The most effective strategy for sustainable fat loss is a change in habits.
1. Make protein the cornerstone of your meals. Increase your amount of lean protein and try to ingest your protein first with every meal. The easiest way to do this is to have a protein shake about 10 min before your main meals. This will fill your stomach up and reduce hunger, helping you eat less. I like Metabolic Drive protein because it’s 1) thicker than most proteins, so it fills you up more 2) it is digested more slowly because of micellar casein and 3) it tastes great.
Here’s how I would structure the 3 main meals of the day:
Protein shake, then…
Solid food made up mostly of protein (animal products), then…
Veggies, then …
Starches or fruits, if you are still hungry
Just structuring your meals like that will go a very long way in helping you lose fat.
2. If you want to snack, either a protein shake or lean protein foods (tuna, low sugar greek yogurt, lean cheeses, protein bar, etc.)
3. Drink plenty of water (shoot for almost a gallon per day)
- Move more. I’m not talking about training, but about moving/walking more. @TrainForPain talked about increasing your step count and I absolutely believe that it should be the first exercise strategy you implement. I understand that you have to spend a good period of time at work, but here are a few strategies you can implement:
- Use Active Rest Periods
This one doesn’t require more time. Let’s say you’re resting two or three minutes between work sets. Typically, you’d just stand there. Instead, turn those 2-3 minutes into an active rest period. Basically, walk for most of that period. If you have two minutes of rest, walk for 90 seconds. If you have three minutes of rest, walk for two and a half minutes. You can walk on a treadmill or walk at a decent pace around the gym. I prefer the first option, which allows me to use a slight angle, but the second option is more practical.
Remember, this is still a rest period. You shouldn’t see it as exercising, just as walking normally. It shouldn’t tire you out. If you walk at your normal pace, it won’t interfere with your recovery. Let’s say you do 20 total sets in your workout. That can easily add 2400 to 3000 steps to your day.
2. Try the Efferding 10-Minute Post-Meal Walk
After you finish each meal, take a 10-minute walk. It’ll add another 1800 to 2200 steps daily (if you do it after three meals) and improve digestion.
3. Aerobic Warm-Up and Cool-Down
This should be part of a good training session anyway (mostly the warm-up). Many people skip it because they’re too eager to hit the weights or think it wastes time. But if your goal is to increase background physical activity, it’s very useful, and it might even improve your workout.
Start your workout with a 10-minute walk on the treadmill on a slight incline. It should be slightly more difficult than normal walking, but you should still be capable of having a conversation without being out of breath. Then finish with a 5-10 minute cool-down at the end of your workout using a similar intensity level. That’s good for another 1200-1500 steps without much effort.
These first three strategies will increase your step count by at least 5000, likely more.
4. Warm-Up Circuit
I started doing this when I started boxing training, but now I use it before every workout. I use the circuit to warm up my shoulders, arms, torso, and legs and also to get used to doing work for 3-5 minutes non-stop to help with boxing endurance. Basically, I do 6-8 exercises as a circuit. I go for 30 seconds, giving me 3-4 minutes of work. (For brevity’s sake, I did each station for 10-15 seconds in the video.)
5. Take the Long Way
Whenever possible, put yourself in a situation where you have to walk more to get somewhere. For example, if you’re going shopping, park as far as possible from the store. If you have to go a few floors up, take the stairs. These little things don’t seem like much, but they add up!
Also, “walkable” cities/neighborhoods (where everything is within walking distance) have a significantly lower rate of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. So, whenever you can, walk. Going to the convenience store near you? Instead of a 3-minute drive, take the time and do a 15-minute walk. Just don’t get hit by a car because that’ll make your caloric expenditure drop significantly.
6. Do a Recreational Sport Weekly
This is a great way to rapidly boost activity levels and energy expenditure without it feeling like a chore. I do three martial arts classes and one boxing class per week. I enjoy it so much it doesn’t feel like exercise. Choose what you love and what you won’t get injured doing: basketball, pickleball, hockey, golf, or whatever you like, as long as you’re moving and enjoying yourself.
7. Get a Dog (Really)
Unless you’re a lousy dog owner, you’ll walk your dog daily. It shifts your priorities, forcing you to take the time to go walk instead of watching one more episode on Netflix.
- Do weight training 3-4 times a week.
See those as a change in lifestyle not as something you do to lose the fat.
Thanks for the tips. I definitely need to implement those walking tricks whenever possible. I spend today reading for like 2-3 hours and taking notes, but I feel so overwhelmed with information. I like doing squads, deadlifts, bench press, and I love those exercises that involve full body, like when you do squat and then push with dumbells, medicine ball, ropes. My problem is that I don’t know how to structure the plan. Overall I would like to try and do something in the morning that involves whole body, like sprint, jump ropes, pushups, and exercises that won’t take me too much time and I can do it as circuit outside on the court. And afternoon to do some lifting and exercises in the gym.