I previously posted an article about Foods For Fat Loss. There was a small section in the article that broke down a few steps on how to attack a fat loss goal.
- Eating in a calorie deficit
- Eating the right macronutrient breakdown
- Weight training consistently
- Daily activity
What I want to do today is go deeper into how you can start off your fat loss journey by putting things into a 30 day plan.
Let’s jump right in!
Who Is This For?
This situation is for someone looking to lose fat but is at the beginning stages. You might not have taken any big steps just yet but want to get started now!
These beginning stages are VERY IMPORTANT. If this is you, I hope this article can help your first 30 days!
Start slower than you think you need to.
You are feeling motivated right now. You started doing some research and want to jump right into a new diet and workout plan. Motivation is an emotion, just like any other emotion, it comes and goes. If you start really strong off the bat, once that motivation begins to fade, so will some of the things you jumped into at the beginning.
There will be time to do all those things along the way, but in your situation, the first step is a small one.
30 Day Plan
Day 1: Find your starting points
The day you start out on this new process is the day you are going to get all your starting points.
- Weight- first thing in the morning after you go to the bathroom
- Measurements
- Belly button
- 2” above belly button
- 2” below belly button
- Widest part of your hips
- Upper arm
- Upper leg
- Pictures
- Front
- Back
- Right side
- Left side
Measurements, pictures, weight are not flashy or fun – but trust me, you will not regret this down the line when you start making noticeable changes!
Take these few different options when starting out.
- When it comes to weighing in, some people have a tricky relationship with the scale. If this is you, there are two options. The first would be weighing yourself everyday. This may sound a bit ass backwards but doing It so often just informs you that the weight is really just a number and not much else. The second option would be to not weigh in again until after the 30 days. Take some time to get see some progress and then re-check that number.
I find the daily weigh ins to be a good way to stay on top of things and learn just that much more along the way. Wake up, pee, weigh-in, record that number. If you are doing this on your own, keep a log or a document with every weigh-in over time. I like to put the numbers on a spreadsheet and use them to make a graph every few months.
- Measurements can be done every 4 weeks. Put a reminder in your calendar to do your measurements on a monthly basis. Keep a log in a notebook or a document where you can see all the past measurements from the months prior. This isn’t “necessary” but I am telling you, the more positive information you can acquire the better things feel along the way!
- Progress pictures are done every 4 weeks as well. The same rules apply, put a reminder in your calendar to do them! Try to stand in the exact same spot, during the same time of day, with the same or similar clothing. Bathing suits work great or tighter fitting clothing to see your actual body. These are for you. Yes, It’s awkward but being able to actually see the change in your body is amazing.
Day 2: Walking
What is the simplest thing you can do today that will give you a positive result moving forward?
Walking.
Walking is the simplest thing you can do, period. It is also one of the most beneficial. There is no equipment required, no need to drive anywhere, and no over-exertion of energy. In saying that, walking might be the most undervalued form of exercise.
All we are asking is for a minimum of 5 minutes. If you get out there and want to go longer, by all means go right ahead. Schedule yourself a 5 minute walk every single day for the next week.
It’s only 5 minutes so there is no over-stressing about your schedule.
Day 3: Food Tracking
This is not the time to be making changes in your diet, this is just a way to get a better idea of what you are eating on a daily/weekly basis.
You can use an app like MyFitnessPal or FatSecret to track your food or you can write It down by hand in a journal.
Whatever route you choose to go, make sure you track your intake as diligently as possible. Nothing gets left out and you make the best effort to be as accurate with everything you put into your logs.
You are not being judged by these food logs, it’s just information and information is power.
Days 4-8: Mindset + Planning
You are going to be sticking with your walking regimen of 5 minutes per day across this period of time. Get It done!
Along with the walking we are going to get your mindset in the right spot from the beginning.
Your goal is to lose fat, and we just jumped into the first action steps along that journey. Your mindset needs to be right in this situation as well. The goal for the first 30 days is behavior change. The more habits we can create in a positive direction, the better. At the beginning your goal is to NOT be getting hung up over the scale.
You are weighing every day, but that number does not indicate you are doing good/bad. Stack wins and build real habits across these 30 days.
Along with getting your mindset right it’s time to start researching. It’s time to find where you are going to be doing your resistance training. It could be at home, at a gym, or with a trainer. But do your research! Find what will work for you and what you will be the most consistent with.
If you are going to be working out on your own but looking for some direction, shoot me an email — Jeff@naglefitness.com
I will send you over a workout program for you to use to get things going.
Now that you figured out what you are going to be doing for your workouts and where you will be doing them, it’s time to find the time to get them done.
You are going to be looking to get 1-3 resistance training workouts done every week (lasting anywhere from 30-60 minutes each).
Exactly how many workouts you are going to do per week depends on you and your schedule. Everyone will be a bit different in this department.
Ask yourself how many days you can 100% commit to right now for the next 30 days. If the answer is 1, start there. If the answer is 2 or 3, start there. Remember, this is a starting point. We don’t want to overstretch ourselves off the bat and risk missing workouts. Those missed workouts don’t feel good and make it easier to let ourselves slide off track.
Day 9-14: Resistance Training
You have spent a good amount of time planning exactly what you are going to be doing, now it’s time to act on it. This is your first resistance training session and I hope you are excited!
Whether you are working out in the morning or at night, you are still going to find the time in the day to keep up with your 5 minute daily walks.
Over these 6 days try to get 1-2 workouts in, keep up with your walking, and diligently track your food. Things have been building on one another these past two weeks and now it’s time to put things together.
Day 15: Halfway Point
At this point in the month you have already accomplished a hell of a lot. You have changed. Habits have been changed while new ones are being created and you should be proud of yourself.
This type of stuff is very hard work and it’s time to take a second and celebrate what you have done so far. Some people I work with are not interested in celebrating their small wins so far because of how much more they want to achieve. I understand where they are coming from but these things take a lot of time. We have to be able to know how well we have done and how well we are going to KEEP doing.
Now that you have taken a minute to appreciate the work you’ve already done, it’s time to take a step forward with your nutrition. So, pull up your food logs from the past two weeks.
Protein: The goal for protein intake is going to be somewhere between 0.7-1.0 grams per pound of your goal weight. Calculate your intake.
Take a look at your protein each day since you started tracking. If you are below the lower end of the range start by aiming for that 0.7 mark. If you are above that 0.7 mark, aim closer toward the 1 gram mark.
Do what you can to hit these numbers on the head every single day.
Weigh-ins: Your weight day to day, will fluctuate for many different reasons. Don’t let that get in your head. Take the number that morning and move on. Over time we want that number moving downward, not every hour, not every day, not even every other day. This takes time, let the process do its work, and use the information you gather to your advantage not to your disadvantage.
Day 16-21: Calories
Yes, you are still walking 5 minutes per day!
Starting off at this point, you have either weighed once- day 1, or you have been weighing yourself throughout this whole process. Whatever route you have taken thus far, you have noticed that your weight has gone down, stayed the same, or gone up.
None of these situations are bad. Yes, the goal is fat loss but if your weight hasn’t moved or has gone up, It is just information. That’s what this entire first half of the month has been—> changing habits and gathering information.
So, whatever has happened so far on the scale, do not let It derail all the progress you have already made away from the scale. Things WILL change!
Weight loss:
If you have lost weight throughout this process so far, you’re doing exactly what you wanted so keep It up!
Weight staying the same or going up:
If your weight has stayed the same you are currently sitting around your maintenance calories. Meaning you are roughly at an energy balance of amount consumed and amount burned.
If your weight has gone up, then you are slightly above your maintenance calories or consuming a bit more than you are burning.
If your weight stayed the same or went up, we are going to dive a little deeper into your food. We will talk calories here in a second BUT first and foremost, you need to be hitting your protein goal.
If you are going to have a tough time just reaching that protein mark, DO NOT focus on your calories just yet. Work on the protein target, once it becomes a habit, then you can revisit these numbers and make the calorie changes.
Calories: Start off with a small calorie lowering. 200-400 calories per day less than you are eating right now. You can look at things on a daily basis or take that number and look at it from a weekly view (this works well with people whose jobs don’t allow for consistent days of eating). You will be weighing in each morning and recording your progress.
On day 21, what has your weight done? If things have begun to move down (even the slightest amount), keep on the exact same path of 200-400 calorie deficit, as you have been, it’s working!
If you weight did not go down, you are going to drop 100-200 calories off your current daily totals and follow that for another 6-7 days, taking your weight every single morning.
Day 22-26: Take a step back (or forward?)
At this point in time you should be seeing at least a small portion of weight going down. And that is all we want, a small portion. If weight is falling off like crazy, you might be eating too few calories and need to raise them up just a bit.
Losing 3,4,5 pounds a week is great to look at but very hard to maintain. I would much rather see you lose 0.5-1.5 pounds per week for a sustained, longer, period of time to let this be a lifelong change. Rather than you losing 20-30 pounds FAST and gaining it all back just a few short months later.
So at this point we are going to take a step back and evaluate what the hell has been going on!
- How has your weight loss been going?
- How has your energy been?
- How are your workouts going?
If you give a nice big thumbs up on #1 but thumbs down on #2 and #3, things could be better. As you lose fat, your body will be consuming less and moving more, that is not always easy on your energy. This is why we do things slowly, to let you adjust to this new style and allow your body to still work and function the best it can.
We want big, happy, thumbs up for #1, #2, and #3. Slightly slowing down your weight loss to allow yourself to get some energy back to your day and your workouts is not a bad trade off!
The second portion of this section is the “step forward” part. It’s time to begin moving up your daily activity. So, take a look at your schedule and grab a hold of one of those daily 5 minute walks you have been doing where you have found yourself going a bit farther on that day more often.
This one walk is now turning into a 20-30 minute walk.
You can still go for 5 minutes or longer on every other walk throughout the week, but make sure at least one of those walks is within 20-30 minutes.
Day 27-30: Evaluate
The 30 days are coming to a close but that doesn’t mean the work is almost done, things are just getting started!
This is the time I like to take a step back and evaluate everything you have done. This is also the time where we can re-do your body measurements and progress pictures to add to the mix!
So compile everything that’s been done this past month:
- Weigh-ins
- Measurements
- Progress pictures
- 5-minute walks
- 30 minute walk
- Weight training program
- Food tracking
- Protein targets
- Calorie targets
All these things have been done within the last MONTH. That is a very short amount of time and you have been able to change so much in that period. You may have seen some change in the fat loss department as well which is an added bonus. I tell most people that the first month is not where most of the results will come from.
Most of the results come from doing what you did in the first month for the next 24 months.
Looking back at the last 30 days, could you keep up with that amount of consistency and effort for the next two months? How about two years?
That is where the REAL change happens. None of this work is worth It if a few months down the road you are right back where you started. We want this work to pay off for a LONG TIME!
Everything you have done up until this point is information, information you will use to adjust your plan as time goes on. I think this might be the hardest part—figuring out what you need to do to keep the ball rolling.
What can you evaluate at this point in the month?
- Weight loss
- Workout progress (strength, confidence, movement)
- Progress pictures
- Food logs
- Consistency
- With workouts
- With food targets
- With food tracking
- How you feel
- Your sleep (quality & quantity)
In an ideal world, there would be positive notes next to every single one of these markers, but we don’t live in a fairytale, SO that means at least one of these things is not going to match what the others say.
And the reason we compile all this information is so you can look back at the end of the month and figure out what you can do to make It better.
Just like how you started this entire process, start slow. If there are 1 or two things on your evaluation list that need to be addressed, just pick one and focus on that for the next month. Once things have turned around, then you can re-evaluate everything again and choose the next focus area.
It seems tedious but you find yourself getting into a rhythm of finding out where your focus needs to be month over month. The biggest thing I want you to be able to take away from this article is about compiling your wins.
You should not expect to throw everything on your plate at once and be successful. Take one thing at a time, get good at it, and then add the next step to your routine.
Be proud of yourself.
Cut yourself some slack.
And always keep doing what you can to push forward.
In good health,
Jeff
