The New Rules of Fat Loss

Eat six small meals a day. 

More Cardio = More weight loss 

Lifting makes you bulky. 

Carbs are the enemy.

Fat is the enemy. 

Animal meat is the enemy. 

Don’t eat after 7pm. 

Don’t skip breakfast. 

Those are the old rules of fat loss. In 2020, it’s time to get real! Here are the New Rules of Fat Loss: 

#1. Nutrition is #1: When it comes to changing your body composition, nutrition has the most powerful effect on the body. This is good news and bad news. The good news is, if you are able to consistently dial in your nutrition, weight loss can be quite simple. The bad news is, if you try to out train a poor diet, you’ll likely never reap the rewards of all your hard work. Take care of your nutrition first, and I promise you it will make a huge difference. 

#2. Never go 3 days without training: Fitness is a series of battles with momentum. At times we’re unstoppable getting to the gym 4-5x a week and eating like a champ. On the other hand, sometimes we find ourselves in a rut. Just the thought of going to the gym can make us tired, and we haven’t found a treat or snack we can say no to. Unfortunately, that’s life. We can find examples of ups and downs in every facet of our lives, not just in fitness. In order to set ourselves up for success, we have to set some rules. One easy rule is to never go 3 days without some form of exercise. It can be a workout at your favorite gym, or it can be a hike at your favorite park. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you’re moving at least every 3 days. Staying consistent will help you maintain your momentum, and even when you fall off track a bit, you know it will only last a couple of days before it’s time to get right. 

#3. Educate yourself: If you’re reading this, health and fitness is obviously something that interests you. If you’re ready to change your body and change your life, I recommend learning as much as you can about health and fitness. Ask questions (use your coaches as a resource. If you have a training, nutrition, or lifestyle question, I bet one of us has the answer for you), read books, read blogs, watch videos, listen to podcasts. There is a lot of conflicting info out there, so before you start researching let me know what you’re looking for and I can point you in the right direction. In my experience, the members that I have worked with that spend time outside of the gym learning about health and fitness tend to see the best results. 

#4. Lift weights 3x a week: Research has shown that the sweet spot for resistance training is roughly 3 full body sessions a week. Of course, this is just a general recommendation. A more specific recommendation would need to account for age, experience, injury hx, etc. The important part to understand is that there is a sweet spot. More is not always necessarily better, and training doesn’t always have to be the first lever you pull when working towards a goal. On the other hand, if you’re not incorporating strength training into your weekly routine 3x a week, you may be leaving something on the table. 

#5. Track progress: A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog discussing the difference between exercising and training. The main differentiator is that exercise is generally pretty random. There are more fitness options available now than ever before. People are constantly chasing a sweat. Bouncing from spin class, to hiit class, to boxing, to strength training, to Orange Theory with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Any workout can make you sweat and feel tired. Instead of chasing a sweat, try seeking a result. Having a measurable goal that you can keep track of is hands down the best way to go about training. If you want to be able to do push ups and pull ups without assistance, a random circuit of movements probably won’t do the trick. Boil down your goals to one or two things that you can measure. Then build your training program around those goals, and execute the plan. 

How many of these rules are you currently adhering to? Is there anywhere in particular where you could improve? Let me know! I’d be happy to help you formulate a plan of attack.