How To Quickstart A Successful Fat Loss Journey

Congratulations! You have made the choice to invest in your health: not only does losing fat make you look good naked but has also sustainable health benefits, as we already told you here, or for the science nerds here. Nevertheless, you may be overhelmed about the information available: What diet should I follow? Is it bad to eat carbs in the evening? Do I have to do cardio? Or go daily to the gym? To be honest, it is much easier than you think. Create a calorie deficit. How? We help you with some tips.

A Guidline To Fat Loss

• Track what you eat: chose an app that you like and be honest with yourself. Weigh the food. Log it. That’s it. It is the easiest technique to acquire awareness of what and how much you are actually putting into your mouth. When you get used to it, it is not time consuming at all. I use FDDB Extender, some of our clients use Fitness Pal or Yazio and are fine with them. If you are experienced you can switch to a non-calorie-counting approach.
• Set calories: take whatever formula the internet or your food tracking app suggests for your weight. Stick to it for a couple of weeks, track your progress and adapt if necessary (see analyze and adapt). There is no need to overthink this point as no one can say how many calories you burn exactly.
• Eat enough protein: this is crucial. Why? Read here. There is a lot of discussion on the optimal intake, but a good evidence-based guidline is this one. To say it in number: it is around 1,8g protein for kg bodyweight (for me at 50kg it’s currently around 90g). Spread it evenly through 2-4 meals a day.
• BAN YOUR FAVORITE HIGH CALORIC TREATS: do not buy them. Give them away if you have them at home. There are enough sh*tty moments where you will not be able to resist them. We have stored dark chocolate and nut butter in the cellar and controll each other. It makes THE difference!
• Move: bodybuilding training is the healthiest, fastest and easiest way to look good naked. Nevertheless, it is better to engage in whatever sport you like consistently than binge watching GoT. For me pure bodybuilding training worked best. I did not recover well from Crossfit. Runnning in combination with strength training was a desaster: I regressed in both.
• Sleep and relax: the best diet and training programm are worth nothing if you do not give your body rest. Believe me, this is as crucial as your protein intake. Find a way that works for you. I like to free my mind in the morning with 5-10 minutes guided meditation. Every monday is Aikido time and the dynamic flow of this wonderful martial art is a powerful tool to just move and come down. If possible, have a regular sleep rhythm of 7-9 hours per night.
• Track your progress: track your weight daily and take weekly pictures. You may also want to measure either your hips and/or your waist once a week. I have a Google Table (like an Excel Sheet) on my cell phone where I can easily track everything while waiting for the train, for example.
• Analyze and adapt: for the weight, look at the average or the median of the last five days. Do not go crazy on daily weight losses and gains. It’s just water or food in the bowels. Look also at your pics and your measurements. Is something happening? If yes stick further to your plan, if not, adapt your calories. Repeat as necessary.
• Be patient and trust in the process. Consistency is stronger than motivation. Make it a habit to take care of yourself exactly as you brush your teeth every day. Even as I may look like a constantly motivated girl, there are enough days where I would prefer to stay home, eat nut butter directly from the pot and play Path of Exile the whole day. But I don’t. And I feel incredibly better, energized and proud of myself when sticking to my training plan and diet.

To be honest, there are some details you could pay attention to, but there is no need to go crazy about it in the beginning. Just start.

Do not believe it works? Look at the pictures below. That’s me on the right before tracking, doing Crossfit, some strength training and running (6 days a week of training, often twice a day). On the left, after two years of bodybuilding training only (average of 4 days a week of training) without any cardio and tracking macros set according to my goals.

Not bad, isn’t it? 😉 I have added some decent lean mass and even if I am not where I would like to be (MORE muscles, baby!), I feel pretty confident. Long story short: give it a try, it is worth it!

You do not want to start your journey alone or would like a more personalized approach? Fill out the contact form and get in touch with my awesome coach Stefan.

Feel free to send this article to your friends and family who would like to start living a healthier life, but don’t know where to start!