Fat Loss Challenge – Getting Ready For the Challenge

This is the start of a brand new challenge after finishing my last 12 week challenge (from July 12th to October 5th). I’ve got a lot of momentum now, so I have a bit less preparation to do. If you want to read a more detailed post on getting ready for a weight loss challenge, read this post.

Some of you may note, I’m calling it a “fat loss” challenge. I know a lot of people focus on weight, but, to me, it’s all about losing body fat. I don’t want to lose weight, if it means losing muscle. But I’ll kiss that fat good-bye without a second thought!

During my last challenge, even though I was aiming for a lower body fat, my main focus was getting back the strength I had lost from having a broken wrist. I focused on a calorie deficit of eating around 1700 calories day and followed a 50%/30%/20% carb/protein/fat ratio, but found I did better at around 40%/40%/20%.

Something else I noticed in the last week is that I did drop fat a bit more quickly if I go down to 1500 calories a day, but there was some loss of lean body mass, too. To that end, I’m going to see if I can tweak the fat loss without losing muscle by going moderate carb on most days, adding in 2 high carb days (carb reloading) and doing a zigzag of low(er) calorie days mixed with higher calorie days. In other words, not go more than two days at 1500-1600 calories. The other days would be 1700-1800.

Keep in mind, YOUR calorie deficit may be different than mine! Use this calorie deficit calculator to determine your own numbers.

The carb reload and zigzag ideas come from what I consider my ‘fat loss bible’: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. (Full disclosure here because this more of a personal blog: I’m an affiliate of Tom’s book, meaning I get a commission if somebody buys through my affiliate link. That’s how FitWatch makes money on the rest of the site, through ads and commissions. But, hand on my heart, I think Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is one of the best fat loss books out there. It’s solid, no-nonsense fat loss information and Tom guides you through the whole way. It’s not for someone who wants a quick fix or for someone who doesn’t like to read — it’s over 300 pages!)

If you want to check it out, here are two links. One goes directly to his site (no commissions for me) and the other one would give me a commission if you bought it. Totally up to you!

Non-Affiliate link: Burn the Fat , Feed the Muscle
Affiliate link: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

The sales page may seem a bit “hypy” — but Tom delivers!

Here’s the moderate carb template I’m going to be following:

The menu template for the low or moderate carbohydrate diet

(from Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle)
Meal 1:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (large serving)
Meal 2:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (large serving)
Meal 3:
Lean Protein, Starchy carb (small serving or none), Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)
Meal 4:
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat
Meal 5
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad), essential fat
Meal 6
Lean Protein, Fibrous carb (vegetable/salad)

This week, I’m going to see how I feel doing this:

Monday: 1700-1800 calories, moderate carb, weight training
Tuesday: 1500-1600 calories, moderate carb, cardio
Wednesday: 1700-1800 calories, high carb (50% carb/30% protein/20% fat), weight training
Thursday: 1500-1600 calories, moderate carb, cardio
Friday: 1700-1800 calories, moderate carb, weight training
Saturday: 1500-1600, moderate carb, rest or active rest
Sunday: 1500-1600, moderate carb, rest or active rest

It might seem complicated at first, but all it takes is a bit of planning. It’s not a technique recommended for beginners, necessarily. I already have a pretty good idea of what to eat, etc.

Next up, my initial weigh-in and measurements.

Tags: burn fat, fat loss, Suzanne's Fat Loss Journey, Suzanne's Weight Loss Journey, Weight Loss