as they associate fat loss. Diet & Cardio. True you need to keep a closer eye on what you eat, but cardio shouldn’t be your priority for fat loss. Lifting should be. Let’s take it to the next step. High intensity training would even be better. But if you haven’t been in the gym for a long time and you aren’t used to higher intensity work, that’s fine. Start slow with the weights and progressively get your heart in shape to keep up with higher intensity workouts. You want to try and stick with barbells and dumbbells for most of your workouts. Don’t be on machine your entire workout. I guarantee you, you will burn and build muscle if you stick with free weights. Don’t be scared of those free weights. You control them, not the other way around. So don’t’ fall into the pitfall of cardio for hours because in fact they elevate catabolic hormones that will actually at one point hinder your fat loss goals. If you don’t want to be inside a gym, that’s fine, pick up biking, hiking, swimming. But keep and stay active!
Ready to start your own journey? Whether you live in Denver and can train with us at Driven or live anywhere else we have a solution for you!