A Critical Mistake with Fat Loss
People ask me how to lose fat more quickly.
But many people ignore the one element that
MUST happen for fat loss to occur. So I want
to emphasize this to you:
The only way you can ever lose fat is: consume
fewer calories than your body expends.
If you are not losing weight, then you are
consuming more calories than you are expending.
In case you missed it, I’ll repeat:
If you are not losing weight, then you are
consuming more calories than you are expending.
Now, read the following closely. If you are not
losing weight, then there is a 100% chance that
you are consuming more calories than you are
expending.
It seems obvious, doesn’t it?
Let’s play detective…
Here’s an actual conversation I’ve had 50+ times
with 50+ different people. See if you can spot
anything that may be restraining this person
from attaining his desires.
Someone: “I just can’t seem to lose any weight.
What can I do?”
Me: “First, how have you been eating?”
Someone: “I eat very healthy. My diet is good.”
Me: “I’m sure you do, but you might be…” (cut off)
Someone: “I know how to eat healthy. I worked
with a nutritionist once. This morning I ate
low-fat organic waffles with fresh strawberries
from the farmer’s market and orange juice
from orange trees in South America that have
a naturally-occurring fat-burning compound
that also gives me better skin. I had a free-range
grilled chicken sandwich for lunch. See? I took
all of the diet advice of my psychic, my
chiropractor, and a nutritionist who has consulted
fifteen world leaders and who is smarter than
Garry Kasparov. I’m proud of my diet and I
refuse to discuss it because I know that I’m
eating right. I know the problem is my exercise
routine.”
Me: “Well, if you…” (cut off)
Someone: “My diet is right for me and we don’t
need to discuss it.”
As you read that, could you identify anything
askew in this person’s assessment, given his
goals?
Sometimes I feel frustrated when I try to help
people.
No matter what “healthy” foods you eat, if you
don’t consume fewer calories than you expend,
you will never lose weight.
By eating high-quality foods you may feel more
energetic and more satiated. You might even eat fewer
calories without realizing it. Or you might not.
Weight loss is simple: calories in minus calories
out equals how many calories are stored or burned.
Exercise, especially resistance training, can speed
up fat loss in a couple of ways, but only if this
condition is met: calories in < calories out.
Now, the following is what I used to think…
If I consumed the same number of calories and
expended more calories, by doing more activity,
that should work, too.
In practice, however, this often does not work.
There are reasons for this, which we can discuss
another time; I want to get to what is useful for
you. For now, consider that in practice, the most
effective approach for most people might be to eat
fewer calories.
Burning calories through activity fails for many
people in the short-term. It fails for almost all
people in the long-term.
And even if you were able to work off all excess
calories you ate, both eating excess calories and
increasing your activity are stresses on your body.
These stresses may accelerate the aging process
if they are unnecessary.
Let’s focus on HOW you can eat fewer calories, so
you can start right now.
If you eat a proper balance of food at each meal
(adequate protein, lots of vegetables and fruits, and
adequate healthy fats), you will feel more satiated as
you fuel your body and brain to run better.
Most people experience fewer cravings eating this
way. Many will eat fewer calories without realizing
it, and they might lose weight as a result.
Others improve their results the most by monitoring
their food and caloric intake, writing it down, and
reporting it to someone.
If you try eating more balanced meals and don’t
experience weight loss, you may want to try monitor
your eating in this way.
I like to keep a food journal a couple of times per year,
filling it out every day for a few weeks.
When I haven’t seen a clear accounting of what I’m
eating for a while, I drift slowly away from eating
what is the optimal fuel for my body.
Whenever I bring my eating back up from where it’s
slipped to, and get it to optimal, I feel amazing, and
I have more focus and energy. I feel a noticeable quality
of life difference between eating 85% and 95%
of optimal.
We have a simple food diary that we offer
to our clients. It allows them to track calories they
consume each meal and each day. It also allows
for recording ratios of nutrients, so we can help to
fine-tune the optimal balance.
Our food diary even includes a way to monitor
and curtail stress eating.
If you don’t have our food diary, you can simply
write in a blank notebook the time and content of
each meal and snack. If you’re a client, email me
now and I’ll send you a PDF diary page. And I’ll
be happy to show you how to use it.
For guidance on getting the optimal dietary balance
I mentioned above, I recommend a book called
A Week in the Zone, by Barry Sears.
One other tip: eat often, and never starve yourself–
not even for a short length of time.
You can accelerate your results by eating small
amounts all day long, consuming something at least
once every 4-5 hours . See A Week in the Zone for
tips on how to do this, as well.
If you restrict your calories but don’t exercise
properly, you’ll lose muscle tissue. You won’t become
lean and defined. Your metabolism will slow, and
you’ll gain weight more easily in the future.
Resistance-based exercise helps you burn fat and
stay lean.
If you are too busy for that, we can show you
how to accomplish what you need in just 20
minutes per week.
You can read about how to qualify for a
one-on-one introductory workout with us at
Just scroll down to the section called “The Next Step.”
It’s your life. Can you afford to put this off another
month? Or, gulp, another year? I encourage you to
do something today.
And I’ll talk to you again soon.
To health and life,
