Well, the holidays are behind us for another year.
Did you increase your bodyweight/body fat over the holidays? (I did). Statistically speaking most of us do and while most don’t take it off, you’re going to be different.
If you need help getting back to pre-Christmas body fat, read on.
These are your priorities:
- Start a calorie deficit protocol. Eating less calories than you expend.
- Macronutrient breakdown
- Food quality & recovery
The following applies to body composition goals and losing fat. If your goals are performance or longevity, the protocol would be different.
Caloric Deficit
- Assuming you train 3-4x a week, take your bodyweight in pounds and multiple it by 12. Typically this will be your calorie target for fat loss.
- Use a tool like myfitnesspal to track your calories for 3-5 days.
- If your calories are already lower than the target above, you’ll need to start a reverse diet protocol and should probably book a nutrition session for individual help.
Macronutrient breakdown
- Put your priority on getting enough protein. This will be approximately 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Or 30-35% of total calories consumed.
- Typically for fat loss, you’ll want to get more fat and less carbs.
- For cross-fitters trying to lose body fat, I’d recommend approximately 30% of your total calories are from Carbs. And add your starchy carbs to post-workout and post-post workout meals.
- The rest of your calories will be from healthy fats.
Food quality
- Eat lean protein, legumes, veggies and fruit, nuts, and seeds.
- Eliminate food from packages, bags, and boxes. If you grab processed foods, make sure that the ingredient list is 7 or less.
- Eliminate restaurant and take out foods that are high in sugar, trans fats and perservatives.
Water and Recovery
- Drink enough water.
- That means drinking ounces equivalent to 1/2 your body weight (in pounds). For example, I person weighing 160 pounds, should drink 80 ounces (or 2 litres) of water.
- Get as much sleep as possible. You should get 7-7.5 hours per night.
Supplement (bonus step) 😉
- If your diet is on point and you want to add supplementation. The following will help with fat loss and overall general health.
- 10 g fish oil
- 400 g magnesium
- 3000 IU vitamin D
And of course you’ll be training regularly, See you in the box!
Reach out if you have any questions or need additional help Fortis Fam!
Coach Janet, Pn2