THE FAT LOSS PYRAMID

1) ESTABLISH A CALORIC DEFICIT

If you want to drop body fat, the number one thing you need to prioritize is… being in a calorie deficit. To lose body fat, you have to expend more energy than you consume. It’s that simple! If your weight on the scales isn’t decreasing, you’re most likely not in the right deficit.

2) DAILY PROTEIN INTAKE

Protein is the number one macronutrient which is going to aid your fat loss efforts. It helps you maintain your muscle mass, and promotes muscle growth when you do strength training. Protein has a high Thermic Effect of Food (20-30%) which means you get an increase in metabolic rate after ingestion of a meal. Protein also keeps you satiated and reduces your appetite / cravings.

You should aim to consume 0.8g – 1.2g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

So if you are 160lb, you should aim to consume 130g-190g of protein per day.

3) STRENGTH TRAINING

Cardio bursts are an effective way to burn calories during a workout, but strength training is much more effective for burning calories throughout the entire day. When you do strength training you are using much larger muscle groups to perform the exercises, which results in an increased demand of energy output. On top of this, when you add extra muscle to your frame you will increase your resting metabolic rate, which means throughout a 24 hour period you will be burning more calories. Strength training can be performed using many forms of workout routines (For example: Weight training, CrossFit, Metabolic Conditioning, HIIT)

4) QUALITY SLEEP

A good 6-8 hours of sleep per night is paramount for optimal performance, as well as fat loss. Sleep is the body’s time to repair itself from the physical stress it goes through in the day.

Better sleep equals better recovery.

Working out on no sleep means your body hasn’t fully recovered from your workout the day before, and if you put your body through another strenuous workout the day after not getting a good night’s sleep, the effects will only begin to multiply. When we sleep, we move into what is known as an anabolic phase, which literally means rebuilding. Our cortisol and adrenaline levels decrease allowing the body to replenish, repair and rebuild.

5) CARDIO

Believe it or not, cardio is the least most important thing to focus on for effective fat loss in this pyramid.

Infact… you can still lose weight and burn fat without ever stepping on a treadmill.

However, there are some benefits of doing cardio. Cardio is great for burning through additional calories to keep you in a deficit. Its great to improve your fitness (especially your cardiovascular fitness) and lung function. Cardio sessions are also a great way to clear your head, get a sweat on, and get a release of those feel good endorphins. You should look at cardio as a supplement to your workout routine, not a necessity.