You Can't Achieve Your Fat Loss Goals Without These. Don't Attempt Without Them.
Over the years we have managed to make health and fitness ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated. There are so many competing schools of thought on what the BEST methods are. I argue that debates on best practice, good versus bad foods, and ideal exercise types is a waste of energy and an area where most of us with fat loss goals are best off spending minimal time thinking about. There are really only a handful of things you need for success and they are ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENTS. If you don’t have these things then your failure is all but guaranteed and you might as well not even start entertaining fat loss fantasies. However, if you just utilize 3 tools you will be 100 percent successful regardless of your situation. Within further ado let’s get started.
Number 1 for reaching your fat loss goals is the all important calorie deficit. Please save your breath if you want to argue carbs versus fat, cardio versus weights, one meal a day versus 6 small meals per day. Throw it all out the window. Pick whatever plan you want and you will absolutely lose fat as long as you follow the magic rule: burn more calories than you consume. It’s that simple. Easy? Well that depends. It pays to have an individualized plan because we are all different. We enjoy different foods, we have different genetic profiles, we have different exercise preferences, we have different schedules and obligations. The list goes on. If you enjoy ice cream then don’t give it up. If you hate high intensity cardio then don’t do it. There is more than one way to skin a cat. The only thing that you HAVE to do to ensure fat loss is keep a calorie deficit. Choose a plan that you enjoy that most easily allows you to effectively manage energy balance, roll with it, and don’t look back!
The number 2 requirement for reaching any fat loss goal is time. At first glance this may seem way too simple and nowhere near a secret, but I would venture to say that it is extremely under-appreciated. In our microwave culture too few of us have patience. We have learned to judge fat loss protocols according to how long they take to complete. I have been guilty of this myself, but this begs a very serious question: What’s the rush. Take some time to consider why your fat loss goal is so urgent. If we are honest with ourselves we will often find that it is not. Consider this. You can follow a poorly drafted plan (the types you have likely already tried i.e. time wasted) or you can follow a well-drafted effective one. Would you prefer the supposed “quick” one that doesn’t work or you can’t sustain or the effective one that may take a little longer but is part of a healthy lifestyle you are happy to adopt. I think most would choose the latter. One program leaves you spending your time spinning your wheels to get nowhere. The other finds you on the other side of fitness with time well invested. No matter what, it is important to remember that the change you desire won’t occur overnight so the best mindset is to strap in, get comfortable, and enjoy the journey. If you don’t allow time for the process, then your fat loss goals will not be reached. It’s like expecting to run a marathon in 10 minutes. It doesn’t work.
The last requirement for reaching any fat loss goal is commitment. This is a huge one. You CANNOT succeed on your fitness journey if you are too easily distracted or discouraged, and you MUST trust the process. A very common fat loss mistake is believing that as long as your calorie deficit is intact then you will never gain weight. That is false. The only way that you could guarantee that is if you eat the exact same thing every day, you do the exact same amount of activity every day, your hormones and stress levels are identical every day, and all of these exact things happen at the exact same time every day. Since this is not the case, you WILL experience multiple days when weight increases. People who do not trust the process and follow through will not recognize that this weight gain is not due to fat. They will give up on the plan declaring that it simply doesn’t work and move on to the next fad or blame their genetics. Another fatal mistake fitness seekers make is overindulging in high calorie food and figure “well I already messed up my diet so I might as well quit.” I am a firm believer that the only people who lose are those who quit. One event does not determine your fate. Only those who can roll with the punches and keep going when the unexpected occurs (because it always will) will ultimately find success.
These 3 things are all you need to reach your fat loss goals: a deficit, time, and commitment. If any of these pieces are missing then failure is certain. Before attempting a fitness journey take an honest inventory of yourself and make sure you are the type of person who will embrace these 3 facets because it’s the only way. Once you do and you implement your plan you will transform your body with relative ease. You’ll look back on your journey without regret, satisfied with the time well spent. It will pass anyway. Make it count. Until next time.
-Chris