5 Must Haves For Fat Loss
Hi friends! Welcome to my NEW site + blog! I am so glad you’re here and I hope you love this new space as much as I do. I plan to start blogging (again) frequently, so feel free to send me a DM on instagram if you ever have any topic requests! My instagram is @brooklynpowell. Come hang out if you aren’t following me on there already!
Today’s blog is all about the 5 MUST HAVES for Fat Loss! I know Summer is COMING and a lot of us are probably wanting to tone up a little bit. Even typing that word makes me CRINGE lol…but I know what you want. Tone just means lean out and reveal the muscle you’ve built! As a reminder, we want to focus on fat loss and not just weight loss because weight loss = muscle + fat. We always want to maintain as much muscle mass as possible when dieting.
Disclaimer: This blog is NOT medical advice. Always consult your doctor before doing anything when it comes to your health/diet.
5 Must Haves for Fat Loss
Calorie Deficit
You need to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat. A calorie deficit just means that you are eating LESS calories than you burn in a day. You burn calories every single day even if you don’t workout (our bodies are awesome and always working hard!).
If you aren’t sure how much you’re eating to maintain your weight, start tracking for a few days and see where your calories are. Assuming they are at a decent amount and not super low (highly recommend hiring a coach if they are), you can subtract 200-400 calories to put yourself into that deficit. I ALWAYS recommend starting with 200 first, because you always want to “diet” on the highest amount of calories possible. No need to lower them unless you are sticking to them consistently and AREN’T seeing results.
Once you have your deficit macros, you’ll need to track your food in an app. My favorite is MyFitnessPal but there are lots of options! DO NOT EVER LET THESE APPS CALCULATE YOUR MACROS FOR YOU. They are usually WAY off.
*This advice is VERY general and if you’re unsure or don’t want to do the all trial and error, hire a qualified fitness coach to help you.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is SOOOOOO important!! I used to tell all my clients to drink a gallon a day but I think some can get really fixed on 128 oz just like we do on the 10k step rule. You don’t need to stress over an exact amount of ounces, just make sure you’re an getting optimal amount. I usually aim for 100-128oz per day. If you work out and sweat, you’re going to need even more than if you didn’t. If you’re someone who drinks the bare minimum now, start increasing in small increments. You don’t have to go from 20 oz a day to 120 overnight. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel!
Other tips to drink more water: drink out of a straw, when you go to take 1 sip- take 10, get a big jug (I use a Hydrojug).
If you’re a teacher- I know it can be hard because you can’t go to the bathroom whenever you want. I used to drink a bunch in the AM before/during my workout and then taper off while teaching. I would drink some with my lunch but that was it. Then I’d start drinking more when I left school! You can do it!
Quality sleep
When you’re sleep is suffering, everything else suffers, too. Quality sleep MATTERS. Your body recovers when you sleep. Did you know that when you fall asleep, your heart rate and blood pressure drop? This is to take some demand off of the heart so it can take a break. Research shows that people who get less sleep overtime are more likely to have memory issues, mood changes, high blood pressure, weakened immunity, risk for type 2 diabetes, low sex drive, risk for heart disease and are more likely to be overweight or obese.
Sleep also affects the levels of two hormones-Leptin and Ghrelin. These two hormones tell your body when you’re hungry or full. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, your brain reduces Leptin and increases Ghrelin (making you more hungry). This leads you to have more cravings which usually causes you to eat an excess amount of calories, eventually leading to weight gain.
Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep (everyone is different) and start a night routine if you don’t have one!
Move your body (preferably some resistance training)
Our bodies were made to move. Most Americans are EXTREMELY sedentary and now with the pandemic it’s made it even worse. If you’re teaching from home you are probably sitting at your desk all day. Try going for a walk during lunch or your break to get some movement in. It doesn’t need to be a 30 minute workout to “count” just work on adding more movement breaks into your day.
It’s important to find exercise that you ENJOY and do that. Don’t underestimate walking :) so beneficial and easy for most to squeeze in! I also recommend resistance training to every single person. Lifting weights has so many benefits (see this instagram post I made here) to learn why. The more muscle you have, the MORE calories your body burns at rest. WOOHOO! Build that muscle, ladies!
Healthy mindset
Being in a caloric deficit is NOT always easy. It’s important to understand WHY you’re doing this and hopefully your why goes way beyond just being a smaller number on the scale.
Even if you’re dieting at a reasonable amount of calories (which hopefully you are!) it’s common to feel a little hungry. You shouldn’t be ravenous but since you are eating less calories than you burn, hunger does happen. It also WILL take some sacrifices. You are dieting so you aren’t going to be able to say yes to every food you may want.
I HIGHLY recommend making sure you’re eating nutrient dense foods to help keep you full. It’s also important to know that you aren’t going to be in this fat loss phase forever. It’s temporary! Once you reach your goal you can (and should) go into a reverse dieting phase to slowly increase calories over time to get your new maintenance calories up higher.
If you have a poor relationship with food, a fat loss phase may not be right for you right now.
I hope you loved this blog and learned something! Notice I didn’t mention anything about a specific supplement or detox tea for fat loss? That’s because they DO NOT WORK. If someone you know DID lose weight by taking a certain supplement or drinking some dumb tea it’s because they just happened to be eating less than they were before (calorie deficit). The more you know! Be sure to share on IG and tag me if you enjoyed it :)
In strength,
Brooklyn