I’ve already written an in depth fat loss guide. The problem is it’s quite long, so this article is going to get straight to the point on the best ways to lose fat and how to keep it off forever.
In fact, think of this as your no BS fat loss cheat sheet.
Therefore, make sure to save it, print it, share it, or do whatever you have to do to make it available whenever you need it.
Without a doubt most people fail to lose weight because they rely too much on motivation and lack patience and consistency. At the first point of something going wrong, they give up and quit.
It’s important to keep in mind that this shit takes time, patience, persistence, and grit. Fat loss is something you have to be willing to commit to. You’ve gotta want it and get after it.
Because if you aren’t ready for the challenges that come with it you’ll have a hard time succeeding.
That said, even though fat loss isn’t easy, I’m going to show you how simple it is.
Below, I will show you the 7 best ways to lose fat so you can get started on your fitness journey to a new and better you.
Have a coffee, pen and paper ready. It’s about to get serious.
Fat Loss vs Weight Loss
Notice how I am saying “fat loss” instead of “weight loss”? That’s because there’s a difference between the two.
Weight loss is the total amount of weight that is lost, which includes fat, water, bone, poop, and muscle. This will fluctuate day to day.
Meanwhile, fat loss is the total amount of fat you lose. The goal with fat loss is to retain and possibly build muscle.
In other words, fat loss is sustainable while weight loss is not.
If you want to look your best, feel your best, and stay that way, then fat loss should always be your goal.
To do that, it all starts with how much food you eat.
1. The Best Way To Lose Fat – A Calorie Deficit
The only and best way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit. If some random “guru” on the internet tells you otherwise, you better run away fast.
To clarify, a calorie deficit is when you eat less than your maintenance calories. Simply put, it’s eating less calories or energy than your body needs to maintain it’s current weight.
Furthermore, a calorie is a unit of energy that your body uses from the food you eat.
Calories can be split up into 4 macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, protein, alcohol. Each contain a different amount of calories/energy and serve the body in different ways:
- Carbohydrates: (4 cal/g) Taste amazing and give your body energy for workouts.
- Protein: (4 cal/g) Important for keeping and building muscle. Also great for keeping you full.
- Fat: (9 cal/g) Important for health, hormones, and absorbing nutrients.
- Alcohol: (7 cal/g) Great for having a good ass time.
These 4 macronutrients make up the food that you eat in different ratios. At the end of the day, adding up your total macros will give you your total calories eaten.
*Ex: 200g Carbs (800 Cal) + 70g Fat (630 Cal) + 150g Protein (600 Cal) = 2,030 Calories
In terms of fat loss, carbs and fats don’t matter as much so eat whatever you prefer.
Above all else, remember that calories are king and are the best way to lose fat.
The Best Meal Frequency To Lose Fat
Meal frequency is a fancy way of saying how many meals you eat per day.
If calories and protein are controlled, meal timing and frequency doesn’t matter as you could still lose weight eating 1 meal or 6 meals.
Ideally, try to eat 3-5 meals a day. While this isn’t a set in stone rule, more meals tends to lead to better adherence and less overeating.
Eating Healthy Meals Is a Great Way to Lose Fat
Before you start thinking of how many calories you should eat, focus on improving your meal quality by adding in more healthy whole food. These are the foods that are typically on the outer isles of the grocery store and aren’t sold in packages or containers.
Whole foods typically have 1-2 ingredients in them. These are the foods you want to get the majority of your calories from. Specifically from meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.
Whole natural sources of food contain more nutrients, are more filling, and thus harder to eat – making it an important first step because If you focus on eating more whole food you’ll naturally eat less.
Imagine eating 1,000 calories worth of potato chips vs eating 1,000 calories of apples. It would be nearly impossible to do as you’d probably never want to eat another apple again.
Therefore, start by adding in healthy food rather than taking unhealthy foods out, track your calories for a few weeks to get a better understanding of what and how much you’re eating, and then you’ll be ready to calculate your calories for fat loss.
Important tip: Measure your food with a food scale. This is so you know how much you’re eating so you can track accurately.
People tend to be inaccurate when measuring food by hand. For example, my tablespoon is likely different from your tablespoon.
How Many Calories Should You Eat?
Once you’ve added in more whole food to your diet and you’re comfortable with tracking calories, you can begin to figure out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight.
To calculate the amount of calories you should be eating, simply multiply your goal body weight by 12. This will give you a sustainable calorie goal for fat loss.
*Ex: (150 lbs x 12) = 1,800 calories
Keep in mind that this number is an estimate. There is no method or equation out there that will give you the exact amount of calories you need to be eating every day. Luckily, we can guess.
A good way to know if this is a good calorie range for you is if you are losing an average of .5-1 pound per week or 2-4 pounds per month.
Anything more than that may be too fast of progress. This is important because the faster the results you get, the more unsustainable it becomes and the harder it is to keep the weight off.
2. The Importance of Protein For Fat Loss
Other than calories, protein comes in a close second for the best way to lose fat.
This is because protein helps your body retain (and possibly build) muscle, boosts your metabolism, and helps you stay full while you are in a calorie deficit. (This is key for fighting hunger)
Aim for .8-1 gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight.
So if your goal body weight was 150 lbs, you’d aim to eat 120-150g a day at least.
*Ex: (150x.8g-1g) = 120g-150g
That may seem like a lot but it’s not.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you eat more protein:
- Start your day off with a high protein breakfast.
- Supplement with protein shakes or bars.
- Double up your protein portions. (Eat 8 oz of chicken instead of 4 oz)
- Eat leaner cuts of protein for less calories.
- Eat a protein source at every meal.
Specifically, the main protein sources are:
- Lean meats
- Poultry
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Fish
- Greek yogurt
- Whey protein
And no, nuts are not a good source of protein. They’re way too high in calories.
So be sure to get in your protein unless you want to lose weight and have no muscle (yeah not a good look).
Of course you’ll have to lift weights too.
3. Lift Weights to Build Muscle and Burn More Fat
Lifting weights is one of the most important aspects to fat loss that often gets overlooked.
The exercise that is typically most popular for losing weight is cardio. Unfortunately, it’s not the best way to lose fat. I dive in deep why cardio sucks for fat loss and what to do instead in this article.
While nutrition is the main driver for fat loss, strength training helps you maintain it, get strong as fuck, shape out your body by building muscle, and look amazing naked.
This is important because the more muscle that you build, the more calories you’ll burn, and the more food you can eat while staying lean.
Sounds pretty freaking amazing, right?
The reason for this is because muscle is very expensive for your body to hold onto in terms of energy. Meaning that the more muscle you have, the harder your body has to work to keep it on, resulting in an increase in your metabolism.
Your metabolism determines how many calories you burn throughout the day. The more muscle you have, the more calories you can burn. This makes it easier to burn more fat and keep it off in the long run which is why strength training is one of the best ways to lose fat.
The Key to Building Muscle
To build muscle, you need to lift heavy weights, progressive overload, and focus on the movements that will give you the most bang for your buck results. These movements are known as compound movements:
In order to build muscle, those last few reps should be hard. While each set should be done close to failure (1-2 reps left in the tank), you have to progressive overload each week to continue to get results and improve.
That is, you have to challenge the muscle more than you did the previous week. Here are a few ways to progressive overload:
- More sets
- More reps
- More weight (this is the usual go-to for myself and clients)
- More time under tension
- More control
- Slower eccentric and concentric
- Adding in drop sets, supersets, rest pauses, forced reps.
It will be a big help if you have weights available to you. That’s not to say that it’s impossible to build muscle without weights, but having them is definitely optimal, especially the more advanced you get. However, by using just body weight or bands, you can continue to get stronger and build muscle.
How Much Weight Should You Lift?
Start with a rep range, pick a weight that will be challenging within that rep range, and use that weight until you can reach the top number of reps. Once you’re able to reach the top number of reps, add 5 pounds and repeat the process.
*Here’s an example of what that would look like with a rep range of 8-12:
- Week 1: 30 lbs for 8 reps
- Week 2: 30 lbs for 12 reps
- Week 3: 35 lbs for 8 reps
- Week 4: 35 lbs for 10 reps
There’s no need to over complicate strength training. It’s as simple a s sticking to the basic movement patterns and getting stronger every week. This will produce amazing results.
Most importantly, have fun with it and set goals!
4. Control Your Sleep and Stress
One of my biggest pet peeves is when you hear some self proclaimed “hardcore grinder” say that sleep is for the weak.
In my opinion, not getting enough sleep will make you weak.
Without sleep, you’re causing more stress on your body.
Your body needs sleep to recover. By not sleeping, cortisol (your stress hormone) wreaks havoc on your body causing you to be more hungry, have less energy to move and workout, and probably feel like shit.
(Plus you probably won’t be the friendliest person to be around lol)
Granted, your body already experiences stress everyday from work, exercise, being in a calorie deficit, and just life in general so not getting enough sleep only makes it worse since that’s the time for your body to relax.
Therefore, aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep and watch your quality of life and fat loss journey improve.
Here’s a few tips to get in more sleep:
- Get off electronics an hour before bed.
- Don’t drink caffeine at least 6 hours before you sleep.
- Sleep in a dark room without noise.
- Don’t eat right before bed.
- Read a book, journal, and/or meditate.
- Listen to relaxing music.
5. Move More to Lose Fat
The more you move, the more calories you’ll burn.
This is known as NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis which plays a huge role in your fat loss journey.
NEAT is a fancy way of describing your movement throughout the day that is not exercise.
Think of things like walking, cleaning the house, gardening, fidgeting, etc.
Interestingly, NEAT accounts for up to 15% of your total daily calories burned while exercise accounts for only 5%.
See why exercise is a shit way to create a calorie deficit?
Therefore, move more.
Even though cardio is a terrible way to lose fat, it is very beneficial for your health.
Cardio works the most important muscle in your body: the heart. Although it may not be as sexy as working your biceps or butt because you can’t see it, it is still the most important muscle.
What’s the simplest and most accessible form of cardio that anyone can do?
Walking.
I like to have my clients set a step goal for themselves to hit each day.
Walking is a great way to stay active, get some fresh air, and catch up on your favorite podcasts and audiobook while walking your dog.
Here are a few ways to incorporate more movement throughout your day:
- Taking a 10 minute walk after each meal.
- Walk your dog or walk with a friend or two.
- If you can’t walk outside, you can walk on a treadmill or at a mall/shopping center.
- Park farther away from stores and your work.
- Take the stairs.
- Take a walk on your lunch break.
- Pace around the house while you’re watchingTV.
- Go for a run outside
- Quick HIIT workouts are great for at home
So, for your health and endurance, focus on moving more. The easiest way to do this is setting a step goal for yourself.
6.Supplements
I was hesitant to put supplements on this list because they are overrated and most of them are overpriced.
Especially BCAA’s which do absolutely nothing in terms of building muscle as long as you eat enough protein through your diet.
Naturally, 99% of the results come from proper exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle while supplements only account for the other 1%.
You’re not going to get jacked, shredded, or lose copious amounts of belly fat from taking supplements.
That said, there are a few that can be beneficial.
Protein Powders
The two types of protein powders that I would recommend are whey and casein. However, if you have a dairy intolerance then you’ll have to choose a vegan protein powder that’s dairy free.
Whey protein digests fast and therefore is good to take after your workout to jumpstart recovery.
On the other hand, casein digests slower and can be a good meal replacement or taken between meals to keep you full.
Both are great options if you have trouble eating enough protein. But, they don’t have much effect on building myself when taken by themselves.
Creatine
Creatine is the number one supplement I would recommend to most people. It’s the most studied supplement out there and is also very affordable.
Creatine can increase your energy and performance, help you retain and possibly even build muscle, improve your strength, and it can improve your brain function so you can be a more clear thinker.
At the same time, it does make you hold more water in your muscles and will make the scale go up so keep that in mind if it does.
It’s only water so don’t freak out if this happens.
Caffeine
A human’s best friend other than a dog. Caffeine gives you an energy boost which can be great to help with your workouts and staying active throughout the day. It also can help blunt appetite and keep you full.
Be careful though because your body does have the ability to adapt to high caffeine amounts so that it will continue to need more over time to have a similar effect.
Any other supplements are pointless for fat loss. There are others that are good for your health but that’s out of the scope of this article.
7. Consistency Is The Key
When people struggle with their weight, it’s usually because they aren’t being consistent.
Unfortunately, this is all too common. The problem usually isn’t the diet, the problem is you’re not being consistent long enough to see the results.
Instead, most people try to be perfect. Trying to be perfect will cause unnecessary stress and anxiety and eventual on and off the wagon dieting which makes it impossible to be consistent.
Consistency leads to long term results. Perfection only leads to short term results.
This is why 1,200 calorie diets don’t work long term for most people. They aren’t sustainable.
How about this… Instead of focusing on losing weight as fast as possible, focus on sustainability.
Do this by eating the most amount of calories you can while still losing weight. This way there’s room to enjoy yourself and not feel deprived.
So eat more food. Use the Goal BW x 12 rule I explained above. You’ll still be in a calorie deficit albeit a smaller one but it’ll be more sustainable.
Yeah, the weight loss will be slower but who cares. If you’re able to lose weight, still enjoy yourself, and keep it off, than thats what its all about.
This is the key to long term success .
Ok, so what if you overeat one day or go off the wagon for a week?
As long as you get back on track the next day or meal, you’ll be fine.
The only way to lose all your progress is if you quit.
No one ever made all their progress in a day or week so you won’t lose it in that time either.
As long as you hit your calories the majority of the days you’ll be good.
Consistency > Perfection.
For example, keep a calendar so you can keep track of your consistency. On the days you hit your goals, mark a check. On the other hand, mark an x on the days you didn’t.
Keep going. Don’t give up. You got this.
Now that you have the resources available to get on track, here are a few pointers to help you stay on track:
Stay Patient and Set Goals
Realistic goals must come with realistic expectations.
You have to ask yourself, do you want to lose fat as fast as possible and not be able to sustain it, or do you want to lose fat at a slower pace in which you can sustain? Hopefully you chose the latter.
Losing between .5-1.5 pound per week is a realistic goal to have.
Remember, your body is different from everyone else’s so it’s hard to say how long it will take. I can say that as long as you stay active, lift heavy weights, eat nutrient dense foods, and get good sleep, you will be on the right path.
Keep in mind, this is your journey, so don’t compare it to anyone else’s.
Keep Track of Progress
Keeping track of progress is necessary for a successful transformation. This is so you know what is working, what’s not working, and if you need to make changes or not.
I have a whole article on how to do this but here is a quick summary below:
- If you have a step tracker, set a daily goal and try your best to hit it.
- As for food, MyFitnessPal is a well respected resource for tracking and logging your food intake.
- Use a scale to measure your food. It’s the most accurate way.
- Weigh yourself daily but do not put too much emphasis on the scale weight.
- A Lot of this has to do with water weight fluctuations and muscle rather than fat loss.
- Measure inches every two weeks.
- Focus on measuring biceps, waist, glutes, and thighs for more accurate fat loss progress.
- Take pictures of yourself once a month. You see yourself everyday, so the mirror may not do justice. Looking back on old pictures will give you a good idea of the progress you have made.
Follow the 80/20 Rule
Eating whole foods that are filled with nutrients will allow you to feel your best, lose fat easier, and better fuel your workouts.
That said, there is room for enjoyment too. You can still enjoy your favorite foods in moderation and see progress.
This is known as the 80/20 rule: 80% of your food should come from whole natural sources of food. While the other 20% should come from treats you enjoy.
The reason for this is it allows for adherence and enjoyment. You are a human that has a life. This means birthdays, party’s, holidays, going out with friends, etc.
Food is a part of social life too.
No one expects you to be on point during these times. If you are, then I’d guess you didn’t have fun.
It’s these times where you can be “off”.
So, let this come in organically. Don’t plan certain days or meals where you’ll be eating more than usual. Just let it happen.
*Side Note: If you like alcohol like I do and want to stay in shape, check out my guide here.
Of course there will be times where you have to be more strict to get in shape for things like weddings, vacations, and other events. However, in general, 80-90% consistency is a good goal to aim for.
I got this idea from Jordan Syatt and it’s a really good way of looking at the 80/20 rule.
If you eat 21 meals per week (3 meals a day x 7 days a week = 21 total meals) then 20% of that would be about 4 meals. Therefore, you have 4 meals to enjoy yourself and go out, eat pizza, or ice cream, or enjoy a few drinks with your friends.
This is what will lead to results and be sustainable. Trying to be perfect only limits your ability to stick to a diet long term. It’s only a matter of time before you fail and regain all your weight back.
Don’t Label Foods as “Good” or “Bad”
There are no bad foods. Yepp, thats right. A calorie is a calorie.
A 200 calorie cookie is the same as four 50 calorie apples.
So take away the negative association with the cookie. Give yourself permission to eat it because its not a fucking treat that you earn. You can have it whenever you want.
And fit it into your calories. Don’t worry, you’re not a bad person if you eat your favorite treat.
Because you did nothing wrong. Food is food. There’s no fattening food because you know logically it all comes down to calories.
Don’t let anyone fool you, no one eats perfectly. If they do, I’d be willing to be miserable.
Perfect eating is not the best way to lose fat.
Clean eating doesn’t equate to fat loss. If you read above you know that calories are the main driver to either gain or lose fat.
So, if you eat in a calorie deficit, no matter what foods you eat, you’ll lose weight.
Hopefully this relieves some of the anxiety that you may have about eating “bad” foods because now you know there aren’t any bad foods since it comes down to calories anyways.
Now, does that mean you should eat only ice cream, pizza, and pastries as long as you’re in a calorie deficit? No, because you still need the nutrients from whole food, you’ll be starving since these foods aren’t filling, and you’ll feel like a bag of dicks.
Keep Your Diet Simple But Learn to Be Flexible
Your diet would surely look different than mine. This means that you should include foods that you like because, again, no foods are off limits.
That said, I wouldn’t recommend making gourmet recipes every night that include 20 ingredients. The reason for this is that the more ingredients you have, the more calories the meal will be, and the harder it will be to measure and track.
Instead, create simple meals that include the healthy foods you like.
Personally, I love chicken, broccoli, and jasmine rice with sugar free teriyaki sauce. It’s easy, takes 5 minutes to make, and only has 4 ingredients to track.
For you, maybe you like salad. Or pasta with chicken. Whatever your preference is, keep it simple, and have the majority of your weekly meals come from these.
Be flexible though. Maybe you want to eat Chipotle one night (my go to). By all means eat out but make sure you have a protein source with your meals.
The reason why you don’t want to make eating out a habit is because you can’t rely on the cooks to measure out portions so you don’t know how much you’re really eating regardless of what the menu says.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Tell the world about your goals. Ok, maybe not the world but tell someone.
Public accountability is one of the best things you can do to keep you accountable.
When someone knows your goals, the pressure is on.
Plus you can also hire a coach to help you out. If you’re interested or have any questions, I’m always here to help.
Most importantly, you made a promise to yourself. So own that promise and keep it. You wouldn’t break promises to others would you? So why break a promise to yourself – the most important person.
Get Rid of Problem Foods
We all have those foods that we just can’t stay away from. For me, that’s ice cream. If it’s in the house, I’m going to eat it.
The best thing to do is to get rid of it. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have it.
If you want it, you have to get up to go to the store and get it which you’re less likely to do.
It’s much harder to go to the store than it is to go in your freezer or pantry.
Final Thoughts
My hope is that you gained enough information from this guide that you can start using today.
Remember, fat loss is not a quick and easy process.
It’s long and there will be ups and downs. For some it will take months. Others it will take years.
The most important thing is that you remain consistent throughout the process.
If you do and you follow these steps on the best ways to lose fat, I promise you will eventually get to where you want to be.
Thanks for reading and now go kick some ass.
-Bob
Ps. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments.
Pps. If you happen to be interested in coaching then apply here or email me at bobhooverfitness@gmail.com