Sorry to disappoint you, but losing fat through a one-year gym membership is quite unlikely. While it might work for a few individuals, most people will either gain weight or maintain their current weight. If you observe a gym, it's evident that 80% of the equipment is intended for muscle building, not for fat loss. You will also notice more muscular individuals than overweight ones, and in most cases, it's not because they were formerly overweight and then bulked up through weight lifting. Therefore, you have about a 20% chance of succeeding in your fat loss plan by just going to the gym, but that only holds if you use the right equipment, follow a good routine, and stick with it. These chances seem pretty slim to me, so what can we do to improve fat loss?.

To shed those extra pounds, focus on transforming your eating habits instead of hitting the gym.

To shed some pounds, it's not about hitting the gym; it's all about changing how you think about food, period.

I've always been a fan of desserts, and pizza topped the list as my favorite food. Every meal had to conclude with something sweet, and a bar of chocolate went perfectly with my unsweetened black coffee. Four years ago, I reached my highest weight: 84kgs. For someone of average height, at 178cm, that's considered overweight. Now, I'm down to 64kgs and working on shedding the last bit of stubborn fat. My journey here wasn't easy; it involved receiving some tough news from the doctor and experiencing numerous moments of embarrassment. The latter proved to be the most effective motivator for me, and I truly believe that shame can be a powerful tool for those struggling to manage their weight.

What helped me might not be the solution for you, yet I believe that telling my story can motivate and inspire other people facing challenges with weight loss. Reflecting on my journey, I realize that uncovering the reasons behind my weight gain was crucial to achieving fitness once more.

So, why do we get fat?

I think there are three main factors that lead to weight gain: the availability of food, influential role models, and a sedentary lifestyle (not to be confused with a lack of exercise!). Ignoring even one of these can significantly increase the likelihood of weight issues spiraling out of control. Let’s delve into each factor a bit more closely.

Food. If you're reading this, you likely live in an area where food is plentiful. Everywhere we go, we're bombarded with tempting food advertisements and billboards enticing us to try the latest chocolate, burger, or sugary drink. Most of the items we find in stores aren't in their raw state, and without reading the labels, it's often challenging to identify more than a handful of ingredients. Typically, we consume three meals a day, often indulging in snacks between those meals. When you add up the time spent on searching for food, waiting for it to be served, eating, and cleaning up afterward, it easily totals at least three hours a day dedicated to food. Now, just picture having an extra hour of free time each day...

Role models. Research indicates that as you grow up, those who are closest to you significantly impact your mental development. If your role models — whether they are teachers, parents, or community leaders — are overweight, you're likely to gain weight as well over time. By respecting and caring about what these individuals do and say, you indirectly alter your "relationship" with fat, making it a familiar presence in your life. Your mind will begin to accept being overweight as the norm, and you may overlook the layers of fat accumulating on your belly when you consume excessive or unhealthy foods.

Lack of movement. Lastly, there is the issue of lack of movement, which contributes to fat retention. It's important to note that movement isn't the same as exercise. During exercise, your heart rate spikes and you break a sweat. Movement, on the other hand, is about not staying still. It includes activities like walking in the park or to your office, doing chores like dishes or laundry, or even pacing while talking on the phone. Over the recent decades, we've become increasingly sedentary, and our movement has significantly decreased: cars take us straight to our destinations, appliances handle our dishes and laundry, and we spend the remaining time glued to the TV or computer screen. This definitely doesn't help burn off that Oreo you had earlier—you'd need to jog for six minutes to burn just one Oreo! 😮.

Get and stay fit

I believe that maintaining fitness is greatly dependent on the three aspects I've mentioned earlier as FIT , and that’s the straightforward part. Simply be mindful of your diet, the choices you make or disregard, and how you manage the calories you consume. By doing this, you’re less likely to gain weight and can effortlessly keep your weight in check.

Shame will make you lose fat.

Shame will make you lose fat.

Now, let's tackle the challenging part of getting back on track after gaining some fat. This means skipping dessert, walking that extra mile, and adjusting your habits. But out of all these efforts, diet is the most crucial factor in losing fat. Personally, it took me four years, and I’m still on the journey. Stay motivated and keep up the good work!

You can't expect to gain weight over a decade and then shed it all in just a few months. Many people think they can drop 10 kilos in a month or see daily progress, but that’s just not realistic. Losing fat is a slow process that requires your body to gradually adjust to the new weight. For me, it happened in phases of 2–3 months where I lost around 6 kilos each time. Different triggers motivated me to keep going. Once, it was alarming news from the doctor, and in three other instances, it was an overwhelming sense of shame that made me wish I were invisible. Before feeling this intense shame, I struggled to lose weight and couldn't make the scale budge.

My fat loss story

Bad news — lost 7 kilos. Four years ago, a routine medical check-up revealed I had a fatty liver and it wasn't in great shape. That was the initial push toward the current weight I have. To improve my health, I cut down on sugar, became more active, and quit eating so much junk food. I even bought a fitness tracker, a home stepper, and started running a few days a week. This approach worked, and I was heading in the right direction, but then I stalled at 77kgs. In hindsight, I realize I lacked the proper motivation. Once my liver improved, I started paying less attention to my diet and fell back into old habits: staying up late and indulging in too many sweets.

Ashamed of people around me — lost 6 kilos. Then came my first moment of shame. It was a hot summer day on a beach in Sicily, Italy. I often find beach visits boring, so I either read, nap, or people-watch. As I glanced around, I had a sudden realization: I was the only overweight person on a crowded beach. Everyone else, regardless of age, was in great shape. I was honestly shocked. Not only were they fit, but they were exceptionally toned. Feeling so embarrassed, I put on my T-shirt and lay on my back to hide my belly until I left the beach that day. When I got back to the hotel room, I did what society tells us to do when we want to fight fat—I signed up for a gym membership. Grabbing my phone, I emailed my gym back home and secured a membership. I also hired a personal trainer and started hitting the gym three times a week. Things began to improve, and with a low-carb diet, I managed to drop from 77 kilos to around 69 kilos in a few months. Everything was good until I discovered that a low-carb diet is not recommended for long-term use, so I stopped after six weeks. As soon as I quit the low-carb diet, my weight started creeping back up and eventually settled at around 71 kilos.

Shame of myself — lost 7 kilos. I had been steady at 71kgs for over two years. Then another wave of shame hit. Watching a video of myself biking, I saw my flabby love handles. I replayed it repeatedly, feeling the same embarrassment as when I was the only overweight person on the beach. I thought more consistent gym sessions could fix this, so I began going four times a week and stayed committed. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. To my dismay, two months went by, and I was still over 70kgs. While I might have lost some fat and gained muscle during this time, there was no noticeable change in the mirror, signaling that I needed to make a different adjustment.

So, I began diving into research and compiled a list of over 20 strategies for fat loss. Pareto's 80/20 rule truly holds up. Out of everything on that list, the one thing that accounted for 80% of the results was adjusting my eating habits. Over the next 6 weeks, I shed more than 6kgs without stepping foot in a gym, simply by adopting the 5:2 fasting diet. This involved consuming under 800 calories on 2 days each week, while eating normally on the other 5 days. Research indicates that this type of diet not only aids in fat loss but also significantly impacts aging and overall health — if interested see more here..

Shame of spending money — on going. We all put in a lot of effort to earn our money, but often we end up spending it unwisely. It’s kind of ironic that we work to earn money to buy food, then we gain weight, and then we work even harder to earn more money just to spend on losing the weight we gained from the food. What if we didn’t gain the weight in the first place and could work less? Or what if we chose to buy higher quality food instead of a lot of cheaper, lower quality food with the same amount of money?

A few days ago, I had my third embarrassing moment while I was out for dinner. I initially planned to eat something light, but upon arriving at the restaurant, I discovered they were offering a seafood buffet. Being someone like me, curiosity to sample a variety of dishes, especially since it was only my second time at a Thai restaurant, quickly persuaded me to choose the buffet over the à la carte menu. So, I indulged and ended up overeating that night. I started with a plate of assorted starters, followed by another filled with various grilled seafood, and naturally, I finished with dessert. What was supposed to be a light meal turned into a feast, leaving me feeling ashamed. I regretted the money spent on food that I didn't actually need. Though I've never been frugal, I spent hours reflecting on how I could let myself be so foolish. I began to recall numerous instances where I bought a dessert despite already being full or ordered more dishes than I could feasibly eat. This incident has made me more mindful when ordering food and consider whether I'm genuinely hungry. I feel that this revelation will help me finally shed the last bit of stubborn lower belly fat and be successful in my battle against excess weight.

Reflecting on my journey to losing 20kgs, it’s clear that changing my eating habits, portion sizes, and food choices played a crucial role. Initially, I shed fat by cutting down on junk food and sugar. Later, the low carb diet proved to be the game changer, rather than my intense workouts at the gym. Ultimately, limiting my calorie intake allowed me to consistently lose around 1kg each week.

Switching up your diet can be a real challenge, and it definitely requires significant willpower to pass on dessert, opt out of a burger, pasta, or pizza, and choose a salad or just water over a fresh juice or Coke. Shedding those pounds isn't straightforward, and you'll probably stumble a few times before you get into the right mindset. But that feeling of stepping on the scale and liking the number you see, fitting into medium-sized clothes, and strolling on the beach with a flatter stomach is incredibly rewarding. Personally, that's way more satisfying than any dessert.

In conclusion, I've compiled a list of the key changes I made to my diet and my approach to food. Feel free to use this as a starting point for your own journey.

1. For two weeks, make a note of everything you eat each day and then take the time to review it. If you think it looks good, seek a friend's opinion. If they agree it's good, continue seeking feedback from others. Keep doing this to ensure the quality of your diet.
2. Stick to just one dessert each day, and ensure it's a small portion.
3. Avoid snacking between meals and stick to having just three meals each day.
4. Avoid consuming beverages that contain calories. This means steering clear of alcohol, sugary or milky coffee, and even fresh juices. Opt for calorie-free options like water, black coffee, and tea instead.
5. Whenever possible, opt for vegetables over bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes.
6. When enjoying a meal, place your utensils down after each bite.
7. Occasionally practice intermittent fasting with either the 5:2 or 16:8 methods.
8. When dining out, make up your mind before even glancing at the menu that you’re going to order a salad, and then direct your attention only to the salads section.
9. Avoid multitasking during meals.
10. Use smaller plates when you eat.
11. Purchase just enough food to satisfy your hunger.
12. Every few weeks (3 or more), reward yourself for the advancements you've achieved.

If my journey assists you in achieving your desired weight or if you have a similar experience, I would love to hear about it, so please share it below! 😃