your metabolism isn’t the problem but it could definitely use some help
Fat loss has everything to do with your metabolism.
Metabolism is the process by which your body’s cells convert stuff you eat into energy. This energy is what fuels your brain and body so you can think, move, live and reproduce. If you consume more calories than you burn your body will store those extra calories as fat or muscle and you will gain weight.
There’s only two ways to lose body fat without actually cutting it off of your body.
- You must consume less calories than you burn ie. lose weight.
- You must make your body burn fat to build muscle… Typically by strength or resistance training… without consuming extra calories.
In order to do either of these things you are going to want to focus on 3 main areas. Strength training, counting calories, hormone health.
#1- Strength training and fat loss
Strength training helps you lose fat indirectly but you still have to consume less calories than you burn.
By strength training, you are telling your body it needs the muscle it has or could use more so you are less likely to burn it when you consume less calories. This means your body will get rid of more fat as you lose weight and less muscle.
Another way strength training improves fat loss indirectly is through strength. The stronger you get the more work you’re capable of doing. The more work your able to do the more calories you’ll be able to burn and the more fat you could potentially lose.
The last benefit we’ll discuss is injury prevention. It takes a lot of work to lose fat and it’s hard to work if you’re injured.
A solid strength training program should be done in a way that helps promote strength, mobility and health. This should keep you pain and injury free so you can put the work in that’s required to lose body fat.
#2- Calories and fat loss
You may “feel” like you’re eating to lose weight but you’re probably wrong.
It can take a few minutes to eat 300 calories but up to an hour to burn an extra 300 calories. Most of the time people are eating more than they think. Especially when they’re trying to lose weight.
Take this for example. There’s 200 calories in a small healthy protein bar. An extra 200 calories a day for a month is about 5000 calories. With there being about 3500 calories in a pound of fat, you could expect to gain 2 pounds a month just by eating an extra 200 calories a day.
You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t eat an extra protein bar each day” so this doesn’t apply to me. Instead, cut that protein bar up into 4-6 pieces to represent bites of food and spread it throughout a day. Can you now see how easy it is to get an extra 200 calories in a day? It’s easily done just by eating an extra bite here and there. Bites yo may not be aware you’re taking.
The only way to be sure you’re consuming what you think or “feel” like you’re consuming is to track your calories. Track your calorie intake for at least 4-5 days to see what you’re actually eating and make sure to count everything.
#3- Your hormones and fat loss
Your appetite is controlled by your hormones. So is your motivation to move. The only way we can impact our hormones outside of medical intervention is through our behaviors.
Things like sleep, diet, movement and stress can all impact your hormones.
- Sleep– for most of us, a lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can increase stress hormones that make us feel hungry and tired. Try and get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep. This will help keep your hormones regulated and you feeling less hungry and more energized.
- Diet– what you eat can have you feeling full and satisfied or leave you tired, sluggish and craving more food. Eating foods high in added sugar and fat can quickly lead to habits that are hard to break. Make sure you eat as little ultra processed foods as you can while consuming as many whole foods (veggies, fruit, meat, nuts, etc.) as possible.
- Movement– We’ve already talked about strength training but things like cardio and non-exercise activity can be pretty powerful too. Being cardiovascularly fit can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels keeping hunger and cravings at a minimum. Adding more non-exercise activity to your lifestyle can help keep you moving and burning calories while providing less time to sit and snack.
- Stress– All of the above things are ways to help manage stress so that it doesn’t have a negative impact on your body fat. Emotional stress however is another form of stress that can greatly impact your ability to lose fat and stay lean. Struggling emotionally can lead to a lack of motivation and a tendency to “eat your feelings”. Emotional eating is complex and may require more attention than counting calories. This is where a psychologist or behavioral specialist can come in handy. They can help you get to the root cause of your emotional eating so that you can overcome it. Even if you’re not an emotional eater you still may benefit from speaking with a therapist to help with emotional stress.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are having trouble losing fat you may want to make sure that you are doing strength training at least 2-3 times a week, tracking your calories, and keeping your hormones as regulated as possible by prioritizing good sleep, a good diet, quality movement in and out of the gym, and seeing a therapist to improve your emotional stress levels.
Good luck with your fat loss and if you need help with any of these things, don’t hesitate to ask. If you’re interested in personal training you can visit my website here.