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It is no secret that fat loss can be a challenging and complicated fitness goal. Complex 'keto-diets', 12 week body transforming exercise plans and online caches claiming they have the 'secret to successful fat loss'. At Aesthetic Coaching we don't sell you the 'quick fix', but instead discuss the science of exercise and how you can apply effective lifestyle and exercise habits into your day-to-day to guarantee you sustainably achieve your goals.
In this blog we are going to breakdown weight loss into 5 different levels, offer you strategies and tips for the best way to lose weight and maintain your results.
Level 1 - Calories In vs Calories Out
Weight loss is actually quite simple. It isn't as much a matter of the complex biology of the human body, but just simple physics. Our bodies are no exception to the laws of energy. The first law of thermodynamics says "that energy can be stored and transferred but cannot be created or destroyed". Essentially this means that we can store and use energy in our body, but we cannot magically remove or gain any. This relates to the idea of calories in vs calories out, the first level to any weight loss journey.
Lets imagine you start the day with 1000 calories of energy. You gain a total of 300 calories throughout the day from the food you eat, but you burn up 500 through exercise and general activity. By the end of the day, you only have 800 calories left. These figures, whilst inaccurate to the average human, are examples of the direct relationship between calories in and calories out.
But how does this relate to weight loss? Past research shows us that 3,500 calories is equal to roughly 1 pound (0.45kg) of bodyweight. This lead to the assumption that a daily calorie deficit of 500 a day would result in 1lbs of bodyweight lost a week. Well this isn't directly true for everyone. The maths is hard to accurately calculate because of the individuality of each persons body and calorie expenditure, but, it is safe to assume that a daily calorie deficit of 500 a day will result in a weight loss of 0.5-1 lbs a week.
Why this is sometimes a challenging concept to grasp is because of how many different avenues are body spends energy, but the bottom-line is, this is how it works.
An article by the National Library of Medicine explains in further detail, how the relationship between bodyweight and diet is directly comparable to the difference between calories intake and calorie expenditure.
See level 5 for the easiest way to create a calorie deficit
Level 2 - NEAT (non-exercise-activity-thermogenesis)
In reality, massively reducing your calorie intake, whilst effective, is likely not a sustainable way to lose weight over time. We also need to consider optimising our calorie expenditure. Level 2 of our weight loss plan is all about NEAT. NEAT, or non-exercise-activity-thermogenesis, is the collection of activities that expend energy that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. This can range from walking to fidgeting, to scrolling through a blog on your phone. Think of NEAT as the energy you use to move!
So why are we talking about this and why is NEAT so important for weight loss. Well, NEAT equates up to 20% of total energy expenditure (TEE) during the day, meaning 1/5 of the calories you burn comes from these activities. A 2018 report looked at NEAT and other areas of energy expenditure and discussed the relationship between this and obesity. They said that "although the contribution of NEAT to daily energy expenditure is negligible, it can accumulate over time, eventually becoming an important factor in weight loss or weight gain."
Okay we know what NEAT is now, so how can you optimise your non-exercise-activity thermogenesis.
Level 3 - Weight Training
By level 3 you should hopefully already be seeing some significant changes in your bodyweight. Now it is time to consider how to sustainably lose weight effectively. In level 3, we are going to discuss the importance of resistance training for weight loss and how you can get started on a weight training plan.
In level 2 we mentioned that NEAT equates up to 20% of total daily calorie expenditure, but what if I told you there was a bigger portion to total energy use we haven't discussed yet?...
bmr (basal-metabolic-rate) burns up to 60% of the calories you burn during the day. bmr consists of the calories you use for internal bodily processes, like maintaining body temperature or fighting illness, think of it as the energy you use to survive. Unlike other avenues of energy expedniture, bmr will stay the same if you run a 10k or if you sit on your sofa all day!! So what does this have to do with weight training and how is bmr related to weight loss?
Well, total lean body mass effects bmr. This means the higher your muscle mass is, the higher your bmr is, meaning you will burn more calories, by default, every day. This is why weight training is one of the best ways to lose weight!! A 2010 study observed the effects of dietary approaches and dietary approaches plus resistance training on weight loss. Results showed that the group following a dietary and resistance training plan saw a significantly higher reduction in fat mass and increase in lean mass, compared to the group that only followed a dietary plan, evidently showing resistance training had a positive influence on weight loss.
See level 5 for a beginners guide to weight training for weight loss
Level 4 - Dedicated Cardio
The final level and last consideration you should be worried about when it comes to weight loss is cardio! Unlike what most people think, cardio is not the best way to lose weight. Before you proceed with level 4, make sure you are optimising level 1,2 and 3 before worrying about cardio for weight loss. That being said, the right type of cardio can accellerate your weight loss goals a little bit further!
Understand that cardio in the gym is different to NEAT which we discussed in level 2. Examples of dedicated cardio could be steady state running, HIIT workouts or a fitness class.
So which type of cardio the best for weight loss? Realistically, whatever one you enjoy the most! A common misconception and trend with cardio is that to 'burn off excess fat' you should do low intensities for long durations, for example, walking on an incline! The reason for this trend is based on the science behind how our bodies burn fat. Fat is burnt aerobically at low to moderate intensities, so it would make sense to do low intensity cardio. But remember, we've already optimised our low intensity cardio through making the right choices around NEAT!
A 2020 meta-analysis looked at the difference between HIIT training and moderate intensity steady state cardio. 26 studies were analysed and resulted in an insignificant difference between these two cardio types for fat loss. So cardio should you be doing? At Aesthetic, we recommend the best cardio exercises for weight loss are the ones you enjoy the most, because your more likely to do it again if you enjoy it!
Level 5 - Beginners Plan
It's time to put it all together...
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