4 Tips To Get Lean
Understand that your body will lose weight by having an energy deficit.
This means that you need to eat less energy than what you burn. It’s actually pretty simple in theory. Putting this into practice is a little more complicated, but I will tell you the most important things you need to know.
Energy output is usually calculated as a standard value. Meaning most sedentary to moderately active men burn 2000-2800 calories daily and women about 1600-2200. To lose weight you need to eat a little less than what you burn. For a man aim at 1800-2200 kcal and for a woman 1500-1800 kcal. This amount of calories is not a lot, and shouldn’t be the norm. This is simply for you to be able to lose weight.
As you can see there’s a large caloric range and for this reason it can be hard to know exactly how much to eat. Test and see after a few weeks if there’s any difference. If there isn’t then reduce slightly the calorie target.
Some people don’t like or don’t want to count calories. The clients who I have trained who have lost weight successfully have all counted calories for a period of time. For this reason I am a big proponent of doing it for at least 1 or 2 weeks. After that you will have a good idea of how much to eat and what. See it as a learning experience of what goes into your body. Some clients were shocked by how many calories certain foods had. Even healthy foods like avocado or salmon. Knowledge is wisdom. Some foods are immensely more caloric than others, which means you will make better decisions in order to reach your goals.
Counting calories is easier than ever with apps that help you do that. Most people use MyFitnessPal. This app allows you to scan the barcode of the food and simply put in the quantity. Make sure to also count what you drink because a big chunk of calories comes from liquids too.
2. Sleep is way more important than you think.
Tests have shown that if you go on a diet and you don’t sleep at least 7-8 hours each night, your results will be quite disappointing. Sleeping enough allows your body to recover, balance your hormones and promote fat-loss. It diminishes cravings and reduces overall hunger, especially for junk food.
Tests have also shown that not sleeping enough, means that if you do lose weight, it will mainly come from muscle rather than fat. That’s right, your body will simply not want to let go of the fat if you don’t sleep enough. Less than 6 hours a night is not going to work.
3. Eat slowly
If you take smaller bites and chew more you will automatically eat less. You will feel full before you finish your plate, very likely. This simple habit has been very effective for me and many others. I used to eat way too fast. I would finish up my plate and then wonder what else I could eat.
By slowing down and eating consciously I started to feel full sooner. I was eating about a quarter less and still feeling very satisfied after my meal. My digestion improved, I felt more energy after my meals and was less sleepy. While I found it hard to do it constantly, I kept on trying and now it’s become the norm to eat a little slower. The stomach takes about 15-20 mins to let the brain know that it’s full. That’s why when we eat quickly we often end up eating way too much.
4. Training doesn't help as much as you think
Most people overestimate how much training helps with fat-loss. Training burns calories but they’re simply not enough to make a big difference. If you run for 30 mins you can burn the same calories as a 90-calorie biscuit. One weight-training session might burn the same amount of calories as two eggs. The point is, rather than running to burn the biscuit, try not to eat the biscuit. A banana has about 100 calories. It is pretty healthy. And yet, it’s still energy. To burn it you would need to train for at least 30-45 mins.
That’s why it’s hard to use training as a way to burn fat. Weight-training builds muscle so that when you lose the fat you love what you see in the mirror. It’s the tone everybody wants. Losing weight without training means you might be a little “saggy” or “deflated” at the end. Building muscle is the best way to avoid that. Cardio is a way to burn a few more calories. Meaning it will help to speed up your weight-loss, but only if you already eat the right amount of energy.
Focusing on your nutrition is the way to lose fat and get leaner. Training is just an add-on to that.
Thank you for reading,
Alessandro
