As much as we can become scale obsessed, wanting to see that number go down, what we TRULY want is fat loss.

I mean would you honestly care what that scale said if you loved how your arms looked in that tank top or fit back into your “skinny jeans?”

NOPE! 

You wouldn’t.

And I can tell you from personal experience, fat loss doesn’t always mean losing weight on that scale. It can actually mean your weight doesn’t change at all as you lose fat but gain and retain lean muscle.

So in the end?

You look leaner but you haven’t lost any weight.

I mention all of this because I think so often we strive for faster results on the scale or greater weight loss and ultimately hold ourselves back from true body recomposition.

We do these extremes that don’t help us retain lean muscle and even cause us to lose it. 

And then after maybe seeing some fast weight loss results from extreme deprivation that depletes our muscles of glycogen, causes us to lose water weight and maybe some fat but also muscle, we just end up regaining the weight.

And the worst part is…none of the weight we regain is necessarily muscle! So we ultimately end up worse off than where we started.

So if you actually want to lose fat? You need to stop seeking quick and dramatic scale changes.

You need to be a bit more ready to trust the process and implement these 3 key tips!

#1: Focus on protein!

Sorry but if you want the best body recomposition results? You can’t simply focus on calories in vs calories out.

While there is flexibility to how you dial in your carbs and fats, PROTEIN IS KEY.

If you want to build and retain lean muscle while in a calorie deficit, you need to get more protein.

It’s why calories are not created equal. The type matters. And a deficit can be dramatically impacted by how you’re adjusting those macros.

#2: Don’t go extreme on that calorie deficit

I know we think that if we eat less, we will lose more, but dramatic calorie deficits are the biggest reason honestly why we can’t stay consistent with our diets.

We get too hungry.

We cut our calories so low we interrupt proper hormonal functioning. We cause metabolic adaptations.

And we end up losing just as much muscle as fat.

Not to mention our workouts suffer.

Basically, trying to do more, ends up making us feel miserable while we not only achieve less but sometimes even suffer some nasty consequences.

It is much better to create a smaller calorie deficit or even just start with the current calories we are consuming while adjusting our macro breakdown.

Especially the older we get. Previous extreme dieting practices often make it harder to lose weight as we get older. And by slashing calories to the extreme, we can also hinder ourselves from building and retaining lean muscle – which does become harder as we get older!

And then don’t try to out exercise your diet to burn more calories. This not only leads to overtraining but often muscle catabolism as well.

#3: Strength Training

You’ll notice the first two of these are diet related, but that doesn’t mean workouts don’t play there part. 

Especially when it comes to helping you build the lean muscle mass that not only promotes better fat loss but also makes you look leaner!

So often we turn to cardio for weight loss because of the higher calorie burn in our workouts, but we need to stop seeing our workouts as purely a way to burn more calories.

That’s shortsighted not to mention, as we get stronger and fitter, we adjust.

So unless you’re running or cycling constantly for longer or further or faster, your body is going to adjust. So while your watch may tell you that you’re still burning a ton of calories, you’re most likely not still burning the same amount as when you started.

Your body becomes more efficient. That’s why it can do more more easily.

That’s why strength training is key. It helps you build lean muscle to even burn more calories at rest. It helps keep your metabolic rate higher. And it also fuels your other cardio activities you may enjoy.

It can also fight against the catabolic affect of those more steady-state cardio activities.

And as we get older? 

Strength training becomes even more important as it becomes harder to gain and retain lean muscle! Building muscle helps us avoid some of the metabolic slowdown we associate with getting older!

SUMMARY:

So if you want to lose fat?

Stop trying to rush the process. Focus on these 3 key things and you’ll see those long term results actually adding up!

Want some delicious, macro-friendly recipes to help you hit your ratios and get results?

Check out my Cookbook Collection!