When it comes to exercise and diet, advice that we consume can be hard to understand at times and even harder to transform into a habit. What we need is something that can be easily implemented on a daily basis while minimizing stress.
Besides habit changing behavior, let’s look into what research says about how we can take advantage of long-term fat loss without sacrificing our hard-earned muscle tissue.
Although fasting can be used as a successful and popular tool for weight loss, the greater proportion of those participants were obese and in a hospital setting. In addition, lower aerobic fitness levels had more success at losing weight especially from fat (Smyers et al., 2021). This may not be a good idea for those working out at higher intensity or competing in sport early in the morning when our system in need of fuel.
What about exercise duration, intensity and selection for best results?
Let’s take this a step at a time by figuring in all of the steps necessary for long-term weight loss:
Step 1- What is your goal? Are you into distance running, weight lifting/strength training, or circuit training for overall health? This will determine your type of training (distribution of conditioning vs. strength work) as well as your macronutrient profile (Carbohydrates, protein and fat).
Step 2- Figure out your macronutrient profile (examples below):
A- Distance/Competitive running (60% CHO, 20% PRO, 20% FAT)
B- Circuit Training- best of both worlds (50% CHO, 25% PRO, 25% FAT)
C- Fat Loss Strength Training- lower intensity cardiovascular/activity level (40% CHO, 30% PRO, 30% FAT)
As a general rule of thumb, the higher the intensity of your training equals more calories burned and needed from carbohydrates (CHO). More weight training needs a higher requirement of protein (PRO). If we are consuming a lower calorie-diet in addition to fasting on the light training days then our protein and fats need to be higher (Lassen et al., 2021).
A higher fiber diet from whole foods in addition to a higher protein diet (.8-1 gram per pound of body weight per day of protein) is necessary for long term weight loss especially from fat (Hjorth, M. F. et al., 2018). We absolutely need at least 1 gram/lb. of bodyweight if we want any more than just base level results in the gym. Animal-based protein is one of the best sources of essential amino acids and especially having high quantities of leucine, an important metabolic trigger for muscle protein synthesis. This is really important for folks looking to gain muscle while losing body fat. In addition, hydrolysate proteins lead to the amino acids being absorbed more rapidly and have a greater response in the plasma (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2019).
Start punching in your favorite foods/recipes to see what ratios you are getting. From here you can get a good idea of what proportions you can take in your body for your specific goal.
Step 3- Choose an activity that is fun and something you can maintain
All athletes from many different sports (basketball, track & field distance jumpers, track & field sprinters, football players, soccer players, etc.) have healthy body composition and have adjusted their diet to fit the energy needs of their particular sport. The underlying theme of many sports that are stop-and-go is the amount of muscle mass that is needed in addition to their cardiac power, so this is why interval training has become popular.
Interval training can be one of the best activities for individuals to maintain a healthy body weight in addition to burning body fat because of the moderate heart rate and strength involved (Zhang et al., 2020). Activities that keep your heart rate between 60%-80% intensity while involving multi-joint strength moves for 30 minutes is recommended for those individuals looking for the best results in a minimal amount of time.
To recap, fat loss is best achieved through a consistent meal plan each day that involves attention to detail with macro-nutrients (specifically from whole foods), combination training for 30 minutes on 3-4 days per week and sticking with a goal that is both challenging and rewarding.
References:
Hjorth, M. F., Blaedel, T., Bendtsen, L. Q., Lorenzen, J. K., Holm, J. B., Kiilerich, P., Roager, H. M., Kristiansen, K., Larsen, L. H., & Astrup, A. (2019). Prevotella-to-Bacteroides ratio predicts body weight and fat loss success on 24-week diets varying in macrunutrient composition and dietary fiber: Results from a post-hoc analysis. International Journal of Obesity, 43, 149-157.
Jeukendrup, A. & Gleeson, M. (2019). Sports Nutrition. (3rd ed.) Champaign, Ill: Human Kintetics.
Lassen, P. B., Belda, E., Prifti, E., Carlota Dao, M., Specque, F., Henegar, C., Rinaldi, L., Wang, X., Kennedy, S. P., Zucker, J. D., Calame, W., Lamarche, B., Claus, S. P., & Clement, K. (2021). Protein supplementation during an energy-restricted diet induces visceral fat loss and gut microbiota amino acid metabolism activation: a randomized trial. Scientific Reports, 11, 15620.
Smyers, M. E., Koch, L. G., Britton, S. L., Wagner, J. G., & Novak, C. M. (2021). Enhanced weight and fat-loss from long-term intermittent fasting in obesity-prone, low-fitness rats. Physiology & Behavior, 230, 113280.
Zhang, H., Tong, T. K., Kong, Z., Shi, Q., Liu, Y., & Nie, J. (2020). Exercise training-induced visceral fat loss in obese women: The role of training intensity and modality. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 31(1).
