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1, 2, 3 and to the 4,
Coach J, Coach Sean, and Coach Patrick are at your door,
Ready to make an entrance so back on up,
‘Cuz we’re about to hook it up…
– Snoop (probably)
Happy Friday, Coach J here from Anyman Fitness – and welcome to the latest edition of The N.W.A. Newsletter.
Today, we’re going to break a bit from the normal format.
Instead of the usual Nutrition, Weightlifting, and Attitude advice, I’d like to discuss something else – The Nutritional Hierarchy For Fat Loss.
In 2023, the fitness industry has gotten “soft” when it comes to nutrition.
Everyone wants to whisper sweet nothings in your ear…
“You don’t need to count calories to lose fat.”
“Losing weight is easy and anyone can do it.”
“Just eat real foods and you’ll lose weight effortlessly.”
Those may be nice sound bites, but reality is nothing could be further from the truth.
Fat loss is difficult, let’s not get it twisted – there’s a reason why very few people lose the weight and keep it off forever.
It helps to know *exactly* what moves the needle when it comes to fat loss, which is why I’m so adamant about discussing this topic.
There is a clear order of importance for what you should focus on if you want to lose fat and keep it off for good.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Take a look at this graphic:
As you can see, there is a pyramid of importance when it comes to your fat loss.
The order of importance you need to focus on is:
1. Calories (70-75%)
2. Macronutrient Composition (10-15%)
3. Vitamins, Minerals, Elements, Hydration, and Fiber (8-10%)
4. Meal Timing and Frequency (4-5%)
5. Supplementation (1%)
Let’s break those down in order and discuss what they mean…
Most important => Calories (roughly 75% of the fat loss equation)
You will not lose weight if you’re not in a calorie deficit.
Let me repeat that: You WILL NOT lose weight if you’re not in a calorie deficit.
There’s lots of gurus out there who will tell you otherwise, of course…
There are 2 main parts to your metabolism:
1. Calories in and
2. Calories out.
It’s up to you which lever you wish to manipulate.
But the fact remains, if you’re taking in more energy than you’re burning, you will gain weight… and if you are taking in less energy than you’re burning, you will lose weight.
Move more.
Or eat less.
Yes, it’s a sound bite and it’s reductionist, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s TRUE.
If you’re struggling to lose weight, start here FIRST every time.
There’s an adage when it comes to nutrition – the “problem” you’re facing is almost always has the simplest solution.
If you’re trying to lose weight and it’s not happening for you, the answer is almost always “you’re eating too much”.
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but this has been the case in nearly every client I’ve ever seen who is having a tough time losing weight.
Just because it’s an unpopular statement to make doesn’t make it any less true.
Macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats) DO contain calories.
There are:
– 4 calories per gram of protein
– 4 calories per gram of carbs
-9 calories per gram of fat
Protein is FAR and away the most important of the 3 macros for fat loss, for a few reasons…
Protein:
1. Fills you up more than carbs or fats
2. Maintains your muscle while dieting
3. Provides a metabolic advantage (25% of protein’s calories are burned in the digestive system)
Fills you up, maintains your muscle, AND gives you an “extra boost” to your metabolism?
Now you can see why protein is so darn important to get into your system when you’re dieting for fat loss.
If you diet too quickly, you aren’t strength training, or you aren’t getting enough protein, you risk catabolism (muscle loss).
Muscle is important to maintain.
It keeps us healthy, strong, and resilient.
Plus, you look better naked when you have proper muscle mass on your body.
Be sure you get your protein in.
As far as carbs and fats goes, this is mainly personal preference.
BUT don’t think you can’t eat carbs because you’ll get fat – that’s incorrect.
And don’t go too low on your fats, or you’ll end up screwing up your hormonal profile.
An even split tends to work nicely here.
Third Most Important => Vitamins, Elements, Minerals, Fiber, and Hydration (aka, the “Healthfulness” of your diet – 8%)
Before we dive in here, please notice something – your Calories and Protein/Macro intake are 85% of the fat loss equation.
85%.
This is where most people go wrong, too.
Everyone is carb conscious these days.
Carbs, bad; fat, good.
Or at least that’s how the story goes…
It’s common to start working with a new client and after they start paying attention, they realize they’re eating WAY too much fat.
People think: “Salmon, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, saturated fat, eggs, butter – those are all ‘healthy’ foods!”
And sure, they have health benefits.
And they also have a load of calories… and calories is always your most important part of fat loss…
Regarding the healthfulness of your diet… do your best to eat real foods without labels that don’t come in a bag or a box.
Get your fiber in and disregard the carnivore bros who say fiber isn’t necessary for optimal health – they’re being dogmatic.
Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.
Get your electrolytes in.
Sleep 7-8 hours per night.
This is the category of “good habits”, so to speak – so do what you know you should do and eat as healthy as you can.
Oh… and avoid booze and save dining out for special treats.
Fourth Most Important => Meal Timing and Meal Frequency (5%)
The gurus (myself included) often incorrectly state your meal timing and frequency don’t matter.
The fact is… it actually *does* matter… a little bit…
But it matters SO LITTLE that for 99.9% of people, it should be disregarded entirely.
There is actually a slight metabolic advantage to fasting when calories and protein are equated.
Doing fasted cardio actually does burn a bit more fat than unfasted cardio.
But again… the difference is small.
Unless you’re going to have your body fat judged while you’re on stage in a banana hammock, disregard it – and do whatever YOU prefer.
If you enjoy intermittent fasting, awesome!
Do it!
I fasted for 4 years and it worked great for fat loss.
If fasting makes you want to eat your arm off and it causes you to binge later, no worries, eat more frequently.
Eat lots of small meals and snacks if you wish.
Or eat 1-2 HUGE meals per day.
Whatever keeps you consistent and allows you to be on point with your calories and macros.
Because remember, those are ALWAYS the most important part of fat loss, hands down.
Don’t sweat the small stuff…
And DEAD last is => Supplements (1%)
I barely even want to discuss this one…
Supplements in general don’t cause fat loss.
ESPECIALLY fat loss supplements you buy online or at GNC.
And if they actually do work, it’s because they have high amounts of stimulants in them.
The active ingredient in most supplements is caffeine.
Caffeine does speed up your metabolism and help you burn more calories.
It reduces hunger as well.
*IF you can handle the stimulation and you don’t get anxiety from the caffeine, it can be a useful tool when dieting.
There’s a few more supplements that do help with fat loss… but notice that “1%” here…
It won’t do jack if your calories and macros aren’t in order (notice a theme?).
Because of that, I’m not even going to discuss them… I want you focused on ALL the right things…
I hope you found this newsletter useful.
Now you know EXACTLY what you should be focusing your efforts on.
Start at the bottom of the pyramid and master each section, working your way up.
If you do this, and you keep working at it, you’ll soon be in the category of people who DO lose the weight, and keep it off – for good.
One Favorite Social Media Post Of The Week:
A few weeks ago, I wrote a Twitter thread about the Nutritional Hierarchy for Fat Loss.
If you enjoyed this lesson and you’d like to share, here’s the link – much appreciated!
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Anyman Fitness N.W.A. Newsletter.
I’ll be back next week.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Best,
Coach J
Anyman Fitness
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