So 90% of people contact me to lose fat, just so we're clear.
And to lose fat you have to be in some kind of calorie deficit. Regardless how many supplements you take, how hard you train, how great your program is, how clean your eating etc. If you're not in a calorie deficit you won't lose fat. Very simple.
Doesn't mean you won't get in better shape, stronger, faster, or better conditioning.
You just won't lose fat, or what most people really want, to get super lean.
Maybe you don't want to compete some day but both sexes wouldn't mind looking like their gender counterparts below..
So now that we understand how important energy balance is for fat loss, the next step is how is how do we set up our nutrition to get in a calorie deficit?
Great question!
People think there are "magic macro" splits, I only need protein and carbs are the devil.
Nope.
Or if I eat every two hours my metabolism will keep racing, or if I just work out a lot I can eat whatever I want!
Negative.
The two things from the research (and I mean controlled studies on fat loss, energy balance, and macro splits ) show us really two things matter when it comes to fat loss (not weightloss, that's something totally different) and those two things are:
1. Calorie deficit (usually 12 to 10 calories per lb, to start, then you will have to lower over time when you plateau)
2. Hitting a protein target (typically .8 grams per lb of bodyweight)
Then I have clients fill in the gaps with carbs and fats with foods they like. Pretty simple.
We use a plate guide to teach them structure like the one listed below...
Then, once we understand how to structure each meal we look at portion sizes...
Cool. So now we know to lose fat we need to:
A) be in a calorie deficit (12 to 10 per lb, depending on activity)
B) hit a protein target of .8 grams per lb of bodyweight
C) follow the plate guide when it comes to meal structure
D) use the portion control guide get a sense of amounts
Next step?
You have to track your intake. How? Couple ways.
You can use free apps. Two that are most common are myfitnesspal.com and cronometer.com.
They both have their pros and cons. Myfitnesspal is easier and has a larger database. It also has barcode scanning which is great.
But it's biggest con is the huge database has a lot of input error. Any user could input incorrect information about a food. And if you don't catch it, it could throw your counts off big time.
Cronometer's database is smaller but they vet it and won't allow people to input things into the overall database.
So again, pros and cons.
The last step is you actually have to shop, make food and portion it out following what we laid out above.
Or...
You could hire a meal prep company. I've done both. Making my own and outsourcing.
And I can tell you with absolute certainty outsourcing is way, way easier.
Firstly, I don't have to shop. Which is huge for me. I am constantly working with clients either in person, online, or working out myself! Time is a luxury I don't have. Most of my days start at 4 am and finish late into the evening at least 6 days a week.
If I do get groceries I use Instacart. I can't remember the last time I was physically in a store.
And having a crazy hectic schedule like that doesn't leave me a lot of time to cook either. My wife and I both work, have successful but demanding careers that doesn't leave time for a lot of outside activities and I would rather prioritize the free time we do have, to spend it with each other. Not shop, cook, clean up, and prep for the following week. Doing that in the past took a few hours a week which got old fast.
Nope. Been there, done that.
So I outsourced my meal prep to a company called Trifecta and never looked back.
Now, disclaimer I have used many many meal prep companies in the past. They are usually just ok. And most of the time, my wife won't eat it. They are "too bland and boring."
Usually just food for competitors. Fine for me, I eat for function, not taste. But my wife, not so much..
There are several things I really love about Trifecta.
• the food actually tastes good!
• it's organic, non-gmo, locally sourced, wild-caught, grass-fed, free-range
• comes in a variety of eating styles: vegan, keto, paleo, clean, and what I order, A la carte
This way you can pick and choose.
AND they proton size everything along with labeling the macros. This makes nailing your calorie and protein targets super, super simple.
They even have their own app which makes tracking and losing fat super simple.
I was a little skeptical in the beginning but each week the food is fresh, never frozen, fast and they have great customer service. Plus, it's actually pretty cheap and tastes good!
Let's just say it passed my wife's test, who by the way, is Italian and is a master in the kitchen.
It's a week to week subscription. No long term contracts, super flexible ordering options like if you want to put your plan on hold for a week when you go out of town.
Give it a try. They have 100% money-back guarantee. You can check them out here.
The main take away is this; calories and protein matter. Your exact macros won't. Train hard, sleep well, be in a calorie deficit and hit your protein target. Either make your own food or outsource it.
That's it!
I don't want to insult you by making it sound this simple but it is. And if someone had told me this when I was struggling in my own fat loss journey it wouldn't have jump started my results and been easier to keep.
Hope this article helped give you a game plan of where to start but if you still feel lost or want the ultimate in fitness, nutrition and accountability contact me to see if you're a good fit to work together.
Questions? Post them below, let's chat.
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