How to Increase Fat Loss: 5 lifestyle changes that boost results

5 lifestyle changes that are powerful strategies to increase fat loss.

When it comes to fat loss and getting in shape, the best possible thing that you can do is live by the 3S Strategy: slow, steady, sustainable. This is the mindset that will help you get results without the crash diets, without spending money on bogus supplements, and without damaging your metabolism.

Slow.

Steady.

Sustainable.

In other words, play the long game. If you want real, lasting results, then you’ve got to make healthy choices a lifestyle, not just an option when the timing is good.

5 Lifestyle Changes to Increase Fat Loss

Spend 20 Minutes at the Dinner Table

The number one change that gives each of my clients more insight, more confidence and more control is not calorie counting. It’s not meal prep. It’s not carb cycling.

It’s paying attention.

Sounds simple. And it is. But simple doesn’t mean easy.

Paying attention and building an awareness of What, Why and How you eat is easy enough to do if you make a point of doing it. That’s the key though. You gotta do it!

We can claim any number of excuses to NOT slow down and pay attention:

• too busy
• too stressed
• eating on the go

But the reality is – you can spend 20 minutes at the dinner table!

Here’s what happens when you slow down enough to spend 20 minutes at the dinner table…

1. Your brain has time to realize you’re full. It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to fill up, send that signal to your brain, and then for your brain to signal you to stop eating. Give it the time it needs and you’re less likely to overeat which means…
   
2. You’ll end up eating fewer calories overall because you actually have time to feel full!
   
3. Plus you’ll end up chewing your food more (because you have more time to), which improves digestion and absorption of nutrients.
   
4. And because you’ve actually spent the time to enjoy the flavor, smell and texture of your food, feelings of satiation and satisfaction increase. The result: you don’t feel deprived during or between meals which decreases mindless snacking.
   
5. Finally, you’ll enjoy your food and dinner time more. Taking a full 20 minutes to eat allows you to slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy your family (or the solitude).

Cook More of Your Own Meals

Take ownership over what goes into your body. The best way to do that is to cook and prepare more of your own meals in your own kitchen.

Scary stat 1: The average restaurant meal contains 1,205 calories. That’s essentially two meals in one. Two meals that are generously flavored with butter and salt to make them taste amazing (I married a chef. It is what it is).

Scary stat 2: For most Americans, it’s not unusual to get 50% of the daily caloric intake from processed foods. The more processed foods you eat, the less protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals you get.

Cooking at home gives you control. You choose what goes onto your plate and into your body. That kind of control gives you the opportunity to create flavorful, but still balanced and nutrient-dense meals and snacks.

You don’t have to be a chef to create great meals!

• 4 Healthy (and Delicious) Salmon Recipes
• 11-Ingredient Weeknight Dinners
• Healthy Homemade Dressings that are WAY Better Than Store Bought
• Energy Boosting Snack Ideas

Include Protein at Every Eating Opportunity

Protein is an essential nutrient for muscle growth, repair, and yes, fat loss. For the best results you should aim to consume between 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of ideal bodyweight. But your body can’t process that much protein all at once. Which is why it is best to spread your intake throughout the day.

The benefits of eating protein at every meal opportunity goes further than that though. This change will increase fat loss because it:

• Increases levels of appetite-suppressing hormones and reducing hunger hormones.
• Requires more energy to digest and process than any other macronutrient.
• Cuts cravings and increases satiation
• Prevents muscle loss and metabolic slow down

Do 10-15 Minutes of HIIT 3-4 Times a Week

Just 10-15 minutes of high intensity cardio, 3-4 times a week can not only increase fat loss, but decrease the amount of time you spend doing cardio overall!

HIIT is a great way to quickly and efficiently bump up caloric burn during and after your workout. The reason HIIT is so effective in a fat loss lifestyle is that you not only burn calories during you workout, but you continue to burn calories after your workout is over (this is called EPOC, excess post-oxygen consumption). Basically, your body doesn’t get the time it needs to fully recover during a HIIT workout, so it continues to recover post-workout. That recovery boosts your metabolic rate and burns more energy.

And it really doesn’t take long. Just 10-15 minutes of all-in work is enough to bump your heart rate up and leaving you breathing hard. Check this one out:

Get to Bed for 8 Hours of Sleep

You know that feeling when you didn’t get quite as many hours of shut-eye as you wanted. You’re tired, but it’s more than that. That desperation for energy makes it easier to reach for foods you wouldn’t typically eat: high sugar, high fat, anything in sight. The temptation to skip your workout in favor of, well, not working out. And the drop in motivation and focus it takes to cook a healthy meal, take that extra walk to get your steps in or doing anything but plop on the couch after work.

Lack of sleep really does affect your brain, specifically the front lobe which is responsible for decision making and impulse control. Plus, your brain wants to feel better aka wants a pop of quick energy, so you might have more cravings and feel less capable of saying no to them.

Tricks and Tips to Get Better Rest

1. Shut down your computer, phone and TV 1-2 hours before bed. Shutting out the noise, the FOMO and the blue light will help your body wind down more effectively.
   
2. Create a nighttime routine. Take a bath, write in a journal, brew some chamomile tea, read a book. Whatever the routine is, stick to it! Your brain will start to get the idea that when you do these particular things in this particular order, it’s time to produce melatonin and wind down naturally.
   
3. Turn the temp down in your bedroom. Your circadian rhythm is affected by light and temperate. While in the morning you want that natural sunlight and the warmth that comes with it to wake up, at night you want the opposite: darkness and cool temps.