How to lose fat

It seems like the term “How to lose fat” is Googled like a million times per month. The results are usually bogus tips that don’t really explain what you need to do to effectively lose weight and keep it off. The truth is that sustainable weight loss happens by making healthy changes to your diet, eating fewer calories, and solid exercise 3-5 days a week.

Losing weight is tied to habits

The issue with losing weight is that most people don’t like to make changes to their lifestyle. The whole idea of eating less and adding exercise can really change your daily and weekly routine. Far too often the old lifestyle of late-night Netflix and ice cream binges creeps in. You can fight it as long as you want but the only scientifically proven way to lose weight and keep it off is through diet and exercise.

Commiting to how to lose fat

You’re probably thinking that diets and exercise take way more time and effort than you’re willing to give. Let’s face it no one wants to eat kale and watch Richard Simmons videos every day. I totally get it.  And I couldn’t agree more. Bottom line: answering the question of how to lose fat doesn’t take too much effort that you need to completely abandon your current lifestyle.

Body composition play a role in how to lose fat

Your body weight is made up of two main components: fat and non-fat. Non-fat mass includes everything in your body including your muscles, organs, bones, and connective tissue. If you were to empty all the fat in your body, the non-fat mass is what would be leftover.  Muscle weight or mass is the largest component of your non-fat mass, and it should weigh more than your body fat. Muscle mass has a huge impact on your metabolism. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will burn while resting. Muscle also helps to support your joints, helps to improve balance, and lower injury risk.

Lifestyle change

In order to cut body fat, you have to change what you eat. Your body needs food as fuel to carry out its essential functions to stay alive. Most of us, myself included,  really enjoy food and eat more than our body needs. The excess fuel that we consume gets stored in the body as fat.

Caloric intake is a huge factor in how to lose fat

It doesn’t matter where those extra calories come from. Excess calories are excess calories. For most people, dieting is the most difficult part of the fat-loss process.  If you change your mindset just slightly and think of the food you put into your body as fuel, that can also help.

Personalized nutrition plan

We all have different likes and dislikes and our own unique attitudes toward food.  Maybe you hate the taste of kale, but the diet plan says to eat it.  Get rid of that diet plan, don’t eat kale if you don’t like it. You need to find a nutrition plan that works best for you. Your unique plan should be based on how many calories your body needs each day for fuel. We know that fat loss happens when you burn more calories than you take in, so it’s a good idea to know how many calories you’re consuming and burning each day. As you start a new nutrition plan, you will need to find out how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. Once you know that number, you should track your calorie intake and make cuts and replacements wherever you can.

How to lose fat bottom line

When talking about losing fat, there’s not a one-size-fits-all fix. There’s a number of variables that play into it. In another post, we’ll delve into the other areas of fat loss, including exercise and resistance training. These, techniques, paired with a good nutrition plan can answer the question of how to lose fat.