by: Catarina Orr
Spring is here, the weather is getting warner, and you're thinking it’s time to go on a diet for that summer bod. The thought of laying out in a bikini has you anxious and feeling like you need to take drastic measures.
Right? Well, maybe…maybe not…“it just depends.”
Nevertheless, it depends on you, your situation, and if your body is in a place to be on a diet.
This may sound weird, but your body has to feel “safe” in order to lose body fat. If not, it’ll sense a threat and prevent fat loss because it is under stress and has no business losing fat.
As much as you want to lose it right now, your body might not want to.
So, what do you have to do to prime your body for fat loss?
How To Get Your Body Ready For Fat Loss
To lose fat, you need to get the permission slip from your body. This means you need to optimize your health. The more time you spend optimizing your health, the easier your “goal bod” will be.
So, what should you do to optimize your health so you can lose fat?
Make sure you can cross off these items before you try to enter a diet or calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is when you burn more calories than you consume. This can be achieved by eating less food, doing more activity/workouts, or a combination of both (this is the recommended method).
Before you go into a calorie deficit, you should to do the following.
Health Optimization Checklist (master this before dieting)
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Eating at maintenance calories for 3-6 months (if not longer depending on case). Maintenance calories are when you are eating the amount of calories that neither allows you to gain or lose weight, just enough to keep you at your current body composition.
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Haven’t dieted more than 1 time in the past 12 months
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Feeling like a strong MF (that feeling where you just feel good - you aren't tired all the time, you don't feel like you are overwhelmed, etc.)
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Life stress reduced and no dramatic change in life (change of job, moving, loss of family member, relationship change, etc)
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Thyroid, digestion, menstrual cycle all on point (hormones in check)
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Sleeping 8+ hours and able to stay asleep
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Eating well-balanced meals without restriction or negative relationship with foods: 4 Reasons You're Eating Clean and Not Losing Weight
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Lifting heavy 3-5x a week
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Consuming lots of water daily
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Getting 7-10k steps a day
If you can check off everything on this list, then your body may be ready to go into a calorie deficit.
You may even lose some weight just following this health optimization checklist, and you will likely see a change in your body composition and energy levels.
There is a ton here, and everyone's situation is different. If you have questions about this checklist, are ready to start losing fat, or just have general questions, I am here for you. Just shoot me an email or DM at my contact info below. I look forward to helping you on your health and fitness journey for living your optimized life!
About the Author:
Catarina Orr - Online Fitness Coach for Catty Lee Fitness - "helping women to be fit and fueled with food"
Email: cattyleellc@gmail.com
IG: @catty_lee