You’ll notice that in the title of this post, I used the term “fat loss” and not “weight loss”; that was intentional on my part because I want you to differentiate between the two. We often hear the term “weight loss” thrown around; however, it’s fat that you actually want to lose and not lean muscle mass. Let me explain further…

Our bodies are composed of both lean tissue (such as muscles, bones, organs, and that sort of thing) as well as fat tissue — both make up your “weight”. When a person is overweight, it’s generally the fat tissue that they have in excess. The issue with crash diets that encourage large calorie deficits and even excessive cardio training, is that although they can achieve rapid weight loss, they often also lead to a loss in lean body tissue, which in turn can affect your health and performance (which of course we don’t want)! In addition to this, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which means, at rest, you will burn more calories. This is useful to keep in mind and another reason you don’t want to lose muscle in an attempt to “lose weight”. So here are five things for you to consider that will help you on your fat loss journey, the right way:

1) Aim for no more than 0.5kg / 1 lb of fat loss per week.

If you want your fat loss to be sustainable, then slow and steady wins the race. Rapid weight loss might get you there quicker, but it’s also harder to maintain. Aim for around 0.5 kg / 1lb of fat loss per week.

2) Consume around 500 less calories than the energy you expend each day.

Again, if you want your fat loss to be sustainable, try to keep your calorie deficit modest. A deficit of around 500 calories per day will give you around 0.5kg / 1 pound of fat loss per week which we spoke about in the first point. So, for example, if you expend around 2000 calories a day (based on your weight, gender, age, and physical activity levels), then to achieve sustainable fat loss, consuming around 1,500 calories, through food and drink, will help you towards your fat loss goals. Alternatively, if you don’t want to eat less, then you will need to increase your physical activity levels by 500 kcal to achieve the same deficit. (A mixture of both increased physical activity and a reduction in calorie consumption is usually ideal).

3) Keep your diet balanced.

Even though you’ll need to reduce your calorie intake to achieve your fat loss goals, this doesn’t mean your balance of foods should change. You still want to eat from all the food groups in order to achieve your nutritional needs. The Eatwell Guide is a great way to understand what a balanced diet looks like.

4) Add weight training to your routine.

To prevent lean muscle loss, it’s a good idea to add some form of resistance training to your routine. Not only will more lean tissue help you burn more calories at rest, but UK physical activity guidelines also suggest that adults partake in strength-building exercises at least twice a week for health benefits.

5) Monitor your body composition, not just your weight.

As I’ve tried to emphasise in this post, your weight loss journey should be targeted towards the loss of fat and not simply kilograms or pounds. Therefore, when monitoring your progress, it’s a good idea to measure your body composition (i.e., body fat percentage) rather than simply focusing on the numbers on the scale. Here are a few low-cost ways you can track your body fat percentage:

So, there you have it, five fat loss tips that, if implemented, can really help you feel healthier and happier about your body! Let me know in the comments which tip you found most beneficial.

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About The Author: Torema Thompson is an athlete, qualified personal trainer and UKA speed athletics coach. She is passionate about helping athletes and fitness enthusiasts go from newbies to masters in their athletics and/or fitness.

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