The direct and most honest answer to that question would be ‘Calorie Deficit’ and honestly there is no other way of making your body to use the stored reserves (body fat) as energy source. The bigger question here is ‘How to be in a calorie deficit?’ and I am answering that in a separate article. Of course, it all starts with understanding of how much energy the body is using and that is already explained here.
The bigger question, in my opinion is about the methods and tools and, yes sometimes outside help, you will be using when you start your journey. And that brings the matter of something that I call ‘The Impossible Triad’ Because when you decide to embark on that ship, all you want is it to happen fast, to have stable results and to cost you less if nothing at all. And that is the Impossible Triad, you cannot have all three of those together.
If a person is somewhat overweight, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘I want to loose that fat fast’ Yet it did not happen to come overnight, but was rather slowly accumulated over years, we want it gone fast. Two scenarios here – fast and for no money or fast and sustainable? Again, you cannot have all three.
If you loose fat in the fast and cheap way, then the results will not be sustainable and you will gain that fat back even faster than you lost it. This process is known as going into extreme diets, decreasing the energy intake to impossible levels and barely having the energy to wake up and sustain the day. And because the change in nutrition was so drastic and fast, you end up giving up and deciding that this is not for you. A huge part of the blame goes to all the armies of fitness ‘influencers’ posting stuff like ‘What I Eat In A Day’ but shamelessly omitting the fact that this does not mean each and every day or the simple truth that it was their diet two weeks before a photoshoot. Which, believe me, could be a very dramatic experience.
The other downside of fast-and-cheap approach is that in this way of slimming yourself, you also loose a big portion of your lean muscle mass. And when the pendulum swings into the other direction, you end up even fattier than before.
Here is an example. You are 80 kg and want to go down to 70. You start carnivore-paleo-fasting-keto-whatever and in 90 days you are 72. You are constantly tired and hungry, barely managing at work, cognition abilities close to zero, etc. You quit and start eating ‘normally’ or as you were eating before. The 8 kg lost, however, were not only fat. May be not even half of it, but let’s assume the optimistic scenario and it is 4 kg fat and 4 kg lean mass.
When you resume your eating and gain back to the level of 80, that will happen in say 60 days. And I bet my diplomas you are not going to the gym in that period, so it is impossible to create 4 kg of lean mass. And that is how, when you are back to the previous weight, you are at least 2 kg fattier than before. And if that yo-yo thing of yours continues with the next fast-and-fabulous diet you see online, you will become fattier and fattier and fattier with each next attempt.
If time still is your biggest concern, but you do want a sustainable result, it will cost you a lot. That will require things like gastric bypass, liposuction and skin removal, etc. Yes, this could lead to a new version of yourself and have stable results. I have never done anything like that and do not plan to do, so cannot be the expert here, especially when it comes to all the efforts and change of lifestyle after. Because getting an operation done is easy, what matters is what you will be doing when you leave the hospital. I had a client after a gastric bypass and he was saying ‘My joy of life was eating and now with a small stomach I cannot even have that. Despite being full, I feel hollow’.
And the last option: Sustainable and for No Money
Yes, that takes time. In my experience, anything between 0.5% and 1.0% weight loss on a weekly basis is a stable and sustainable rate. It is almost 100% guarantee that the body fat is gone for good and because this process is low and slow, it creates new habits and forms a new self. And that is the end result, which I aim for my clients, to be happy and proud of their achievement, done without external help. The process is endless, I am with my clients in the beginning of their journey, but I give them all the knowledge they will need to carry on without me. I know it is bold, but I want to be their last trainer. Their last mentor. Because after me, they would not need accountability anymore, they are able to play the endless game of selfcare. The marathon.
Thank you for spending five minutes of your time reading this. I can help you and will do everything in my power to achieve your goals, but the first step is up to you. Sign up now.
