THE SIMPLEST WAY TO LOSE FAT

Corey Grenz, MS
Nutrition & Fitness Coach

It’s the time of the year where you likely have goals to look your best for the spring, summer or both. In addition to wanting to look awesome, there is a good chance
you want it to happen ASAP (better yet, YESTERDAY!). Because you want to look great as quickly as you can there’s a pretty good chance you will be looking for a
diet to help you achieve it.

I get where you are coming from, as looking great during the warmer weather is an emotionally significant goal (one I have myself). Because of this, there is a good
chance you will gravitate towards a nutritional plan where you will have to cut out certain foods that you love. Some of these plans include Keto, Paleo, various
forms of Vegetarian, etc.

While this thought process might help you lose some unwanted pounds in the short term it will leave you frustrated in the long term. This is because trying to cut
out our favorite foods is like holding our breath under water – We can do it for a little while, but the longer we do it, the more we end up gasping for air (or overeating our favorite foods in this case).

What if there is a way you can lose fat without having to cut out your favorite foods? There is and it is a simple technique known as tracking your nutrition. Here are two ways to do it:

The first way is to keep track of what you eat or drink (yes, certain beverages contain calories), what time you eat/drink, and how much you eat and drink. In addition,
document how you felt (hungry, tired, bored, stressed, etc.), where you were at (work, home, social event, driving, etc.), and what was going on when you were eating (watching TV, scrolling SM platforms, at a meeting, after a workout, etc.). By paying attention to that information, you will learn quite a bit about yourself regarding what works and does not work for you nutritionally.

The second way is to keep track of the amounts of protein, carbs, fat, and total calories you consume. In addition, you could also keep track of water, sugar, and fiber intake. This way is more challenging than the first and is ideal for people who understand how to read nutrition labels, understand how calories work, and are more meticulous in general.

Regardless of which of the above you choose, there are some options to keep track of what you are doing. If you sit in front of a computer most of the day, an Excel spreadsheet might be best. If you want an app, there are many tracking apps to choose from like MyFitnessPal, FitBit, and even apps that allow you to take picture journals of your daily nutrition. If technology doesn’t appeal to you, then use pen and paper. It doesn’t matter which one you go with as long as you can stick
with it for 30 days so it becomes a habit and you see positive change.

Based on where you are at on your fat loss journey, give one of the above a try. When people commit to tracking for a month, the result is a 4-6 pound drop in body fat and losing at least one pant size. Do you have to commit consistently to the practice to see results? Yes, but ask yourself what you would
rather do:

1 Track your nutrition and be able to eat your favorite foods?

2 Cut out your favorite foods, be irritable and gain the weight you lost back?

The choice is yours as the weather warms up!