Wellness Corner -- Fundamentals of Fat Loss Pt. 2
Ben Fogel -- Epic Fitness
When you zoom out and look at the body of knowledge from a nutritional science perspective from a 30,000 ft. view, a very simple truth emerges. When it comes to body composition management, when you control for 2 variables, virtually any way of eating works the same. What are those 2 variables? Calories and protein. We will get more into protein and the importance of that in part IV of this series, so for now we will focus on calories.
By creating a caloric deficit of between 200-400 calories per day, you will be able to see sustainable change for longer periods of time and without starving yourself. This size of deficit has been shown to help move the needle enough to continue to help fuel your workouts and activity without the negative side effects of feeling lousy eating too few calories.
When it comes to getting your body into a calorie deficit, there are really two nutrition strategies you can use:
Method 1: Simple Elimination
By making certain foods “off limits”, ideally for a set period of time, you are reducing your total caloric intake pretty much instantly. Paleo, intermittent fasting, low carb/low fat are all types of elimination diets but they aren’t what we recommend to our clients.
Far and away the simplest way to do this is by extracting out the three worst offenders of overconsumption:
- Added Sugar
- Alcohol
- Junk Food (you know what I am talking about here!)
By making foods that are easily over consumed off limits temporarily, we restrict intake and make it easy to focus on fruits, veggies, and lean meats. This means we can eat to satisfaction while still staying on track.
Here is where I caution clients with this method. You MUST keep this short term and understand that strict elimination is not sustainable. Have a transition plan from short term to long term.
Read the rest of the article HERE!
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share via Email
