One of the things I’ve frequently noticed in interviewing new clients, speaking to other trainers, and communicating with other fitness freaks online, is how many different opinions there are and how much confusion there is related to fat loss nutrition. Some people are just completely clueless, while others are so devoted to a particular way of eating that their diet becomes like their religion!
People have some pretty strange ideas about their diet.
With so many different fad diets and nutrition protocols out there, it’s no wonder people get confused. For example, you’ve probably heard about: Paleo, Keto, Atkins, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low Fat, South Beach, The Zone Diet, Volumetrics, Raw Food Diet, Dr. Bernstein, No Carbs After 6:17PM, etc. That’s not even getting into tracking systems (calorie / portion control plans) like Weight Watchers or Nutri-System.
Now, I’m not saying that all (or any) of the above nutritional strategies are necessarily bad… there are probably positive aspects to most of them. But how do you know which ones are right for you, or which ones work best? And if it works, why? Part of the problem is that people don’t understand the basics of nutrition for fat loss and they start desperately grasping for a trendy quick fix plan to get results. Another issue is that many of those “diets” can not be sustained over the long term.
Rather than randomly choosing a specific “diet” to follow, why not try to understand the basics of your nutritional needs (based on your goals), and simply eat a variety of foods that meet those calorie and nutrient needs? In this article I want to help you simplify things by explaining the main priorities of eating to lose body fat. Once you get this, you can play around with whatever nutrition trends you like.
In the video below I explain what the TOP 5 main things are that you need to consider when it comes to nutrition for losing weight. These are your priorities, in order:
1) Caloric deficit – eat less than you burn off
2) Know your Macronutrients and consume the right amounts of protein, fats, and carbs
3) Pay attention to food quality
4) Meal timing may make a slight difference
5) Supplementation is most beneficial once everything else is on point.
These Fat Loss Nutrition Priorities will help you choose a nutrition plan that is flexible and individualized to help you reach your weight loss goals. Once you understand these principles, you can probably see why some of the popular “Fad Diets” may actually be effective… they might in fact adhere to some of these 5 Priorities (either intentionally or accidentally).
Here are a couple of other considerations I’d like to add:
1) Use ReFeed Days / Weeks: IF you’ve been in a caloric deficit for more than 2 or 3 months, it’s a good idea to implement higher calorie days (or weeks) that I refer to as “ReFeed Days” (often called “Cheat Days”). After following a low calorie diet for a prolonged period of time, your metabolism will slow down to some degree, due to a number of factors… one of which is reduced thyroid hormone production. Including a higher calorie ReFeed Day every couple of weeks can help elevate your metabolism (don’t go on a crazy binge here, people!). I also suggest increasing your calories back up to maintenance level for a week or so after 3 months in a calorie deficit.
2) Exercise: I would hope the benefits of exercise for fat loss are obvious. Include High Intensity Interval Training cardio to burn calories / fat and follow a well designed progressive resistance training plan to maintain your lean tissue (and improve resting metabolism) while losing body fat. Check out my other blog posts on those topics.
For more free training and nutrition information, grab your free ebooks and e-course by clicking on the image below. Let me know if you have any questions related to this content, and good luck on your fat loss goals!
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