How to: Fitness for fat loss

When people think about fat loss, they often think they have to lose weight. However, this isn’t always true. When you focus solely on losing weight, you often find yourself losing muscle mass as well. Though for some this is a desirable outcome, for the vast majority of my readers this is simply not the case.

Weight loss:

For weight loss, the body must be in a caloric deficit. Sounds simple, right? Well, often people think eating less and exercising more will ensure this. However, when this occurs the body tends to feel fatigued and sore. In some cases recovery after exercise can take longer and this will certainly affect your motivation.

Macronutrients should remain an important part of your diet as these foods can help improve digestion, which can aid weight loss. It is also important to consume sufficient vitamins and minerals to maintain the health of our body’s organs and vital functions. Taking a blood test will help you identify any of the vitamins you may be lacking.

Nutrition:

Choosing the right foods will aid your weight loss and it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat less. What many people find is that when they switch out their refined carbs and junk foods for healthier snacks such as fruits and whole grains, they can actually eat more. You must also ensure that you’re providing your body with enough nutrients to aid exercise. Healthy fats are still a must to aid with weight loss but control your portion sizes.

When eating foods such as nuts, stick to a handful a day. Carbohydrates are also important but, similar to fat, you should control your portions and ensure you’re still getting a wide variety of vegetables. You shouldn’t feel hungry after a meal as restricting your calories too much can cause serious health issues. Getting a wide variety of minerals and nutrients is key in maintaining a healthy immune system and fighting off disease.

Finally, protein is a must for weight loss as it helps maintain muscle. Provided you carefully control your portion sizes, you’ll be able to gradually lose weight without having to drastically restrict your calorie intake.

Cardio:

It’s still important to ensure that when eating healthy foods you burn more calories to ensure that you’re in a caloric deficit. Factors such as genetics, stress levels and how much sleep you’re getting play a role in your weight loss journey.

You don’t have to rely solely on exercise for burning calories as your body naturally burns calories throughout the day. Even when you’re talking, your body burns calories. Don’t be afraid of cardio though. The benefits of running don’t just stop at weight loss. It has been proven to improve mood as your body releases endorphins after a run — the fabled ‘runner’s high’. In addition, running is a great way to socialise as you can participate in park runs or join a group. This has an added benefit of keeping your motivation high, as in my experience a running group acts as positive peer pressure. Running has given me concrete goals to work towards. First a 5k, then a half marathon, and in October I shall run in the London Marathon. Not too keen on running? Try HIIT or circuit training to burn calories and tone muscles if that’s your goal.

There is no definitive answer as to which form of exercise is the best as each works differently depending on each person. The one thing I would recommend is trying different exercises out to find which one works best for you. As long as you aim to maintain a good form and do not overexert, no form of exercise will be detrimental. You can start simply by going for a walk around your local park. The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

To summarise, your body must burn more calories than it consumes. The simplest way to do this is by switching out junk food for healthier foods. You should also integrate some form of exercise to aid in the burning of calories. If you’re consistent and dedicated you’ll see results in no time.

Fat loss:

However, when trying to maintain muscle mass but lose fat, you have to approach it differently. With typical cardio such as running or cycling, your body burns both fat and muscle. However, a benefit of this is that it’s good for toning muscle.

In addition, running and cycling improves cardiovascular function and it is a perfect way to improve overall fitness and vitality. For many, it’s also important to maintain muscle mass and reduce fat for increased performance. This can help you during competitions or when you’re trying to beat your personal bests.

Nutrition:

For fat loss, it’s important to consume fats but opt for monounsaturated fats. These fats can be found in the form of avocados, nuts and seeds. It’s also important to consume carbohydrates because they give your body energy during exercise. Avoid refined carbohydrates as they tend to contain less nutrients and burn a lot quicker. Whole grain foods are slow burners meaning they give you more energy and for longer. This is perfect for any endurance athletes or even for those looking to take part in prolonged cardio.

Protein is also key for fat loss as it’s the molecules in the protein that help your body build and maintain muscle. Protein can be found in either plant form or in the form of meat. Plant protein is perfect for anyone, not just vegans, as it’s a quality source of protein. Protein is also important in the growth and repair of the body’s muscles and tissues. These macronutrients are a must when looking to lose fat because they make up a large part of the process.

The most important thing to remember — and something many people forget to think about — is snacking. Snacking is one of the most common ways that people gain weight, but those little indulgences certainly add up. Instead of turning to crisps and chocolates for snacks, switch them out for fruit. The easiest way to do this is simply to not buy these unhealthy products. Out of sight, out of mind. Snacking is a low effort task, so you’ll pick the first thing you see in the pantry anyway, and may as well make it a crisp, juicy apple.

Even with exercises such as HIIT and circuit training, you still have to maintain a healthy diet and consider factors such as genetics and stress levels. Genetics often determine how efficiently your body burns calories and fat. The lower your body fat percentage is, the more effective your metabolic rate is. This means your body is able to burn more calories, even when resting. But do not use this as an excuse, a healthy body weight is attainable for everyone.

HIIT and strength training:

Exercises such as HIIT and circuit training build core strength whilst burning a large number of calories. The basis of these exercises being that you put in maximum effort for short periods of time with short periods of rest. The theory behind this is that your body will target the fat instead of the muscle. In addition, through doing strength training exercises, your body will maintain and even build muscle.

For those who are afraid that muscle will make them appear bulky or fat, that’s not the case. When you’re running or cycling, you’re activating very few muscle groups. If you consider exercises such as circuit training, weight training or HIIT, they tend to activate numerous muscle groups whilst still burning calories. The benefit of this being that you’re building your strength and muscle mass whilst still burning calories and shredding fat.

Muscle is important because it improves your base metabolic rate. Similarly, through building muscle and improving overall strength, you’re essentially making your day to day tasks easier. You still need to ensure that you’re burning a sufficient number of calories but you don’t necessarily need to restrict your portions. There is no perfect duration of time to exercise.

Just workout until you feel as though you’ve done enough. To track calories burned, the most accurate way to do this is by using a fitness watch although they can be expensive. Look for one that works for you as there are hundreds out there and each has a variety of different functions, some of which might not be necessary for you.

Weight training:

Weights are also a good form of exercise for burning fat and maintaining muscle. Some other benefits of using weights are that you can build muscle groups quicker and more effectively than through HIIT. However, doing weights doesn’t improve your cardiovascular function.

I recommend doing a mixture of cardio as well as some form of weights or strength training. Weights may be harder to do at home as you’d have to purchase the equipment, whereas if you do HIIT, you can do it anywhere in your house. Gym memberships can run up a big fee depending on which gym you go to. Look around for the perfect gym for you.

Doing weight training has also been shown to help people destress and improve sleep. This in turn can aid weight loss as the quicker your body is able to recover, the sooner you’ll be able to exercise.