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Two Unusual Strategies That I Use With My Clients To Help Them Lose Body Fat

If you're someone who's looking to lose weight and improve your body composition, you've probably tried a variety of diets and exercise routines which probably looked like this: eat less calories, work out harder. But sometimes these methods actually won't work. In this article, we'll explore two unconventional methods that may seem strange at first but have been proven to be effective.

Key Takeaways

Increasing your calorie intake can be counterintuitive but sometimes it is actually helpful even in a fat loss phase. It helps to maintain a healthy metabolism and avoid or minimize plateaus.
Incorporating strength training into your routine is crucial for building muscle and achieving your weight loss goals, however sometimes doing less will give better results. This is the case if the current workout routine is causing the body too much stress.
Quick fix diets with unrealistic expectations can harm your progress and it's important to check your expectations and understand a healthy weight loss pace.

What You Should Know About Calorie Deficit for Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, creating a calorie deficit is a crucial step. However, it is important to approach this in a responsible and sustainable way. Here are some tips that will be helpful in achieving your weight loss goals:

Before you go into a cut, make sure you are eating enough. It may sound strange, but if you are not eating enough calories, your body will hold on to fat rather than burning it. So, before creating a calorie deficit, make sure you are eating enough to support your body's needs. For most women this should be at least around 2000 calories per day (depends on the size, age and activity level of the individual, but the idea here is that you can't create a calorie deficit when you eat only 1500 calories per day!)
Create a deficit that's about 15% of your maintenance level (again, it varies — some people need to cut only 10%, larger people can reduce 20 or even up to 25%).
Don't expect rapid weight loss. While it may be tempting to try fad diets that promise rapid weight loss, these are not sustainable and can actually do more harm than good. Aim for a weight loss rate of about half a pound to two pounds per week, which is a healthy pace that is more likely to be sustainable in the long term.

Counterintuitive Strategy for Weight Loss #1: Sometimes It's Better to Increase Calories

When a person is ready for fat loss — she is currently eating enough, don't have major health problems and her metabolism seems to be in a healthy place, we get started with a calorie deficit.

And here's the counterintuitive strategy when it comes to nutrition: If I see that a person is starting to lose weight very fast, I actually raise their calories a little bit.

That is, if the loss is more than 2.5 lbs week after week, I will increase the calories a little bit. Increasing calories may sound counterintuitive because people tend to think that they need to cut as much as they can handle, without realizing that eating more helps to keep the metabolism healthier. By keeping the calories higher, you are less likely to experience plateaus or if you do experience plateaus, you can get through them faster. Also, you are more likely to stick with your plan better because your calories are not going to be ridiculously low.

The goal is to always eat as much as possible while getting the result that you want to get. And if we can keep the calories higher, that's what we should do!

Avoid Quick Fix Diets

Quick fix diets that promise fast weight loss are not healthy and have done a lot of damage. They set people's expectations in a very unhealthy way and make them think that their weight should come down 4 lbs per week or 15-20 lbs per month…. However, these diets are not sustainable, and people often gain back the weight they lost. It's important to check your expectations and understand that slow and steady weight loss is the best way to achieve long-term results.

More about that a bit later in this article. For now, let's look at the second counterintuitive strategy for fat loss.

Counterintuitive Strategy for Weight Loss #2: You May Need to Work Out Less

This depends on the person and how many workouts and what kinds of workouts they are doing.

If a person is very sedentary then of course, there's nothing to reduce!

But if the person is working out hard several times a week and showing signs of overtraining, she is not recovering, she notices suddenly increased cravings, is constantly being achy tired and inflamed — then in this case, it's better to take down the workout intensity and/or volume.

This also depends on the level of stress that's present in person's life at the moment. If there is a lot going on, many different pressures and stressors, then we do not need to add any more stress in the form of workouts. Of course, ideally we would eliminate or reduce those life stressors but this is not always possible. In this case pushing the body to the max with more physical activity is not what we want to do.

We can reduce the workout activity but still doing great workouts. You may go from 5 one-hour workouts per week to 3 workouts that are 30-40 minutes in length, and get better results — as long as you spend your time wisely and focus on heavy lifting.

Understanding Weight Loss Pace

When it comes to weight loss, it's important to understand that the pace at which you lose weight can vary and depends on several factors, such as your starting weight and body composition. Generally speaking, a healthy weight loss pace is about half a pound to two pounds per week. However, it's important to note that this is not a linear process and can vary from person to person.

It's important to check your expectations when it comes to weight loss. Quick fix diets that promise rapid weight loss, like 4 lbs per week or 15-20 lbs per month can be tempting, which is unrealistic if you want to do it the healthy way. Let's talk about that next.

Misconceptions We've Learned from Quick Fix Diets

Quick fix diets have become a popular trend in the weight loss industry, and many people have fallen prey to their promises of fast and easy weight loss. However, these diets often come with misconceptions that can harm your health and sabotage your weight loss efforts. Here are some common misconceptions from quick fix diets that you should be aware of:

Misconception 1: Losing weight quickly is better. Many quick fix diets promise rapid weight loss, but losing weight too quickly can actually be harmful to your health. It can lead to nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, and a slower metabolism, making it harder to maintain your weight loss in the long run.
Misconception 2: Cutting calories drastically is the best way to lose weight. While creating a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, cutting calories too drastically can be counterproductive. It can slow down your metabolism, making it harder to lose weight and easier to gain it back once you stop being on your “diet”.
Misconception 3: Supplements and detoxes are essential for weight loss. Many quick fix diets promote the use of supplements and detoxes to help you lose weight faster. Some supplements can be useful for your health, but they will never be the magic pill for your weight loss. Detoxes are never a sustainable weight loss strategy!

By understanding these misconceptions from quick fix diets, you can make more informed choices about your weight loss journey. Remember, sustainable weight loss takes time and effort, but it's worth it in the end for a healthier and happier you.

Conclusion

When it comes to weight loss, there are some counterintuitive tools that may seem strange at first but can actually be effective in helping you achieve your goals. Here are two tools that may seem controversial but have been used successfully by many people:

Keep your calories as high as possible, even when in weight loss phase: If you're already in a calorie deficit and losing weight quickly, it may seem counterintuitive to increase your calories. However, if you start losing weight too fast, more than 2.5 lbs per week every week, then raising your calorie intake will be a good idea. When you lose weight too quickly, your body can become stressed and your metabolic rate can slow down. As mentioned before, a good weight loss rate is about half a pound to two pounds a week, depending on your starting weight and size.
If a person is already overtrained or has a hard time recovering, then reducing the workout volume and intensity will be helpful: It's not true that if 3 workouts per week were good then 6 will be better. The right amount of workouts for you is the one that keeps you energized and well-recovered, not achy, inflamed and exhausted.

By incorporating these counterintuitive tools into your weight loss plan, you can achieve your goals in a healthy and sustainable way. Remember to be patient and consistent, and don't let unrealistic expectations from quick-fix diets derail your progress.

Join the Fit and Fuel Facebook Group

If you are looking for a community that shares your passion for fitness and healthy living, then join the Fit and Fuel Facebook group! It is a completely free group that offers a lot of fun activities, challenges, and resources to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Currently, the group is running a 10-day 10,000 steps challenge where members are encouraged to take 10,000 steps every day. The winner of the challenge will receive an Amazon gift card and a three-month free use of the Train to Build workout program. To participate in this challenge, you only need to post a picture of your Fitbit, ordering, or pedometer data in the group.

Besides the challenges, the group also offers valuable resources such as mobility and stretching videos that can help you improve your flexibility and reduce the risk of injury during workouts. By joining the group, you will also have access to a supportive community of like-minded individuals who can offer you motivation, inspiration, and accountability.