Hello!
Can’t believe I’m writing a blog. Never thought I would do one. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Barik Williams.
I will likely make another blog that will go over my story and why I became a personal trainer. But in the meantime, I wanted to get right into it!
So, let’s get started.
If you don’t follow me on Instagram (you should), I have started doing “Wednesday Conversations”, where every Wednesday I will ask my followers to ask me any questions they want.
It can be fitness questions, nutrition questions, workouts, life, etc. From these questions I’ve decided to create a blog for each one to give people more in-depth information.
One of the most common questions I got was on Calorie Deficit and what it means. If you follow any fitness professionals/influencers, you may have heard this and seen it all over social media.
Let’s get right into it. Enough with the small talk.
What is a Calorie Deficit?
This is one of the biggest tools to use when trying to lose weight.
It’s simple, you need to be eating less calories than you're burning throughout the day.
Now, to get that caloric number is sometimes difficult and confusing. If you google it or search on YouTube, you will see a plethora of calorie calculators. First, there is nothing wrong with the calculators, but...most of them require a lot of information. Some may be confusing to others. Of course, it’s not totally accurate, but what really is? It’s not perfect.
My goal is to make it as simple as possible. There is a simple formula that has been used. I think this formula is a great way to get a STARTING number.
Formula – Take your Goal Body Weight (GBW) and times it by 10 and 12. This will be your moderate calorie deficit.
GBW x 10-12 = Calories per day
Now, I like to do 10 and 12 to give you a range. Instead of being stuck on hitting one specific number. Now you have some wiggle room to work with. So, example, if your Goal Body Weight (GBW) is 180. You take 180 x 10 and 12. That will give you, 1,800-2,160 calories. This is a great starting point. It gives you a good range to play with and to understand how much you need.
Counting Calories?
Although you do not need to count calories to lose weight, I do recommend trying it for 30 days, so you get a good understanding of your portions and how much you are eating during the day. You can use apps like My Fitness Pal to help you track your calories. I really like My Fitness Pal because it does most of the work for you.
Once you understand your calorie intake then you can stop tracking, but at least give it a try for 30 days.
Protein Intake?
Your protein intake plays an important role while being in a calorie deficit.
To start, your protein intake should be between 100g-120g a day. Again, this is just a starting point, an average. Everyone is different and you can play around with that number.
The key is, during fat loss, calories are PRIORITY, over protein. You don’t need to eat over your calorie deficit number just to try and hit your numbers for protein intake.
Calories first. Protein second.
Working out?
Another key factor while being in a deficit is working out 2-3 times a week.
Don’t JUST do cardio. Pick up some weights. Strength training is very important for fat loss.
Building muscle = burning fat
I will go over strength training more in another blog post.
Track Your Progress
Keep track of your weight, calories, and workouts as you go along. Consistency is key. Keeping track of your progress will help you determine if you need to adjust your numbers when you hit a plateau.
You need to be in a deficit for at least 60 days or longer. You must give it time, or you won’t see the results you want.
Effort. Patience. And Consistency.
Those 3 words you must never forget. I want you to write those words down and put them in an area where you will see them every day. Give EFFORT each day, stay consistent and be patient. This process is NOT a quick fix. This process is a long, sustainable, and healthy journey.
5 Keys to Fat loss
I have highlighted some KEY things you can do for fat loss. There are a couple steps I left out, but the ones above will get you started. Below is a chart of my 5 Keys to Fat Loss. You probably have seen these posted on social media and in different formats. Most fitness professionals are talking about this. IT WORKS!
All you must do is the WORK.
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