Are you struggling to lose fat?
Wondering why you’re not getting any leaner, despite your best efforts?
While I can’t personally see you through the screen, I can show you what the most common mistakes are when it comes to losing fat and toning up.
I’ve seen these mistakes in some of my former clients and myself so I know firsthand how to get through this frustrating situation.
I’ve even created a free 6-week plan to get you started. You can download that now or wait until the end of this guide to do so.
To kick these tips off, I have to start with why I can’t stress weight lifting enough when it comes to fat loss.
#1: Lift Weights & Focus on Getting Stronger
If you’ve been reading any of my recent articles, then you’ve seen me obsess about how important weight lifting is.
In case you need a reminder: muscle burns fat.
This means you’ll finally be able to get rid of that muffin top and those love handles that Pinterest pics promise to remove.
Lifting weights won’t make you bulky either — it’s just the opposite.
Weights are the key to getting leaner.
And the way to do that is to focus on getting stronger.
Let me ask you:
Can you do a push-up right now?
If, God forbid, something heavy were to collapse on you, do you think you could safely lift it off of you?
And if you had to run in an emergency, could you?
If you answered no to the first question, it’s time to start getting stronger because you never know if you’ll ever be put in a position where you’ll need to get yourself out of a heavy situation.
So if you don’t want to do exercise for your health, or your family, do it for your own safety.
And that’s where the last question comes in.
I’m not a fan of running. I’ve told you this many times. Even after my 10k, I still do not enjoy running.
But I’ve improved my cardiovascular fitness ever since because the fact is you just never know when you need to run from a terrible situation.
Now, I’m not wishing anything on you right now. But I think it’s clear that it pays to do your part.
Start improving your health so that you can at least attempt to get yourself out of a desperate situation, should you need to.
My next step is to get a self-defense course under my belt now that I have the strength and speed to hopefully put up a good fight.
To get to this point, you need to start lifting weights and focusing on:
- Developing your push/pull muscles
- Using compound movements (these work multiple muscles; squats, deadlifts, push-ups are all good examples)
The push/pull muscles will not only help you carve out a nice, lean, top half, they’ll also give you the strength to complete as many push-ups as possible.
I know this is probably not a goal of yours, but it should be.
Push-ups are a great indicator of how strong you are and you’re ability to lift up your own bodyweight, which, is essential in times of emergency.
My hope for you after reading this is that you start committing to 3-4 days of strength training and working out.
And I want you to go heavier on your weights so you can start building strength.
I also don’t want you to quit the cardio either, rather, I just want you to be smart about it.
Here’s how:
#2: Alternate With Cardio
Lifting weights also improves your cardio fitness levels too, but, I don’t think it’s enough to offer the heart and lung health benefits of a straight cardio session.
So that’s why I still recommend that you tackle cardio, every other day, and right after your strength sessions.
I know that sounds like a lot, so before you curse me out, hear this:
Your muscles need a recovery day after lifting weights, but that doesn’t mean you should take the day off.
When you do this, you break your consistency chain and can cause a loss of momentum in just one day.
Instead, you’re better off doing an active recovery which is a slow, steady-state cardio.
You can walk, bike ride, climb the stairmaster, or do an elliptical if that’s your thing.
The point is to do something every other day between your strength training sessions.
This simple step helps you build consistency so you can keep your momentum going and it strengthens your heart and lung health as well.
It also helps to torch more calories than you would sitting on the couch…duh, right?
I’ve even found, based on reading dozens of recommendations from the pros, that 15 minutes of cardio immediately after your weight sessions can also bump your calorie and fat burn up a notch without overworking your body.
And you don’t even have to go balls-to-the-wall with intensity. In fact, I don’t recommend that at all.
Keep it slow and steady, burn up a sweat, and you’ll be in good shape…literally.
As you build your momentum, commit to 2 days of weights and 2 cardio days and eventually bump this up to 3 days of weights and 2-3 cardio sessions per week.
After a few weeks, you’ll start to crave this schedule and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.
Next…
#3: Reduce Your Carb & Sugar Intake
Another step to take here if fat loss is your goal is to cut down on your carbs and sugar, even “healthy” ones.
Carbs make you retain water.
When this happens, you’ll look bloated and may feel uncomfortable just sitting in pants.
Not only that, carbs can produce such a spike in your insulin levels that your energy quickly crashes and you end up craving more sugar.
Replace your carbs with healthy fats and protein instead and you’ll see a difference in your appearance and your energy levels.
I believe in adding more fats so much that I had to branch it out into its own tip.
#4: Add in More Healthy Fats
Healthy fats have magical powers (= scientifically proven) that can help you feel full and satisfied for longer.
They also don’t cause any insulin spikes which means they can help to combat sugar cravings.
Some of my eat-everyday-all-day fats include:
- Avocados
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Chia seeds
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Almonds
Keep in mind, I do pay attention to portion control when I eat my healthy fats since you can go overboard on a good thing here.
Do this and you’ll be over your calorie count and packing on unwanted healthy pounds in no time.
Another thing that can also cause weight gain is not sleeping enough.
#5: Get Enough Sleep
Why is it that so many of us know how important sleep is yet we still don’t get enough of it each night?
We’re so stubborn.
Yet we insist our kids get it but we don’t.
And then we attempt to be functioning humans the next day but you’re really just a zombie in disguise who needs to run off a combination of sugar and caffeine.
All of this overworks your body and taxes your system and your brain.
And long-term it’s going to cause a much bigger problem than sleepy days.
Fortunately, working out can help to improve your sleep levels naturally.
If I’m really struggling with sleep, I’ll reach for melatonin to help out.
But I won’t ever use this consistently and will only use it sporadically when I’m having trouble sleeping.
And, when it comes to working out and getting enough sleep, you must:
#6: Decide What You’re Going to Give Up
The biggest reason people don’t work out or get enough sleep each night is that they haven’t made either a priority.
Instead, they’ve let other things take over their time without realizing it.
Things like social media and TV were designed to suck you in and cause you to lose track of time.
Suddenly you look up from your glowing device and you’re wondering where the time has gone.
If you tracked your social media and TV time, I’d bet you’d be amazed to see how much time you’ve been wasting.
An interesting analogy I heard recently on a TED talk summed this up perfectly: these devices are designed like slot machines.
You’re constantly pulling the handle wondering what you’re going to get next. And even if you’re not interested in the result, you’ll keep coming back for more and wasting both time and money.
You have to remember too, these companies are paying millions of dollars to get brilliant engineers to design products that do this.
So your Candy Crush or Facebook addiction is costing you brain power and your health.
What if you spent just 15 minutes of your lunch break getting a walk instead of scrolling through your feed?
Imagine how much better the second half of your day would go.
Instead, you’re probably scrolling through your phone and becoming more unmotivated and tired with each passing minute.
Heck, you could even spend those 15 minutes using your phone to learn another language if you’re not ready to give up your device addiction.
At least put it to good use and don’t get tempted to waste mindless hours on stuff that doesn’t make you feel good.
Read scriptures. Learn about new workout programs. Or figure out how to cook healthy meals under 10 minutes.
There’s so many better things you can do with your time.
And the fact is, you’re going to have to make these sacrifices because something has to give for you to make time for your health and to make it a priority.
Decide on what needs to get trimmed or ditched altogether and don’t be afraid to make sacrifices. It will seem scary at first, but it will also get easier over time.
And you’ll feel better which will help you keep the positive momentum going.
One thing that’s really helped me to do just that is this next tip.
#7: Find the Right Plan & Learn to Stick With It
I’ve tried a few workout plans.
Most of them left me injured, exhausted, and unmotivated.
But one of them changed my life: Holly Perkin’s Lift to Get Lean.
This program made everything click for me.
And it got me motivated to take action even when I didn’t feel like it.
Why?
Because it did all of the heavy lifting for me.
It told me what to do, and when, and I just had to show up.
While that’s not always easy, this was all I really had to do.
So I did. I kept at it. And now exercise is so routine, I do it on vacation no problem.
Another point I want to mention with workout programs is that they can help you push through your limitations.
I learned that the best things happen the moment after you’ve just decided not to quit.
Because quitting is easy. Everyone does it.
But so few people push past this point to reach the other side which is nothing short of amazing.
This is where those insane before and after photos come in.
These people didn’t quit, even though they wanted to, and even though it was difficult.And you can be that person too if you make the decision to be.
Find the right program and don’t quit until you do.
But..a few words of caution here first:
- You need to really evaluate the plan you choose, and not just on the bikini-body headline it promises
- Consider your current state. If you haven’t worked out in forever, don’t pick a program that’s too hard and causes you to quit or worse, get injured.
- And don’t be afraid to quit a bad program.
But you can’t quit entirely.
Here’s what I mean: I spent 12 weeks on a workout plan that didn’t feel right.
It was too challenging — I’d get lightheaded and dizzy mid-set.
I knew this wasn’t right for me and yet I kept doing it.
One of the reasons why is I had to figure out if I was just throwing in the quitting towel or if this really was a bad fit.
After I started feeling injuries and exhaustion, I knew it wasn’t for me.
But I made the mistake of quitting entirely and trying to figure it out on my own.
When that didn’t work, I found Holly’s book.
That’s why my take home message here is that it’s okay to quit a program only if you start another one and sit down to learn why the first one didn’t work before doing so.
For me, the program had advanced level cardio routines that I was not in shape to perform properly.
I was kidding myself thinking I could handle it since I could do the moves individually, but not as a sequence.
This is exactly what happened with me and running.
I pushed through my biggest accomplishment, one I’d never thought I could do, and still realized that it wasn’t for me.
But I can say I didn’t quit on bad terms.
The last 3 fat burning tips all have to do with food.
I’m a huge believer in the phrase abs are made in the kitchen.
For years, I didn’t want to believe it, but now I wholeheartedly do.
And even if abs are not your goal, these next tips will help you become healthier.
#8: Track Your Food for at Least 4 Weeks
Humans are amazing at underestimating their calorie intake and overestimating their portions.
Because of this, most people tend to go overboard each day, and over time, it adds up to extra pounds slowly but surely.
Think about it:
- Do you know what a real healthy portion looks like?
- Do you know your calorie and macro goals each day?
If you’re not sure of those answers, you’re not fueling your body right, and that’s a BIG problem.
Food is fuel.
Yes, it can be fun and pleasurable.
But its main purpose is to fuel your body.
And if you’re not putting the right fuel into your body, in the right amounts, it’s no wonder why you don’t feel your best.
But before you start cutting out entire food groups, you need to establish a baseline first.
To do this, eat as you normally would for at least 4 weeks, especially for women, to see where you stand.
Track this in programs like MyFitnessPal.
Then, once you have that information, you need to figure out your calorie and macronutrient targets to see how you compare.
More than likely, you’re going to need some adjustments but at least you now know which specific tweaks need to be made.
Plus, you won’t have to do this forever.
Once the portion controls become a habit, you can run with eyeballing things.
But until then, don’t guess on this stuff. It’s your damn health!
Another thing I want you to get in the habit of is:
#9: Fill Up on Low-Carb Veggies
Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, brussel sprouts.
Start eating more of these guys and less starchy veggies like potatoes, even sweet ones.
Cut back on the peas and corn too since these are packed with carbs too.
I enjoy roasting all of these with Himalayan salt, pepper, and coconut oil for a sweet and savory taste that doesn’t involve sugar.
And please, whatever you do, don’t overcook them and strip them of their nutrients and flavor.
A quick steam is all they need.
Plus, it’s also better on your digestion if you cook them so keep that in mind.
And last, but certainly not least, don’t make this next mistake.
#10: Avoid Healthy Sugar Traps
Smoothies, acai bowls, more than two servings of fruit per day, yogurt.
What do these things have in common?
If you caught the headline, they can all be sugar traps.
The fact is too much sugar is detrimental to your health, even if it’s coming from healthy sources.
A good rule of thumb is to only have 1 fruit serving at a time (so one in the morning and one in the afternoon) so that you don’t overwhelm your system.
Berries are your best option here too thanks to their powerful antioxidants and lower carb count.
As for the rest (smoothies, tropical fruits, juices, etc), most of us can’t handle this much sugar at once.
You’re basically having ice cream or candy at that point so you’re not saving much here and you’re still causing harm.
If you’re going to do smoothies, focus on veggies like celery, cucumber, kale, or spinach and add one portion-controlled fruit to sweeten things.
And to see how much sugar is lurking behind a label, divide the total amount by 4, which is roughly what a teaspoon is (4.5 to be exact).
Now imagine that many tablespoons of sugar dumped on your counter. You would never consume 2-3 Pixie Sticks worth of sugar knowingly, yet, with these “healthy” foods, you are doing just that.
With tracking your food, you’ll be able to see just how much sugar you’re really consuming.
I’d bet you’d be surprised to see your results.
Now it’s time to put all of these tips to good use.
Don’t Be Overwhelmed, Do This Instead
Okay, so I’ve just thrown 10 tips your way and they each require a little bit of work.
So how can you tackle them all?
For one, don’t do them all at once.
What if, instead, you used today’s guide as your 6-week plan.
So each week you choose 1 item to focus all of your attention on.
Then, by the next week, you add 1 more to focus on in addition to the first one.
But you’re still only having to do two things, which is feasible to start.
By week 3, your first one will have started to form a habit, which means adding a third won’t be a problem.
Keep this pattern up and you’ll have a radically different version of you by the 7th week.
And to help you out, I’ve created a free printable/digital version of the plan so you can start right away:
While I can’t say for certain how much fat you can lose with these tips, I do know they’ll help you change your health both on the inside and out because I’ve seen it firsthand.
If you have any questions on today’s guide, please feel free to reach out: devan@behappynothangry.com.
Sending you fat burning powers today,
Devan