Every time I have helped someone lose a substantial amount of weight it is nutrition that has made all of the difference. It is so common for people to approach me with things like ‘I am training so hard, I don’t know what else to do’. Often times they are so tired and frustrated from putting in a mountain of work that it’s pretty much a final cry for help. There is nothing more frustrating than putting in weeks, even months of training and not seeing the slightest improvements. Many times people will turn to fat burners, extreme fasting or whatever new get-results-quick gadget is out next rather than attacking the real problem, their food intake. These gimmicks won’t help you with fat loss, they just won’t.
It’s simple
Nutrition is the easiest part of the fat loss equation. Yes, you read that right. When you know HOW to eat properly, nutrition is incredibly simple. Sometimes people think I’m having a joke with them when I tell them what I want them to eat. There are no superfoods, you don’t live off vegetables and realistically, there are very few things that aren’t on the menu. It just comes down to energy balance.
Energy balance
First things first, it’s all about calories. Each and every one of us is a walking ball of energy. The more energy we put in through food and drink, the bigger our ball of energy. The more energy we put out through exercise and movement (on top of basal energy expenditure), the smaller our ball of energy becomes. Your overall size is completely dependant on the balance between intake and expenditure. When looking to lose fat most people tend to focus more on increasing energy out than reducing energy in, which is extremely counterproductive. Energy out takes effort, it produces stress, it’s mentally draining and our bodies only have a certain work capacity available. Whilst reducing energy intake is not only stress-free, but it can also reduce markers of stress and save you an enormous amount of time.
The time factor
Clients will always tell me they don’t have time for meal prep. Yet they somehow have time to go and purchase or prepare meals every single day. If you tallied up the amount of time you spend a week buying, cooking or preparing food, you would be incredibly surprised with how much time you are wasting. And even if you don’t, would you rather workout for an extra hour every single day or get the same results from prepping your meals for 1-2 hours a week? Reducing your calorie intake is as simple as being organized and having your meals set out. When you compare that to the training you would have to do to create the same deficit, it isn’t even a question.
Can’t I just train harder?
You will never, ever train your way out of a caloric surplus. I have been doing this for a long time now and I am still yet to see someone outrun their diet. You just can’t lose fat using this method. Training, especially weight-training makes you hungry and the stress created can increase cravings. hunger and cravings make you eat and as humans living in a world filled with calorie-dense food, it is more than likely that this leads to over-consuming if food choice is left to chance.
Never leave your fat loss and results to chance. Results rarely, if ever, come from chance. Calculate your calories, plan your nutrition and watch results fly through the door. If you need help doing it, check out our app, it’s the reason that we are here.