Sorry, but most people have it all wrong! They have not idea how to lose weight. They are as confused as hell! It isn’t that complicated as long as you understand the ultimate hierarchy are weight loss. Too many individuals worry about the insignificant details like relying on supplements to burn fat, or think nutrient timing is the magic bullet. What about carb cycling? Intermittent fasting? That must be the key to melting away tons of fat fast. What does this all lead to? Tremendous CONFUSION, and soon disappointment!

Allow me to make it much easier for you. Losing fat is pretty straight forward as long as you fully understand the basics. Sorry – quick fixes, magic pills, and diets will not deliver long term results. I will carefully break it down for you here. Read carefully, and you can block out all the ridiculous noise that penetrates the fat loss industry. Here is what you must know in order to succeed:

Hierarchy of How To Lose Fat The Right Way

The following concepts are listed in most important to least important in regards to weight loss.  Please understand, and place the greatest emphasis on concept 1, 2, and 3 for ultimate success.

Most important –

1.  Energy Balance (caloric intake) vs. (caloric expenditure)

For your weight to stay the same, over time,  you must take in the same amount of energy (calories in) that you are expending (calories burned).  If you ingest more calories by eating more, over time, than you expend (burn off), then you will gain fat. On the other hand, if you take in less calories than your body burns off, then you will lose weight. This is the 1st Law of Thermodynamics – energy is neither created, nor destroyed, only transformed or modified in form. Eating just 150 calories more a day consistently than you burn off can lead to an extra 5 pounds of fat  over 6 months.

It is critical for you to be aware of how many calories you are taking in each day. In order to make it simple, if your bodyweight has been stable for months, then you are eating as much as you are burning off each day. That means you are in an energy balance.  Once you determine your daily maintenance calories then begin decreasing them by 200 – 500 each day consistently in order to enter a negative caloric balance. That is when fat is burned for fuel.

2.  Macronutrients – Where your calories come from.

Macronutrients are nutrients in the foods we eat that provide calories or energy.  There are 3 macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat).  Your macronutrient ratios are a percentage of the diet each of these particular nutrients fits in.  Since not all macronutrient calories are created equal the ratios can effect body composition. Protein, for example, takes more energy (calories) to digest than carbs, and fat.  This is why it is important to know your macros.

Depending upon the particular context a good rule of thumb if you are on a fat loss plan, and exercise, is to eat approximately 40% lean protein,  40% carbs, and 20% fat.  During a weight loss plan it is best to keep protein stable, and decrease the carbs, and/or fat percentage.

There is an eating plan called IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) which has weight loss participants focus more on hitting macro numbers, or a certain percentage of the daily diet for each macronutient. Even though monitoring calories are important the plan doesn’t focus on calories as much as if the food fits your macro ratio. This allow for a more flexible dieting approach.

Golden Rule –  If losing fat is your main goal, then start by decreasing the percentage of carbohydrates in your diet to help facilitate a caloric deficient.

Macronutrient ratios are the second most important aspect you should be monitoring. They are not as important as overall caloric intake, but right there in your how to lose weight plan.

3.  Micronutrients – also referred to as vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.

Micronutrients are important dietary components (vitamins/minerals) required by the body in small amounts to help prevent disease, and well being.

It is important to eat a good variety of foods in order to meet your requirement of micronutrients. Appropriate micronutrients are essential for overall health which can help facilitate optimal fat loss.

Please don’t believe that taking a large amount of micronutrients is the key to weight loss. It plays a role, but not as significant as being in a caloric deficit, and monitoring your macronutrient ratios.

4. Nutrient timing

Nutrient timing is simply eating specific nutrients (ex: protein, carbs) in specific amounts at specific times. An example of this would be ingesting 30 grams of protein post workout in order to ignite muscle protein synthesis.  Or, ingesting carbs prior to a strength training workout with the objective of having a plethora of available fuel for the training session.

According to the data as of now nutrient timing may not be as important as we once thought.  Once again context comes into play. If you are a competitive athlete that trains twice a day, then nutrient timing will be beneficial. However, for the everyday person who exercises and has a goal of weight loss it is not as important as you might think. Why?  Because you will have plenty of time to replenish those nutrients though the day to help spike muscle protein synthesis, and glycogen buildup.

If you are basing your entire fat loss program on nutrient timing then you will be disappointed.  It is just a small piece of the puzzle.

5.  Meal Frequency

Meal frequency is a highly debated topic in the how to lose weight arena.  Should you eat many meals throughout the day in order to benefit from the thermic affect of food?  Should you ingest 30 grams of protein five times a day in order to ignite muscle protein synthesis? How important is frequency when it come to optimal weight loss?

How many times you eat only plays a small role in the entire fat loss process.

Once again, it all comes down to context. If your goal is to add, or maintain muscle throughout the fat melting process, and you are strength training hard, then it would be a good idea to eat at least 30 grams of high quality protein with each meal getting 4, or 5 feeding each day.

Please note that increasing meal frequency does not appear to favorably change body composition in sedentary populations. Active training populations may be a different story, but meal frequency is not the end all be all when it comes to decreasing body fat.

6.  Supplementation

Please, please, please understand that supplements are exactly what the word means – SUPPLEMENTS to a diet. When it comes to weight loss supplementation is the least important aspect. If you are not in a negative energy balance, paying attention to your macros, eating the necessary micronutrients, considering timing, and frequency, then you are wasting your time and money with “fat burning” supplements. You will be mighty disappointed!  Supplements are the last thing you should be focused on. LAST means least important in how to lose fat.

After reading this article you now know how to lose fat correctly. Don’t fall for all the quick fix potions, or swirling misinformation. Make sure you focus on topics 1 – 6 in the order of importance, and weight loss will come your way.  Don’t fall for all the confusion!

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