Eating More to Lose Fat
There’s a lot of images on social media featuring guys (and girls) who appear ’shredded’, but seem to post a lot of content about how much they eat. So, how is it possible they look they way they do yet appear to eat so much? In the most genuine cases, the following will be true…
➡️ They aren’t always on a diet.
You can’t build a strong physique by being in a calorie deficit all the time. Your muscles need adequate energy to grow. Alternating your lifestyle between phases of fat loss and muscle-building is key (the fitness industry call this'Periodisation’).
➡️ They most likely prioritise strength training (using weights) more than cardio.
Having more muscle means you will have a higher metabolism, which means more calories are burned throughout the day, contributing to fat loss. Try strength training 2-4 times a week if possible, and remember - you wont always be sweaty after a strength workout, but you will definitely feel tired!
➡️ They wont use the weight scales to track progress. Weight scales never tell the full the story; a person’s weight can increase by up to 5 pounds overnight depending on their eating and physical activities the day before, but the change is highly unlikely to be fat. It is more likely to be water retention / reduction, which will alter again over the next few days. Instead, focus on how you feel, and take regular progress photos and measurements - especially of those areas you wish to see change.
➡️ They will most likely have an abundance mindset, as opposed to a restrictive one. Instead of focusing on everything they can’t have, they will focus on the foods that will help them build muscle and drop fat; they will ADD more vegetables to their plate. They will ADD more protein to promote muscle growth. They will ADD more water to stay hydrated (remember muscle composition is 70% water, 23% protein and 7% other nutrients)
There’s a lot of images on social media featuring guys (and girls) who appear ’shredded’, but seem to post a lot of content about how much they eat.
So, how is it possible they look they way they do yet appear to eat so much? In the most genuine cases, the following will be true…
➡️ They aren’t always on a diet.
You can’t build a strong physique by being in a calorie deficit all the time. Your muscles need adequate energy to grow. Alternating your lifestyle between phases of fat loss and muscle-building is key (the fitness industry call this'Periodisation’).
➡️ They most likely prioritise strength training (using weights) more than cardio.
Having more muscle means you will have a higher metabolism, which means more calories are burned throughout the day, contributing to fat loss. Try strength training 2-4 times a week if possible, and remember - you wont always be sweaty after a strength workout, but you will definitely feel tired!
➡️ They wont use the weight scales to track progress. Weight scales never tell the full the story; a person’s weight can increase by up to 5 pounds overnight depending on their eating and physical activities the day before, but the change is highly unlikely to be fat. It is more likely to be water retention / reduction, which will alter again over the next few days. Instead, focus on how you feel, and take regular progress photos and measurements - especially of those areas you wish to see change.
➡️ They will most likely have an abundance mindset, as opposed to a restrictive one. Instead of focusing on everything they can’t have, they will focus on the foods that will help them build muscle and drop fat; they will ADD more vegetables to their plate. They will ADD more protein to promote muscle growth. They will ADD more water to stay hydrated (remember muscle composition is 70% water, 23% protein and 7% other nutrients)
Understanding these points will hopefully help you have a better relationship with food, and also help you enjoy exercising more as you’ll see progress faster. Trust the process and enjoy the journey!