Every fitness journey requires change. Whether you’re lean, and you’re looking to put on muscle mass, or you’re overweight, and you want to slim down. The steps you make on that journey depend on both what your starting point is and what your end goals are.
For those who are at 30% body fat or more, the path isn’t always clear.
You want to be skinnier. You want to be healthier. But how do you make that happen?
Should you focus on cardio and skip weight training for now? Do you need to starve yourself? How can you build muscle while burning fat and losing weight? What’s the best outfit to show off your body once you’re cut and ripped?
First of all, don’t starve yourself. Second, there are likely a lot of questions and daydreams floating through your head, and while they’re not all bad, you’re getting ahead of yourself.
Let’s take a breath and take a step back. Focus on where you’re at presently. Think about what you can realistically do right now. We need to build a plan that you can start today, not 6 months down the road once you’ve built some muscle and shed some weight.
It’s best to keep things simple. How simple? Let’s start with 4 steps.
Knowing what I know as an experienced personal trainer in Minneapolis, these are the 4 steps I would take if I were starting off at 30% body fat.
Have a Goal
This sounds obvious, but it’s where so many people go off track. People set fluffy and abstract goals like “I want to lose weight” or “I want my clothes to fit better” or “I want to be ready for beach season.” These are bad ambitions, but they are not actionable goals.
When setting your goal, you need something that is concrete and measurable. This will allow you to create action steps and keep track of whether you’re moving closer or further away from your desired outcome.
The simplest way to create a tangible goal is by utilizing the SMART system. I know that acronyms can be annoying, but in my experience, this one works.
SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
What’s an example of a SMART fitness goal for someone at 30% body fat?
A simple goal would be to reach a certain body fat percentage by a certain date. So, let’s say you want to be at 20% body fat in 9 months.
This goal sets a specific end goal. Your body fat percentage is measurable. This goal requires you to lose a little over 1% of body fat each month, which is achievable for almost anyone. This goal is relevant to your current situation.
And with a 9-month window, this goal is timebound. It forces you to stick to a routine and schedule, which builds motivation and accountability.
I’m not saying you have to choose this specific goal, but it gives you a perfect example of what you should be aiming for.
Diet Fundamentals
Now that you have a goal, it’s time to make some lifestyle changes, and that starts in the kitchen. Don’t worry, we’re not going to start weighing your food or tracking macros and micros. If you’re starting at 30% body fat or more, that’s probably going to be too much for you.
You don’t want to burn yourself out, so let’s keep things simple and focus on cleaning up your pantry.
It’s time to ditch the unhealthy food. Don’t be afraid to literally throw food away (or give it to someone else if you don’t want to be wasteful). Anything that’s processed needs to go. You’ll also need to break routines of ordering fast food or going out for drinks every night with friends.
Your current lifestyle is what has put you in this situation. If you want to change your body, you must change your lifestyle.
The simplest way to do this is to clean out the trash and start from scratch. Now that you’ve thrown everything out, it’s time to rebuild from scratch. What does that look like?
I have 3 rules when it comes to establishing dieting fundamentals:
1. Eat real foods
If the ingredient list is longer than what the food is, get rid of it. Stick to fruit, vegetables, and animal proteins. An apple is an apple. Chicken is chicken. Keep it simple and clean.
2. Don’t eat too much
Portion control is a game-changer. Set limits on what you’re going to eat, and don’t exceed them. For many, that will be three meals a day and one plate per meal. No seconds. No in-between snacks. Keep consistent.
3. Mostly plants and proteins
This ties back to the first item, but the easiest way to keep your diet healthy, lose weight, build muscle, and satisfy your hunger is to stick to mostly plants and proteins. This might sound basic, but there are still so many options of vegetables, fruits, meats, and nuts.
By focusing on these three things, you will start to see results. You will begin to feel better. Bad food will start to lose its control over you. The transformation will be so radical and positive that you won’t want to go back.
Get Fit Friends
One of the most effective ways to keep yourself accountable and stay on track with your fitness goals is to surround yourself with people who are healthy, fit, and goal-oriented. Their mindset, actions, and results will inspire you. They will also keep you honest and encourage you to push yourself.
It’s a lot easier to avoid bad habits and regression when your social circle avoids the same negative actions.
And when temptations do arise and you mess up, your community will be there to help you get back on track.
Surround yourself with people who are fit. Who are trying to improve their health.
How to Get Healthier Friends
Despite all of the “social” media apps out there, it isn’t always easy making new friends these days. Finding fit friends sounds like good advice, but for those who haven’t been living an active lifestyle, it can sound nearly impossible.
But it’s not impossible. You just have to be willing to go a little out of your comfort zone.
Try looking for local events, meetups, and groups. There are free websites like Meetup.com that let you easily find local activities. You could join a healthy cooking class or a recreational sports league.
You can also meet people while exercising. Join a local gym. Sign up for a training class. Check out a group yoga session. All of these can help you meet other people who are trying to lead healthier lives and take better care of themselves.
You can also connect with a personal trainer. This doesn’t have to be in person. Virtual personal training can offer most of the same benefits and accountability but at a lower price point and with more flexibility.
The cost of a personal trainer can be off-putting, but if you’re serious about changing your life, it can be one of the greatest investments you can make. Also, if you’re cutting out the fast food and trips to the bar, you should have some extra money to spend.
Create a New Personality
So much of the weight loss and self-help industries focus on becoming a “better” you. If I were starting at 30% body fate, I would reframe that. My goal wouldn’t be to become a better me.
I would focus on becoming a new me.
Like I said earlier, it’s your lifestyle and your decisions that got you to where you’re currently at. If you don’t like this version of yourself and it’s holding you back from where you want to be, then don’t try to fix it. Let go of it. Start again.
If you look back at everything we’ve covered so far, you’ll see that’s what we’re working towards. You’re cleaning out your pantry and cutting out the junk. You’re building new, positive friendships. Your SMART goal isn’t going to be achieved by being the person you’ve been.
You have to change your brain by becoming someone new.
Left unchecked, your brain goes for the path of least resistance. It tracks habits and falls back to them when challenges arise. You need to build new habits and establish new neural pathways in your brain. By letting go of your old self, your brain will no longer be able to revert to the unhealthy habits that have brought you to your current state.
So, as you set goals and plan the journey ahead, think of the person you want to be. Think of what the new “you” looks like. What do they do? What do they avoid? How do they see themselves?
This image that you’re creating is someone you are fully capable of becoming if you’re willing to make the sacrifices and take action. People constantly sell themselves short of what they could be. They often get caught up on the wrong goals.
I am fully confident that if you follow what’s written here, and you’re willing to die to the person you’ve become, you can achieve results you’ve only dared to dream about.
So what are you waiting for? Start now and see where you go from here. Don’t settle for the person you are right now. Become the person you want to be. The person you were made to be.
