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Everyone is convinced they want to lose weight, but what they really want is decrease fat mass (losing body fat is the goal, usually).
Technically, if you want to lose weight you would just want the number on the scale to change. And if that is your only goal, then you would also be losing lean muscle tissue which in turn would slow your metabolism. And that is definitely NOT what you want. We want the best way to lower body fat percentage without losing weight (or muscle) in the long run. You should also try to stay away from the scale and find victories in other things, like pants fitting better or energy levels increasing. But that is a whole different topic we can cover later.
Today we are talking about body fat and everything there is to know about it. We all get so caught up in the results or what we “should” look like according to society, that we forget that it takes hard work and dedication to achieve big results. No one walks into a new job and expects to be making 6 figures after 2 weeks, so why do we think that should be the case with losing body fat? Because we are lazy. We want the quickest/cheapest/easiest way to get to the end result, and that, just ain’t gonna cut it. So set that mindset aside and re-focus. The only way to achieve the results you want (whether big or small) is to dedicate your time and effort to it. You can’t be half in, you need to be all in. Shedding body fat for good is based off of habits that create long term results. If you are truly ready to see fat loss, ready to put in the time, ready to be uncomfortable, ready to push your own limits and see just how much you can accomplish….then keep reading, I will give you all the tools you need to be successful.
From my experience, there are a few key factors for successful fat loss:
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Setting Goals and Tracking Progress
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First, you need to understand body fat. What is it, why do we have it/carry it. What are the ideal numbers for your age/body type/activity level. How do we calculate it and how accurate are the calculations. Body fat is not a simple topic. It is very complex, and there is a lot of skewed or misinformation out there about it. Not only that, but most is in scientific terms that the general population has no idea how to interpret. So i will do the hard work, and put it in the simplest terms possible. So you can read it, digest it and implement it.
After you know the ins and outs of body fat, then it’s time to figure out how to set attainable goals and track your progress. Why do we set goals and why do we as humans need goals to drive our success? You want to make sure you know HOW to set goals that you can reach, and not just “I want to lose weight” because nothing will ever be enough if that is all you are striving for. You also want to find a way to track progress so you don’t feel like you are going going at it day after day and aren’t seeing any results. Two very important factors when setting yourself up for success.
Then diet comes into play. . I would say this is the most important factor when wanting to shed body fat, and also the hardest. You cannot out-exercise a poor diet, no matter how hard you try.Everyone always says “how much should i eat to lose fat”, but we all know it is different for everyone. We will go over what to eat, how much to eat as well as when to eat. There are a lot of factors that come into play with nutrition (which is why i have a separate blog entirely for it) but i will briefly touch on the important parts.
And then what everyone think is the biggest part of fat loss, exercising. Yes, it is very important and absolutely necessary for losing fat and keep lean body mass. But, as we all know, there are SEVERAL different types of exercise. Which are the best for decreasing body fat, how to implement them, how much to do each week etc. will be discussed so you know EXACTLY what to do. If you are ready to get started now, I have an at home hiit workout you can try!
Last, but definitely not least, is plateaus. We all hit them at one point or another whether it in fat loss, muscle gain, dieting. It is important to know how to get past these horrible things without getting down on ourselves or thinking all of our hard work is not paying off.
Throughout your entire journey of fat loss, it is important to always remember that we are all different. The same program and diet is not going to work for everyone. We are all VERY individualized when it comes to exercise and nutrition so you need to keep that in mind. NO comparing your progress to anyone else’s. NO feeling down on yourself or your journey when the scale doesn’t move. NO thinking that because someone else gets to eat whatever they want and lose weight that there is something wrong with you. We are all on our own journeys and have our own battles, so take charge and focus on YOU. I hope you find this series informational and it lights a fire under you to begin your fat loss journey if it has been on the back burner for awhile.
