How to lose Fat

A phrase I often hear as a personal trainer for fat loss is “I want to lose fat off my arms and stomach.” Every time a new client walks into the gym or a prospective client contacts me.

Most of my clients are women. It’s not uncommon for women to retain excess fat on their lower stomachs, backs of their arms, and hips. Most women have higher estrogen levels than men. (Higher levels of estrogen are the reason weightlifting won’t make you look like a "man")

The Good News and the Bad News

The good news? It’s possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

The bad news? You cannot spot reduce.

What is Spot Reduction?

Spot reduction is a common belief that exercising a specific part of the body can lead to fat loss from that area. Despite what some fitness influencers would have you believe; it is not possible to lose fat by targeting one area of the body. It is just as unlikely as their other claims such as “lose weight in 7 days” or “drink this secret tea and lose weight fast.” Chances are if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. When you see claims such as these online, you need to remember one thing-If it were that easy, everyone would do it.

“No, but it’s a fat loss secret!” Yes, a secret you see everywhere online.

“But it worked!" For how long? One month? Three months?

Workouts focused on specific parts of the body are problematic due to the interconnected nature of the human body. You run the risk of injury if you only train specific body parts. For example, if you only train the triceps and chest area you will develop poor posture and weak muscles in your back. This can result in shoulder or back injury over time.

Here are six ways to lose fat sustainably:

1. Strength Training

Strength training is more conducive to fat loss, even though cardio burns more calories at once. The reason for this is that muscle burns more calories at rest. In the long run, muscle building burns more calories, making fat loss easier.

Even though fat occupies more space than muscle, muscle weighs more, so that's why I constantly refer to it as "fat loss", not "weight loss". It's normal to see the scale go up when you’re on your fat loss journey.

2. Compound Movements

Compound Exercises work for multiple muscle groups at once. Compound lifts include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, hip thrusts and bent-over rows. Compound exercises are time efficient-you can do two or three heavy compound lifts and get an excellent total body workout in thirty minutes if you’re short on time.

Compound exercises are an effective way to work your core. In fact, the time when my abs were the most defined, was when I was lifting Olympic lifting regularly. My workout routine consisted of compound movements such as heavy deadlifts, squats, snatches, and clean and jerks.

My Workout Routine

My workout routines consist of one compound lift and accessory (smaller or more isolated movements) done in circuits or supersets. A superset is two exercises completed back-to-back with no rest. Usually with opposing muscle groups. For example, bicep curls and triceps pushdowns. A circuit is more than two exercises completed with short rest periods. My workouts include compound movements, accessory movements, and cardio.

Example leg day workout:

1. Compound: Squats 3x10-2 min rest periods

Superset: 1.5 min rest after both exercises are completed

2. Hamstring curls -3x10

3. Step ups- 3x10

Circuit: 40 seconds of rest in between sets

1. Box Jumps-3x15

2. Side lunges-3x10 each leg

3. Increase your protein intake

If you strength train, you should consume 1 g of protein per lb. This can be challenging to do. I try to make it easier by breaking up my protein intake into 4 meals. For example, I am a 150lb woman. I either eat 4 meals with 38 grams of protein each, or I make some meals more protein-heavy than others and balance it out to 150 g at the end of the day.

Not only does consuming an adequate amount of protein help with building and maintaining muscle (which will in turn help you burn more calories) but it keeps you fuller for a longer period.

I start my day with a protein-heavy meal and consume protein within one hour of exercising. This will help rebuild and repair damaged muscle fibres quickly.

Here's a sample of what I eat in a day (150 g Protein)

Meal 1: Greek yogurt bowl-54 g + 2 Eggs-16 g

1 cup plain Greek yogurt.

1 tbsp hemp seeds

1 scoop protein powder

Fruit of choice

Meal 2: Homemade burger and side salad-20g

Meal 3: 7oz Chicken, yam fries, and side veggies-40 g

Snack: Grenade protein bar-20 g

4. Eliminate Alcohol

Alcohol is a toxin metabolized in the liver. Fat is also metabolized in the liver. When you consume alcohol, your body puts the fat-burning process on hold and prioritizes breaking down alcohol, since it is a toxin. Not to mention, alcohol is very calories rich. (7 calories per gram)

Should you never drink alcohol again? No, of course not. You can try reducing your alcohol intake for a couple of months and see the results. Reducing my alcohol intake was key to my weight loss journey of dropping 50 lbs.

Check out my blog on how to reduce your caloric intake while drinking alcohol.

5. Reduce stress and get more sleep.

Lack of sleep results in higher ghrelin levels. This hormone increases appetite. Lack of sleep can also lower leptin levels. Leptin inhibits hunger when your body does not need food.

When we are under stress, our bodies release a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol increases our appetites and craves sweet and salty food.

6. Ditch the "all or nothing" mindset

You continue to desperately search for the next quick fix. In the first couple of weeks after taking the latest pill, tea, injection, patch, diet, etc., you notice a difference. You are losing weight quickly, so you have hope. Three months later you have gained all the weight back and more. Let’s say that this is something you've done for years. You try old-fashioned exercise and changing your diet and the weight isn’t coming off. All that yoyo dieting has slowed your metabolism down.

When you are constantly yoyo dieting, your body eventually goes into starvation mode. Your body slows everything down to conserve energy, and you burn less calories throughout the day.

Signs of a slow metabolism:

difficulty losing weight

poor digestion

constipation

hair loss

These can also be symptoms of a thyroid disorder (which can also cause weight gain and slow metabolism). So, it is wise to check it out.

Can I fix a slow metabolism?

Yes-by gradually increasing calories, strength training, eating nutrient-dense food, food low on the glycemic index, and consuming a high-protein diet.

The Bottom Line

Losing fat is a matter of consistency over time. It is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. The sooner you start, the sooner you will reach your goals.