I started my modern fitness journey on New Year’s Day 2023. My desire to get into better shape was not necessarily motivated by setting a New Year’s resolution, with the first day of my fitness journey falling on January 1st just being a coincidence. The day before I had hit rock bottom on my mental health, I was suffering from major depression and severe insomnia, and I was also in the worst physical shape of my life. I decided when the clock struck midnight that when I woke up I would choose to live better, both for myself and for the sake of those who depend on me.
Since then I have worked very hard on my mental and physical health. I am very happy to report that my depression has subsided, my insomnia is doing much better, and I am in the best shape of my life in many ways. With that being said, I still have a pesky amount of belly fat that has been a struggle to get rid of. There are various reasons for that, not the least of which is how heavy I was roughly two years ago when I started my modern fitness journey. Another part is that I have been running a calorie surplus on most days.
After a lot of reflection and personal evaluation, I think I have figured out where I need to step things up to get rid of my love handles. If you follow the articles on this website, then you have seen me refer to the ‘fitness triforce,’ which is a term I coined for the combination of weightlifting, cardio, and proper nutrition. I have never struggled with pumping iron during the last couple of years, with my weightlifting sessions being arguably my favorite thing to do during the week aside from hanging out with my kids. I have definitely struggled with being consistent on the cardio front, but have stepped it up in recent months.
Nutrition is a tough one. I have not willingly eaten added sugar in roughly two years now, I have avoided fast food, I have limited processed food intake, I do not drink alcohol, and I eat plenty of protein, vegetables, and fruits. For a long time, that was enough to shed pounds, however, about a year ago I hit a plateau. I assumed that as long as what I was eating was healthy and I spaced out my meals, then I could eat as much as I wanted (within reason).
That was before I really dug into how many calories I was consuming each day. What I need to do is operate on a calorie deficit for a time via a calorie deficit diet. A calorie deficit diet involves eating fewer calories each day than your body typically uses. The larger the daily deficit, the more weight you will lose over time. Many elite bodybuilders incorporate this concept leading up to competition during what is commonly referred to as a ‘shred season.’
The first step in coming up with a calorie deficit diet is to calculate how many calories you would need to consume to maintain your current weight at your current age and daily activity level. If you Google how to calculate the number you are looking for, there are many calculator tools out there. I have tried several of them and the results are not consistent. A calculator that is recommended by a peer-reviewed article on WebMD can be found at this link here. I assume it is more credible and accurate than random calculators found on Google searches. Be honest about the activity level when punching your answers into the calculator – you only cheat yourself by cheating on the calculator 🙂
Once you have the number from the calculator, whatever it is, you can then come up with a daily diet that is less than that number. Typically, eating a diet that is 500 calories a day lower than your maintenance calorie number is a good approach and should, mathematically speaking, lower your weight by a pound a week. You can always run a larger deficit to lose weight faster, but always be mindful of eating enough calories to still be healthy and function properly. Eat a diet that is high in lean protein, especially if you want to build or maintain your muscle mass, and spread out your meals. Bodybuilding legend Mark Mentzer recommended a calorie level that is no lower than 1,500 calories a day.
A calorie deficit diet will obviously never be as enjoyable as a diet that is full of calories, but if you really want to lose weight, especially pesky belly fat weight, a calorie deficit diet is a must. Below is an example of a daily diet that clocks in at just over 1,500 calories. You will also need to incorporate a daily dietary fiber supplement and a multivitamin for the diet below, although you should come up with your own diet that includes healthy things that you like to eat to help ensure that you stick with it:
- Meal #1 – Four servings of egg whites
- Meal #2 – One serving of baked boneless, skinless chicken breast and a serving of mini sweet peppers
- Meal #3 – One carton of Muscle Milk
- Meal #4 – One serving of baked boneless, skinless chicken breast and one serving of baby carrots
- Meal #5 (post workout meal) – One serving of baked boneless, skinless chicken breast, one serving of Optimal Nutrition protein powder and water, and one serving of Trader Joe’s brown rice
- Meal #6 – One serving of baked boneless, skinless chicken breast and spring mix salad (no dressing)
- Snacks throughout the day – 1 apple, 3 Quaker slightly salted rice cakes, COSTCO Chicken Chunks, 4 slices of Columbus Italian Dry salami
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Disclaimer: The contents of this article and this website are not meant to substitute for the professional advice of a doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer. This content is provided as an educational tool to help people on their fitness journeys. While we strive to research topics as much as possible and provide useful and accurate information to the best of our abilities, we also strongly recommend talking to your doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer before starting any workout, therapeutic, or nutritional regimen, as each individual’s needs and situations vary depending on the person.