101 Fat Loss Tips
If you’ve opened this blog, you’ve probably tried, and possibly failed, numerous diets throughout your life. Or, you’re wondering how I managed to write 101 different things...
I have written this to give you as many tips as possible to help you manage your weight.
Some might seem menial, but they are probably the most important ones. If you can start with the easy ‘menial’ tips they will compound over time and give you a significant return.
Some may seem to contradict others. That’s because not everyone works with one method and advice for one person may need to be the polar opposite to the advice given to the next person.
And some may seem very similar to others, they very well might be, that’s because there are 101!
This is NOT a list of what you must do. It IS a selection of things to consider then cherry pick for what might help you. All of the tips on this list can help you someday though. You just need to think about what might work for you, implement them and be consistent.
Energy Balance dictates weight loss. If you expend more energy than you consume, you will lose weight over time. It’s science and it’s the law! This will never ever ever change! You need to know this to understand how weight loss occurs.
Don’t let your weight define you. We all get on the scales, most people too much, but your weight can fluctuate by a few pounds easily in the space of 24 hours. If you must weigh yourself, my advice would be to make it once a month max!
Focus on how you feel. If you are doing everything right and making improvements to your life, you’re probably feeling great! And that feeling trumps everything else. Let it be your guide for progress.
Get support from your nearest and dearest. And make sure they support you properly! This means they can’t say ‘you’re fine how you are’ when they know you’re unhappy and want to do something about it. If they can’t support you, they’re no good to you for the time being. Try to avoid them.
Ignore the naysayers. You’ll always have them. The ones that say you can’t do it and put you down. Well, fuck em all!! You can do it, I promise, but you need supportive people in your tribe so move away from the naysayers.
Eat Carbs. Carbs don’t make you fat. Carbs give you energy and should be enjoyed as part of a health balanced diet. They can cause water retention increasing weight but it isn’t fat so we don’t worry about that.
Don’t remove foods. If you remove a food completely and put it off limits, you’ll probably crave it even more and struggle. Find a place for all foods within your diet.
Breakfast is not needed for fat loss. It is not a miracle meal! Eat it if you like it. Don’t if you prefer to not have any.
Drink more water! Water suppresses appetite. Our brain tricks us to think we are hungry when we just need a drink. Water has no calories too! And the more you drink, the more you go to the toilet thus increasing movement and calories expended. Win win.
Consider your menstrual cycle. Track your cycle, the follicular phase leading up to ovulation day will be easier to adhere to a diet. The luteal phase after ovulation day will be a bit tougher so don’t beat yourself up if you are hungry at this time. You can also expect an increase in weight through water retention during this phase. It’s just water!
Sleep more. Aim for 7-9 hours per night. That might mean going to bed earlier but the benefits are phenomenal. You’ll have more energy to move, your hormones will be balanced to control appetite, and you’ll have less time in the day to eat.
Aim for 1% a day. Simply make a 1% improvement with something relative to your goal. Do this every day and they multiply over the year.
Focus on NEAT. Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is every unplanned movement we make in our day and this accounts for 15% of our daily calorie expenditure. Planned activity is only 5%.
Walk everywhere. Walking is the unsung hero of physical and mental wellbeing. Wherever you can, walk. You burn calories, you get fresh air, you see the world and you’ll always feel great after.
Track progress. Whatever it is in whatever way you choose, track it. Because if you track it, you’ll make progress continually.
Don’t drink calories. We all love a drink of something calorie dense, but it doesn’t need to be every single drink. Opt for low calorie or zero calorie drinks as much as you can.
Avoid excessive amounts of empty calories. These are calories we consume with little to no nutritional value. Sauces are the main culprit here! Don’t be a sauce monster drowning meals in calorie dense sauces.
Exercise. Just exercise. Don’t be afraid of it.
Increase your protein intake. Most of us don’t get enough. Protein is proven to help with satiety and increase/preserve lean body mass. To start, aim for some sort of protein at every meal.
Potatoes are GOOD! Potatoes have been proven to be one of the most satiating foods on the planet. So if you like them, eat them!
Aim to consume lots of nutrient dense foods. These tend to be whole foods, grown in the ground, or fresh cuts of meat and fish. These also tend to be (mostly) lower in calories and loaded with micronutrients.
Avoid weight loss supplements. Firstly, they are all a pile of shite. Secondly, they tend to require a calorie controlled diet...shocker. And finally, most make you shit yourself flushing out waste to make a difference on the scales. You haven’t really lost any body fat.
Dodge a fad diet. If it promises fast fat loss it will not last. FACT! Fad diets come and go for a reason. They are completely unsustainable.
Don’t completely overhaul your diet. If you opt to go for a nutrition plan that is a complete change from everything you eat normally, you are likely to fail in the long term.
Resistance train. Normally completely overlooked when we consider managing body fat but it can help set healthy achievable goals and build strong lean muscle to make you feel great about yourself.
Vitamin D. Get out and move and get a little sun (be cautious though and apply cream as necessary). Most Brits are vit D deficient (shocker) but the benefits are vast. In particular you feel better and are more likely to be active because of this.
Stairs Always!
Smile more. You’ll feel more positive by just doing this as it rubs off on everyone around you. And this positivity will keep you motivated.
Calorie piggy bank. If you are tracking calories and know your daily allowance, figure out what your weekly allowance is and distribute calories as preferred. For example, save 100 each day Monday-Friday to have an extra 500 for a Saturday night.
Track Calories. It’s your best shot at knowing exactly what you are consuming, as long as it is done accurately.
Or don’t track them. Some people feel they get unhealthily obsessed with this. Just aiming for small changes in diet and increased exercise can be enough to create a deficit without tracking.
Dance. At home, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, or wherever you want! When good music comes on, it makes you want to move, so do it! Get that NEAT up and burn the extra calories.
Stretch! If you stretch, you’ll feel less stiff, and therefore are more likely to move. When you are stiff and tight, you’ll no doubt want to move less.
Stand Up. As much as you can, stand! It burns more calories than sitting and is great for posture.
Play with your kids. At every opportunity. Because before you know it, the opportunity will be missed. Set an example and get active with them.
Be a big kid. Remember when you would muck around and explore off the track a bit? Keep doing it. It’s good for you!
Eat something every day that you love. Even every other day is enough. This will make diet adherence a lot easier.
Be positive. Or at least try. Because if you can have a positive outlook, even when mistakes are made, we’ll keep chasing the end goal.
Accept the fuck ups. You will have fuck ups. We all do. We just need to put them behind us.
Enjoy your holidays. No one should be worried about weight gain on holiday. We work hard for our breaks so enjoy them. Knowing you will enjoy it will help you manage your diet leading up to it.
Enjoy social gatherings. As above. Unless they’re twice a week!
Plan diet breaks. A diet break coming up will make adherence much easier. Just having that light at the end of the tunnel.
Metabolic Adaptation. As we lose weight, our body needs less and less calories. Be mindful of this when weight loss slows down and adjust accordingly.
Stick a photo on the fridge. Just a reminder of what you’re trying to achieve and what you’re working for.
Set goals. Goals tend to be a great motivator for most. Having some event upcoming can really help stick to a plan.
Write down your goals. This makes them real! Thinking about them is great, writing them down to chase makes things happen.
Find movement opportunities. Start changing your mindset and look constantly through your day for any opportunity to move. Then take it!
Plan ahead. If you know you have something coming up, or a string of events coming up, plan for them by managing your diet around the events appropriately.
Timing. It’s not always a good time. If life is a bit tough at the minute, maybe it isn’t the best time to start a new diet?
Patience. You’re going to need it. Especially if you want long term results.
Bad influences. People in particular. Avoid them. Socially distance from them at least. Especially if they tend to sabotage your progress.
Action. Take an action toward your goal. However small it is, it’ll keep you motivated to make progress.
Do it for yourself. If you’re doing it for someone else, your reasoning is wrong. You should only be doing this for you.
Get a buddy. Taking a journey through weight loss can be daunting. Having a buddy can really help!
Reward yourself. It’s ok to reward yourself when you reach targets. It’ll keep you motivated too.
Accept insecurities. We all have them. Everyone! They’re normal.
Eat after 6pm. It won’t make you fat. As long as it is in your calorie allowance.
Join a club… ahem ahem f**k the scales group ahem ahem. Or whatever club you want! A like minded group of people can help toward success. Just be careful what the ‘coach’ tells you. Some of them spout a lot of shit.
Try new foods. Experimenting with foods can keep your diet varied and sustainable. Lots of lovely foods are low calorie and can be enjoyed in abundance. You just have to find the ones you like most.
Try new exercises. Finding a type of exercise you love will keep you doing it.
Try the gym. They gym isn’t for everybody. But it’s a great place to get advice and support from professionals and it’s a great social environment for the goal in hand.
If you must weigh yourself, do it monthly. Same day, same time, same place, same scale…
...or daily! If you can cope with this, you’ll get to see how much the scale fluctuates day to day. Monitor for a week and take an average to see your average loss.
Chew your food longer. Proven to help eat less.
Hunger and thirst get confused. Have a glass of water 20 minutes before a meal to see if you are really starving 1 hour after breakfast.
Track honestly. If you have a crazy day, still track all your calories. Yes even if they go over by 1000! It helps make you accountable and know what exactly you’ve done.
Reduce alcohol intake. Alcohol at 7 calories per gram can ruin a weeks work very easily.
Reduce processed foods. Lack of nutrients and high calorie density make them poor for overall calorie intake and satiety.
Sugar is ok. I’m not saying eat spoons full of sugar but don’t be afraid of it.
You are the competition. You’re not trying to keep up with anyone else. Just focus on being your best.
You are the problem. Not nice to hear but at the end of the day, only you can sabotage your progress and put extra food in your mouth or not move enough.
Stay off socials. Seeing fit pros and celebs airbrushed photos can drag people down.
Use socials smartly. On the other hand of the above, social media can be used to keep yourself accountable and learn from some of the greatest minds in the world. Just be careful who you follow and listen to.
See your doctor. If you are convinced you have a condition that makes weight loss a struggle, you should see your doctor for a confirmed diagnosis. Not just assume and self diagnose.
Meal plan. Planning meals can keep your calories right on track.
Exercise schedule. Planning it all in makes it much more likely to happen.
Stay prepared. If you struggle to fit in exercise, always keep your kit in the car so you’re ready to go at any given opportunity.
Track your calories before your meal. Input them first so you know what you’re having and what you’ll have left. It might make you change an option to balance your calories better to adhere to.
Track starting Friday. Most people blow calories on the weekend. So starting Friday means you’ll have to be cautious over the weekend to not be eating dust through the week.
Invest in a PT. You’ll have the opportunity to learn a lot with a good PT. Any investment in your health is a good investment.
Learn to say no. It’s ok. Just because someone offers something doesn’t mean you have to have it.
Get out of your comfort zone. Taking a small step outside of it will open up a world of opportunities for food and exercise.
100 cal snacks. They’re great to stop you eating more than you really need.
Single wrapped snacks. Biscuits for me. One Kit Kat is easier to consume and be done with it than opening the choccy digestives and trying to have only one.
Avoid uncontrollable foods. If you know you will eat the full pack of something because you just can’t control it. Stop buying these foods. It’s the only reason you should remove food from the household. When you just can’t control yourself!
Don’t think of foods as good or bad. Food is just food. Some with more nutrients, some with more calories.
Increase fibre intake. Good for satiety and gut health.
Use reminders. Set alarms, electronic calendar reminders, whatever it takes to keep you on track.
Big salads. Eat them in abundance for very little calorie intake.
Focus on training progress. This is a healthy way to make progress without thinking about things too much.
Drink fizzy water. It makes you feel more full. Just make sure it’s not super high in calories
Don’t have caffeine too late in the day. It’ll keep you awake and you’ll probably snack more.
Find your inner motivation. The real reason you want to do this. When you get deep and find it, you’ll keep motivated.
Restrict app access in the settings on your phone. You’ll have a lot more time on your hands suddenly.
Set movement reminders to stop you sitting so long. Aim for every 20 minutes to just move somehow. A lap of the office or walk around the house is better than nothing.
It’s ok to be boring with food. Eating the same things regularly is easy to track. And if it keeps you in your calories and is enjoyable don’t feel you have to change it.
The 52 week plan. Give yourself a year. Aim for 40 weeks eating in a deficit with 12 weeks at maintenance or just above. You’ll still get a net loss of around 28lbs.
Tell the world. Tell everyone what you’re doing! It keeps the pressure on to achieve your goal.
Enjoy the journey. It’s the best part of the process. Even better than the end result.
Never say no to cake. There’s a strategy to this one. Don’t ever buy cake, but take it if offered. It’ll reduce how much cake you have overall.
Don’t be a dick! Take care of yourself. You get one body, maintain it optimally and do your best. Don’t lie to yourself, don’t blame other people. Take responsibility for yourself and your actions.
And there we have it! Hopefully you can have a look through and pick a couple that could help you on your journey.
And of course, if you have any questions or need any support please get in touch with us. We’d be glad to help.
