We all, at one time or another, let our inner Homer Simpson get the best of us. We succumb to the goodies of life...beer, pizza, burgers, more pizza. I'm guilty of it at times myself. A little lapse here and there is no big deal, but we must be consistent. Here are some quick tips to help avoid the traps of your quest for fat loss.
1. Calories in vs. Calories out.
This one is simple enough. If you are not losing weight the simple answer would be to decrease calorie intake. Now adding some weight training into the mix will produce even better results, but to keep it simple we will just stick with caloric intake. I'm not sure what a "good" formula to use is, or if any formula that "they" use is even worth a shit. Just cut back on the calories. Avoid drastic decreases right off the get-go. This can mess with energy levels, metabolism, mood, training sessions, and losing muscle as opposed to fat (aka losing scale weight, but no visual change). As far as what foods you should consume you should stick with fruits(sparingly), veggies, lean cuts of ground beef (preferably grass-fed), chicken (preferably free-range), fish, and nuts (avoid one's that have added oils).
2. Stop the long slow duration "cardio."
Stop and look at the people on the treadmills, elipticals, and bikes next time you are at the gym (unless your gym doesn't have these, which in that case give yourself a high five) notice that most of the people that constantly slave themselves away on these contraptions aren't exactly what you would call "fit." Why spend countless hours a week on a stationary equipment getting no results when you could be kicking ass in the next room performing a session of heavy lifting and actually getting results? There a number of reasons that lifting and "conditioning" will contribute to greater fat and weight loss more than LSD which include the type of hormones secreted and how much, muscle fiber recruitment (type and number), effects on metabolism, EPOC levels, and muscle fiber damage (this leads to muscle fiber re-generation which will be covered next).
3. Consume more protein.
In order for a muscle to grow it must be broken down first. It is broken down during training (not just going through the motions, but actual training), and the best time to re-synthesize the damaged muscle fibers is after your workout. So there's one reason to consume more protein.
Here's another. Protein has the highest thermal effect on the body. This means that it requires the most energy to breakdown out of the macronutrients (carbs,fat,protein), which results in more calories burned. It also results in more lean muscle mass which in turn increases the basal metabolic rate, or energy expended at rest. You hear reports of take x amount of protein per lb of body weight or take this amount. I say that its all horseshit. Just get more of it.
4. Be active on your "off" days.
A mistake that many make is doing nothing on their "off" days or days when they don't have a planned training session. Some active recovery work (foam rolling, mobility drills, activation drills, playing basketball, etc.) can go a long way for you and your quest for fat loss. Not only will it lead to more calories burned (the foam rolling, mobility, and activation won't acquire too much), but it can add to the longevity of your training. If you have muscle stiffness, imbalances, faulty movement patterns, faulty stabilization patterns, inhibited muscles, etc. you definitely should work on these not only on training days, but off days as well.
5. Choose exercises that recruit the most muscle groups.
The more muscles that are recruited, especially those with the largest cross-sectional areas, will lead to greater fat loss. I have used this as a template for my fat loss clients. Program the big bang exercises early and for fillers use corrective and core work. It has worked pretty well. Just take a look at Jake and Ned, two clients of mine who have went through the system.
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