We are going to talk strategies; fat loss, weight loss, calorie cutting strategies.

Let's start off by putting some facts out there. If you are logging or gauging how much food and drink you are consuming and you have worked it out to be 1000 (or there about) and you are not losing weight...then unfortunately you are not eating 1000 calories consistently.

Unless you weigh 45kg, 100lbs or 7st you will lose weight eating 1000 calories.

I know I am talking about calorie counting again and what I should be calling it is calorie awareness. Without a level of awareness your fat loss goals will take longer to achieve, which is not always a bad thing, but if it means that along the way you give up and feel guilty then this is not the best route.

So let's talk strategies:

1) Cut out/reduce a food type. Whether it is alcohol, carbohydrates, fat, meat, fruit, bread...which ever label you choose. If you eliminate a type of food from your regular diet you will lose fat more likely than not.

WHY does it work?

Because it is quite easy to do. Not many people replace a whole missing food type with something else. It is clear in your head what you need to avoid thus making it easy to adhere to. You have reduced the amount of total calories you consume on a regular basis thus creating a calorie deficit, causing fat loss.


2) Intermittent fasting (also known as The 5:2 diet, The 6:1 diet, Skip breakfast diet).Intermittent fasting is going for a period of time consuming a very small amount of calories or no calories at all, only water and maybe some caffeine. A common method is to only eat between a set time period, say the hours of 1pm and 9PM (it could be any 8 hour period) but this seems to work for a lot of people. This results in a 16 hour fast.

WHY does it work?

Because it is super simple to conduct. You will probably not over consume in the 8 hour period to balance out the missed feeding time. You have missed at least 1 meal and maybe a snack during the fast so you have reduced the amount of total calories you consume on a regular basis thus creating a calorie deficit, causing fat loss.


3) Counting calories. The age old method of calculating what you are consuming to ultimately eat less. From logging on diet apps to writing down portions and weights, calculating calories is a tried and tested method for seeing where you could cut down. It does also come in the guise of 'points counting' and 'sins counting'. Which ever method you use it is a way of monitoring how many calories you are consuming and then reducing them.

WHY does it work?

Because it makes you aware of the foods which you may be overeating or which ones may contain more calories than you previously thought or were aware of. It creates a degree of learning which may be a help in the long term as you are actually relating calories to particular foods. You therefore reduce the amount of total calories you consume on a regular basis thus creating a calorie deficit, causing fat loss.


4) Train harder or move more. Increase the amount of time you exercise or the intensity in which you train if time is tight. Add movement when you can throughout the day, yes take the stairs instead of the escalator, beat your daily step count whatever it takes to increase your calorie expenditure.

WHY does it work?

Because increasing your daily movement increases the amount of calories you burn. By adding in the extra set of squats or increasing the intensity of a workout, you need more energy, you use more fuel. But this is why exercise isn't always the answer. If you are over consuming by a large amount then trying to exercise into a deficit is going to be hard, there are only so many hours in the day. But if calories stay the same and you increase your movement then you have increased the amount of total calories you have expended, on a regular basis thus creating a calorie deficit, causing fat loss

But I didn’t.

I persevered, grinded through and tested both my physical and mental fortitude. After one round of this workout I knew it was going to be a struggle. I felt sluggish, the weights felt heavy and I was already thinking of ways how I might change the session to get through it or just get out of it.

What made me get it done?

I was filming the session. Straight away this added a layer of accountability. I had decided to film it as it was going to be one of my ‘go to’ testing sessions and I wanted to post about it. Even though I could have just stopped the video and not posted about it I felt that it would be dishonest to not post it, no matter what the result.

I wanted to get those particular muscle groups trained that day. From a training perspective I knew that this was a session that needed to be done so cutting it short would have hampered my training plan for the week.

If I can’t persevere through one tough workout how can I talk about people being uncomfortable and being committed to their goals. I enjoy training and it has become part of my life. But for people I help who are just starting out or who are making some big changes in their lives, they are going to face challenges in many aspects as they start to analyse and adjust their daily habits. Dietary changes, new exercises, tough training sessions and mental battles are all part of the process. So when I come across a hurdle I need to be able get over it or work around it and keep running, just like I expect my clients to.

This may not seem a large challenge in the scheme of things, but the more we push through small battles the big ones will not feel so daunting. One habit change rolls into another, one completed workout increases our chances of doing the next.

Feeling uncomfortable yet not stopping will increase resilience and help you get through the hard days, tough choices and keep going in the face of adversity.

Doing things that are hard will develop strength, determination, fortitude and discipline, all key in accomplishing what you set out to achieve.

When you go on a diet or embark on a new eating regime, you set out with high hopes and all the best expectations in the world. You have your guidelines and what you are looking to remove or reduce. You are raring to go and flick your mindset to “I’m going to do this!”.

Over the first few weeks you may find that things are going great, your new meal plan and your snacks are flowing well and you are feeling positive.

Over the week you eat well, your new meal plan and your snacks are flowing well and you are feeling positive.

You start each week with a great food shop. Your meals are planned and you have prepped your lunches for the week, or at least got your ideas in mind. You find that your breakfasts are great and filling and each day you avoid the office biscuits and colleague birthday treats.

It’s that time of year where you start to make changes. You say to yourself “Right, that’s it! New year, new me” and “I’m definitely doing it this time!”. But that last statement alone says a lot... “...this time!” It shows that you may have tried it already or that you have tried something similar in the past.



Whether it is the 1st or 3rd time you are going to shift some excess pounds, join the gym or start running (insert goal here), you need to know your WHY. Without knowing and recognising your WHY you are unlikely to sustain the change over the longer term. If the going gets tough, your WHY will be there to steady the ship and to keep you pushing through. Your WHY is the reason you are making the change. It could be something personal or something external, but you need to find it. It might take some time but once you have it, grab onto it and don’t let go. Write it down. Think of all the different ways in which you can build towards it. Make a plan. Do little things that will lead towards it. A house is made brick by brick, you don’t have to build it all in a day.



We also live in the real world though, so you have to be realistic and honest. January is generally cold, wet and dark. The gyms are busy, your being told to not eat this and eat that. Some days you have a bad sleep, some days you are stuck at work or the kids are ill...things happen and life gets in the way! But if you have your WHY this all starts to look clearer. You get over your obstacles and your excuses because you can see what is at the end.



The biggest challenge standing in front of you is you. You are the one who needs to want to change. Yes, you may have support, guidance and help along the way. But without you, your WHY doesn’t exist.



You need to be SMART about things.

S- Specific -

M- Measurable

A- Achievable

R- Realistic

T- Timescale



S- I am going to lose 14lbs

M- I will measure my weight now and then each two weeks.

A- I will achieve this as I have a plan in place

R- It is realistic as it still puts me within a healthy weight range for my height and age

T- I will do this within 8 weeks time



This is where I do suggest writing your WHY down. Visualising it and reiterating it to yourself will reinforce it. Another good idea is a collage, a whiteboard, a notebook...whether it is a collection of pictures, notes or articles to get you inspired, it all helps.



You have the power each day to move a little bit closer to your goals (and feeling awesome). Write or say out loud 2 things right now that make you feel good about yourself. It could be your dedication to something, the smarter breakfast choice you made this morning, the skills you have in a particular field or a goal you have achieved in your life so far.


You are an achiever! You have done it before, you can do it again and again.

And if you have a wedding coming up and that is your WHY, my wife does amazing bridal hair ;) www.katiejanewhitlock.co.uk