10 Most Important Fat Loss Tips

When you think about it, the term “weight loss” is actually quite improper, after all, one wants to lose excess fat and gain muscle that will keep you strong and looking lean and healthy. When you lose excess fat and gain muscle, the total weight loss may be, in fact, negligible or it may be substantial—it all depends on what your baseline issues were prior to the weight loss. It is important to not just fixate on the number on the scale but to pay attention to the finer details. **Please check out my previous blog post (here) where I highlight the key health numbers that you should screen regularly to make sure your health is fully optimized.

>30 lb weight loss with >8 inches off my belly @chichichicmd

Losing excess fat is one great feat, but the ability to keep the lost fat off one’s body is a whole other ball game. I am currently accomplishing this goal by having adopted (and kept) certain key lifestyle modifications that have proven to be quite sustainable.

So here they are, my 10 most important fat loss tips:

#10. Commit to your health such that all your other priorities do not detract from that commitment: Schedule work outs and meal preps like you would a date with the object of your affection—you wouldn’t flippantly break a date with him/her would you?

Balanced diet @chichichicmd

#9. Do NOT diet: Whatever plan you commit to has to be sustainable for it have long-lasting effect. The ketogenic diet, which seems to be so popular these days, may lead to rapid weight loss but majority of people will regain fat lost because an ultra-low carb diet is notoriously difficult to follow. A balanced diet consisting of mostly unprocessed food, colorful vegetables and fruits, fish, lean meats, whole grains, nuts, seeds, healthy oils and lots of water is definitely the way to go.

Let’s move! @chichichicmd

#8. Choose exercises that you enjoy: As long as you get your heart rate up, you are golden. I do not like cycling (never have, likely never will), but I do like running, jogging, dancing, cardio kickboxing, and plain old walking—so I stick to those. Exercising should not be a chore because you have to enjoy something to keep doing it regularly such that it becomes a lifestyle.

I incorporate music—especially of the afrobeat variety—to my work outs because I find that music pumps me up and keeps me motivated to just move my body. Movement is what counts. It is well known that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and osteoporosis, but did you know that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of certain cancers (Colon, Breast, and Uterine Cancers)?

Please click here to check out the CDC’s recommendations for overcoming barriers to physical activity.

#7. Have a plan for your meals—every day: I plan my menu each day consisting both of food I prepared myself and/or healthy options in the cafeteria at work or a local eatery around work. I even look at restaurant menus ahead of time to pre-select healthier options prior to going out for a meal. When I have an organized plan for my meals, I am more able to stick to a healthy caloric limit and more likely to make healthy food choices habitually.

A 15% meal at Ina Mae’s Tavern in Chicago @chichichicmd

#6. The 85/15 approach to health eating:  I have tested this out and can confidently say that it works. Basically, if I am consistent with making healthy choices 85% of the time, then having treats only 15% of the time will not wreck my results—this way, I can still enjoy “off-limit” foods like dulce de leche cake, pain perdu, chicken and waffles and pizza every once in a while. No deprivation, no off-limit foods—just sustainable moderation.

A typical meal that I cooked myself: Grilled Salmon, Sauteed Cauliflower and Cabbage, Curried Brown Rice @chichichicmd

In a week there are about 21 meals (3 meals x 7 days), so 15% of that is about 3 meals per week. I tend to save those 3 meals for social meals (the meals we eat that are not for the sole purpose of sustaining our lives). The other 18 meals are the functional life-sustaining meals we eat. This has helped me stick to a healthy eating plan in a nonrestrictive, enjoyable and sustainable way.

#5. You do not need a gym membership to exercise effectively: I work out 99% outside of a gym. I work out in my bedroom, in my living room, in my overnight call room in the hospital, in my office, hotel room, around my house/neighborhood. The priority is getting the work out in—so do not restrict yourself especially if you are like me and have a very busy and variable daily schedule.

Working out in my bedroom @chichichicmd

#4. Set a variety of goals: Short term goals (start working out, cut out one sugary drink per day, add one fruit and vegetable per day to your meals); medium term goals (lose 1 lb per week, start the 85/15 approach to eating); and long term goals (lose 40 lbs in 12months, build muscle, lower Hemoglobin A1C or cholesterol, fit pre-maternity clothes). Celebrate the small, medium, and long term goals to keep you motivated and accountable. You can give yourself a variety of gifts (small, medium, large gifts) to match the goals accomplished.

Me and my Fitbit Versa @chichichicmd

#3. Get a Fitbit: Fitbit revolutionized my fitness routine because I have gotten (very) addicted to meeting my daily targets of 10000 steps, 5 miles, 30 minutes of Activity, 10 Floors to climb, and 9 hours of 250 steps or more each hour per day. Also, when I began to see my resting heart rate drop from 80s to 50s (signaling that my heart was learning to work more efficiently with training), you could not tell me I wasn’t the bomb.com. To meet my daily goals, I walk more whenever possible, I jog in place a lot throughout the day, I climb up to 20 flights of stairs per day (my office is on the 6^th floor of the hospital, the ICU on the 7^th floor and the Operating Rooms on the 3^rd Floor and I always take the stairs), and I exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes per day 6 days per week.

Fitbit workout summary @chichichicmd

Please note that I do 99% of all this outside of a gym. My Fitbit has helped me use my hours awake more wisely to help me reach my fitness goals.

#2. My Fitness Pal: This has been one of the biggest game changers for me when it comes to keeping lost fat off my body. Food journaling with the My Fitness Pal app has helped me keep proper track of my calories consumed, my true caloric deficit, and the trends in my diet (e.g. am I meeting or surpassing the target amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats in my meals and just how many calories do those little snacks actually add)? You can link My Fitness Pal with Fitbit to have a more accurate assessment of calories burned versus calories consumed. Where My Fitness Pal has helped me the most is being able to be more mindful about what I eat—because I am now quite familiar with how many calories a slice of dulce de leche cake truly has and how it can quickly blow my daily caloric goals, I have noticed I am better able to be very disciplined about such treats.

My Fitness Pal @chichichicmd

#1. Prayer: This may sound cheesy or downright nuts to you, but I am just letting you know how it is for me. With regard to prayer, I don’t mean treating God like a fairy god-mother who I can ask to pretty-please make me a size 6. Definitely not. What has been an important prayer focus in my life in the past 2 years has been to ask God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in my life so that I may bear the fruits of the spirit—this has worked wonders for me in all aspects of my life, not just with regard to optimizing my health. What are the fruits of the spirit? Galatians 5: 22-23:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF-CONTROL. Against such things there is no law. I am still a work in progress for sure but by making this my prayer focus, my life and walk with God have been much much sweeter.

The spirit-filled sweet life @chichichicmd

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please share fat loss tips that have worked for you and any other thoughts you have in the comment section below and let’s grow together, building a strong community of healthy and fit lifelong learners.

Love,

Chichi