Is losing fat one of your training goals?

Here’s the short of it: In mid-life (+ Menopause), fat loss is tricky, but doable.

The process

• Is slow (10 pounds of desired weight loss takes 20+ weeks)

• Requires a sustainable & consistent + progressive approach to nutrition and training

• Requires stress & recovery to be managed

Principles of Fat Loss at any Age

1. Food quantity — in Calories — informs your body weight

2. Food quantity — in macronutrients — informs your body composition or body fat

3. (And food quality informs your health.)

So in practice, weight & fat loss require both a conservative or neutral calorie deficit and a macronutrient combination that:

• Feels Sustainable for the long haul — in time commitment, lifestyle, cost, etc.

• Enables you to function as a human at as close to 100% as you can get

• Mitigates or eliminates muscle loss during the process

That’s why your first step toward your goal will be to build a diet that promotes satiety, minimizes cravings, and brings hella-health benefits in the mean time!

What Role does Exercise Play?

On its own, Cardio, HIT, or other Calorie-burning workouts are minimally - at best - beneficial as a tool for fat loss.

Cardiovascular exercise (includes moderate intensity exercise like taking a brisk walk or higher intensity training like HIT Workouts) is beneficial for preserving previous fat loss.

Resistance training builds muscle mass, which inherently changes lean mass to fat mass ratios. — Especially for beginners! Expect 1 to 4 pounds of muscle mass gainZ in Year One of lifting heavy, and up to 1-2 pounds more thereafter, assuming training & nutrition is consistently locked in.

📍Ready to Start?!

Here we go👇

Step 1.0: Assess your daily fruit & veggie intake.

Yup, fruits and veggies. You’re probably thinking, “That’s IT?!”

And I know — because you eat pretty healthy — you’re “good with getting in fruits & veggies.”

So prove to us both that you’re consistently eating enough fruits & veggies, so that you can progress to the next thing, Step 2.0 (protein).

Track your Fruits & Veggies for 4 - 7 Full Days

• We’re looking for your average daily F&V intake.

• Download the PDF log provided below, or download a food log app.

• Review “what counts” on the list below as a fruit & veg and what doesn’t.

• Measure and log as you go through your day.

• Compare your tally to the data in the “How’d you do?” section.

What Foods Count?

For this assignment, all of these foods count:

• Non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, greens, onions, asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.

• Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, corn, peas, squash, carrots

• Fruits, like berries, citrus, oranges, unsweetened applesauce, melons, apples. grapes, kiwi

• Legumes, like black beans, edamame, lentils, chickpeas

• Other oddball plants, like avocado, olives, tofu, fermented veggies like sauerkraut and Bubbies pickles

• Preparation: Raw, cooked, canned (in water), and frozen varieties all count

What you Can't Count

• Processed products: Items made from fruits and vegetables, like veggie straws, chickpea pasta, or cornmeal, are excluded.

• Dried fruits and vegetables: do not count.

• Fried foods: potatoes, etc.

• Juices: Fruit and vegetable juices do not count. Even homemade.

• Added ingredients: Products with added sugars, oils, or sauces do not count, such as sweetened applesauce, marinara sauce, or store-bought hummus.

• Pre-packaged items: don’t disassembled and measure pre-packaged food ingredients. They don’t count for this assignment.

Measurement Methods

Food scale if/when you have access, Measuring Cup (= your hand in a fist) the rest of the time

🔽 DOWNLOAD THIS LOG 🔽

How’d You Do?

SIMPLE Methods More Fruits & Veggies

If it’s not simple, we’re not gonna do it.

• Keep your regular eating routine but increase the portion size of your fruits & veggies to 1-2 fist-sized servings

• Add a fruit or veg to any meal that is consistently lacking, up to 1-2 fist-sized servings.

• Purchase pre-chopped or chop up 2 fist-sized servings of fruits & veggies, put them in a bowl to be munched on at snack times.

REACH OUT after you finish tracking & changing your fruits and veggie intake, so you can get your Step 2. assignment!

@homegrownfit on Instagram

References:

“Fruit & Veggie Log + What Counts” comes from Optimize Me Nutrition’s 800 Gram Challenge framework. https://optimizemenutrition.com/800g-challenge/

Fiber Intake: PMID: 38011755, PMID: 25552267, PMID: 41161230, PMID: 25552267

Fruit & Veg (F/V) for Mortality Risk: PMID: 28338764

F/V & Fat Mass in populations: PMID: 29643151

F/V alone as weight loss intervention: PMID: 24965308