The MOST important thing to understand about fat loss

Why understanding energy balance is KEY to successful fat loss.

Energy balance and deficits are the first step to understanding how your body will lose fat.  Without being in a negative energy balance, also known as a deficit- you will not lose body fat.

Today’s blog is going to go into detail as to why this is so important and how exactly energy balance works.

Fat loss can be simple, once you understand the basic principles. 

It’s not what you eat, it’s how much you eat. It’s not how you move, its how much you move. 

Of course what you eat and how you move will affect other areas such as your ability to stick to the food, your energy, mental health and physical health but if we are looking at fat loss in isolation, all you need,  is to be in a negative energy state for the duration of your fat loss period. As you lose weight, you will need to either increase activity or decrease food to continue being in a negative energy balance.  

Move More, Eat Less

Energy balance dictates the changes in our body composition. Our composition is our muscle to fat ratio, e.g how much muscle and how much fat you have. Whether you want to lose weight or gain weight, energy balance is the way this will happen. When you say you want to ‘tone up’ what you’re actually saying is you want to increase your muscle mass and drop body that. This type of body composition is what gives a ‘toned’ appearance to the body.

So what exactly is Energy balance?

Energy balance is simply the energy that we intake through food and the energy we expend or use through movement and being alive. Depending on whether we are in a neutral state (energy in matches energy out), positive state(consuming more energy than we burn) or negative state (consuming less energy than we burn) will in turn , then directly affect your body weight long term. 

• If you are in a neutral state you will MAINTAIN your weight.
• If you are in a positive state you will GAIN weight.
• If you are in a negative state you will LOSE weight.

So how do we burn or use energy?

You’ll be glad to hear, not just through exercise.

Energy use comes from 4 different areas.  Your resting metabolic rate, also referred to as your RMR (The number of calories burned whilst you are awake), Non exercise thermogenesis, also known as NEAT, the thermic effect of food (calories burned through digestion) and lastly, your activity. 

What is your RMR?

Your RMR makes up around 60-75% of your total energy expenditure. Your RMR is predominantly determined by your lean body mass (how much muscle you have) - A big reason as to why it is a great idea to weight train for fat loss goals! Your age, genetics and gender as well as the level of hormones (leptin, thyroid and your stress hormones) will also directly affect your RMR.

Your RMR INCREASES with higher body weight, so the heavier you are, the higher your RMR will be. Rather ironic considering most people believe that overweight people have slower metabolisms. In fact, it’s entirely the opposite, hence why the bigger you are, the more you can eat (compared to a smaller person) and still lose weight. (Providing the appropriate deficit, obviously.) 

What is NEAT?

Neat is the calories burned through activities that are not exactly ‘exercise’. 

Tapping your foot subconsciously, household tasks such as cleaning, walking up stairs, basic movements like waving, bending down, getting up, etc.  

Outside of disease states for general populations there is no such thing as a ‘slow metabolism’- just someone who has lower NEAT.  NEAT has been shown to be genetically determined, some people are simply more fidgety than others and so will naturally have a higher NEAT. This means if you are wanting to increase your NEAT levels, it would be a conscious & continual effort to upkeep.

What is TEF?

TEF – Refers to the thermic effect of food, which is the calories burned during the digestion and use of food. Protein has a TEF of 15-25%, carbs 6% and fat 3%. For a mixed diet, the thermic effect of food is usually estimated at around 10%. So if you had a diet of 2000 calories, 200 of those calories would be used by TEF.

What is your activity?

This is the calories burned during exercise and can vary hugely between individuals. 

Fitness watches are a good marker to use for progress but are not accurate in terms of calories burned. The same goes for machines in the gym. Watches are better used as markers ie, if you usually burn 400 calories during your workout , set yourself a goal of 430, 470, 500 calories etc so that you’re continually increasing the intensity. 

Another idea would be to set yourself a minimum, e.g not finishing your session until you hit the 350 mark. The bulk of your energy deficit should come from your diet, with training being the ‘top up’. 

Things to remember

1. In order to lose body fat you must be in a continual deficit
2. Your deficit is specific to you, your weight and your expenditure levels
3. Your calories will change as you lose fat, as your body will need less food to continue losing. This is why gaining muscle is a good idea as your body will need more calories the more muscle you hold, making dieting easier.
4. If you've stopped losing weight, chances are you're no longer in a deficit. Go back to simple &  similar foods, track, and find out what your current calories need to be and then eat that. If you’re not sure, click here for an estimation of where to start.
5. There is no such thing as a slow metabolism, just a lower NEAT.
6. Above all, calories are king. All the healthy foods and hard core training in the world won't allow you to drop body fat unless you are in a deficit, consistently.

GOT A QUESTION? SEND ME A MESSAGE AND I’LL DO MY BEST TO HELP YOU!

Name * First Name

Last Name

Email *

Message *

Thank you!