The 4 STAGES of HEALTHY FAT LOSS
Since MOST people on this page, eventually WANT to lose some fat, let's get REAL about what that looks like.
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What you should know is HEALTHY fat loss is NOT sexy. It's boring, it takes commitment, it takes consistency, time and patiences. Yet, it can be life changing!
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Here are my 4 STAGES of Healthy FAT loss.
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STEP 1. Build the foundation (your metabolism).
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This is going to be the BIGGEST hurdle for most people. If your metabolism has been on the fritz (low body temperature, low pulse, sleep issues, fatigue, painful period, no sex drive) for a while, you have to FIRST rebuild your foundation (your metaboilsm) before attempting fat loss.
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This is going to include EVERYTHHING I talk about on this page and in my book. This is the HEALING stage. Phase 1 can take a few months or a few years, depending on your starting point and how much effort, time and patiences you give your body.
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Phase 1 may include:
👉Stress reduction
👉Eating more of the RIGHT carbs
👉Reducing PUFA
👉Eating more bioavailable protein
👉Food logging
👉Monitoring temp/pulse
👉Monitoring symptoms
👉Using food to support energy demands
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THIS is the phase you get to LEARN about what your body NEEDS nutritionally, emotionally, physically, etc. THIS is the phase you have to be gentle and kind with yourself WHILE also setting boundaries with yourself and others and being disciplined to make changes.
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Phase 1 may also include
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👉Daily movement
👉Body weight exercises OR light weight training
👉Sun exposure
👉Doing things you love
👉Taking time for yourself
👉Creating boundaries
👉Finding joy in your life
👉Less food restriction
👉Creating a good sleep schedule
👉Removing toxic chemicals from your life
👉Reducing medications
👉Creating space for change
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Healing is NOT meant to be rushed. Yet, you can move through it quicker by being consistent, food logging, paying attention to temp, pulse and symptoms.
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MANY people will LOSE weight/fat in this phase. As their body adjusts to better food, less stress, more sleep, sun, daily movement, etc. their weight will shift.
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While others, may need to work through phases 2, 3 and 4.
After you have a built a solid metabolic foundation (temps and pulse are UP, pooping daily, sleeping through the night, stable energy, you want to have sex, and you do not want to kill people while on your periods), you need to establish how many calories you can consume to maintain your weight AND stay healthy.
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STEP 2: Figure out your maintenance calories
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Your maintenance calories are the amount of calories you can consume to maintain your weight and support good metabolic function.
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You WANT this number to be as HIGH as possible--without gaining an excessive amount of weight to get there.
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You BUILD UP maintenance calories while being in STEP 1.
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When you start your healing journey, you may only be able to eat 1500 kcal without gaining weight. Yet, you also have a list load of metabolic issues eating this number of calories. Your body has NEGATIVELY adapted to the low energy INPUT by giving you low energy OUTPUT.
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Thus, to improve metabolic markers (energy OUTPUT), you have to EAT more. In fact, you might need 50-100% more calories to function optimally.
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The problems occur when you try to add in too many calories, too quickly. This can result in QUICK weight/fat gain.
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Which means you have to GO SLOW when increasing energy/calories. Your body needs time to adapt to more energy. For most people, this means increasing daily calories by 5-10%, every week.
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In our example, that would mean adding an additional 75-150 kcal/day, every week. As long as your metabolic markers are improving and weight is either staying the same or moving up a bit (5-20lb gain is common), you are on the right track. Some people will be able to UP the calories weekly, while others may need to go slower and UP the calories bi-weekly or monthly.
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The good news is, as your metabolic markers improve, you will find your energy INPUT will increase. Over the next months or years, you NOW need 2200-2400kcal to maintain your new improved health.
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Thus, your new maintenance calories are 2300 Kcal/day. This is the amount of calories you can NOW consume, with NO weight gain and maintain good metabolic function.
STEP 3. Increase energy expenditure
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If you have made it to phase 3, then BRAVO! Congratulate yourself on taking the time and making the effort to improve your metabolic markers.
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If you have already worked through steps 1 and 2, you will FEEL better. Yet, the ONE thing, you may not like, that came along with your improved metabolic markers is an increase in weight.
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Now, not all weight gain is "bad"--muscle, muscle glycogen, water (for every 1g of glycogen you will hold 3g of water) are all NON-fat weight gains. These gains will be the products of an improved metabolic rate (you are no longer in a catabolic state) and a healthier body. So, it may be wise to utilize other measurements, along with the scale to understand your TRUE fat gains. (body circumferences, body fat, how clothes fit)
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The additional fat gain can come as the body is trying to heal--some may need some added fat, while others do not. Going through Stage 1 SLOWLY, should HELP minimize fat gain, but it can still happen. For me, I gained about 20 pounds of weight while healing--I'd guess 1/2 of that was fat.
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Once you have established your maintenance calories-- you can start USING the below tools to increase energy expenditure. This is a way to create a calories deficit, WITHOUT changing your ingested calories.
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This can include:
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👉Increasing N.E.A.T (non-exercise activity). This includes ALL the movement you do, that is NOT exercise. Cleaning, walking to work, a store or wherever.
-Use a fitbit or an apple watch to measure your steps.
👉Add weight training workouts to your exercise regime. MORE muscle=more calories burned when NOT working out. Increasing the amount of muscle on your body, is one of the BEST ways to increase basal metabolic rate.
👉Increase other activities you LOVE--dancing, walking, surfing, yoga, sports, etc
👉Increase sun exposure. SLOWLY increase sun exposure. You USE more calories out in the sun.
👉Add thermogenics (coffee/caffeine, methylene blue, B vitamins)
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For many people, increasing energy expenditure will be ALL they need to LOSE the fat they desire, for others they may need to proceed to STEP 4.
STEP 4. Strategic Calorie (and temporary) deficits
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If you have made it to stage 4, then WELL done! This stage is for people who have fixed most of their metabolic markers--sleeping through the night, good energy all day, increased temp and pulse, are able to workout and recover well, pain free period, libido, --essentially, you are eating enough to support your metabolic needs and are at a HIGH maintenance calories.
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I will say this, BEFORE entering into a calorie deficit, make sure you are at your maintenance calories for a good 4-6 months.
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Why?
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Well, as your body FINALLY becomes nourished and properly fueled, your body can start to let go of unwanted weight--effortlessly. And yes, I have seen this many times.
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The caveat is, it can take time to get to this place--so be patient. Allow time for your body to actually heal. Do not PUSH yourself into a deficit, just to lose weight, as this will only perpetuate the diet cycle.
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I suggest using calorie deficit cycles of 8-12 weeks. You want to aim to burn around .5 to 1% of your body weight/per week. Which means for a 150 lb. person, this is around .75-1.5 pounds/week.
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Thus, to lose 1 pound of fat/muscle, aim to reduce weekly calories around 3000-3500kcal/week. This will equal a deficit of around 400-500/day. Depending on what you are burning, fat/muscle (you will burn both when putting yourself in a deficit) the calories burned will range.
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Here are some Hacks to help you through your deficit:
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👉Continue to weight training to minimize muscle loss.
👉Increase protein intake to increase the thermogenics of food AND increase satiety.
👉Consume whole fruits over juices to increase satiety.
👉Increase carrot salad and mushroom intake to increase satiety
👉Food log so you can make sure you are in an actual deficit.
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If, at any time, your symptoms return (additional stress, etc.), return to maintenance calories. Once the stress resolves, you can return to your deficit.
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Remember you are ONLY using Stage 4, if you have gone through stages 1-3 (successfully) and still have added fat to lose.
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SLOW AND STEADY FAT LOSS IS THE KEY, FOR LONG TERM FAT REDUCTION!