I pride myself on being a simple person with simple rules. To me, there are some simple rules that should be “followed” if you want to be successful in life. Well, it is the same in the fitness/wellness/nutrition world also. For most of the US population, sticking to these simple and basic rules could get them the benefits they are looking for.  

Other than marathon trainers or competitive athletes, the rules I outline below will help you achieve your goals of looking better and feeling better (did I guess those right!?).

A quick note: When I’m talking weight loss what I really mean is FAT loss and MUSCLE retention.

Now, let’s get down the list:

1)    Walk and walk. If you are serious about losing fat, the recommended amount is 10-20K steps a day. Now why walk instead of jog or running? Again, we aren’t trying to get better at a 5k here, we are simply trying to lose bodyfat and retain muscle mass. Jogging and/or running tends to increase your hunger, which in turn leads to overeating and actually INCREASING bodyfat. Walking has minimal effect on hunger and cravings, yet will still get you the calorie burn you are looking for. So, WALK WALK WALK!

2)    Retain muscle mass. That’s a fancy way of saying LIFT WEIGHTS/STRENGTH TRAIN. Strength training has been proven to be the best way to retain/keep muscle mass, EXPECIALLY during a fat loss phase. Why is that important? First off, muscle mass helps your metabolism run, and doesn’t have as high of a hunger signaling as running/steady state cardio does. This means it helps you burn more calories all day, without making you want to eat significantly more. In addition is helps starve off age related injuries and diseases to help you still be able to do things well into your later years. Strive for 2-4 days for strength training per week. While strength training is important, you don’t want to overexercise during a fat loss phase as you’re going to be lowering your calories. Which leads to my next point…

3)    Lowering calories. You must lower calories to lose fat. There is no way around it and there is no secret way to get out of it. You can not out train a poor diet. To do this you can break it down into 3 sections: Protein- strive for about bodyweight in grams. Carbs- strive for about bodyweight in grams. Fats- strive for about half bodyweight in grams.  

As an example: 160lb, 50yr old Female trying to change their body composition without losing muscle mass

150    Grams of Protein

150    Grams of Carbs

60-70 Grams of Fats

Again, this takes into consideration that they sit at a desk job and only doing 1-3 hours of strength training per week (walking doesn’t count as exercise and should be done “most” days.  

Ready to start your fat-loss/body change journey? Reach out to me to learn more about how you can get individualized nutrition and workout plans to help you along the way.