It’s been said that you need to eat a specific type of food or eat at a certain time of day to lose body fat. That’s just not true. Your total calories will always matter most for fat loss. The equation is influenced by other things (genetics, muscle, age, activity level, fitness history) but it still reigns true at the end of the day.
In this article, I will cover three ways you can shed unwanted body fat without giving up your favourite foods.
With any of these strategies, you are going to need to know your calorie targets for the day and week. The easiest way to do that is to multiply your bodyweight by 10-12. That will give you a range to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
5/2 Rule:
Eat 200 less each day Sun-Thurs to give you 1000 calories to play with on the weekend. As long as your weekly average calorie intake is the same, you will continue to make progress. Example: Daily calorie target – 1600 (11200 weekly). Sun-Thurs – 1400, Fri-Sat – 2100.
Intermittent Fasting:
A smaller window of eating to promote portion control. It is not magic for fat loss. Total calories must still be in check. The number of hours is completely personal preference and can change daily.
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Carb Cycling:
A bit more advanced, but a way to eat more carbs on workout days. If training 4 days per week, the average carb intake is 200g, go down to 160g on non-training days, and up to 230g on training days.
These simple strategies can make life easier when you feel like sticking to a diet is difficult. Focus more on the bigger picture and less on the day to day if you happen to overeat. You can turn things around with your next meal. These strategies can help you do so.
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Jon Vlahogiannakos, Owner of Strong Jon Fitness.
I am Jon Vlahogiannakos, Owner of Strong Jon Fitness. Whatever you’ve tried to get in great shape – I’ve been there.
I was that overweight kid growing up. That didn’t get any better going into high school. I gained up to 40lbs at a time and ended up losing it all and more to where I was skinny fat.
My dreams were to make it into a level of professional hockey somewhere, but as fate would have it, I was not good enough. It did help me shift gears and find my true passion and calling – health and fitness.
After years of trial and error, the birth of my son, injuries, and weight loss success – I can honestly say I have been where you are and I can help you get past it. I’ve made mistakes so that you don’t have to.
Connect with me:
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