3 Skills to Build Before You Ever Try Another Fat Loss Phase
Why Fat Loss Feels Harder Without the Right Foundation
If every fat loss attempt feels like starting from scratch, the problem probably isn’t your motivation. It’s that you’re trying to build a house without pouring the foundation first.
The clients who have the easiest, most sustainable fat loss phases aren’t the most disciplined. Instead, they are the clients who have already built (and practiced!) a handful of everyday skills that make fat loss feel manageable instead of miserable. Before you worry about any kind of calories or macros, let’s chat about three skills worth practicing first.
Skill #1: Build Consistent Meal Structure Before You Diet
If we’re trying to build a house, we need more than just enthusiasm; we need a blueprint. Keeping consistent daily mealtimes helps to train your body to know when to eat. If you find yourself eating at random times throughout the day, it can become harder to recognize your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. Eating at somewhat predictable times can help prevent long stretches between meals, decreasing the risk of overeating later. Big stretches between meals = big time hunger cues (not helpful when hunger is already a bit higher in a fat loss phase!).
Our bodies crave routines — particularly in regards to sleep (circadian rhythm), stress (acute vs. chronic), and food. Leptin and ghrelin (hormones involved in regulating hunger and fullness) work in a fairly cyclical fashion. What this means is that we can condition our bodies to have predictable hunger and fullness cues if we practice predictable, yet flexible, daily routines.
If I were to ask you, “what is the general window in which you eat your meals and snacks throughout the day?” would you have some sort of time frame for each meal/snack? If not, this is where your skill-building begins!
You shouldn’t be learning when to eat while simultaneously trying to eat less.
Adopting a structured eating pattern makes a future deficit feel much less chaotic.
Skill #2: Learn How to Build a Filling Plate for Fat Loss
If you find yourself not feeling satisfied after main meals while outside of a fat loss phase (when there is naturally a bit more flexibility), then you may be in a world of hurt when trying to be in a consistent calorie deficit.
A fat loss phase can feel like a solution to everything in the moment, but we have to think about what it requires: consistency. Consistently feeling a little bit more hungry, to be exact.
Entering a fat loss phase doesn’t automatically mean you’ll create more filling meals. That is something that has to be practiced outside of a fat loss phase first (foundations to the house, folks). So how do we build a stress-free filling plate of food?
Start with Protein and Produce
Two words: protein and produce.
If you’re eating at this very moment, take a glance at your plate or bowl. What do you see? Do you see a dedicated protein source (beef, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, dairy, etc.) and source of produce (fruit and/or veggie)? When I say “dedicated” source, I do not mean the single strip of lettuce on your sandwich or burger. If you are newer to eating produce, this is a great starting point! However, we must acknowledge that a fat loss phase requires skills beyond just recognizing a fruit or vegetable on your plate. We must put dedicated portion sizes of protein and produce onto said plate.
A good rule of thumb? Choose a protein source that provides more protein than carbohydrates or fats and dedicate a quarter of your plate (or a separate bowl) to a fruit/veggie at every main meal.
When we prioritize the “low-hanging” fruit first, those choices become more automated with time. You’ll be building meals with a dedicated source of protein and produce without having to devote active thinking energy towards those decisions — a big ol’ win for an easier fat loss phase!
Add Carbs and Fats to Round Out the Meal
We cannot forget the other components of a balanced meal: carbohydrates and fats. Yes, you need them. No, they are not the enemy.
When trying to build a filling plate, we are going for volume. Can we snag carbs & fats from Poptarts and Sunchips? Heck yeah! Do those foods give us a ton of volume bang-for-our buck? No, they do not. Real quick: this does not make these foods bad (morality does not exist in food and nutrition), these foods are simply lower in micronutrients.
One of the easiest ways to create food volume is by choosing foods that provide more nutrition and take up more space on your plate for fewer calories. We want carbs & fats that take up a lot of space on our plate for the portion size (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, oatmeal, beans, legumes, air-popped popcorn, etc.) alongside fats that we can add to our meals (nuts, seeds, various oils, chocolate, nut butters, etc.).
A filling plate = protein + produce (low-hanging fruit!) followed by carbs + fats to round out the meal.
Need a few ideas? Check out some of our favorite balanced meal ideas.
Skill #3: Practice Eating Without “Starting Over Monday”
In an ideal world, a calorie deficit would entail eating all meals at home without any disruptions in regular routines. In no way, shape, or form is that anyone’s reality though! Even with the most ideal planning, a fat loss phase will likely contain a birthday, vacation, date night, pizza party, or a holiday. If one off-plan meal completely derails your routine or your confidence, fat loss will continue to feel impossible.
How to Get Back to Your Routine After “Falling Off”
No one lives in a vacuum.
Our nutrition choices have to be flexible.
That means that you must have several tools in your nutrition and lifestyle toolkit to be able to adjust to your reality. Habits that only work in one scenario of your life will likely not prove useful when you do anything outside of your regular routines. If you have only practiced habits in an ideal scenario of life, then it can become easier to feel frustrated and stressed while inviting guilt, shame, and regret into choices.
Instead of waiting for the “perfect” time to restart your regular routines, practice returning right back to your normal eating patterns after one higher-calorie meal or a time where food choices didn’t quite go to plan. Your relationship with food and future deficit self will thank you!
What Skills Should You Build Before a Fat Loss Phase?
Before starting a fat loss phase, practice consistent meal structure, learn how to build filling plates, and develop the skill of returning to your routine after off-plan meals without “starting over.”
Build the Foundation Before You Chase the Deficit
I say this with so much love: before entering a fat loss phase, it’s worth taking the time to build a foundation first. If you try to build your home without a blueprint or solid foundation, what you create is much more likely to crack under pressure. The same is true with nutrition.
Relying on motivation or frustration alone might get you started, but it rarely builds the skills to complete a successful fat loss phase. By practicing consistent meal structure, building filling plates, and learning how to return to your routine without “starting over,” you’ll be creating habits that support not only a more manageable fat loss phase, but a healthier relationship with food long after a fat loss phase is over.
Want support to build your foundations?
Get help building the foundations that can make reaching your fat loss goals not just easier, but also more enjoyable and sustainable. For personalized support that works with your lifestyle, not against it, sign up for 1:1 Nutrition Coaching.
Kimberly ZeHnder
Certified NTP, eating disorder survivor, and former D1 athlete guiding clients away from restrictive past eating habits and toward food freedom with a body built on trust and respect.
You might also like
Sign Up for the newsletterFollow KLN on social media
Before jumping into another fat loss phase, it’s worth building the skills that make consistency in a calorie deficit feel less chaotic. We’re covering three foundational habits to practice first: creating meal structure, building filling plates, and returning to your routine without “starting over.”