Three Fundamentals Of Fat Loss We Don’t Like To Talk About
Rich-life: A fitter, healthier life
Fat loss must be one of the most used terms in the health and fitness industry today. Whether you’re sick of your current dad bod, you’re a new mum wanting to trim down from the leftover baby weight, or you’re a health and fitness coach trying to sell your services — you’ll know that fat loss is the holy grail to get you results.
The problem is, everyone wants fat loss, and they want it now. But there’s more, often people don’t want to do the work, they’re unwilling to adjust their diet accordingly, or they’re simply scared of hunger.
And so we reach our first fundamental of lasting fat loss, with the reality that no one wants to talk about, the fact that FAT LOSS and HUNGER go hand in hand.
Fundamental One: Fat loss and hunger are VERY CLOSE friends
Let’s hit the ground running here; I’m just going to come out and say it — you’re not going to achieve lasting fat loss without going HUNGRY.
Ok, so that’s not what anyone wants to hear, I get it. But burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best is not going to cut it. This approach will have you bobbing up and down on the end of a yoyo.
You can’t escape the unfortunate truth, but let’s not give up hope just yet. You see the first mistake most people make is trying to avoid hunger at all costs. This attitude towards hunger is a major drawback when it comes to sustaining your fat loss.
Avoiding hunger creates anxiety and elicits an adverse response when hunger comes knocking. The first sign of those dreaded stomach grumbles and people go running to the cupboards like they’re fleeing from a herd of stampeding buffalo — not conducive to long-lasting fat loss.
If you want to achieve lasting fat loss, it’s imperative to seek to understand hunger rather than avoid it. If you can appreciate hunger, embrace it if you will, then you’ll be much more likely to succeed on your fat loss journey.
Now don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not suggesting that you go hungry to the extreme. I’m just suggesting that you make hunger your friend. In nearly all walks of life, we’re far more likely to succeed with friends than with adversaries.
Hunger sweet spot
Mild feelings of hunger often have you at your most alert, so this is a very desirable place to be. With alertness, comes productivity. You’re getting benefits over and above your original goal of fat loss.
How did you feel after you stuffed yourself with your last big meal? I’m guessing you didn’t feel like going for a run or even concentrating on reading a good book!
The absolute key to Fundamental One is discovering your hunger sweet spot. You need to find a place where you and hunger can coexist and get along, without either one of you being overbearing. You don’t take control and eat at the first twinge of hunger, and hunger doesn’t bully you and dominate your every waking thought.
Once you’ve found your hunger sweet spot, you’ll find that it is a great place to be. You’ll feel more productive and have even more energy. You only realise how much energy is being used up during digestion when you experience a small amount of hunger and give your gut a well-deserved rest.
A great way to experiment with finding your hunger sweet spot is to explore the wonderful world of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is a fat loss tool all by itself!
If you want lasting fat loss results, you’re going to spend a lot of time in your hunger sweet spot. Just remember, hunger is not the enemy on this journey; it is a good friend with whom you should become very comfortable.
How do I know when I’ve found my hunger sweet spot?
Three things to look out for to confirm that you’ve found your hunger sweet spot:
- You’re more productive in your day to day tasks
- You have more energy as you go about your day
- You feel hungry, but you can still concentrate and don’t have an urge to go on a cheating binge
With the above in mind, look out for the signs, find your hunger sweet spot and watch your fat loss chances go through the roof.
Fundamental Two: Hunger intensifies over time
Be under no illusions; a calorie deficit is an absolute must if you want to lose fat. The problems come when you have maintained a calorie deficit for weeks on end. During this time, the hunger that you feel from one meal to the next increases again and again.
As each day passes, your hunger levels between meals become more and more intense. Hunger doesn’t reset when you have something to eat; if you’re in a calorie deficit, it slowly adds up over time.
A classic scenario plays out at the beginning of a fat loss journey. You switch up your meal plan, and you start to eat decent food instead of the usual junk. Suddenly, you feel full, like you’re eating a lot more than you need, even though you’re in a calorie deficit. The spider’s web that you can get caught up in here is reducing your calories even further because you feel like you’re eating enough food.
It’s a rookie mistake to try and take advantage of being able to handle a more significant calorie deficit while it feels comfortable to do so. Reducing your calories at this stage is a symptom of wanting fat loss, and wanting it now. At this stage of the game, being patient is paramount.
Reducing your calorie deficit even further than initially planned may feel like a quick win. However, you may have just put the final nail in your fat loss coffin. The result of this higher calorie deficit yields a more considerable increase in hunger over time. In only a few short weeks, the desire to eat may be so powerful that you risk binge eating and having to start all over again. That is if you haven’t given up entirely.
Being patient in the beginning, especially if you don’t feel hungry, is essential. Make no mistake, the hunger will come as time passes, but with a small, consistent calorie deficit, you’ll be able to manage it.
The Refeed
You may not realise it, but on a well-structured diet, with a consistent calorie deficit, a refeed can be the difference between success and failure. The principles behind a refeed are simple. However, effectively executing them can be like walking a tightrope.
The refeed sets out to put a dent in your accumulating hunger. In the long run, this will allow you to maintain your calorie deficit for longer. On top of this, a refeed can bring relief from a physical and mental perspective. After a sustained period of dieting, feeling full once in a while can help with adherence. After all, the best diet for you is one you can stick to long term.
A refeed in both carbohydrates and calories addresses both leptin and glycogen status. In addition to physical and mental relief, signals are sent to the body, indicating that you don’t need to feel quite so hungry for a while because your survival is not at risk.
The danger of a refeed comes when it gets out of control. Having a refeed meal is far more manageable than a refeed day. You may also see these referred to as cheat meals or cheat days.
If a refeed gets out of control, it can easily cross the boundary from refeeding into binging. Binging is something we want to avoid at all costs.
Fundamental Three: A lack of variety in your diet contributes to hunger
In addition to controlling your hunger by maintaining a consistent calorie deficit and implementing strategic refeeds, you’ll also need to make sure that you eat a variety of tastes, textures, and macronutrients.
If you lack variety in your diet, you convince your body to send certain neurochemicals to the brain, signalling a need to get in whatever variety is missing from your diet — and insisting that you need a lot of it!
The result of this? You got it, intense hunger! Let me just put you straight right here and now, fighting against your brain is a fight you cannot win long term. Your brain will win every time, and your fat loss efforts will go up in smoke.
So as it turns out, variety in your diet can be just as crucial as your calorie deficit and your refeed strategy when it comes to managing your hunger. If you’re not careful a lack of variety in your diet can be enough to kick you out of your hunger sweet spot.
Final thoughts
So to reiterate the three fundamentals of fat loss that we don’t like to talk about:
- Fundamental One: Fat loss and hunger are very close friends
- Fundamental Two: Hunger intensifies over time
- Fundamental Three: A lack of variety in your diet contributes to hunger
The next time you face the challenge of fat loss, be sure to keep these three fundamentals in mind. Doing so will undoubtedly make your fat loss journey run much smoother.
