Pursuing a journey towards fat loss and toning up can seem like a challenge as a busy mom. There are so many influencers on social media telling you to do this or do that and it’s hard to understand what’s right and what’s wrong. What may be good for you may not be great for another.
First let’s define the difference between fat loss AND weight loss.
Fat loss and weight loss are terms often used interchangeably, but they represent distinct concepts that have different implications for overall health and well-being. Understanding the difference between the two is crucial for moms seeking specific fitness or health goals.
Fat Loss
Fat loss specifically targets the reduction of body fat while preserving lean muscle mass. The goal is to decrease the amount of adipose tissue (body fat) while maintaining or increasing muscle mass (with weight training). This results in a more toned and defined physique.
My methodology behind fat loss is through a combination of a calorie targeted diet, focused on mastering the main nutrition habits (like increasing protein to promote more opportunities for our body to burn more calories), regular strength training, and lifestyle changes (increase sleep, decrease stress etc).
Weight Loss
Weight loss on the other hand, is a broader term that refers to a reduction in overall body weight, encompassing various components such as water weight, muscle mass, and fat.
Weight loss does not differentiate between the loss of fat, muscle, or water. Some weight loss methods, particularly crash diets or excessive cardio without proper nutrition, may lead to muscle loss along with fat loss.
Traditional weight loss approaches often involve creating a calorie deficit, which can be achieved through diet, exercise, or a combination of both. However, the focus is primarily on reducing the number on the scale.
When working with moms, I always like to ask them “if you weighed the same but achieved your ideal body composition would you be happy with that?”
While a fat loss plan will most likely include some form of weight loss- the goal is focused primarily on getting more lean. Many women on a fat loss plan will indeed lose weight but they’re also focusing on building strong lean muscle.
The more muscle we have on our bodies, the more our bodies use fuel more efficiently. Meaning the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn because muscle is more metabolical. Muscle tissue requires more energy at rest compared to fat tissue. Even when you are not actively engaged in physical activity, your body needs energy to maintain basic physiological functions such as breathing, circulating blood, and maintaining body temperature. Muscle, being more metabolically active, contributes significantly to this resting energy expenditure.
At its core, fat loss occurs when the body expends more calories than it consumes. This imbalance creates a calorie deficit, prompting the body to tap into its fat stores for energy, leading to weight loss and a more toned physique.
Establishing Your Baseline
The first step in any successful fat loss journey is to establish your baseline. This involves determining your maintenance calories – the number of calories required to maintain your current weight. Calculations are based on factors such as age, weight, height, activity level, and metabolism. Understanding what you’re currently eating through a 3 day food journal is important to understand where you’re starting.
Establishing a Plan
Once you've established your baseline, the next step is to decide your goals and how you will implement them. A calorie deficit can be achieved through a reduction in calories, whether through nutrition, exercise or both. I am not one for following a strict meal plan, or eating less than 1400 calories. Remember our goal is fat loss - our body needs fuel to build muscle. It's really hard to build muscle without supplying our bodies with nutrients!
You’ll want to monitor your caloric intake. You can do this in multiple ways depending on:
Time
Skill level
Readiness and dedication
Keeping a food diary, or using a mobile app can be incredibly beneficial in this regard. These tools allow you to track the calories and nutritional content of everything you consume, providing insight into your dietary habits. However this can be very time consuming.
The methods I personally use with my clients are as follows:
Mindful eating & awareness focusing on hunger cues & feeling satisfied vs fullness
Using a plate to gage a balance of proteins, veggies, carbs & fats
Hand portion method- using hands to measure and track with a personalized plan of how many palms of protein, fists of veggies etc
Calorie counting - focusing in on protein & calories by tracking in an app
Then finally macro tracking- this one is very high level and requires a lot of attention and detail.
You can check out this video I created breaking down the different ways to track your nutrition for your level and time commitment.
Scoop up a copy of my Fat Loss Guide for moms👇🏻
With my clients, I always start with mindful eating, then move onto the next step when the mom is ready. Sometimes they get results just from being more mindful, other times they need a bit more. We always couple this with strength training.
Check out a strength training workout here:
Stress and Sleep
A fat loss plan goes beyond just nutrition and fitness. It’s much more than that and focusing on other things like our sleep and stress is important for our success.
The impact of sleep on our overall health, fitness, mental well-being, and fat loss journey cannot be overstated. Inadequate sleep not only disrupts our physical and mental functions but also contributes to weight gain. Lack of quality of sleep increases our hunger hormone ghrelin, contributing to cravings and overeating leading to weight gain.
When we’re tired, we’re not moving as much, not showing up for our workouts and we’re just generally more sluggish leading to less caloric burn because of less movement.
Stress also impacts our fat loss goals by triggering the release of cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that plays a role in the body’s fight or flight response. While a short term increase can be beneficial, chronic elevation can lead to increased abdominal fat storage.
The two go hand in hand with each other- when we’re tired we may be more stressed or vice versa when we’re stressed we most likely sleep less.
That’s why it’s important to take a peak at both and see what changes you can make so that all your hard work pays off!
Check out my Busy Moms Fat Burning Blueprint (FREE) for more direction on your fat loss goals!
EmpowerHER
IF you’re ready to take your metabolism up a notch, join us for the next round of EmpowerHER. This is my group coaching program focusing on fitness and nutrition with personalized metabolism plans so you can burn fat at your own personal pace.