The main problem in terms of losing fat is the lack of planning and structure!
Should you be forever in a calorie deficit?
The process of losing body fat is actually very simple. You eat less, you move more or you do both at the same time. Combining this with correct sleep, correct digestion and adequate hydration is the win/win formula.
The problem that you’re probably facing is: “For how long should I be on a diet to lose fat and how long is gonna take me to get there?
This is why I want to help you by giving you some structure so you can plan ahead how you are going to break down your fat loss goal. It could be 10 lb or 50lb. Doesn’t matter, having a structure and a vision will keep you focused, motivated, and looking forward to the next step ahead.
Before: The concept of the diet break.
Over the years ,and after coaching many individuals, I’ve realised that the main problem in terms of losing fat is the lack of planning and structure. Why?
You are probably thinking now that for you to achieve your dream body you need to kill yourself exercising and being on a diet plan the rest of your life. What If I tell you that’s NOT the case?
You could either have a weekly menu, you could be on a every day diet, you could be counting calories. They all work for your goal, however, for how long are you planning to be on a calorie deficit?
This is when the diet break concept takes its place. When you’ve been dieting down (in whichever form) for a while (weeks/months) , you could get to a point where your energy starts to drop. How is this possible?! You’ve been on the same calories for a while and it’s time for you for a break not only for your body but for your mind.
Allow yourself 1 week when you don’t track calories, you’re off plan, and you can experience a bit of freedom. This will give you the chance to recharge batteries, get some energy back after all your hard work.
Don’t get me wrong, it is not a week to go crazy and order takeaways every day. You still want to be sensible. You will probably put some weight on but WHO CARES. This is not the goal. Think about something:
If you could find a method that will allow you to stick to the plan all year long, you could keep going for quite a while before you find yourself stuck in the process. This is why implementing a diet break every 8-10 weeks is highly recommended.
Having structure and planning ahead.
I want to give you the example of someone who wants to lose 20lb but also wants to build muscle and achieve a body transformation followed by a photoshoot. Let’s give a time frame of 9 months.
The goal is to lose 2 pounds/week. For many of you this will be no relevant. You could be dramatically changing in pictures while the scales aren’t changing much. So don’t panic.
The psychology of staying on track.
I am a firm believer that if you don’t know what you want to achieve, what your fitness goals are, then , how are you going to design a plan for it? This applies to losing fat too.
When using the calendar and numbers it is so much easier to know what’s the plan for your current month. This way you won’t get frustrated because you’re not meeting your expectations.
