If you are looking to lose weight you’ve probably searched far and wide. I’m sure you’ve seen all the internet’s and influencer’s best kept “secrets to fat loss” and 5 day magic juice cleanses. Maybe you’ve even been trying to lose weight but cannot get rid of those last 5 – 15lbs of stubborn fat. I’m here to tell you that your struggle is not uncommon. In fact, despite all the things in life we can get quickly these days, weight loss is not one of them. Let me rephrase that; weight loss is not one of them if you are looking to maintain your weight loss long term.

You can control the rate in which you make progress with weight loss. But the changes you make for faster progress are usually difficult and unappealing to then sustain in your day-to-day life long term. Eventually leading you down the road of gaining the weight back and yo-yo dieting. For example, the Keto diet. Many people see significant fat loss in the first few weeks-months when trying Keto. Now, if Keto works for you, that’s great. I’m not here to yuck your yum. I’m just here to tell you Keto is not the secret to fat loss. Intermittent fasting is not the secret to fat loss. Cutting carbs is not the secret to fat loss. There is no secret to fat loss. There is one thing all these trends have in common: they get people eating less.

There is only one way to lose fat and it is by being in a calorie deficit.

A calorie deficit means eating less than what your body needs to maintain it’s current weight. If you are eating less than what your body needs, your body will adjust by decreasing it’s needs through weight lost. A simple equation to figure out your calorie deficit is by taking your goal body weight in lbs x 12. So if you currently weight 175 lbs, but would like to lose 25 lbs, your goal weight is 150 lbs. 150 x 12 = 1,800. 1,800 calories / day would be your daily calorie defifit for weight loss. This does not meant that you need to hit 1,800 calories every day. There are a few different ways you can approach a calorie deficit. First of all, download an app for tracking your calories. I recommend myfitnesspal to my clients. There are paid features you can buy, but overall the app is free for your food logging needs. Second, decide if you would like to aim for the same set calories every day, or alternate between higher calories days and lower calorie days. This is based on personal preference. I reccomend aiming for a range of calories rather than one strict number. Going with the 1,800 example, I would tell you to aim for 1,700-1,900 calories / day. Now decide if you would like to set that range as your goal every day, or alternate, as I mentioned, between higher calorie days and lower calorie days. If you know you are hungrier on the days you work out, maybe you make your calorie limit 2,000 for those 3 days each week. That means, in order to maintain an average of ~1,800 calories per day, you would need to set your limit to 1,650 (or let’s say <1,700 just to round it up nicely) the other 4 days of the week. This allows for the flexibility of eating more on the days you desire while still sticking to your calorie deficit. I give this as an option for weekends as well. Maybe 2,000 calories is for Friday-Sunday, and you stick to <1,700 Monday – Thursday. Now- what about that stubborn fat? Let’s talk about it.

Unfortunately, we can’t control where we gain and lose fat. My shoulders and armpit area hold a bit more fat than I would like. I know I could get this area looking more lean, but I don’t have the desire to do that. Why? Because here’s the thing when it comes to “stubborn fat”: losing those last 5-15lbs (I give this range because those last 5lbs for a 5’1″ feels equivalent to losing those last 15lbs for a 6’2″ male) is very difficult. We know how to lose it, we just mapped out the process with a calorie deficit. But it is difficult to maintain that level of lean. Your fat is not stubborn, you’re just not maintaining enough of a deficit to lose that last bit of fat. And this is where you have to weigh out your pros and cons. Does that stubborn fat matter so much to you that it is worth restricting yourself to the extent you need in order to lose and keep it off? I’m a 5”5″ female with 19% body fat. I know I could get to around 16% and look more lean and defined, but the fact is I don’t care enough to do it. My health is in a great place. Losing more body fat would be for a looks/physique goal. There is nothing wrong with that. 16% body fat would not put my health in danger. It is not my personal goal to achieve that level of lean right now because I know it would mean being in a calorie deficit that is not appealing for the lifestyle I enjoy. Eating what I want when I’m out at a restaurant, drinking socially on the weekends, having a sweet treat at night, etc., these are things that I am not willing to compromise. I already make a conscious effort for balance and moderation with these habits so that I am not ruining my progress. Limiting myself more is not a priority for me. Maybe one day I will want to as a challenge or experiment. But for now, my lifestlye choices and habits align with my health and fitness goals.

I hope this post helps you do the same.

Meg xx