Weight or body fat?
When someone says that they want to lose weight, they usually mean that they want to lose fat.
Imagine two people that weigh the same.
One is an elite sprinter and the other an elite Netflix and Doritos binger.
Same weight but vastly differing body fat compositions and health risk.
If you weigh 160 pounds and are 20% fat, it means that your body consists of 32 pounds of fat and 128 pounds of lean body mass (which is bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else).
That person who's body you admire from afar may look slim but in fact, they could still have an unhealthy body fat percentage and be at risk of getting diabetes and heart disease.
Which means it's not the weight we want to lose, it's body fat.
How to lose body fat fast
Firstly, what is fast?
Simply put, any more than 2lb a week and you risk losing lean body mass.
Which means that when we say fast, we mean consistent and sustained, and not the yo-yo-ing up and downs of a fad diet.
We all know the lose a pound, gain a pound, repeat indefinitely process, always ending back where
you start.
I'm talking about a steady 1-2lbs a week fat loss, every week, for months.
Get these strategies right, understand the fat loss process and you will achieve sustained, consistent and healthy fat loss until you reach your desired goal.
Here are two natural and easy to implement strategies that you can add to your routine to help you burn that body fat.
And, I'd go so far to say that if you do them right, you will guarantee to lose body fat.
Calorie counting It's vital that you are aware of what you're eating when you're trying to lose body fat and what changes you can make to ensure the process is as efficient and fast as possible.
Tracking your calories opens your eyes and forces your buried head from the sand.
The number of people that tell me they undereat but can't lose weight or fat is truly remarkable, and then after two weeks of calorie
counting suddenly see why that is.
We all under report what we eat, seeing it in black and white gives you the evidence you need to make changes.
Fat loss is only achieved through a calorie deficit, take the guesswork out of it and begin logging your food without much effort.
Use an app and hire a local personal trainer for a nutritional consultation if you're not sure how to set it up.
Move more This doesn’t mean necessarily slogging it out at the gym.
NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis are calories burned during non-intentional exercise activities, such as walking, gardening, housekeeping, standing and sex.
The better your understanding of NEAT, the easier weight management becomes.
Aim for 10,000 steps a day. If you already do 10,000, add 3-4000 more.
Walking is the simplest, most accessible form of exercise but often the most neglected.
Any form of physical activity can help you to manage the balance between energy in and energy out, improve your heart health and strengthen muscles and bones, and improve sleep, relieve stress and lift your mood.
And a bonus...
Lift more You know when you look at a cover model and admire their physique, it's generally two aspects that jump out.
One is the 'leanness' or body fat level which is achieved by nutrition and calorie balance.
And, the second is the shape of the body and muscles.
This is achieved by strength training and muscle hypertrophy.
And to dispel any lingering doubt, not only can women cope with and adapt to the stresses of resistance training, there is a multitude of physical and mental benefits to doing so.
I strongly recommend finding a recommended, local personal training who can teach you the correct lifting techniques and how to put a programme together.
Ben Yates is a personal trainer based at Places Gym Hinckley and Hinckley Leisure Centre in Leicestershire.
To book your free personal training consultation click here