Weight Loss Tips With Our Trainer - Nick DeLuca

My 3 Favorite Tips 

One of the most common reasons for someone to start their health and fitness journey is weight loss, but not every weight loss goal is the same.  Some people want to lose 5-10 pounds and are more interested in a body recomposition, involving adding muscle while losing fat. Others are looking to lose 50+ pounds and make true lifestyle changes.  How exactly do you go about it?  Well, over my years working as a personal trainer, I’ve worked with both types of people and can say that regardless of the reason, there are a few tips that work well no matter the individual's goal. 

These are: maintaining a caloric deficit, movement, and eating whole foods. 

These three things I've seen work for not only myself, but many clients of my own and individuals willing to put in some effort to see results.  Let's take a moment to go over each tip and see how you can take control of your weight loss/fitness journey.

Caloric Deficit 

Being in a caloric deficit is the main component for weight loss.  You could run/strength train for hours, but if you consume more calories than you burn, you will not lose weight. Honestly, it’s really that simple.  When it comes to tracking calories there are countless apps available for free at your fingertips. 

Simply download any app (I’ve used my fitness pal in the past) and you’ll have an easy way to get started.  Tracking calories can still be a lot of work; my advice to someone who is just starting out or has had trouble in the past with tracking is to be consistent.  You don’t have to be perfect, just consistent.  You don't need to track every macro of every meal  when you’re first starting out.  In my mind, the purpose of using any app should be to become more familiar with the food you’re eating.  Logging your foods will give you a better understanding of how many calories the food you are eating has, and I bet a lot of you would be surprised.  Tracking foods for even a few weeks can be extremely eye opening. Once you’ve figured out your typical caloric intake and are measuring calories burned (we’ll talk about that next) you’ll be more aware of your daily caloric deficit. 

Movement

The second piece of the puzzle is movement.  You know that being at a caloric deficit is going to help you lose fat, but knowing what to expect from different training styles is nearly as important.  While most people would think about weight loss and immediately go to the treadmill or stair master, the use of strength training as part of a weight loss program can be highly beneficial.  While being in a caloric deficit, your body is going to break down both fat and muscle. Strength training helps prevent that muscle loss.

Maintaining muscle mass is crucial for fat loss, as muscle burns more calories at rest than other body tissue and helps to maintain your metabolism.  We’ll talk about food next, but protein intake plays a really big role in maintaining or building muscles while in a caloric deficit.  This isn’t something that you notice on a day to day basis, but over time it makes a huge difference.  

Whole Foods

Whole foods are natural or minimally processed foods that when consumed are as close to their original stat as possible.  Prioritizing whole foods is key to sustainable fat loss and while caloric deficit drives fat loss, not all calories are the same.  Food that isn’t processed is more nutrient dense and tends to be more filling – this makes achieving your caloric deficit that much easier. 

Some tips I’ve found helpful in the past include building your meals around protein, whether it's chicken, beef, fish, beans, tofu, eggs, etc., protein should be the foundation of the meal.  Pair a fruit or vegetable with every meal – there are tons of options and different ways to cook vegetables.  Find something you like and stick with it! Incorporate whole grain foods like rice or potatoes over refined carbs like bread or sugary drinks.  Replace processed snacks with something simple like fruit or nuts.  Cooking at home gives you control over both ingredients and portions, this will set you up for success. 

Fat loss doesn’t need to be complicated,  Focusing on whole foods and movement typically leads to a caloric deficit.  The important part is to start small, be consistent and build habits that can last.