THE 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO LOSE FAT
The number one goal any one comes to me with is to strip down their body fat. There is so much conflicting information out there on what you need to do to make this happen so I can completely understand the frustration of anyone seeking out the real answers. Lets not overcomplicate it; here's 5 fundamentals that will help you on your fatloss journey:
1/ CALORIE DEFICITS - You must be in a calorie deficit to burn body fat (ie. burn more calories than you take in). It's important to remember to look at this beyond being a daily thing, i'll often look at a client's whole week's worth of calories balanced against what they get burnt in a total week. This leads me to my next point nicely.
2/ FAT DOESN'T GET BURNT IN A DAY - Another good reason for the above is it encourages you to look at fat loss on a longer term basis rather than expecting drastic results from some nutty 2 day lemon water and nettle detox in Bali. Your body has a lot of stored carbohydrate (glycogen) to burn through before you get near burning any body fat, hence when you keep topping up your glycogen stores on the weekend with sugary food and that cheat meal you feel you earnt, you feel no real changes the following week.
3/ FAT BURNING FOODS DON'T EXIST - Broccoli, blueberries, avocado, protein powder... whatever the food source, I promise you it doesn't have magical fat burning capabilities. Certain food groups make it far easier for you to stay in a calorie deficit than others that's for sure, but the likelihood of you finding a food that burns 'stubborn fat' is as likely as me riding my Unicorn to the gym tomorrow.
4/ FAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FAT - Confusing I know, but in reality fat is an important part of your daily diet. It keeps your hormones in check and cells healthy. Where people can slip up is by including too much fat in their diet, which is pretty easy given that 1g of fat is 9 calories compared to 1g of protein or carbohydrates only being 4 calories. The best thing you can do is limit your fat intake via artificial, processed foods as this will help keep your calories in check and the fats here are likely to be poor quality ones doing your body no favours anyway.
5/ YOU CAN'T TARGET STOMACH FAT - Do as many sit ups, crunches, planks and leg raises as you like, but this won't help you lose stomach fat. While you might be targeting the stomach muscles doing these movements, they won't make the least bit of difference unless you address your diet and your calorie balance too. Everyone's body will store and burn fat slightly differently but for the most part your body will prefer taking fat from where it stores most of it when you initially start to lean down.