If I could choose one outcome from my fat loss series of blog posts it would be that every single reader tries to lose body fat rather than lose weight.
I have seen a major increase in the last 12-14 months in the amount of client requests I get for weight loss.
When I hear the word weight loss I cringe and cry!
I am thankful for their interest but I always like to start of with a little education into how they should be thinking more about losing body fat rather than see the scale weight going down every week.
People have been brain washed into constantly thinking about losing weight and weighing themselves all time then being upset if their weight has not changed from the last time they weighed themselves a whole 4 hours ago.
The truth is your weight can fluctuate day to day and you should get out of the habit of weighing in all the time.
My weight can go up as much as 5-6 pounds in a day when I have had a heavy carb day, so try not to focus on it every waking hour.
Weighing in on the scales can be a good starting point for most people and ideally you would try to get the same conditions each time.
I would recommend going for one morning per week after waking up and going to the toilet.
If I am being honest I would much prefer you to focus more on how you look, feel and by taking skin fold measurements for a more accurate indication of your total body fat loss.
Why is fat loss better than weight loss?
During a weight loss journey many people cut calories too low and therefore do not get the adequate nutrition they need.
This leads to the muscles not meeting their requirements which will result as muscle loss.
But the scale went down that’s fantastic isn’t it?
Ehhhhh, NO! 
You have lost muscle and fat………
The more muscle you have in your body (lean body mass LBM) the more calories your body will burn which will help greatly with your fat loss journey.
How are we going to put this plan in action?
Below are 3 simple steps to get you started:
1. Sleep
Sleep is an important part of your fat loss journey although most people will discard this and skip to the next tip before taking it into consideration.
How many hours solid sleep do you get?
6,7,8,9,10 hours.
Optimally you should aim for 8-10 hours.
Yes of course you can get 6-7 hours sleep per night but it is not ideal, you are getting by but you will not be running at 100% and you may lose focus in your working day along with intensity in the gym.
This is something I have been trying hard to improve on over the last 8-12 months.
Some simple things to work on to improve your sleep:
⚫️Get into a routine try and go to bed and get up at the same time each day
⚫️Go to bed before 10:30pm every night
⚫️Stay off the computer after 9pm (blue light can inhibit production of melatonin, which promotes sleep)
2. Strength Training
To start building muscle and improve your LBM you will need to start lifting some weights.
I am not talking about the silly pink ones you pick up for £5 in your local supermarket.
I am talking about learning the big compound moves such as squats, deadlifts and press variations.
I would also recommend you get strong on all bodyweight moves chins, press ups, handstands, levers etc.
Jason Ferruggia Strength Training Client
Once you have mastered the lifts then you can start adding weight, do not let your ego take over and start putting weights on to show everyone else how much you can lift, because in reality no one really gives a shit.
Its all about you, it’s your journey.
Start off with the basics and get strong then you can start adding assistance exercises to help improve your program and make it solid.
The picture on the right is borrowed from a strength coach I follow & respect, it emphasises my point about the scale weight not giving you a true reflection for your efforts and why strength training should be included in your program.
Get lifting!!!!!
3. Add Conditioning
The final piece to the puzzle to help you blast the last bit of fat, add in some conditioning drills.
Conditioning is a form of high intensity interval training and when used in the right manner can be an awesome way to burn fat.
I like to use conditioning drills in various ways, sometimes I throw them in at the end of a workout for the last 5-10 minutes.
I like to push/pull the prowler, flip the tractor tyre, throw in some loaded carries along with some KB swings, they are just a few of the exercises I enjoy having in my programs.
There are lots of different exercise variations and sessions you can plan.
My favourite form of conditioning I like to use for fat loss and all round athleticism is hill sprints.
Its safer than a straight sprint and its super effective.
You need very little in terms of equipment all you need is a pair of shorts, t-shirt and a pair of trainers along with a hill.
Ensure you start off slow an do not over do it on your first sprint session. I would not recommend going 100% on your sprints and you need to increase your speed gradually through out the session.
You will also need to start of slow and build up your sprint program, anywhere between 40-50 meters at around 50-60% of your max speed and over the coming months aim to build it to 60-80meters at around 85-90%.
Ensure you give yourself an adequate amount of time to recover from each sprint before performing the next to get the most from them.
Get on your trainers and get Sprinting!
Of course we can not overlook nutrition on your fat loss journey as it is the most important factor.
Let’s take one step at a time and try to get started.
I will write another article about how to add a healthy nutrition plan into the mix.
Precision nutrition have stated previously that if a person changes only one habit and tries to master it they have a 90% chance of sticking to it.
This drastically decreases when we try to change more than one habit at a time. (3 habits around 30% success)
Stick with one thing at a time and look to improve over the long term rather than looking for a quick fix.
Be sure to check out the popular bride to be series part 1 and part 2
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